April 23, 2004

TO:Chief School Administrators

CharterSchool Lead Persons

FROM:William L. Librera, Ed. D.

Commissioner

SUBJECT: Required Data Collection on K-12 World Languages Programs

Since 1996, New Jersey public schools have been required to provide all students with instruction in world languages at the elementary and high school level. The New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for World Languages and World Languages Curriculum Framework provide local school districts with the guidelines for the development of quality instructional programs and extended sequences of world languages instruction. The department has placed particular emphasis on early language learning and the development of well-articulated K-8 world languages programs and underscores this commitment with a minimal five-credit high school graduation requirement that for some students may be their culminating, or tenth year, of language study. New regulations also allow students to fulfill the high school requirement by earning credits through a traditional seat time program or by passing a proficiency-based exit test by the end of middle school.

The option to use proficiency-based assessment to fulfill a graduation requirement sets a precedent in New Jersey, and I am highly supportive of this as yet another multiple and diverse path to student achievement. However, in order to continuously improve the quality of world languages programs, the department needs specific information to inform its efforts. The Data Collection on K-12 World LanguagesPrograms will enable the department to more effectively assist districts with the continued implementation of high-quality programs that affect all areas of language learning: curriculum and instruction, performance and assessment, and professional development.

Need for Data

Requests for Public Data: The introduction of world languages as a new core content area, especially in grades K-8, has generated a considerable amount of requests for data since 1996. This includes requests from state agencies, the United States Department of Education, a variety of education and business organizations, the media, parents and the public at large.

Requests from the New JerseyState Board of Education: The State Board has also requested information on K-8 program implementation, languages taught, and student enrollment. Due to lack of data, the department has relied solely on anecdotal information to answer these questions for K-12 world languages programs. The State Board has recently reiterated the need to collect accurate program data as they would like to see the quality of K-8 programs improve and implementation become more even throughout the state. Additionally, the State Board has made a commitment to integrate international education into New Jersey classrooms. In order to effectively implement this initiative, there is further need for data on the types of international programs and activities already taking place in our schools.

Information to Support the Development of a Proficiency-Based Assessment: School and district data are needed at the earliest date possible to inform the administration of the upcoming world languages proficiency-based assessment and to evaluate the testing process. It will also serve a future need in determining the relationship of program type and other variables on student achievement.

Creation of a Data Collection Prototype for Recurring Use: In addition to collecting information on instructional practices, policies and enrollments in world languages, the department would also like to focus on curricular areas that are not addressed in the current statewide assessment program. We plan to focus on one curricular area in a multi-year cycle beginning with world languages in 2004. This will provide similar data on program implementation of the standards in all areas.

World Languages Data Collection

The data collection and its results will play a key role in furthering New Jersey’s efforts in standards-based reform in world languages, and eventually in all content areas. To that end, we ask that you review the following information:

  1. You will soon be receiving an electronic communication from the department requesting that the World Languages District Program Data 2003-04 Form be completed. One form is to be completed for each school building in the district. We advise that you appoint an administrator to oversee the data collection in your district. The form will likely be completed by a curriculum coordinator or a world languages supervisor, where applicable.
  1. Because we must receive all data on or before June 15, 2004,submitting complete, timely and accurate data is essential. We ask that you pay particular attention to verifying the data before submission to the department.
  1. This survey must be completed by all New Jersey public school districts. The data collected will be used to create a district-based report on K-12 world languages programs that will be linked to theannual School Report Card.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in facilitating the accurate completion of the required data collection. Your staff will find the data collection process user friendly and able to be completed with minimal demands on their time. Should questions arise in the process of completing the information, please contact Janis Jensen, world languages coordinator, at (609) 777-4658 or at .

WLL/RCT/JD/jj/S:\JJENSEN\WLSurveyCommMemo.doc

c:Members, State Board of Education

Dwight Pfennig

Gloria Hancock

Assistant Commissioners

CountySuperintendents

Jay Doolan

Linda Morse

Mark Falchek

Janis Jensen

NJ Lee Group