MCNL - Center for the Education and Study of Diverse Populations

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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.
3. Languages are a community resource. The multicultural and multilingual communities of New Mexico provide rich and diverse resources for learning languages. New Mexicans must recognize, understand, and value the unique qualities of various languages and cultures, especially those native to the state: Native American languages, including Tewa, Tiwa, Towa, Keres, Zuni, and variants of Apache and Navajo; Spanish; and English. 4. Successful acquisition of language is the product of a long-term, articulated program of study. To be effective, a language program should span Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade and/or post-secondary levels of education. C. AUTHENTIC COMMUNICATION (This section has been adapted from pages 97 and 98 of the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21 st Century, 1996.) In the past, “foreign” language instruction focused primarily on the memorization of words and grammar rules. Unfortunately, as generations of language students have taught us, grammar by itself does not produce individuals who can speak or understand the language that they study. “Foreign”/second languages are not acquired when students learn an ordered set of facts about the language (e.g., grammar facts, vocabulary). Students need to be able to use the target language for real communication; that is, to carry out a complex interactive process that involves speaking and understanding what others say in the target language as well as reading and interpreting written materials and cultural aspects. Grammar is, nevertheless, important in the study of a language. For example, Content Standard 5 (“Students will understand how languages work.”) focuses on students’ understanding of the nature of linguistic systems. D. INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDEPOSTS In order to achieve a communicative setting for language learners, teachers must create dynamic learning activities which focus attention on the functions of authentic (“real-world”) language. Quality in student performance is best attained in this type of interactive classroom. These activities also lend themselves to research-based proven strategies. MCNL
Page 1: New Mexico Content Standards, Bench
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Page 18 and 19: Grade 5-8 BENCHMARK PERFORMANCE STA
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Page 24 and 25: Grade 5-8 BENCHMARK PERFORMANCE STA
Page 26: Performance Standards Register Stud

MCNL - Center for the Education and Study of Diverse Populations

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