District trims foreign-language options
JANESVILLE — The Janesville School Board gave its approval Tuesday to a relatively low-cost expansion of foreign-language options for students.
The administration is expected to plan for those changes in the months ahead in the hopes that the board would fund them starting in September 2009.
The board gave its thumbs up to continuing to teach Chinese to a small number of students in the Challenge Program for gifted students and at the high school level in the Janesville Academy for International Studies.
The board also asked the administration to look into:
-- Setting up an elementary-level charter school to teach “world languages.”
-- Offering online courses.
-- Promoting the Youth Options program for foreign languages. Youth Options already allows high school students to take college courses at district expense if the courses are not offered at the high school.
-- Expanding the summer school to include language courses.
The board rejected a plan to start an elementary program that eventually would expand to all schools. It also rejected expansion of middle-school offerings.
related STORIES
- Expulsions more than double ... (6)
By GAZETTE STAFF 11/28/08
- Intra-district transfer period set ...
By GAZETTE STAFF 11/24/08
Aug 14, 2008 at 9:41 a.m.
Suggest removal
At my child's elementary school (a public school in Janesville), they take cell phones away from students who bring them at the beginning of the school day and give them back when school lets out. They don't have them in the classroom, unless the students are blatantly disobeying school rules.
*
My children receive talented and gifted services, and we don't own a drugstore or a trucking business, nor are we wealthy contractors. Just for the record.
*
The school board had the option of starting an elementary program that would eventually expand to all schools, and expanding the offerings at all middle schools, but they rejected it. That would have been an excellent way to reach all students with an interest in languages other than English.
Aug 13, 2008 at 10:50 p.m.
Suggest removal
villajanesville, I agree that it should be offered to anyone who's interested, if it's offered at all. But are you saying that the gifted students are from wealthy parents? Just curious, because I went through the program with my mom on welfare for awhile, and I remember quite a few other kids from poor families.
So about "world languages"... what's wrong with foreign languages? English is the language in the United States, so that would make every other language foreign to this country, what was the problem with that?
Aug 13, 2008 at 9:42 p.m.
Suggest removal
Elementary school students are allowed to have cell phones in the classroom? Good grief!
Aug 13, 2008 at 4:01 p.m.
Suggest removal
The district no longer uses the term "foreign language" or "foreign language department". For a few years, at least, the district has used the term "world language" instead to apply to any language that might be offered at our schools(other than English - though, yes, arguably it too is also a "world language"! :) )
Aug 13, 2008 at 3:36 p.m.
Suggest removal
Good point, ktaustin.
Aug 13, 2008 at 11:41 a.m.
Suggest removal
What exactly are "world languages"? Aren't all languages "world languages"?
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.