Virginia Department of Education

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Virginia Department of Education
French German Latin Spanish

• Foreign Language Standards of Learning Revision
• 1999-2000

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History of SOL Revision

• 1983 - Developed SOL for Foreign Language
• 1988 1989 - Developed Assessment Resource
  Materials

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Project Time Line

• April 1999
• Work plan approved by Board of Education
• May - June 1999
• Resources identified and secured
• Committee members selected
• Steering committee met

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Time Line (continued)

• July 1999
• Writing team met to develop draft
• September - November 1999
• Limited stakeholder review conducted
• Proposed SOL prepared for presentation to the
  Superintendent of Public Instruction
  

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Time Line (continued)

• January 6, 2000
• Presented proposed SOL to the Board of Education
  for first review
  
• Printed and distributed proposed SOL in
  anticipation of public hearings
  
• April 3, 2000
• Conducted statewide public hearings on the
  proposed SOL

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Time Line (continued)

• April - May 2000
• SOL edited in response to public comment
• June 22, 2000
• Superintendent of Instruction presents SOL to BOE
  for final review and approval

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Time Line (continued)

• July - August 2000
• Format BOE-approved SOL
• Print and distribute BOE-approved SOL to schools
  and school divisions
  
• July 17 - 18 July 19 - 20, 2000
• Two-day familiarization workshops in Roanoke

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Writing Team Members

• French
• Glenda Cash, Lynchburg City
• Val Gooss, Henrico County
• Mignonne Holz, Manassas City
• Lela Morris, Richmond City
• Susan Temple, Franklin County
• Bob Terry, University of Richmond

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Writing Team Members

• German
• John Freeman, Pulaski County
• Brenda Goff, Bedford County
• Sally Goodhart, Gloucester County
• Debbie Hershman, Loudoun County

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Writing Team Members

• Latin
• Cathy Daugherty, Hanover County
• David Larrick, Albemarle County
• Diann Nickelsburg, Virginia Beach City
• Vickie Scaggs, Chesterfield County
• Sandy Spengeman, Franklin City
• David Winn, Spotsylvania County

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Writing Team Members

• Spanish
• Sheila Cockey, King George County
• Sylvia Kladakis, Fairfax County
• Steve Lambert, Rockingham County
• Katy Myers, Fauquier County
• Mimi Stapleton, Virginia Tech
• Maria Still, Virginia Beach City

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Definitions

• Academic content standards for foreign languages
• statements of knowledge, processes, and skills
  essential to guide teaching and learning in
  foreign languages in Virginia

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Revised SOL

• Must identify what students are expected to
  accomplish
  
• Must be
• academic
• measurable
• rigorous
• jargon-free

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Revised SOL

• Should not reflect
• teaching methods
• classroom strategies
• specific instructional materials

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Decisions

• Degree of specificity
• separate standards for each level of each
  language
  
• how to incorporate corpus of grammar and other
  structure and vocabulary
  
• as specific as possible without being
  prescriptive
  

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Decisions (continued)

• Continuity and consistency
• from one language to another
• from one level to the next
• across languages and levels

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Decisions (continued)

• Ways to support technology and for technology to
  support foreign language learning
  
• integrated into the standards rather than as a
  stand alone topic
  
• grade 8 technology standards used as a reference

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Front Matter
Narrative Description of Standards to Follow

• Foreign Language Standards of Learning
• The Foreign Language Standards of Learning
  identify essential content, processes, and skills
  for each level of language learning in Virginias
  secondary schools. There are specific standards
  for French, German, Latin, and Spanish, Levels I
  - IV, as well as generic Modern Foreign Language
  Standards adaptable for courses in other modern
  languages.
• Each level of the modern language standards is
  organized around seven content strands that
  outline the knowledge, skills, and processes
  essential for language learning, focusing on
  communication. The Latin standards are organized
  around six content strands that focus on
  interpretation of text. The emphasis on
  communication and interpretation ensures that
  students exiting foreign language programs in
  Virginias high schools will be able to interact
  with users of the language and understand their
  culture. . . .

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Goals
Goals of Foreign Language Learning in Virginia

• GoalsEffective Communication
• Students will learn to communicate with others in
  a language other than English.
  
• Students will improve their understanding of and
  ability to communicate in the English language by
  comparing and contrasting another language with
  their own.
• Enhanced Cultural Understanding
• Students will develop an awareness of and an
  appreciation for another peoples unique way of
  life, the patterns of behavior which order their
  world, and the ideas and perspectives which guide
  their behaviors.
• Students will learn about the contributions of
  other cultures to the world and how these
  contributions have shaped international
  perspectives.
• ETC.

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Use of Organizing Strands
The foreign language standards use organizing
strands similar to those used as the national
standards goal areas.
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Modern Language Strands

• Person-to-Person Communication
• Listening and Reading for Understanding
• Oral and Written Communication
• Cultural Perspectives, Practices, and Products
• Making Connections through Language
• Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons
• Communication across Communities

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Latin Strands

• Reading for Understanding
• Using Oral and Written Language for
  Understanding
  
• Cultural Perspectives, Practices, and Products
• Making Connections through Language
• Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons
• Communication across Communities
• Same as for modern languages

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Introduction for Each Level
Each level has an introduction that
summarizes the standards for that level.

• Modern Foreign Language Level I
• Level I language courses focus on the development
  of students communicative competence in the
  foreign language and their understanding of the
  culture(s) of the people who speak the language.
  Communicative competence is divided into three
  strands speaking and writing as an interactive
  process in which students learn to communicate
  with another speaker of the language reading and
  listening as a receptive process in which
  comprehension of texts in the foreign language is
  developed and speaking and writing in a
  presentational context in which students are
  focused on organization of thoughts and awareness
  of their audience in delivering information. In
  Level I classes, the students learn to
  communicate in real-life contexts about topics
  that are meaningful to them. In order to develop
  the three areas of communicative competence,
  students are encouraged to use the foreign
  language as much as possible in all areas of
  study. Grammar is integrated into instruction
  according to the vocabulary and structures needed
  in the various situations in which students are
  required to function. Through the language
  learning process, students develop an
  understanding of how their own language is
  structured and how their own culture has unique
  aspects. An important component of language
  classes is the use of the language beyond the
  classroom in order to apply knowledge of the
  language in the real world. . . .

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SampleContent Strand and Standards

• Person to Person Communication
• MFLI.1 The student will exchange simple spoken
  and written information in the foreign language.
  
• 1. Use basic greetings, farewells, and
  expressions of courtesy both orally and in
  writing.
  
• 2. Express likes and dislikes, requests,
  descriptions, and directions.
  
• 3. Ask questions and provide responses based on
  self and familiar material, such as family
  members, personal belongings, school and leisure
  activities, time, and weather.

Content Strand Content Standard Required
specifics of content standard that help with mea
surability. Material that follows the phrase
such as is offered only as a suggestion and is
not required.
The specifics may be referred to as benchmarks or
progress indicators. However, at this time, there
are no plans to develop state assessments
associated with the Foreign Language SOL.
Unlike the SOL for English, mathematics, science
, and history/social science, the specifics in
the Foreign Language SOL are numbered rather than
bulleted for ease of reference.
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Remember

• The standards have been written for a general
  audience, not just for educators (jargon-free).
  
• Efforts have been made to avoid issues and
  terminology that may be controversial or
  misunderstood.

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• Seldom will the standards be referred to in their
  entirety. They will most likely be used in
  isolation, e.g., French I, German IV, etc.
  
• Therefore, critical information has been repeated
  when necessary for full understanding.

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So where do we start with the standards?

• Read the introductory information
• Understand the organizing strands
• Consider how the standards integrate language
  skills for natural language use and communication

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• Note that the state standards emphasize the
  knowledge, processes, and skills that students
  should develop, not the content that teachers
  should teach
• Use the state standards to develop a local
  curriculum that defines more narrowly the content
  and structures that will enable students to meet
  the standards

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What about assessment?

• At this time, there are no plans for statewide
  assessment on the Foreign Language SOL
  
• However, school divisions and schools should
  consider ways to effectively assess student
  performance in foreign languages

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Will teachers be held accountable for the SOL?

• Teacher accountability will be in the hands of
  the local school divisions
  
• A local school division should develop a local
  foreign language curriculum that is aligned with
  the state standards
  
• Classroom instruction and student learning should
  then reflect this curriculum

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Will the DOE provide any assistance in helping
school divisions to align instruction with the
SOL?

• Yes
• Two 2-day familiarization workshops co-sponsored
  by the DOE and FLAVA
  
• July 17-18, 2000 or July 19-20, 2000
• Roanoke, VA
• The supt. of each division will be invited to
  send 2 FL educators to return to their divisions
  as trainers

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What can we do now to begin integrating the SOL
into our classrooms?

• Become familiar with the standards for your
  language and level
  
• Use curriculum mapping or monitoring to ensure
  that you are providing activities and instruction
  the include all the standards

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• Consider how a typical lesson and/or unit covers
  more than one standard
  
• Remember that language learning is spiraling in
  nature, allowing for and requiring much
  re-introduction of review information

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• Consider how the core SOL support foreign
  language learning
  
• Consider how the Foreign Language SOL support
  learning in the core subjects
  
• Begin to document SOL coverage in your lessons by
  referring to the new SOL

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Just one example

• In a French I class, during a lesson on foods
• consider the notion of eating bread and chocolate
  as an after school snack rather than peanut
  butter and jelly
  

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• The teacher might
• describe foods typically eaten in France and in
  the U.S.
  
• ask students to sample pain au chocolat
• ask for students opinions on the snack with
  justified responses
  
• ask how French students might view peanut butter

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• This lesson/activity has incorporated the
  following SOL
  
• FI.1.2 The student will exchange simple spoken
  and written information in French Express likes
  and dislikes, requests, descriptions, and
  directions and
• FI.1.3 Ask questions and provide responses based
  on self and familiar material.
  

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• FI.7.2 The student will develop an awareness of
  perspectives, practices, and products of
  francophone cultures Identify some customs and
  traditions of francophone cultures and
• FI.7.4 Identify some products of francophone
  cultures.
  

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• FI.10.1 The student will demonstrate an
  understanding of the significance of culture
  through comparisons between francophone cultures
  and the cultures of the U.S. Compare patterns of
  behavior and interaction in the U.S. with those
  of francophone societies and
• FI.10.2 Demonstrate an awareness that social
  practices and personal interactions differ among
  cultures.
  

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Resources

• The DOE Foreign Language web page
• http//www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/Language
  
  
• Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the
  21st Century - 25 shipping
  1-800-627-0629
  
• ACTFL Performance Guidelines for K-12 Learners -
  7.50 shipping
  1-914-963-8830

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More Information

• DOE/FLAVA Foreign Language SOL Workshop
• July 17-18 or July 19-20, 2000
• Wyndham Roanoke Airport HotelRoanoke, VA
• Each division supt. has been invited to select 2
  foreign language teachers to attend
  
• FLAVA Conference - October 27-28, 2000
• Koger Holiday Inn Select - Richmond

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This presentation was prepared by
Dr. Linda Wallinger Principal Specialist for Fore
ign Language and ESL Virginia Department of Educa
tion May 2000