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The City
School District of Albany offers students the opportunity to learn a
foreign language as early as elementary school. The district's magnet schools, Albany School
of Humanities (ASH; PK-6),
Montessori Magnet School (PK-5) and Thomas O'Brien Academy of Science
and Technology (TOAST; PK-6) begin teaching foreign language in
prekindergarten.
Students
studying a foreign language at the elementary and middle schools will
demonstrate course-appropriate outcomes in the four basic language
skills: Speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
Students
will also gain awareness and appreciation of other cultures in order to
better participate in an ever-changing global society.
Elementary
Foreign Language Programs
The non-magnet elementary schools in
Albany all provide Spanish instruction to students in grades 4-6.
Student receive one hour of foreign language instruction each week.
At the
magnet schools, students begin learning a foreign language in
pre-kindergarten. At ASH, students learn
Spanish. At Montessori, students are taught French.
At TOAST, students
learn Latin.
The focus of
foreign language instruction at the elementary level is on cultural
awareness as well as the spoken language.
Listening
and Speaking: Structure and support is given to students as they
become immersed in the Spanish and French culture and language.
Listening and speaking skills are the major focus at the elementary
level. As students become proficient with oral skills, reading and
writing activities will be introduced. Elementary foreign language
teachers use many hands-on materials and multimedia activities as well
as teacher-made materials to support the elementary foreign language
curriculum.
Reading
and
Writing: These skills will be developed as students respond to
questions, write skits, research and report on topics, and read short
passages.
Middle School
Foreign Language Programs
The middle school foreign language
programs expand upon the foundation provided at the elementary level. We
offer middle school foreign language instruction in Spanish, French and
Latin.
At William
S. Hackett
Middle School, all three languages are offered. At Philip Livingston
Magnet Academy and Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School, French and
Spanish are offered. At North Albany Academy (PK-8) Spanish is
offered.
To download
the Spanish Grade 4-8 curriculum, follow
this link.
To download
the French Grade 4-8 curriculum, follow this
link.
High School
Foreign Language Programs
Students entering Albany High School
are required to earn one credit of high school foreign language by the
end of ninth grade. Students who pass their eighth grade foreign
language class and the New York State Proficiency Exam will receive one
high school credit.
Students who
do not pass the eighth grade program and the proficiency exam will need
to take a first year language course to receive the required high school
credit for foreign language to meet the requirements for graduation.
Students who
are pursuing an Advanced Regents Diploma must pass the Comprehensive
Regents Exam given after completion of the third year of the foreign
language program.
A
five-credit sequence in foreign language is offered to students wishing
to pursue an Advanced Placement Diploma.
Albany High
students have the opportunity to take Spanish, French, Latin and
Mandarin Chinese. Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate
courses are offered for each of these languages as well.
Complete
listings, foreign language sequences, and course descriptions may be
found on the Albany High School Web site under "course offering
booklet." Follow this link.
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