Please click the triangle next to the World Languages menu option at left to find more information about the Spanish and French curricula.
Students have the opportunity to take general foreign language electives in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Beginning in 8th grade students can take high school credit classes in either French or Spanish. Both French and Spanish offer levels I-V. Students must complete at least 3 levels of one language or 2 levels of 2 different languages to meet the requirements for the Advanced Diploma.
High school students also have the opportunity to take additional languages through Virtual Virginia at the student or parent's expense.
From the Virginia Standards of Learning:
Achieving linguistic fluency and cultural understanding is a long-term endeavor, requiring experiences beyond the classroom setting. Within the scope of the level of study, students will be able to perform with reasonable success in each of the following areas:
• Students will learn to communicate with others in a language other than English.
• Students will improve their understanding of and ability to communicate in the English language by comparing and contrasting another language with their own.
Enhanced Cultural Understanding
• Students will develop an awareness of and an appreciation for another people’s unique way of life, the patterns of behavior that order their world, and the ideas and perspectives that guide their behaviors.
• Students will learn about other cultures’ contributions to the world and how these contributions have shaped international perspectives.
Expanded Access to Information
• Students will connect with other disciplines through foreign language study, enabling them to reinforce and expand their understanding of the interrelationships among content areas.
• Students will access information in more than one language, giving them a greater range of resources and a richer base of knowledge.
Increased Global Perspective
• Students will respond to and contribute to their communities and the world in a more informed and effective manner as a result of the global perspective gained in a foreign language class.
• Students will gain additional prospects for further education and career opportunities as a result of foreign language study.