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Oct
21
Michigan World Language Standards and Benchmarks, Guidelines
October 21, 2007 | Tagged Michigan, Standards, world language | Leave a Comment
The Michigan Department of Education has released two documents related to the World Language requirement of the Michigan Merit Curriculum:
Of particular note is Michigan’s requirement for 2 credits of a world language:
Learners at different ages and stages of development progress at different rates and require different amounts of learning time to achieve equivalent proficiency. Research indicates that students benefit from continuous and extended sequences of language study in the same world language. School districts may choose to deliver a sequence of study equivalent to two years of high school credit in a variety of ways. For example, students may complete:
1. two years of classroom instruction at the high school level;
2. formal instruction in the same world language provided by their school district over the course of the K-8 experience (proficiency assessment required; see next page); or
3. learning beyond the K-12 classroom, for example, formal schooling abroad, study abroad programs, college coursework, home or heritage languages, online courses, or other life experiences; formal documentation of equivalent proficiency is required.
I’m sure many districts will have questions on what does this mean for their students, particulary what it means to measure for proficiency. The next few years will be very interesting here in Michigan!
