View Content #26600

From https://www.montanalanguageteachers.org

 

Alice Nation, the president of the Montana Association of Language teachers, writes, "At MSU, the following statement is at the end of the list of classes you must complete to gain admission:

• Two years of elective courses: foreign language (preferably two years), computer science, visual and performing arts, or approved vocational education units.

 

"The statement from U of M is very similar:

• Two years chosen from the following: foreign language (preferably two years), computer science, visual and performing arts, or vocational education.

 

"However, these entrance requirements only tell part of the story. When you look at the list of General Education Requirements for graduation from U of M, the Group III Requirement is for Modern and Classical Languages. To me this is where the importance of what we do at the high school level often gets lost in translation. U of M’s statement is as follows:

 

The study of foreign language is a core component of a liberal arts education. Students must complete the first-year sequence of a language or demonstrate comparable proficiency to fulfill the General Education language requirement (test-out provisions apply)."

 

Read her full editorial in which she urges administrators and counselors to encourage high school students to take at least two years (preferably more) of a second language: https://www.montanalanguageteachers.org/malt-nation-presidents-corner/foreign-language-in-february