Robert’s email discussing scope and sequence with his district World Languages representative continues:
D. We need to decide what ought to be accomplished in a high school program and how much can be accomplished. Both ACTFL and the College Board indicate that the AP program is designed for students who have been exposed to the language for longer than 3.75 years; it is for students who have begun as true beginners (not heritage or native speakers) in seventh grade or earlier. (Remember that California’s Standards are for Kindergarten through Grade Twelve.) But is our goal to cater only to an academic use of the language? How many of our students will make academic use of the language? Shouldn’t the real goal be to give students the language they need to interact with relatives, friends, travelers, business contacts and other non-academic people? Most students want to use the language in “real life”, not in a college or university classroom. Nor should we be teaching a course in linguistics (that is, teaching about the language).