Heritage Language Programs

The national ACTFL Standards for Foreign Language Learning address the issue of heritage language students or those students who have home backgrounds in a language other than English or come from other immersion experiences, formal or informal.

These students need instruction that allows them to maintain strengths in their heritage language, while developing new ones, particularly in academic vocabulary and literacy skills or the areas of reading and writing. With such support, they will become knowledgeable global citizens with the skills to be multilingual and multi-literate in a way that honors their need to simultaneously identify and communicate with:

• their heritage, home, or immersion culture(s) and;
• the mainstream culture(s) in which they live and work.

The expansion of the global community and workplace challenges the United States to produce a workforce that not only communicates in many languages, but that also understands the nuances of the many cultures. The educated heritage speaker is an authentic resource who will have expanded career opportunities in the 21st Century.

Heritage Language courses are designed to serve as a bridge into advanced modern language courses.

Using Spanish as an example for alphabetic languages, heritage language students can enroll in Spanish for Native Speakers I and Spanish for Native Speakers II, which is an honors course, because it is equivalent to a Level III course in proficiency expectations. Upon completion of these two courses, students can proceed to Spanish IV and/or Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish, where they will be joined by fourth- and/or fifth-year students who are studying Spanish as a modern language.

Heritage Language Exit Proficiency Expectations for Alphabetic Languages or Programs, such as French for Native Speakers, German for Native Speakers, Spanish for Native Speakers, etc.

		Level and total hours
		Level I or 135-150 hours	Level II or 270-300 hours
MODE & skill	INTERPRETIVE Listening	Intermediate Low	Intermediate Mid
	INTERPRETIVE Reading	Novice Mid-High	Intermediate Low
	INTERPERSONAL Person-to-Person	Intermediate Low	Intermediate Mid
	PRESENTATIONAL Speaking	Novice Mid-High	Intermediate Low
	PRESENTATIONAL Writing	Novice Mid	Novice High

Using Mandarin Chinese as an example for logographic languages, heritage language students can enroll in Mandarin Chinese for Native Speakers I and Mandarin Chinese for Native Speakers II, which is an honors course because it is equivalent to a Level III course in proficiency expectations. Upon completion of these two courses, students can proceed to Mandarin Chinese IV and/or Advanced Placement (AP) Mandarin Chinese, where they will be joined by fourth-and/or fifth-year students who are studying Mandarin Chinese as a modern language.

Heritage Language Exit Proficiency Expectations for Logographic Languages or Programs, such as Mandarin Chinese for Native Speakers, Japanese for Native Speakers, etc.

		Level and total hours
		Level I or 135-150 hours	Level II or 270-300 hours
MODE & skill	INTERPRETIVE Listening	Novice High	Intermediate Low
	INTERPRETIVE Reading	Novice Low-Mid	Novice High
	INTERPERSONAL Person-to-Person	Novice High	Intermediate Low
	PRESENTATIONAL Speaking	Novice Mid-High	Novice High-Intermediate Low
	PRESENTATIONAL Writing	Novice Low-Mid	Novice Mid-High