| (a) General requirements.
(1) Level III can be offered in middle or high school.
At the high school level, students shall be awarded one credit for
successful completion of this course. Successful completion of Level
II, achieving a Novice High to Intermediate Low proficiency level,
or demonstrated equivalent proficiency as determined by the district
is a prerequisite for this course.
(2) Students of logographic languages such as Chinese
and Japanese and non-Romance and non-Germanic languages such as Arabic
and Russian will require more time to achieve proficiency, especially
in reading and writing. Initially, the skill focus should be placed
on speaking and listening without ignoring reading and writing in
the target language's writing system. As the students become more
proficient, a balanced emphasis of all four skills becomes more attainable.
(3) Districts may offer a level of a language in a
variety of scheduling arrangements that may extend or reduce the traditional
schedule when careful consideration is given to the instructional
time available on a campus and the language ability, access to programs,
and motivation of students.
(b) Introduction.
(1) The study of world languages is an essential part
of education. In the 21st century language classroom, students gain
an understanding of two basic aspects of human existence: the nature
of communication and the complexity of culture. Students become aware
of multiple perspectives and means of expression, which lead to an
appreciation of difference and diversity. Further benefits of foreign
language study include stronger cognitive development, increased creativity,
and divergent thinking. Students who effectively communicate in more
than one language, with an appropriate understanding of cultural context,
are globally literate and possess the attributes of successful participants
in the world community.
(2) Communication is the overarching goal of world
language instruction. Students should be provided ample opportunities
to engage in conversations, to present information to an audience,
and to interpret culturally authentic materials in the language of
study. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
identifies three modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretive,
and presentational.
(A) In the interpersonal mode of communication, students
engage in direct oral or written communication with others. Examples
of this "two-way" communication include but are not limited to conversing
face to face, participating in digital discussions and messaging,
and exchanging personal letters.
(B) In the interpretive mode of communication, students
demonstrate understanding of spoken and written communication within
appropriate cultural contexts. Examples of this type of "one-way"
reading or listening include but are not limited to comprehension
of digital texts as well as print, audio, and audiovisual materials.
(C) In the presentational mode of communication, students
present orally or in writing information, concepts, and ideas to an
audience of listeners or readers with whom there is no immediate interaction.
Examples of this "one-to-many" mode of communication include but are
not limited to presenting to a group; creating and posting digital
content; or writing reports, compositions, or articles for a magazine
or newspaper.
(3) The use of age-level appropriate and culturally
authentic resources is imperative to support the teaching of the essential
knowledge and skills for languages other than English (LOTE). The
use of culturally authentic resources in world language study enables
students to make connections with other content areas, to compare
the language and culture studied with their own, and to participate
in local and global communities.
(4) Students recognize the importance of acquiring
accuracy of expression by knowing the components of language, including
grammar, syntax, register, appropriate discourse level, and text type.
(5) Students in Level III are expected to reach a proficiency
level of Intermediate Low to Intermediate Mid, as defined in the ACTFL
Proficiency Guidelines 2012 and the ACTFL Performance Descriptors
for Language Learners.
(A) Students at the Intermediate Low proficiency level
express meaning in straightforward and personal contexts by combining
and recombining what they know, what they read, and what they hear
in short statements and sentences. Intermediate Low students are able
to understand some information from simple connected statements in
oral or written sources. Intermediate Low students are generally understood
by sympathetic listeners and readers accustomed to dealing with language
learners. Intermediate Low students are inconsistently successful
when performing Intermediate-level tasks.
(B) Students at the Intermediate Mid proficiency level
express meaning in straightforward and personal contexts by easily
combining and recombining what they know, what they read, and what
they hear in short statements and a mixture of sentences and strings
of sentences. Intermediate Mid students are able to understand some
information from connected statements in oral or written sources.
Intermediate Mid students are generally understood by sympathetic
listeners and readers accustomed to dealing with language learners.
Intermediate Mid students are consistently successful when performing
Intermediate-level tasks.
(C) By the end of Level III, students of logographic
languages should perform on a Novice High to Intermediate Low proficiency
level for reading and writing. In listening and speaking, students
of logographic languages should perform on an Intermediate Low to
Intermediate Mid proficiency level. Students at the Novice High proficiency
level express meaning in simple, predictable contexts through the
use of learned and recombined phrases and short sentences. Novice
High students are best able to understand sentence-length information
within highly contextualized situations and sources. Novice High students
may generally be understood by sympathetic listeners and readers accustomed
to dealing with language learners. Novice High students are consistently
successful when performing Novice-level tasks. Novice High students
show evidence of Intermediate Low proficiency but lack consistency.
(D) Students who have fully or partially acquired the
skills required at each proficiency level through home or other immersion
experiences are known as heritage speakers. Heritage speakers may
be allowed to accelerate based on their ability to demonstrate a proficiency
in the Texas essential knowledge and skills for LOTE across all modes
of communication at the prescribed proficiency level.
(6) Statements containing the word "including" reference
content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such
as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.
(c) Knowledge and skills.
(1) Interpersonal communication: speaking and writing.
The student negotiates meaning through the spoken and written exchange
of information in rehearsed and unrehearsed situations in a variety
of contexts. The student uses a mixture of short statements, sentences,
and strings of sentences with appropriate and applicable grammar structures
and processes at the specified proficiency levels. The student is
expected to:
(A) ask and respond to questions about and beyond the
scope of everyday life with simple elaboration in spoken and written
conversation;
(B) express and exchange personal opinions, preferences,
and recommendations with supporting statements in spoken and written
conversation;
(C) ask and tell others what they need to, should,
and must do with supporting reasons in spoken and written conversation;
(D) articulate requests, offer suggestions, and develop
plans with supporting statements in spoken and written conversation;
(E) interact and react in spoken conversation using
culturally appropriate expressions, register, and gestures; and
(F) interact and react in writing using culturally
appropriate expressions, register, and style.
(2) Interpretive communication: reading and listening.
The student comprehends connected statements from culturally authentic
print, digital, audio, and audiovisual materials as appropriate within
contextualized situations and sources. The student uses the interpretive
mode in communication with appropriate and applicable grammatical
structures and processes at the specified proficiency levels. The
student is expected to:
(A) demonstrate an understanding of culturally authentic
print, digital, audio, and audiovisual materials in a variety of contexts;
(B) paraphrase the main idea, theme, and supporting
details from fiction and nonfiction texts and audio and audiovisual
materials;
(C) infer meaning of unfamiliar words or phrases in
contextualized texts, audio, and audiovisual materials; and
(D) compare and contrast cultural practices from authentic
print, digital, audio, and audiovisual materials.
(3) Presentational communication: speaking and writing.
The student presents information orally and in writing using a mixture
of phrases, sentences, and strings of sentences with appropriate and
applicable grammar structures and processes at the specified proficiency
levels. The student is expected to:
(A) express and defend an opinion or preference orally
and in writing with supporting statements and with recommendations;
(B) narrate situations and events orally and in writing
using connected sentences with details and elaboration; and
(C) inform others orally and in writing about a variety
of topics using connected sentences with details and elaboration.
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