The time is upon students (and parents!) to evaluate options for foreign language study at D’Evelyn. Whether the decision is which language to pursue or whether to extend study to an advanced level that exceeds the graduation requirement, I hope that the following information helps you choose with confidence.
Making a Start
D’Evelyn’s requirement for Foreign Language study originated with the school in 1994. The D’Evelyn Founding Document prescribes such study for its proven ability to enhance and expand language skills in one’s first language, to provide skills needed in international travel and business, and to allow a student to understand and appraise both other cultures and one’s own. All three of our languages (Latin, French and Spanish) facilitate important growth in our students. You are always welcome to contact the teacher(s) of each language to ask about advantages of each.
The Founders set a middle bar for students: “The requirement of three years of the same foreign language will allow the student to achieve some proficiency in the chosen language” (p. 14, emphasis mine). Students begin fulfilling the three-year requirement in 8th grade so that a minimum of two years’ worth of study appears on the high-school transcript for those applying to college.
Going the Distance
The minimum requirement provides intermediate levels of knowledge and skill development, but students will want to consider reaching a higher bar by continuing on to the fourth and fifth (Advanced Placement) years. Advanced mastery of language and cultural knowledge can only be achieved in these higher levels. The intrinsic rewards of mastery are highly developed communication skills and cultural fluency that the Founders described, allowing the student to leave D’Evelyn with greater capabilities to navigate this complex world.
Such students also earn extrinsic rewards. First, selective and highly selective colleges favor students who maximize their learning in demanding language courses. Advanced study may also allow students greater options once they begin college coursework; students who have threshold scores on the SAT-II, Advanced Placement, or college-specific placement exams can place into higher levels or satisfy post-secondary requirements for language study. Finally, for students who are highly successful (as D’Evelyn students annually are) on the AP Latin, French, or Spanish exams, many colleges and universities award significant amounts of credit. This is both a significant cost-saver for students (and parents!), and puts a student far ahead in pursuit of a major or minor.
Each institution sets its own policies on awarding credit, but you can see representative examples for CU and DU here and here, respectively. You’ll note that top scores on the foreign language AP exams earn more credits at CU Boulder (up to 12 semester hours) than top scores on AP exams in any other discipline. Students with similar levels of performance on other AP exams regularly earn as few as 3 semester hours. A similar scale of credit applies at the DU. Clearly, the return on the student’s investment of time and energy seeking mastery in a second language is amply rewarded! I hope that you agree that parents are doing their students a big favor at course selection time by encouraging them to pursue advanced study of Latin, French, or Spanish!
The PHurrowed Brow 