Repeating MS Language Class in HS?

[Anonymous]

Do HS kids ever repeat a MS language class? A combination of pure crappy teaching and lack of effort from my MSer has me questioning whether he knows any of the language despite getting As and Bs through French 1&2. Now in French 3, he's trudging along with a low B and still I don't think has any grasp of the language. Do any kids repeat 2 or 3 in HS? Do they have to have crappy grades to do so, if they do? I'd really just like him to actually know the language -- I'm not as worried about the grade since MCPS appears to give plenty of options to pad it.

TIA for any counsel.

[Anonymous]

This. Sounds like my son and we will get him a language tutor if this persists. Sorry I don’t have any better answers.

[Anonymous]

I thought my son should have repeated 2 in HS, but he didn't. ALso getting a low B and got a D on a test.

[Anonymous]

He shouldn't repeat with A's and B's in 1&2 because he has already achieved the best he can in those classes. The reason he is slumping in 3 is because its actually quite a big leap from the MS classes to the HS classes.

You're better off getting him a tutor (ask the teacher for the MCPS list of available tutors) and get them to work with him once a week, reinforcing what has been taught in the classroom. Sometimes it is literally just a case of revisiting the material that makes a difference.

We had a French tutor for our son thoughout HS and he would not have survived without her.

[Anonymous]

I wish my daughter had, honestly. She arrived to Spanish 2 in 9th grade barely being able to speak a word of Spanish (and yet, having received an A in 8th grade). We got a tutor last year and are continuing with the tutor for 10th grade. I have been so disappointed with the quality of the language program - I'm not looking for fluency, just basic comprehension.

[Anonymous]

I would have, had I known. We got an online tutor instead. The curriculum sucks, no textbooks, no real structure and it's really difficult.

[Anonymous]

I wish 2/3 of my kids had repeated Spanish 2 in 9th grade. The MS instruction just really stinks. The HS teachers basically acknowledge this, and have to spend a ton of time in the first month trying to get kids on the same page and figure out where the gaps are. I think it really sets kids up for failure, because they never learn a lot of really critical grammer and syntax concepts. (Plus they mostly have really horrific accents.)
I'm not sure what the HSs think about this, but I would encourage it. Also because they expect you to take 4 years of language in HS -- if you are already in 3, that puts you through to AP in 11th or 12. If you're a kid that is struggling in a language because you odn't have a good foundation, that is just miserable.

[Anonymous]

I would start him in level 3 again next year.

[Anonymous]

I wish someone had suggested this for my dyslexic son. Spanish 3 is much harder than 2 (since 2 is required for graduation). He dropped the language mid year after a C (which was definitely a gift)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do HS kids ever repeat a MS language class? A combination of pure crappy teaching and lack of effort from my MSer has me questioning whether he knows any of the language despite getting As and Bs through French 1&2. Now in French 3, he's trudging along with a low B and still I don't think has any grasp of the language. Do any kids repeat 2 or 3 in HS? Do they have to have crappy grades to do so, if they do? I'd really just like him to actually know the language -- I'm not as worried about the grade since MCPS appears to give plenty of options to pad it.

TIA for any counsel.

They can. You can also choose not to report MS grades on transcripts. what level of world language (WL) does your kid wants to reach - AP level, IB level, two years in HS, doesn't care etc..? Also look into who the teacher teaching each level at the high school your kid is plannig to attend and try to find out what kind of a teacher they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do HS kids ever repeat a MS language class? A combination of pure crappy teaching and lack of effort from my MSer has me questioning whether he knows any of the language despite getting As and Bs through French 1&2. Now in French 3, he's trudging along with a low B and still I don't think has any grasp of the language. Do any kids repeat 2 or 3 in HS? Do they have to have crappy grades to do so, if they do? I'd really just like him to actually know the language -- I'm not as worried about the grade since MCPS appears to give plenty of options to pad it.

TIA for any counsel.

They can. You can also choose not to report MS grades on transcripts. what level of world language (WL) does your kid wants to reach - AP level, IB level, two years in HS, doesn't care etc..? Also look into who the teacher teaching each level at the high school your kid is plannig to attend and try to find out what kind of a teacher they are.

MS grades are reported on transcripts for any HS-level course. However, they will only be calculated into the GPA if they help. And no college cares about MS grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish my daughter had, honestly. She arrived to Spanish 2 in 9th grade barely being able to speak a word of Spanish (and yet, having received an A in 8th grade). We got a tutor last year and are continuing with the tutor for 10th grade. I have been so disappointed with the quality of the language program - I'm not looking for fluency, just basic comprehension.

+1.
Send suggestions if you have any on how to improve la guage programs in mcps. Keep in mind there is a shortage of language teachers across the country. Each language class needs a second teacher practicing in small groups or 1:1 with student. The students don't get enough practice from school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish my daughter had, honestly. She arrived to Spanish 2 in 9th grade barely being able to speak a word of Spanish (and yet, having received an A in 8th grade). We got a tutor last year and are continuing with the tutor for 10th grade. I have been so disappointed with the quality of the language program - I'm not looking for fluency, just basic comprehension.

+1.
Send suggestions if you have any on how to improve la guage programs in mcps. Keep in mind there is a shortage of language teachers across the country. Each language class needs a second teacher practicing in small groups or 1:1 with student. The students don't get enough practice from school.

They don’t need a second teacher. They need a good curriculum with a textbook and teaching the basics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish 2/3 of my kids had repeated Spanish 2 in 9th grade. The MS instruction just really stinks. The HS teachers basically acknowledge this, and have to spend a ton of time in the first month trying to get kids on the same page and figure out where the gaps are. I think it really sets kids up for failure, because they never learn a lot of really critical grammer and syntax concepts. (Plus they mostly have really horrific accents.)
I'm not sure what the HSs think about this, but I would encourage it. Also because they expect you to take 4 years of language in HS -- if you are already in 3, that puts you through to AP in 11th or 12. If you're a kid that is struggling in a language because you odn't have a good foundation, that is just miserable.

Any idea why the MS language classes tend to be worse than the HS classes?

[Anonymous]

Given Spanish is absolutely the EASIEST of FL's to learn, your kids should just be putting in the extra time at home. No homework? translate a poem / watch a Spanish TV show, make some kind of f-ing effort.

Poor curriculum? supplement. Most of the MCPS curriculum is lacking. Do what you have to.