From frameworks to oversight: Components to improving foreign language program efficacy

Abstract

This chapter advocates the use of an aspirational framework for student-learning outcomes that aligns the intellectual content of general education objectives with the values expressed in the ACTFL National Standards for language study. Such an approach emphasizes the benefits to language programs that can be realized through clarity in expectations and the systematic, longitudinal evaluation of outcomes. It also has far-reaching policy implications for foreign language programs, which the authors explore. The chapter introduces and discusses a rubric that models the connections between linguistic and intellectual skills. In addition, outcomes benchmarks for most commonly taught languages and less commonly taught language groups are proposed. The involvement of faculty SLA experts (tenured or tenure-track) is seen as key to the process of effective curricular reform, which must also involve other faculty members and stakeholders in active collaboration to implement system-wide evaluation practices and ongoing curricular reform.