The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) World Language Program prepares students to meet the challenges of an interdependent world community by enabling them to recognize the importance of learning foreign languages, engaging other cultures, and developing proficiency in one or more foreign languages.

The World 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 World Language Standards and Proficiency Expectations include K-5/6 bands of learning 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 world 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, a Partial Immersion, a Host Nation Program or in a secondary school foreign language course. The goal is to build listening and reading comprehension (interpretive communication) and speaking and writing (interpersonal and presentational communication) competencies while targeting high proficiency expectations and cultural competencies.

Languages Offered

DoDEA offers Arabic (MSA), Chinese (Mandarin), French, Korean, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Turkish. 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 Virtual School. DoDEA's students are 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.

Contact Information: 

DoDEA World Language Coordinator
4800 Mark Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22350-1400