Updated April 2, 2015, 11:30 a.m. to include a newer version of a letter being circulated to preserve world language instruction in elementary schools in South Orange-Maplewood.
After questions arose this week over potential changes in Spanish instruction in the middle schools, the South Orange-Maplewood School District administration is reporting that students will continue to receive “the equivalent of two years of Spanish instruction” over their middle school years, but that the delivery of that instruction will be altered in 2015/16 to deal with the many demands on the middle school schedule.
Earlier this week, Maplewood Middle School Principal Jerrill Adams purportedly told parents at a Home & School Association meeting that major changes were “being worked on” in the middle school schedule, including a shift in teaching time for world languages in 7th and 8th grades. One parent told The Village Green that Adams “indicated that Spanish would be taught every other day in 50-minute periods as opposed to this year’s every day instruction in 40-minute periods.” Currently, Spanish is taught every other day in 40-minutes periods in 6th grade and every day in 50-minutes periods in grades 7 and 8. The new schedule would bring Spanish to all three grades every other day in 50-minute periods.
When asked to confirm, the district’s Director of Strategic Communications Suzanne Turner replied, “The schedule we are developing for next year continues to provide students with the equivalent of 2 years of Spanish instruction during grades 6-8 to prepare them to take Spanish 2 at Columbia High School when they enter 9th grade.”
Turner did not provide specifics as to minutes of instruction per day or days per week. She explained in an email that the schedule is complex and needs to meet many demands and criteria: “We have been working for months to revise the middle school schedule for 2015-2016 so that it best meets the needs of our students. We have a set number of instructional minutes with which to work each day, and many, many mandates and priorities to address within those minutes. Some issues arose out of this year’s schedule, which we are rectifying in the plans for next year to ensure that students who require academic support do not miss any core academics to receive it.”
Turner also noted, “In terms of Spanish, we have had various iterations of world language in the middle school over the years.”
Turner did not indicate whether or not the changes would impact staffing levels.
The middle school discussion follows on the elimination of world languages in the district’s elementary schools for 2015/16 due to budget cuts.
Parents at Jefferson School this week were forwarding a letter (see below) petitioning the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education to reinstate world languages (Spanish is currently taught once per week to grades 3, 4 and 5). They asked that the letter be “forwarded via email to friends and neighbors” and emailed to boemembers@somsd.k12.nj.us prior to the April 27 Board of Education meeting. In addition, an online petition to continue world languages in the elementary schools was created today.
South Orange Maplewood Board of Education
Dear Members of the South Orange Maplewood Board of Education:
I am writing to let you know that I strongly believe we should keep world language instruction in SOMSD elementary schools!
I understand that you voted recently on a top-line budget number that was presented to the state, but that the specific line items of the budget, including FTEs, are not yet “set in stone.”
Among the actions planned as a result of that budget is the removal of foreign language instruction in our elementary schools.
I would, therefore, like to take this opportunity to strongly urge you to reject the proposed removal of World Language from the District’s elementary schools. I understand that times are tough and that we need to make hard choices. I truly believe, however, that by eliminating an entire category of education, we are seriously narrowing the range of our young children’s experience just when we are working so hard to expand it. A foreign language is no less a window on the world than art or music. Removing elementary foreign language instruction wholesale will do serious damage to our claims to being a top school district, especially by undermining our reputation as a champion of diversity in all its forms.
Research shows that early foreign language instruction has many benefits. In particular, foreign language instruction has been shown to narrow the achievement gap, a major priority in SOMSD. In addition, early foreign language instruction provides such benefits as improved academic progress in all subjects, enriched cognitive development, higher scores on standardized tests, increased cultural awareness and competency, and enhanced career opportunities, among others. (For citations, please see www.ncssfl.org/papers/BenefitsSecondLanguageStudyNEA.pdf and https://www.actfl.org/advocacy/what-the-research-shows?pageid=4524).
These proven benefits were among the reasons that New Jersey Board of Education adopted the World Languages Curriculum Framework: https://www.livingston.org/cms/lib4/NJ01000562/Centricity/Domain/23/World_Languages_Framework.pdf. This Framework clearly states that elementary school is the “optimum starting point” for world language instruction.
In addition, it bears noting that nearby school districts like Millburn and Livingston offer foreign language instruction in elementary school. As a local taxpayer, I believe that elementary language instruction is a critical component of maintaining SOMSD’s reputations of excellence, thereby making SOMSD a desirable district and preserving our property values.
Please, when you consider the final budget, find another way to save money, and keep world language instruction in our elementary schools.
