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Position Paper |
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Position Paper |
The Massachusetts Foreign Language Association represents over 2000 second language teachers in the state of Massachusetts. We advocate for foreign language education because it opens the world to students, develops their understanding of other cultures, enhances many cognitive skills, and provides needed linguistic resources for national security and our global economy.
Our Guiding Principles
1. Foreign language study is an important academic discipline that rightly takes its place with the other core subjects of English language arts, mathematics, science and technology/engineering, and history and social science.
2. All students should be proficient in at least one language other than English. Proficiency means that one is able to communicate in the language. The focus falls on speaking and writing skills, as well as the more receptive skills of reading and listening.
3. In order to achieve the goal of proficiency, students should have the opportunity to engage in a long sequence of foreign language study. Short exposures late in the K-12 sequence make attainment of a high level of proficiency very difficult and raise unrealistic expectations.
A variety of languages should be offered. Adherence to this principle would allow our heritage speakers to develop full literacy in their first (or second) language. It would provide a body of educated speakers fluent in a variety of languages critical to our national interests. It would also enable monolingual English speakers to select among an array of options on their way to becoming multilingual citizens.Assessment Guidelines
1. The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) was instituted to assess progress in the core disciplines, of which foreign language is one. The assessment of foreign language should reflect the full scope of the State (curriculum) framework.
2. The assessment should focus on proficiency. It should address the three modes of communication - interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational. The four skills of speaking, listening, writing, and reading should be addressed. Culture must be the content and context for assessment.
3. Foreign language skills should be tested from beginning through advanced levels, or as the State (curriculum) framework says, from stage one through stage four. Assessment in foreign languages, as in the other MCAS areas, should demand the attainment of high standards.
4. All languages can be assessed through the use of generic prompts for speaking and writing.
5. The state must lay the groundwork for sensible test development. Districts should be given feedback in the tryout period so that they may properly fine-tune the instructional process.
The Massachusetts Foreign Language Association is willing to assist in the process. It may, for example, provide professional development in district-based assessment and guidance in selecting appropriate assessment materials. However, the Association cannot develop, administer, and monitor the entire instructional and assessment process. That responsibility lies with the Department of Education in the same way that the Department has assumed those responsibilities for the other core academic areas.