BY ALLISON PULIZZI
At the March 17, Board of Education budget meeting, Superintendent Lucille F. Iconis announced a Foreign Language Early Start (FLES) pilot program aimed at incoming third-graders. The proposed FLES program is modeled after Cold Spring Harbor’s program and will provide Spanish language instruction for 20 minutes, two times a week. While residents were excited at the potential of having a foreign language at the elementary level, there are some concerns.
Research has identified time spent in language instruction and the intensity of that instruction as the two most critical factors in rate and amount of language acquisition. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Young Learner Task Force established 30 to 40 minutes per day, three to five days per week, as a minimum time allocation for achievement of the performance goals outlined for K–12 learners. Studies suggest that language acquisition takes place best in a setting in which meaning is negotiated through interaction, so that the student has influence on the message being communicated. Twenty minutes two times a week is far less than the recommended amount of instruction and is likely not sufficient to produce proficient speakers of foreign language.
Some parents expressed disappointment that the program was starting in the third grade and not kindergarten. Age is strongly related to learning another language. Research has shown that earlier is better in language learning. Early bilingual children reap the most benefit from their educational experience. Learning additional languages increases critical thinking skills, creativity and flexibility of the mind in young children. In addition, younger learners possess the capacity to develop near native-like pronunciation and intonation in a new language. Parents are concerned that the district is missing critical opportunities to capitalize on the benefits of a FLES program.
Additionally, adding a second language to the third grade curriculum is not ideal as third graders are thrown into standardized testing. Critics of standardized testing of suggest that overemphasis on testing has led many teachers to eliminate projects and activities that provide students with an opportunity to be creative and imaginative. This contrasts sharply with practices that have been common in foreign language teaching.
The district should take time to reevaluate the intention of having a FLES program; whether that be proficient speakers of foreign languages or something different. Whatever the objective, it should be made known to the community.
—Allison Pulizzi
