Despite the growing societal demand for multilingual graduates prepared to engage in local and global contexts, programs to meet these demands are scarce, especially in K-8 contexts. When schools do seek to implement programs, stakeholders struggle to choose from the established models because research documenting desired outcomes is lacking.…

This article briefly reviews the social, political, and economic context that explains the present status of elementary language education in the United States and addresses the challenges identified by recent reports on the state of language education in the United States. Different curricular models of world language education--exploratory,…

Certain aspects of the implementation of language immersion programs in Delaware are unique given the state's size, demographics, and role in national education initiatives including Race to the Top, Common Core, and Smarter Balance. The Delaware experience typifies what every state, district, or even school goes through as they try to provide…

Suggests that in certain regions of the country such as Iowa, two foreign language goals should take precedence over the goal of language proficiency in elementary schools: (1) to introduce children to other languages and cultures, and (2) to show that they can learn to communicate successfully in another language. (SED)

This study validated the Student Oral Proficiency Assessment (SOPA), an oral proficiency instrument designed for students in elementary foreign language programs. Elementary students who were tested with the SOPA were also administered other instruments designed to measure proficiency. These instruments included the Stanford Foreign Language Oral…

The effectiveness of alternative programs for teaching French as a second language in Ottawa and Carleton schools was evaluated. French proficiency, English skills, and academic achievement were assessed among students in grades 3-8 in the core French program, grades 4-6 in extended French, grades 10 and 12 in the bilingual program, and grade 8…

Alternative programs for teaching French as a second language in Ottawa and Carleton schools were evaluated. The study included a cross-sectional replication of previous French listening comprehension testing of grade 4-8 students in the core French program, French proficiency testing of grades 10 and 12 primary and late entry immersion students,…

Reports the results of a comparative evaluation of an early total immersion program, a delayed immersion program, and an all French program for English-speaking language majority students in Montreal, Canada. (33 references) (Author/OD)

A study compared the foreign language proficiency levels and language and cultural attitudes of students involved in two kinds of elementary school Spanish language programs: immersion and Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES). The study also investigated the variation in achievement among children in the same program. Fifth and sixth…

Studies are reported which attempt to discover the exact level of second language proficiency reached by students in second language immersion programs, with emphasis on analysis of error. (RM)

A study was carried out to assess the French language proficiency of students enrolled in two different programs at the kindergarten level in Montreal: an early immersion program and a "class d'accueil" program. Three groups of students were tested: (1) an early immersion class; (2) a "classe d'accueil," or class for immigrant…

The British Columbia French Speaking Test, administered to grade 3 immersion students, measured their speaking skills through a story- retelling and group discussion task. When 110 immersion children were compared to 25 Francophone children, results indicated that the immersion children were comparable to the francophones in communicative skills…

A collection of papers on second language instruction includes: "The Immersion Approach: Principle and Practice" (Helena Anderson Curtain); "Authentic Camera-Produced Materials for Random-Access Video Delivery" (Francis Lide, Barbara Lide); "Listening: What's Really Going on in the Classroom?" (Donna Reseigh Long); "Listening and Learning:…

The manual provides information to assist elementary school level program and curriculum designers in the creation and administration of second language programs. It is not a how-to manual, but includes descriptive data about program types in existence and criteria for evaluating language proficiency. It contains: a list of terms used and their…

This collection of papers is a resource for classroom teachers and program administrators who want to know not only what the communicative approach to language teaching is all about but how the goal of communicative competence is being met in teaching contexts similar to their own. Papers and authors include: "Functional Approaches to…