4.++Michigan+Merit+Curriculum+World+Languages+section+-+notes+for+presentations

Ideas for Presentation to Board of Education on the topic of xxx - The state will accept what the local high school calls a “credit” AS LONG AS THE STATE BENCHMARKS FOR NOVICE HIGH ARE ATTAINED - At K-8 levels, must meet the “standards” - The two credits must be in the SAME language
 * The Michigan Merit Curriculum – World Languages **
 * Quote / Video / Voki?? **
 * History of the Law **
 * · It is a LAW
 * · The MMC is a Broad-based team project
 * Gov. Grandholm
 *  State Supt. Mike Flanagan
 * Members of the State Board of Ed
 * Members of the business community
 *  Purpose of entire MMC – challenging, standardized education in Michigan schools
 *  Need for more Michigan citizens who can help our state and nation compete in a global society
 * Include MMC chart
 * History of the L2 part of the law
 * Summary of Mike Flanagan session at the 2006 MiWLA conference
 * Mr. Flanagan did not issue the L2 requirement as a directive (as he could have done as the Michigan Superintendent of Education), but rather, he deliberately went through the legislature to have the requirements enacted as a LAW, which is a permanent thing and not easily changed.
 * High schools which move to a trimester schedule are in trouble if they can't meet all of the state course content expectations i the time dedicated to their courses.
 * "Our Michgan students and their families must have a change in attitude about the seriousness of education." "High expectations lead to high achievement." "In Michigan, it's all about BRAIN POWER right now." "Even if we could get 100% of our students to be perfectly-prepared for the competitive global world of the 21st century, that number would pale in comparison to the number of prepared workers in India and China." "We must change how we educate and prepare our kids, or they will be left in the global dust." ""Having minimal education and 'a house up north'? That scenario is over in our state." "One big reason Google bame to Michigan is that our new graduation requirements are expected to provide better-prepared potential employees." "U.S. students often play while foreign students study seven days a week. At all levels of our education system, all parties concerned must begin to view education as IMPORTANT and SERIOUS and THE ONLY WAY TO FUTURE SUCCESS." (2006 MiWLA session)
 * The Law **
 * ALL students - exemptions for students with….
 * “To prepare Michigan’s students with the skills and knowledge needed for the jobs of the 21st century global economy, the state of Michigan has enacted a rigorous new set of statewide graduation requirements.” (2011
 * Beginning with the class of 2016, students will need to complete two credits of a World Languages in grades 9-12 OR have an equivalent learning experience in grades k-12. (Quote the law??) OR have other "equivalent experiences" such as home and heritage languages and schooling abroad
 * Requires two credits
 * Requires two credits
 *  Extended sequences of study are necessary for proficiency in L2
 * Students must develop both functional language proficiency and cultural knowledge
 * There are benchmark expectations in all 5 Cs
 * The minimum proficiency level which must be attained to meet the graduation requirement is NOVICE HIGH in all communicative modes:
 * Interpersonal
 * Interpretive
 * Presentational
 * Curriculum must be aligned with the Michigan World Languages Benchmarks at the Novice High level
 * A third year of language study may replace the MMC third year of required social studies
 * There are partial exemptions for languages that
 * are no longer spoken - Students are exempted from
 * interpersonal and presentational speaking and interpretive listening
 * have no accepted writing system - Students are exempted from interpersonal and presentational writing and interpretive reading
 * are signed - Students are exempted from interpersonal and presentational writing and interpretive reading
 * are signed - Students are exempted from interpersonal and presentational writing and interpretive reading
 * If a student requests to test out of a language, the school must provide that test, even if it does not offer a course in that language. This includes heritage languages, non-written languages, and signed language.

 
 * The Intent **
 * Functional tri-section
 * Functions
 * Contexts
 * Accuracy
 * “Appropriateness”
 * Organized around the 5 Cs
 * Communication (reading, writing, listening, speaking) 
 * Culture (understanding of cultural practices, products, and perspectives)
 * Connections (ability to use the language to reinforce and gain new knowledge)
 * Comparisons (ability to compare languages and cultures)
 * Communities (interest in continued language-learning and ability to use language within and beyond the school setting)
 * "It is likely that a number of students will need more than two years of time in a language-learning situation to attain the required level of competency." (2006 MiWLA session)

· Characteristics of this level · The number of hours it takes to reach various levels on the ACTFL proficiency scale · The nuber
 * What is Novice High? **

· The projected number of students who will be in a second language class at the high school level if the L2 requirement is not fulfilled before the ninth grade and, therefore, the number of staff which will be required to teach those classes ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> Impact on electives in other departments ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> Impact on the upper-level classes in our district (and why this is of concern for us)
 * Impact on our school district **

·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> Impact on other electives ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> Impact on world languages levels 3 and 4 ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> Quality of programs in levels 1 and 2 ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> Some students will require more than two years to attain the required proficiency level or “credit” ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> Not all students have the aptitude or the life necessity of learning L2
 * Our concerns **

·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> Ideally, our district would offer a way for students to fulfill the L2 requirement before high school -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> Research on L2 learning at the preschool and early el as well as at the MS levels shows that that L2 is best learned much earlier that at the high school level (Check out East Grand Rapids and Ferndale elementary programs). "The ideal time to begin language study in our schools is at the elementary level and should allow for a well-articulated program throughout the student's time in school." (2006 MiWLA session) -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> Students are narrowing their possible future goals during high school, so it is important they have the opportunity to choose elective classes to develop/decide/explore their interests and aptitudes at a high level. Therefore, we should offer credit prior to high school for L2 courses. Which languages should be studied and why ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> Students need the opportunity to student L2 for ALL of the years of their high school time (Levels 3 and 4) ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> Our district and building should provide information about the MMC and its language component as well as information about the importance and rationale for L2 learning repeatedly and in various modes ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> We must provide current materials, technology, and instructional methodology October 28 - Ingham County information presentation by Nerenz, etc.
 * Our recommendations **

·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> The vision and mission of our district and building and how L2 study correlates with that ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> ur page here.
 * Conclusion **