Following on a 2019 project to provide recommendations on how to update the 1999 Massachusetts framework for world languages, CAL was contracted by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2020 to conduct research on the needs of less common programs and develop supplementary resources to ensure that the revised 2021 Massachusetts World Languages Curriculum Framework is actionable and inclusive for all educators.

There were three major activities for the project:

(1)   Facilitating two rounds of six educator focus groups;

(2)   Conducting a literature review of best practices for eight areas of focus:

1. Languages with Diverse Written Representations (non-Roman alphabet),
2. Classical Languages,
3. American Sign Language,
4. World Language Courses for Heritage Learners,
5. Elementary Programs,
6. Students with Disabilities,
7. Social and Emotional Learning, and
8. Assessment.

(3)   Developing eight Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) to support teachers’ use and implementation of the framework in these areas.

In addition to the eight two-page QRGs with actionable recommendations based on the research and educator feedback, CAL delivered final reports summarizing the findings from both rounds of focus groups and the literature review report with extensive references.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.doe.mass.edu/worldlanguages/implementation/default.html