Among the reported proven positive results of early world Language (WL) study are improved cognitive abilities and "higher achievement test scores in reading and math" (Stewart: 11), which are expected student performance outcomes for the Common Core Standards. The future viability of Foreign Language in Elementary Schools (FLES)…

During the 2010-2011 school year, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) piloted the After-School Global Language Opportunity Benefiting All Learners (GLOBAL) program for 12 weeks at eight different school sites. This school year the program expanded to 25 weeks and 11 sites. GLOBAL is an approach to learning that allows students to develop basic…

This article reports on the implementation of the Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) in an Early Foreign Language Learning program. The goal of this research was to examine the performance of grade 4 and 5 students of Spanish on the IPA. Performance across the three communicative tasks is described and modifications to IPA procedures based on…

Although researchers have begun to explore the implementation of dynamic assessment (DA) with foreign language learners, few of these studies have occurred in the language classroom. Whereas DA is typically implemented in dyads, promising research in the field of foreign language learning suggests that DA may promote development with groups of…

The Dearborn Public Schools, with 18,300 students, is located in the Detroit urban area with the largest concentration of Arabic-speaking people in the United States. In order to prepare the students for the 21st century skills and global awareness and in response to parents' requests, the author in collaboration with the school principal and…

Discusses the effect of a 10-week, 40-hour program used to prepare 16,000 elementary school (ES) teachers to teach English when it becomes compulsory in Dutch elementary schools. A second issue examined is the competency level an ES teacher must reach to teach a foreign language in elementary school. (SED)

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,…

A study investigated the instructional and curricular changes made in seven Mesa (Arizona) public elementary schools as a result of a 1989 state mandate for second language instruction at the elementary school level. In the schools under study, Spanish second language instruction is integrated into the core curriculum. The study examined…

This paper analyzes the Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Area School District's foreign language exploration (FLEX) program's effectiveness regarding the students' decisions when electing a sequential program of language courses. The FLEX program in French, German, and Spanish was implemented in three middle schools in the years 1981-85 and was…

A review of the status and results of Latin instruction in the elementary grades considers such trends as cuts in or lack of funding, the training of teachers in other fields to teach Latin, promotional activities, and other program improvements. (Author/CB)

The results of an evaluation of a New Brunswick elementary school immersion program show that native speakers of English do not achieve the same proficiency in French language skills as they do in English. This is due to their limited exposure to native French speaking models outside the classroom. (MSE)

Results are presented of a five-year evaluation of an experimental bilingual kindergarten and elementary program with instruction in French for native English-speakers, including information about the program's design (including materials and teaching activities) and student achievement. It was found that the participating children profited from…

The fifth yearly progress report of a bilingual kindergarten and elementary program offering French-language instruction to native English-speakers is based on test results showing the progress of former program pupils in grades 1-4 during the 1983-84 school year. Progress in grades 1-4 was assessed by classroom observation and individual and…

A study of elementary school foreign language programs in eight states yielded information about the status and design of language immersion, revitalized foreign language in the elementary schools (FLES), and foreign language experience (FLEX) programs. Immersion programs consist of the usual curriculum content presented entirely in a second…