Start language in 6th grade or 7th?

[Anonymous]

They'll give him a test, and place him appropriately.

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that there is no concern with languages through Level 3, but that as you continue there are huge jumps as you get up toward the AP levels. If a child is really strong at the language, this is no concern but they will be in classes with native speakers at that point which can make things more challenging. The earlier your child starts a language, the higher your child will need to go in the very challenging courses. For some, this is a positive, but for many others it is actually better to delay starting the language so that when they are in high school they are not forced to take the very high levels with the native speakers.

I was highly advised to not have my child start a language in 6th for this very reason. I am glad I followed that advise.

[Anonymous]

How many hs credits of a foreign language are needed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Digital Literacy is a joke at NB

Spanish has issues- there is a really bad Spanish teacher that everyone has for Spanish 2, and some have for Spanish 3 and also 1. Parents have been trying to get rid of her for over a decade (seriously). This year there was some minor progress (another teacher teaching Honors Spanish 3 for some sections - I hope my child has that teacher next year).

I heard the Adminstration actually met with the Administration at WJ and heard first hand how unprepared kids from NB were in Spanish 3 and 4 at WJ. These same kids got straight As at NB, and massive problems at WJ, as in dropping down and repeating levels, or quitting Spanish altogether, and some who just switched to Latin, French or Italian.

I have 1 still there in 7th and 1 at WJ, and if I had to do it again, both kids would take other electives. Not Digital Literacy, and not Spanish in sixth grade.

Putting a couple of messages on this thread together, it seems that North Bethesda's response to the poor Spanish instruction is (a) to provide extra help after school and (b) change the Spanish curriculum to prevent future North Bethesda students from completing level 3 in the Middle School.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is that there is no concern with languages through Level 3, but that as you continue there are huge jumps as you get up toward the AP levels. If a child is really strong at the language, this is no concern but they will be in classes with native speakers at that point which can make things more challenging. The earlier your child starts a language, the higher your child will need to go in the very challenging courses. For some, this is a positive, but for many others it is actually better to delay starting the language so that when they are in high school they are not forced to take the very high levels with the native speakers.

I was highly advised to not have my child start a language in 6th for this very reason. I am glad I followed that advise.

Your child's ability to get an A depends on your child, not on the presence of others who might have an easier time getting an A. His or her work has to stand on its own, regardless of who else is in the class. I took a language in high school in a class with native speakers. I did better than most of them, because they could not write well in the target language.
If your point is that you don't want your child to be able to reach the AP level of a language because you are scared he or she won't do well, then own that. I question why that would be different from any other subject, but perhaps you worry your child wouldn't do well in any AP or upper level class. An AP calculus class may have kids who are more naturally talented at math. AP English may have more gifted writers. Students should enroll in classes that are the appropriate level for themselves, not based on whether there could be possibly be someone else in the class with a perceived advantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It hardly matters. Your kid will do the language requirement in high school and then never speak a word of it again.

This is the truth!

The year to start a language is K like every other country. But America seems fine with making sure their students fake learn a language.

[Anonymous]

So from what I am reading, competitive colleges prefer 3-4 years of HS foreign language. What if a child decides to take a new language in HS and goes up to only the 4th level by senior year, versus a child who had started taking foreign language in 6th grade but stopped in 10th grade? Does it matter that much how high of a level the kid goes up for these colleges or is it more relevant that the student takes all four years in high school even though student started from ground zero?

[Anonymous]

Is there an option in mcps to take 1A in 7th and 1B in 8th? Or are the 1A and 1B classes only available for 6th and 7th graders, respectively?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there an option in mcps to take 1A in 7th and 1B in 8th? Or are the 1A and 1B classes only available for 6th and 7th graders, respectively?

It varies by school. DS's school does not offer any option of taking 1A for a full year. They only offer 1A/1B, and it is available to any grade, I believe. Certainly DS and his friends started in 6th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. I’m likely putting my kid in public school in 7th grade. He’s taken spanish in private school since kindergarten. Not immersion, but he’s pretty good at speaking the language. Not good at all at writing it. Would he get a choice of placement in 7th grade? I don’t want him starting in a beginner course. But I don’t want to set him up for failure either.

Speak with the principal of the public school. Your child will get a placement test and be put in the appropriate level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It hardly matters. Your kid will do the language requirement in high school and then never speak a word of it again.

This is the truth!

The year to start a language is K like every other country. But America seems fine with making sure their students fake learn a language.

I recently moved to NJ from DC. I was surprised to see that in my school district, spanish starts in K once per week and continues through 5th. In 6th they get one semester of Spanish and one semester of French. In 7th grade students choose between Spanish or French. Chinese is offered in 8th grade as a language that can be taken in addition to Spanish/French.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So from what I am reading, competitive colleges prefer 3-4 years of HS foreign language. What if a child decides to take a new language in HS and goes up to only the 4th level by senior year, versus a child who had started taking foreign language in 6th grade but stopped in 10th grade? Does it matter that much how high of a level the kid goes up for these colleges or is it more relevant that the student takes all four years in high school even though student started from ground zero?

This is exactly what I'm wondering. I have no idea if my 11 year old will be rocking an AP Spanish class when he's 16 so really hard to make the decision now!

[Anonymous]

Is Silver Creek the only school where you don't have a choice? If your child doesn't need remedial reading, they have to take a language (1A/1B) in 6th grade. There is no other choice. It is an IB middle school. It doesn't seem like the material is going that fast TBH. Just curious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is Silver Creek the only school where you don't have a choice? If your child doesn't need remedial reading, they have to take a language (1A/1B) in 6th grade. There is no other choice. It is an IB middle school. It doesn't seem like the material is going that fast TBH. Just curious.

SSIMS seems to offer 1A/B to all 6th graders who are above grade level in reading. There is no 1A only option. But, I don't know if students are required to take it. They can probably take digital literacy if they want, even if they are reading above grade level. I can't comment on the value of digital literacy, as none of the kids we know took it. They all took French or Spanish 1A/B, or are in immersion language classes. SSIMS already offers two electives in addition to language due to the 8 period block schedule. But maybe they would let a kid take a third elective rather than world language.
SSIMS is also an IB school.

[Anonymous]

Hoover has 1a full year offered in 6th or 7th which is a nice option.