FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Board of Regents Acts to Adopt Revisions to State Learning Standards for Languages Other Than English
Regulation Amendment Also Proposed to Rename to World Languages; Public Comment to be Accepted Through May 31
The Board of Regents today acted to adopt revisions to the New York State Learning Standards for Languages Other Than English (LOTE), Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa announced. The revisions will align the standards with high-leverage practices and update them to represent what students should know and be able to do in the languages and cultures which they study. The Department presented regulation changes to rename the learning standards from LOTE to 鈥淲orld Languages.鈥 Public comment on the proposed changes will be accepted through May 31.
鈥淭he Board recognizes the importance of engaging students鈥 interest in world languages, especially given our increasingly diverse state and connections around world,鈥 Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said. 鈥淲e are updating our Language Other Than English standards to bring them into the 21st century. The feedback we received from across the state has been overwhelmingly positive, and these revisions will help provide the high-quality education every New York student deserves.鈥
鈥淭hroughout the collaborative process of updating these standards, we listened to valuable input from an array of stakeholders, and we will continue to work with our partners as the revised standards are implemented to ensure they are working for all our children,鈥 Commissioner Rosa said. 鈥淭he learning standards have been updated to ensure that students will learn the importance of appreciating other cultures and find success in our global economy. The Department is dedicated to providing professional learning, resources, and guidance documents to prepare our educators for these much-needed changes.鈥
Overview of the Updated LOTE Standards
The New York State Learning Standards for Languages Other Than English are divided into two language groups: Modern Languages and Classical Languages. Modern languages include any language that has living, native speakers. Modern languages are contrasted with Classical languages, which include Latin, ancient Greek, ancient Hebrew, and other languages from earlier time periods in human history.
These updated learning standards for both Modern and Classical Languages are organized into two anchor standards: Communication and Cultures. The Communication Anchor Standard for all languages is broken down into three Standards鈥攐ne for each mode of communication:
- the Interpretive Communication standard;
- the Interpersonal Communication standard; and
- the Presentational Communication standard.
The Cultures Anchor Standard is broken down into two Standards: the Relating Cultural Practices and Products to Perspectives standard and the Cultural Comparisons standard.
The resulting revised NYS Learning Standards for World Languages are well-aligned to the national , developed by the ACTFL (formerly the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages), and represent what students should know and be able to do in the languages and cultures which they study.
Unlike the standards of other disciplines, the NYS Learning Standards for World Languages are not grade-banded, but instead are grouped into three proficiency ranges that correspond to the World Language Checkpoints (A, B, C) that reflect levels of achievement students must reach, generally over the course of two years of study each.
Students meet the standards by demonstrating proficiency at the levels consistent with the lower end of the range for each Checkpoint. This demonstration of proficiency generally occurs by the end of 8th grade for Checkpoint A, by the end of 10th grade for Checkpoint B, and by the end of 12th grade for Checkpoint C. The full learning standards may be found on the Department鈥檚 website.
LOTE Standards Review and Revision Process and Stakeholder Input
The Department established the World Language Leadership Team (now called the World Language Content Advisory Panel), consisting of 20 leaders and experts in the fields of language acquisition and world language teacher preparation, in 2018 to assist in the standards revision process.
The Department developed the proposed revisions to the NYS LOTE Standards in partnership with numerous stakeholders, including the World Language Content Advisory Panel and ten Standards Review Committees made up of seven regional committees and three Language-Specific Committees (American Sign Language, Classical Languages