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Minnesota Articulation Project
CARLA's involvement in articulation
projects began with the Minnesota Articulation Project (MNAP),
a statewide initiative that involved the active collaboration
of over 50 world language professionals representing 23 public
schools and post-secondary institutions (both public and private).
From 1993-1997, second language K-12 teachers, second language
faculty from colleges and universities, and second language researchers
from the University of Minnesota worked on developing a model
for articulating French, German, and Spanish curricular strategies
and outcomes with a focus on the transition from high school to
postsecondary institutions. The ultimate goal was to foster continuity
and persistence in language study through a proficiency-oriented
approach to language instruction and assessment.
The products developed as a result of the collaboration between MNAP and CARLA include:
- a statement outlining the principles underlying
proficiency-oriented language instruction and assessment which
guided the development of the project;
- a battery of assessments for reading, writing,
and speaking in French, German, and Spanish, to assess proficiency
at the ACTFL Intermediate-Low level;
- the MNAP's Proficiency-Oriented Language
Instruction and Assessment: A Curriculum Handbook for Teachers,
which provides world language teachers with the background knowledge,
ideas, and resources for implementing proficiency-oriented language
instruction and classroom-based performance measures into their
curriculum.
Response to these
resources has been overwhelmingly positive, and the work of the
Minnesota Articulation Project has clearly positioned Minnesota
as a national leader in articulating language instruction. In recognition
of this leadership, the Modern Language Association invited members
of the Minnesota Articulation Project to participate in a national
articulation mentoring program from 1998-2000.
MNAP was funded through the Minnesota Department of Children,
Families, and Learning (MNDCFL) by the National
Endowment for the Humanities and the Fund for the Improvement
of Postsecondary Education. The project was administered by the Center
for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) and led
by faculty at the University of Minnesota.
Related projects:
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