A Texas District Revamps Its World Language Program

In this article in The Language Educator, Greta Lundgaard describes how her district, 

Plano ISD in Texas, completely rethought its grade 7-12 language curriculum and significantly 

improved student achievement:

• Adopting the backward design mindset – The language department used the Wiggins/McTighe model to shape its guiding principles, professional development, summative performance assessments, and the rubrics used to give students formative feedback. Above all, the department embraced the idea that students should be able to apply their language skills in new situations.

• Believing and attending to research – From a careful study of the literature, teachers embraced five “nuggets” to be applied in all language classrooms: Teaching in the target language; inductive grammar instruction; student-influenced vocabulary acquisition; reading to learn; and writing to learn.

• Choosing effectiveness over efficiency – “[D]eep learning is messy,” says Lundgaard; “it takes time for learners to make sense of learning – and persistence and working through misunderstandings is part of what learners need to experience in order to own their learning.” Teachers now focus on getting students to communicate a message rather than nitpicking grammar details. Their slogan is “teach less for more”:

• More opportunities for communication;
• More tasks that require using the language to interact, explain, or describe;
• More student-to-student talk in the language;
• More emphasis on responding in personally meaningful ways;
• More self- and peer-based error correction;
• More descriptive feedback.

“It takes courage and resiliency to put the needs of learners before legacy practices and tradition,” says Lundgaard. Seeing students forging ahead gave teachers the courage to let go of less-effective methods.

• Defining vertical alignment and articulation in proficiency terms – The district has moved away from teachers checking off lists of vocabulary, verbs, and grammatical structures taught at each level and embraced a series of student “I can” statements and performance descriptors that define proficiency at each level. These benchmarks are independent of textbooks and individual classroom methods and unify the district’s language program. 

• Emphasizing the learner over the teacher – “I think the most important aspect of our curriculum is that as students begin their language journey, they are in a safe environment to communicate their ideas without a focus on errors, which results in students who are not afraid to express themselves and have no fear of mistakes or embarrassment,” says high-school teacher Patricia Irias. “As their language learning continues, they see more need for accuracy; however, it is gradual and does not instill fear of performing.” Students and teachers have the “end in mind” as they move up the proficiency continuum, and students do as much work as their teachers. 

“The ABCs of a Performance-Based Learning Plan” by Greta Lundgaard in The Language Educator, January/February 2015 (Vol. 10, #1, p. 32-35), www.thelanguageeducator.org

From the Marshall Memo #573