Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division
2003 Primary Foreign Language Adoption
Publishers' Bulletin 2002-01
DATE: September 5, 2002
TO: Publishers of Foreign Language Instructional Materials
FROM: Suzanne Rios, Manager, Instructional Resources Unit
Jeannie James, Lead Consultant
SUBJECT: Follow-up to June 27, 2002 Publishers' Briefing on the Language
Learning Continuum Forms, Instructions, and Evaluation Criteria
A publishers' briefing on the Language Learning Continuum Forms, Instructions, and Evaluation Criteria was held on Thursday, June 27, 2002. At that briefing, Curriculum Commissioner Edith Crawford and California Department of Education staff provided an overview of the Foreign Language Framework, the modern Language Learning Continuum Forms and Instructions, a draft of the classics version of the forms, and a review of the Evaluation Criteria.
Several questions were posed during the briefing. This bulletin responds to those questions. Please be advised that there will be a formal Invitation to Submit Meeting held on January 29, 2003, in the new California Department of Education building at 1430 N Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Publishers will be notified of the time of the meeting through fax or mail, and an announcement will also appear on the Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources (CFIR) web site.
Questions and Answers:
Question 1: In previous adoptions, criteria category 1 was the "gatekeeper" category, and categories 2-5 were to be considered holistically. Now in this current adoption we are told that each and every category must be met for the program to be adopted. Is this a change in approach?
The 2003 Primary Foreign Language Adoption is based on the new Foreign Language Framework. This will be the first adoption of foreign language materials in California in ten years. There are no content standards as there were for the recent 2002 Reading Language Arts/ English Language Development adoption and the 2001 mathematics adoption. Those curricular areas with content standards have many checkpoints (e.g. individual standards) which must be addressed before materials are recommended for adoption. The State Board adopted evaluation criteria for this adoption reflects the unique requirements of foreign language instructional materials, and as such, it will be adhered to by publishers. No two evaluation criteria are exactly alike.
The evaluation criteria for the 2003 Primary Foreign Language Adoption is set forth in chapter 8 of the Foreign Language Framework (pre-print version, May 9, 2001). There are five criteria categories:
- Foreign Language Content/Alignment with Curriculum
- Program Organization
- Assessment Criteria
- Universal Access Criteria
- Instructional Planning and Support Criteria
Each of the five criteria categories must be met for a program to be recommended for adoption. Lines 1931- 1934 of the pre-print framework state:
"Criteria categories 2-5 shall be considered after a program has been determined to have the necessary content. A program meeting criteria categories 2-5 will be approved, and a program failing to meet one category of the criteria will not be approved."
In the framework, under each criteria category, there is a list of elements to be considered in determining if a program has effectively addressed that criteria category. For example, criteria category 2 (Program Organization) has seven items to be considered, and criteria category 3 (Assessment Criteria) has four items. In each case, the list of items is preceded with the words "To be considered suitable for adoption . . . (resources) in foreign language must provide. . ."
The evaluation criteria makes a strong statement that all criteria categories must be met for a program to be recommended for adoption.
Question 2: What is the due date for submitting the completed Language Learning Continuum Form?
The completed form must be submitted by April 10, 2003, with the publisher's program submission. The 2003 Foreign Language Adoption Timeline lists other important deadlines for publishers. It can be found at the CFIR web site under Foreign Language.
Question 3: Can we annotate the Language Learning Continuum Forms?
The Language Learning Continuum Forms have been approved by the Curriculum Commission in the current form and cannot be changed. The Language Learning Continuum Form Instructions give detailed information on how the forms are to be completed. The Cover Sheet for each stage provides space for the publisher to indicate the abbreviation codes that will be used in the publishers exemplars. A careful notation of the abbreviation code will make it easier for IMAPs to review submitted materials.
Question 4: Does the information about "heritage languages" in the Universal Access portion of the criteria apply to languages such as German?
Chapter 4 of the Foreign Language Framework (May 9, 2001) addresses Heritage Languages in California. In California there are large groups of students with home backgrounds in the language taught in school. Most frequently those languages would be Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish, but it is quite possible that a student could have a home background in German or any other language taught in school.
Criteria Category 4: Universal Access Criteria does require that programs include "Strategies and suggestions to help heritage language learners to learn and understand all aspects of the language."
Question 5: Is there room in the adoption for a Spanish program for Spanish speakers?
Yes, many California students have a home background in Spanish. However, this Foreign Language Adoption is not an English as Second Language adoption. For these students, Spanish is a heritage language. While it is critical for these students to develop proficiency in English, it would also be very beneficial for them to develop their native language skills. A traditional beginning Spanish class may be inappropriate for students who already have some fluency in Spanish, but the upper stages of the Language Learning Continuum Forms address skills that these students still need in order to develop a more formal command of the language.
Question 6: Are publishers legally required to include the completed Language Learning Continuum Forms somewhere in their texts for the teachers?
Publishers will be required to submit the Language Learning Continuum Forms (LLCF) as both hard copy and on disk on April 10, 2003 as part of the program submission. All five stages of the Forms, the Instructions, and the cover sheets will be provided on a floppy disk at the January 29, 2003 Invitation To Submit (ITS) meeting. The purpose of the LLCF is to highlight how the submitted program is aligned with the Language Learning Continuum, which appears in Chapter 2 of the Foreign Language Framework (May 9, 2001). The LLCF will be used by the Instructional Materials Advisory Panelists (IMAP) as part of the evaluation process. IMAPs will validate the information on the LLCF sent in by the publisher. There is no specific, legal requirement to include a copy of the LLCF in the teacher's edition, or in the program’s text. It is an evaluation tool.
Question 7: The Language Learning Continuum divides language learning and language ability into five stages. Each level of a given textbook does not necessarily neatly mesh to one of those five stages. For example, a second year text will address Stage 2, but will almost certainly continue to address Stage 1, and may even preview elements from Stage 3. How can publisher's best reflect this overlap in their correlation? To what degree do we need to refer back to later stages, or refer ahead to next stages, at a given level of our textbooks?
The purpose of the LLCF is to provide an opportunity for publishers to highlight how their program aligns with the Language Learning Continuum (LLC) and the evaluation criteria. The Instructions for the forms state that publishers should choose "strong specific examples" for the publisher exemplars. Where an item "overlaps", e.g. is introduced at Stage II, but isn't mastered until Stage III, the publisher should indicate it is introduced on the Stage II form, and indicate Mastery on the Stage III form. It is understood that some activities will continue throughout several stages, but in each stage there are certain items that students will be expected to master. The LLC is designed to highlight those items, it is not intended to describe every aspect of the program. Because all stages of a program will be reviewed by one Instructional Materials Advisory Panel, panelists will be able to trace the continuity of continuum category items throughout the program.
Question 8: What is the preferred terminology for certain types of students who fall under the broad rubric of "Special Needs"?
Chapter 8 of the Foreign Language Framework (May 9, 2001) describes the 5 Evaluation Criteria Categories, but the entire Framework should be taken into consideration in fully understanding the Evaluation Criteria. Chapter 4 of the Framework, Implementation: Curriculum Review and Instructional Practices, addresses Universal Access to the Foreign Language Curriculum for all students. The various groups that fall under the category of "special needs" in the typical California classroom are defined in some detail in this chapter. The groups defined include:
- advanced learners
- heritage language learners
- students with learning difficulties
- special education students
In Chapter 8, all of these groups are included under the larger rubric "special needs". Publishers should use this terminology in showing how their program addresses the needs of all students.
Future publishers’ bulletins will be developed as needed. A copy of this bulletin will be available on the CFIR web site.
If you have questions about this bulletin, or the foreign language adoption process, please contact Jeannie James, Lead Consultant for the 2003 Primary Foreign Language Adoption at 916-319-0444.
1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814