MCNL - Center for the Education and Study of Diverse Populations

A. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
Members of the Performance Standards Writing Committee met on September 2-3 and 12, 1997 to complete the
attached draft of Performance Standards. We wish to thank Margo Chavez-Charles, Mary De López, Celeste
Guillebaud, Nancy Lawrence, and Joanna Manygoats for their dedication and gracious assistance in working on this
document. We also wish to thank Tina Lopez Snideman for her assistance in providing a work space.
Guidance provided by the following three documents was most helpful: [The national] Standards for Foreign
Language Learning: Preparing for the 21 st Century (1996), College Board. Articulation and Achievement: Connecting
Standards, Performance, and Assessment in Foreign Language (1996), and Maine Department of Education.
Standards for Modern and Classical Languages (Internet publication).
B. UNIFYING CONCEPTS IN MODERN, CLASSICAL AND NATIVE LANGUAGES EDUCATION
The Writing Committee of the New Mexico Content Standards and Benchmarks expressed the following statements
for Modern, Classical, and Native Languages. They were published in the initial drafts of those Content Standards
and Benchmarks. Because they were not part of the regulation of the New Mexico Content Standards and
Benchmarks, we feel it is advisable to publish them again as part of this curriculum guidance document.
Unifying Concepts in Modern, Classical and Native Languages Education
1. Learning languages is important.
Language and communication are at the heart of human experience. The skills of understanding and communicating
with diverse linguistic and cultural groups are important for survival today, but they will be vital in the 21 st century.
While these abilities will be essential for business, government, intellectual, and social interactions, the knowledge
of languages also enhances learning in other disciplines and enriches life. All students should develop and maintain
proficiency in English and in at least one other language.
2. Culture is an integral part of communication.
Language learning must include the study of culture and its effects on communication. All students should
communicate successfully in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner.