Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Tagalog, Vietnamese and French are some of the most spoken languages in the United States, and it shows Americans are not shying away from learning, and growing up with, a variety of languages.
There are 76 million bilingual individuals in the United States, putting America at the top of the charts when compared to countries such as France or the United Kingdom, according to America the Bilingual. When comparing data, the United States scores far higher than even the runner up, Germany, which has 23 million bilinguals.
Many individuals may learn from home, but with academic standards requiring most students to take a foreign language it has become increasingly common to learn a second one in school.
Academic standards have been set in place to ensure maximum effectiveness for students honing new language skills, and with 76 million bilinguals it is safe to say these guidelines are successful as is.
Several states, such as Washington and the Illinois State Board of Education, adopted their standards from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
The ACTFL has published its own set of guidelines titled the “Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century,” and the “World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages.” The World-Readiness Standards lay out a set of rules called the “Fives C’s”, made for instructors from kindergarten through four-year universities to adhere to.
The living document has gone through several revisions since 1996 and is backed by research from educators, business leaders and government, according to the ACTFL. It is a consensus created to clarify timely checkpoints for language learners.
The goal areas are communication, cultures, connections, comparisons and communities.
These existing goals help students succeed academically. According to an article in EdSource, students who are bilingual do better on standardized tests.
According to a study by Adoracion Vargas Berry for the University of Memphis, the standards proved helpful to both faculty and students, as “Results suggest faculty believed the ACTFL Standards were important and beneficial with regards to providing guidelines for teaching a foreign language, preparing students as global citizens and introducing cultures.”
These national standards are fit to encourage and aid students in developing foreign language skills as they are.
