Logrando Altas Nuevas (Reaching New Heights)

Seniors at Fair Grove are reaching new heights in the field of foreign languages. Their four years of Spanish education providing them with new skills and perspectives on the world.

Haydn Hall (12) and Jaden Hudson (12) made their way to this point by taking Spanish classes all through their time in high school, getting themselves an advanced education in Spanish, their teacher Shelley Thornton explained, “Level can vary depending on mastery of the content. Most of our students will reach upper intermediate or low advanced.”

Advanced Spanish classes also come with the opportunity to earn college credit, Spanish three and four offering dual credit through Missouri State University. The credits come at a cost but much lower than that of taking classes at the university itself. 

Another way to get college credit is to achieve the Seal of Biliteracy, which recognizes students that are proficient in two languages, Thornton described, “The Missouri Seal of Biliteracy is an honor awarded by a school district to recognize students who have attained proficiency in English and at least one other language before high school graduation. Students may also be eligible to earn the “Distinguished Seal of Biliteracy” which shows an advanced proficiency in two languages.”

The qualifications for obtaining the seal requires that you take the APPL, which is a test that measures knowledge of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish. Knowing English well is also required, needing an 18 on the English portion of the ACT or proficiency on the English EOC. Thornton explained, “At Fair Grove, this is accomplished by students earning a level of “Intermediate Mid” or above in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing on the AAPPL (the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language’s Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages exam).” Having all these requirements lets students gain 12-16 free credit hours at participating universities. 

Even with their advanced education there is still always more to be learned, Hall elaborates, “I plan on obtaining the seal of biliteracy and becoming fluent in the language.”

The class also helps out second grade students in learning Spanish basics, like the colors, numbers, and greetings. Thornton explains, “We are partnering with the second grade and have been teaching basic Spanish to them, primarily using short lessons on basic topics (numbers, colors, animals) combined with games and songs.”

Being in these Spanish classes offers students the opportunity to learn a foreign language and also allows them to experience teaching a foreign language to students younger than themselves.