Foreign Language
Courses Offered
DoDEA offers Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Korean, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish.
Overview of the DoDEA Foreign Language Program
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Foreign Language Program prepares students to meet the challenges of an interdependent world community by enabling them to recognize the importance of learning foreign languages, to value learning about other cultures, and to develop proficiency in one or more foreign languages.
The Foreign Language Program is aligned to the National Standards in Foreign Language Education published by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). The DoDEA Foreign Language Standards and Proficiency Expectations include Kindergarten-Grade 2 and Grade 3-Grade 5 FLES Bands in the elementary school and Course Levels I-VI, including Advanced Placement, in secondary school. A minimum of 2 years in a single foreign language (high school level) is required prior to graduation.
DoDEA foreign language courses emphasize oral communication while also building proficiency in reading and writing. Students receive instruction in the target language and begin to develop communication competencies beginning in the earliest stages of study, whether in a FLES program or in a secondary school foreign language course. The goal is to build listening comprehension (interpretive communication) and speaking, reading and writing (interpersonal and presentational communication) competencies while targeting expected proficiency outcomes for the age and stage of learning.
The foreign language program is open to all students. By offering classes with a focus on communication in the target language and providing a variety of strategies that encourage active participation, students learn to actually use the language and are motivated to continue their study of foreign languages over time.
Attributes of the DoDEA Foreign Language Classroom
- The target language is used for instruction.
- Communication in the target language is meaningful and involves real-life scenarios.
- The classroom climate is conducive to students taking risks with the new language.
- Activities are dynamic, student-centered, and correlate to the content standards and proficiency expectations.
- Culture is meaningfully incorporated into lessons.
- A variety of print materials, non-print materials, and current technologies are used to enhance learning.
- Assessments are both formative and summative and reflect the way students are taught; they are proficiency-oriented (holistic) and may include some achievement (skills) testing.
Description of the Program
As a result of the 2006 DoDEA Foreign Language Initiative (FLi), students begin foreign language in the elementary school (FLES). This helps lay a solid language foundation for secondary school foreign language study. By graduation DoDEA students must have completed at least 2 years of high school foreign language. DoDEA foreign language programs emphasize communication proficiency. Students receive instruction in the target language and progressively develop listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing proficiency. The DoDEA Foreign Language Standards and Proficiency Expectations encourage students to develop high levels of proficiency especially when following a long sequence of study and when pursuing authentic language experiences outside of the classroom. The goal is to build proficiency from the earliest entry point possible and continue building proficiency through rigorous sequences of study.
DoDEA provides students opportunities to communicate in multi-lingual and multi-cultural societies through the study of foreign languages. In so doing, the DoDEA Foreign Language Program equips students with necessary global communication tools for life in the 21st Century.
Languages Offered
DoDEA offers Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Korean, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. Some of the less-commonly-taught language courses are demographically localized to regions of the world where the language is spoken. Certain courses are taught through Distance Learning. DoDEA's students are also encouraged to study the language of the host nation in which they live, wherever possible. This allows students to take advantage of the vibrant cultural and linguistic environment surrounding them. It increases their communication skills in the language of the host country and allows them to experience the local culture for both educational purposes and personal enjoyment.
Foreign Language
Contact Information:
DoDEA Foreign Langauge Coordinator
4040 North Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203
