October 23, 2017
Dear Superintendent, Principal, and/or Department Chair:
Does your high school(s) have an exemplary world language program? The Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association (PSMLA) annually seeks to identify and publicly recognize excellent foreign language programs across the state. The PSMLA Exemplary Program (PEP) Awards are given to schools with well-designed, sequential programs that enable students to attain world language standards, as demonstrated by documentation of criteria described on the PSMLA PEP Rubric (enclosed).
PEP is not a competition.
All high schools (public, private, charter) that apply and meet the criteria will receive an award. They will be featured on the PSMLA website www.psmla.org and in our publications. Exemplary PA world language programs are recognized at four levels: PSMLA Golden Globe, Silver Globe, Bronze Globe, and Globe Awards.
To qualify, a high school must:
· meet or exceed a specified number of program indicators as noted in the PEP Application. All information must be true and accurate for the 2016-17 and/or 2017-18 school year as required by PEP instructions. All statistical enrollment data should reflect the current (2017-18) school year.
· have at least one PSMLA member on their staff for the year 2018.
· complete the PEP Application Forms and submit the required supporting documentation which must be signed by the school superintendent, principal, and curriculum specialist/director (or department chair).
· mail the completed packet so that it is postmarked on or before Saturday, February 10, 2018.
The awards are in effect for two years and are renewable. If your high school does not meet the criteria for an award at this time, we hope that your district will use the 11 PEP Rubric Program Indicators as a blueprint to make needed improvements.
Notification of the awards will be made by March 30, 2018. Awardees will be recognized at the PSMLA Annual Conference in October, 2018.
We hope you will find the information included in this mailing helpful: 1) the PEP Rubric to see where your program stands, 2) a listing of current PEP Awardees, 3) Foreign Language Education in the News, and 4) a flyer describing the PSMLA Global Scholars program!
Sincerely,
Susanne Nimmrichter, Ph.D.
President, Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association
For more information, please see the www.psmla.org, PEP Awards
2017 PSMLA SHOWCASE
OF
EXEMPLARY FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAMS
GOLDEN GLOBE
Abington Senior High School, Abington S.D., Abington, 2013-18
Academy of Notre Dame, Villanova, 2005-18
Carlynton Jr. / Sr. High School, Carlynton S.D., Carnegie, 2015-18
Chartiers Valley High School, Chartiers Valley S.D., Bridgeville, 2014-15, 2017-18
Fairview High School, Fairview S.D., Fairview, 2017-18
Gateway High School, Gateway S.D., Monroeville, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2016-17
Jenkintown High School, Jenkintown S.D., Jenkintown, 2016 -17
Merion Mercy Academy, Lower Marion S.D., Merion Station, 2005-06, 2015-18
Owen J. Roberts High School, Owen J. Roberts S.D., Pottstown, 2013-18
Penncrest High School, Rosetree Media S.D., Media, 2005-06, 2012-13,2014-17
Pequea Valley High School, Pequea Valley S.D., Kinzers, 2017-18
Pittsburgh Allderdice High School, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Pittsburgh, 2005-06, 2007-18
Pittsburgh Brashear High School, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Pittsburgh, 2016-17
Strath Haven High School, Wallingford-Swarthmore S.D., Wallingford, 2015-18
Upper Moreland High School, Upper Moreland Township S.D., Willow Grove, 2009-18
Vincentian Academy, Pittsburgh, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2016-17
William Penn Charter School, Philadelphia, 2017-18
SILVER GLOBE AWARDS
Boiling Springs High School, South Middleton S.D., Boiling Springs, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2017-18
Cumberland Valley H. S., Cumberland Valley S.D., Mechanicsburg, 2013-14, 2015-18
North Hills Senior High School, North Hills S.D., Ross Twp., 2014 -15, 2016-17
Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, Colonial S.D., Plymouth Meeting, 2017-18
BRONZE GLOBE AWARDS
Gettysburg Area High School, Gettysburg Area S.D., Gettysburg, 2015-18
J.P McCaskey High School, S.D. of Lancaster, Lancaster, 2014-17
GLOBE AWARDS
Delaware Valley High School, Delaware Valley S.D., Milford, 2015-18
Hanover High School, Hanover Public S.D., Hanover, 2017-18
Titusville Area High School, Titusville Area S.D. Titusville, 2017-18
Please note that PEP Awards are in effect for two years and are renewable.
Foreign Language Education in the News
What do PA Employers want?
The keynote speaker at the 2017 PSMLA Fall Conference was PA Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera. Secretary Rivera stated that he and his staff have talked with hundreds of employers, business leaders, and chambers of commerce throughout Pennsylvania. Among other things, these leaders stressed the importance of PA students having “an international mindset”. They said that students should be able to “work as a member of a team” and “think and engage in a global society.”
Which Industries Value Foreign Language Expertise as a Secondary Skill?
While we can benefit from knowing a foreign language in nearly every line of work, here are a few examples of industries that increasingly engage in global endeavors: Media (journalism) and film, tourism and travel services including airlines and hotels, banks and insurance, local, state and federal government, international non-profit organizations, publishing companies, departments of defense and international embassies, health services, social services, Immigration services, schools and colleges. (http://www.lifehack.org/380912/the-10-coolest-jobs-you-can-get-learning-foreign-language)
What are the Recommendations of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences?
In March (2017), the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) released a much-anticipated report “America’s Languages: Investing in Language Education for the 21st Century”. Among other items, AAAS called for “a national strategy to broaden access to language education for every student in the U.S. as preparation for life and work in a global 21st century”. The report asserts that schools “must promote opportunities for students to travel, experience other cultures, and immerse themselves in languages as they are used in everyday interactions and across all segments of society.” AAAS recommended that “Congress increase federal funding for Americans to study abroad”. (https://www.languagemagazine.com/2017/09/study-abroad-for-all/)
What is Dual Immersion in Elementary Schools?
What are elementary dual immersion (DI) programs? How do schools implement DI programs? Research shows DI to be one of the most effective programs for all students, including English learners, to develop high levels of academic achievement in two languages.In the DI Planning Guide, the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) describes Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education.The guide includes steps to consider that can help your school develop a strong, successful, and sustainable DI program. (See http://www.di.gocabe.org)
Could Computers Ever Replace Human Translators?
Language technology goes back almost sixty years. As a linguist, and an occasional computational linguist, I’m skeptical that an app, or language technology, will ever approximate the “Universal Translator” from Star Trek, or the Babel Fish in Douglas Adams’sHitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. What technology has done is take care of the more rudimentary tasks in translation, in particular – the “who, what, where, when” questions. Deeper questions like “Why?” and “To what end?” are very hard for computers to answer. We still need humans who know other languages and cultures to be involved in language work. (Bill Rivers, Executive Director of the Joint National Committee for Languages)
The Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association