The Mission
The mission of SAISD World Languages Program is to establish multilingual classrooms and empower every child with 21st Century skills, so that they can proficiently communicate in other languages and become global citizens.
The Vision
The vision of the SAISD World Languages Program is to create a well-articulated World Languages Program that prepares students to actively and effectively participate and succeed in a global society.
The World Languages Program prepares students for an increasingly open and globally interconnected world. We seek to strengthen the World Languages Program for all, beginning with exploratory levels in elementary, and continuing through middle and high school advanced courses for college credit as well as career readiness.
Objectives of the Program
Instruction
- Support teachers and multicultural commitment of AP and IB programs
- Establish and/or grow the World Languages Program in our middle schools
- Focus on collaborative planning at district and campus levels
Curriculum
- Oversee the refinement of curriculum for the World Languages Program
- Create and adopt common syllabi, pacing guides, and formative assessments
- Shift the culture from teaching about the language to teaching the target language for proficiency
Professional Development
- Identify and train new teachers to implement best-practice strategies and teach rigorous courses.
- Build teacher capacity for increase student proficiency
- Provide technology training and resources to move to a student-centered instructional model
Community and Culture
- Recognize and celebrate student’s academic accomplishments and successes
- Increase the number of student who complete a coherent sequence of World Languages courses
- Create opportunities for students and teachers to have access to extended learning experiences outside the classroom
World Languages Offered at SAISD
ASL, French, German, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, and Spanish
Research:
“Strong evidence shows that time spent on foreign language study strongly reinforces the core subject areas of reading, English language literacy, social studies, and math.”
“Foreign language learners consistently outperform control groups in core subject areas on standardized tests, often significantly.” (Armstrong & Rogers 1997; Saunders 1998; Masciantonio 1977; Rafferty 1986; Andrade 1989; Kretschmer & Kretschmer 1989)
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