It is the general goal of this column to spur conversations about specific areas of language study feature in our Latin, French, and Spanish classrooms so that parents gain insight into the richness of learning that occurs in those settings. This month’s submission has a different focus, outlining the value of pursuing language study at D’Evelyn beyond the third year. D’Evelyn’s Founding parents set a middle bar when they designated the foreign language graduation requirement for our school “The requirement of three years of the same foreign language will allow the student to achieve some proficiency in the chosen language” (D’Evelyn Program Document, p. 14, emphasis mine). It is indeed a higher bar than most public high school students must meet, but then, as now, three years of study provides intermediate levels of knowledge and skill development. A student who stops language study after level three has the fundamentals of grammar, vocabulary, cultural insight, and the skills to use those fundamentals in production and comprehension of the target language.
Mastering those fundamentals has its own set of intrinsic benefits as laid out in the D’Evelyn Program document, but true mastery of the second language does not come without further study. And mastery has additional rewards, both intrinsic and extrinsic. In levels four and AP of languages students complete grammatical instruction and greatly expand their trove of vocabulary, while focusing on authentic text and audio in a manner which deepens insight into the values and experiences of the original users of the second language. While these intrinsic benefits accrue to the passionate student whose goal is more than passing familiarity, it is worth noting that such a student will also enjoy extrinsic advantages.
When students make their way into levels four and AP of the second language, they add a mark of distinction which selective and highly selective colleges look for on transcripts. In such cases, letters of recommendation from language teachers offer an additional boost in the competitive admissions game. Additionally, in levels four and AP, students gain the additional competency which can enable students to pass college proficiency exams which offer exemption from minimum language study requirements that some post-secondary institutions set for their students. With successful completion of AP study and distinguished performance on the AP exam in May, students may also earn college credit. (Colleges do set their own policies here, so be sure to examine each institution’s guidelines for transfer credit.) Just how much colleges value AP language study is demonstrated in the transfer credit policies of CU Boulder (http://www.colorado.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/freshman/credit). Students who earn scores of 4 or 5 on the AP Latin, French, and Spanish exams earn up to 12 semester hours of credit toward their B.A., while similar levels of performance on other AP exams regularly earn as few as 3 semester hours. The return on the student’s investment of time and energy seeking mastery in a second language is amply rewarded! Add to this our students’ outstanding scores on the AP exam (100% pass rate in 2014, with most students earning scores of 4 and 5),and one of the best tips that parents can give to students at course selection time is encouragement to pursue advanced study of Latin, French, or Spanish!
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