Performance-based measures: Spanish Program

The instructional program in Spanish is designed to offer Spanish learning opportunities to all students. Since they are inter-related skills, the components of the curriculum (speaking, reading, writing, listening and thinking) are taught using an integrated approach. These components are addressed at all four levels of the program.

Students are placed into one of four Spanish levels (I, II, III or IV) depending on Spanish ability. Spanish I students are considered beginning, Spanish II intermediate, and so on. In general, students placed in Spanish IV classes are high proficiency Spanish speakers.

Both the elementary and secondary Spanish programs use entrance assessment tools to evaluate students’ level of proficiency. The elementary tool is primarily for oral use, while the secondary tool is designed to test for grammar and structure use, reading comprehension, vocabulary, oral and writing proficiency. However, students at the secondary who are perceived to be at levels I-II are administered the elementary entrance assessment, which is oral.

At the end of each year, students are assessed to see if they are ready to pass on to the next level of proficiency. The tool for this assessment to date is the student’s in-class performance. When there is doubt as to whether a student is prepared to move to a higher level of Spanish, the Spanish teachers meet as a team to review the student’s performance on class work that has been saved in student portfolios (for some classes) or demonstrations of student work (for other classes).