This department is committed to providing a foreign language learning experience beginning in middle school that will provide students with the foundation and skills needed for a continued successful foreign language experience in high school. Through the study of a world language and the exposure to various diverse cultures, students will increase their global awareness and appreciation of the contributions of other cultures.

In all language classes, the target language is used. Native speakers will be evaluated on an individual basis and placed in a course level according to their proficiency measured by the second semester exam of the course previous to the course they desire.

Eighth graders who want to take French I or Spanish I must earn a “B+” or higher in their English 7 Honors class and must score above the 70th national percentile on the vocabulary, reading comprehension, and usage and expression sections of the IOWA standardized test. Students taking Spanish I CP or French I CP as an 8th grader must take two years of the same language in high school to fulfill high school graduation requirements. Most colleges recommend three years of high school language study.

It is understood that this class is a challenging one for 8th graders. In order to advance to the second level, students must achieve a minimum of 80% in foreign language level I. All freshmen who want to take French I or Spanish I must score above the 60th national percentile on the vocabulary, reading, and language sections of the High School Placement Test. In addition, freshmen must have obtained a “C” or better in their 8th grade English class.