DC took French 1 in 7th grade, the first year when it was offered. Now DC is continuing with French 3 in HS and wants to do AP French as they really like the language. I heard from the counselor that it is always good to continue in one language as far as the kid wants to go.

Anonymous wrote:Foreign language 1a and 1b don't make it to high school transcripts. It dawned on me after DS done taking them in 7th grade.

AFAIK this is old advice and they no longer do 1a and 1b in FCPS.

I would say most probably start lang in 8th.

Anonymous wrote:Just saw this thread in recent topics, and wanted to note that in MCPS, many kids start their language in 6th and Alg 1 in 7th. My kid took Alg 1 in 6th.

So if you think this is too much… no, it’s not too much for a lot of kids. Who will eventually be your kid’s competition for college admissions.

I would be surprised if the percentage of kids taking Algebra 1 and/or a foreign language in 7th grade is above 25%. FCPS sends about 20% of it's students into Algebra 1 Honors in 7th grade with a pretty active AAP/Advanced Math track.

I like the idea of foreign languages being offered earlier because it is easier for kids to pick up a language at an earlier age, it is why we choose to participate in language immersion for ES. I think it would be easier for kids to be taking a language in 6th grade if they are at a MS, which I know is the norm in Loudoun County in Viriginia, I have no idea if that is the case for MCPS. I would be surprised to hear that a 6th grade language class is for high school credit, I would guess that it is more the Spanish/French 1A/1B that has been offered at many FCPS MS where the class is more of a gentle introduction the learnng a language then a full on HS language class.

There are MS in FCPS that offer HS level foreign language classes in FCPS, Carson is starting that this year and others have had it for longer. I will say that the Department Chair for languages at Carson seemed to be encouranging parents to think long and hard before allwing their child to pursue that route. Carson does have the Japanese Immersion classes for the kids coming from Fox Mill but those kids have had 6 year of some exposure to Japanese and most should know the alphabets and sounds pretty well so it is less of a shock in 7h grade.

Anonymous wrote:Do most wait to take a World language in 8th to balance work load since these both go on high school transcript?

The counselors at Frost all but said at parent night not to take a world language in 7th. The reasoning was basically that taking it in 8th gives you enough flexibility with your extracurriculars in high school and 7th is an adjustment year.

Anonymous wrote:Just saw this thread in recent topics, and wanted to note that in MCPS, many kids start their language in 6th and Alg 1 in 7th. My kid took Alg 1 in 6th.

So if you think this is too much… no, it’s not too much for a lot of kids. Who will eventually be your kid’s competition for college admissions.

It's fit, not competition. Each child should do what they are capable of.

Anonymous wrote:Do most wait to take a World language in 8th to balance work load since these both go on high school transcript?

No. The earlier you start language, the easier it is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do most wait to take a World language in 8th to balance work load since these both go on high school transcript?

This is what we did, and I'm glad we did it that way. MS is a hard adjustment, and it was helpful to keep the academic load a little lighter. Just keep in mind that this means your child will be taking 3 years of language in HS, and won't have an extra slot for exploration/AP.

I think this is the way most people handle the language. We know kids in my DS LI program who are dropping the language or switching languages. Kids entering an IB HS need to take a language in 8th grade.

Anonymous wrote:Do most wait to take a World language in 8th to balance work load since these both go on high school transcript?

This is what we did, and I'm glad we did it that way. MS is a hard adjustment, and it was helpful to keep the academic load a little lighter. Just keep in mind that this means your child will be taking 3 years of language in HS, and won't have an extra slot for exploration/AP.

Anonymous wrote:Foreign language 1a and 1b don't make it to high school transcripts. It dawned on me after DS done taking them in 7th grade.

Some MS offer the HS language classes in MS. Carson offers Japanese Immersion, for the kids from Fox Mill, Spanish, and French starting in 7th grade for HS credit. You can also take Spanish/French 1a and 1b if you want. Chinese is offered for both years but I am not sure if it is for a HS credit or a slower pace to help set the alphabet basics in kids minds with less pressure.

Foreign language 1a and 1b don't make it to high school transcripts. It dawned on me after DS done taking them in 7th grade.

DS is in a language immersion program so he will be taking his language in 7th grade. I expect that he will test into Algebra 1 Honors. I don’t see it as being a problem for him. He has the basic alphabets down for his language and loves math. We can re-evaluate if it turns out to be too much.

Level 1 language is not hard

Just saw this thread in recent topics, and wanted to note that in MCPS, many kids start their language in 6th and Alg 1 in 7th. My kid took Alg 1 in 6th.

So if you think this is too much… no, it’s not too much for a lot of kids. Who will eventually be your kid’s competition for college admissions.

Do most wait to take a World language in 8th to balance work load since these both go on high school transcript?