Philosophy of LOTE Programs in Katy ISD

Language and communication are the heart of the human experience.  Therefore, the primary language used in the classroom is the target language.  Students should be equipped linguistically and culturally to communicate successfully in an American society and abroad.  The Department of Other Languages in Katy ISD envisions a future in which students will develop and maintain proficiency in English and in at least one other language, modern or classical.  Children who come to school from non-English speaking backgrounds should also have opportunities to develop further proficiencies in their first language.

Enrollment in LOTE Program

Beginning in the fall of 2004, all students are required to have a minimum of two high school credits in a language other than English to graduate.  Students wishing to graduate on the Distinguished Achievement Program must have at least three credits in a language other than English.  Credits must be in the same language.

Languages offered in Katy ISD at the high school level include:

• Spanish
• Spanish for Spanish Speakers
• French
• German
• Latin
• Japanese
• Chinese
• American Sign Language

Course options at the junior high level include:

• Elective Survey
• Spanish and French IA/IB
• Accelerated Spanish and French
• Spanish for Spanish Speakers

Students are responsible for inquiring and ensuring that the college they are planning to attend will accept the language they choose as their foreign language requirement.  Students should also verify the number of LOTE credits required by the college or university.

Purpose of a LOTE Program

The CEO of a corporation, the poet, the emergency room nurse, the diplomat, the scientist, and the teenage computer expert are representative Americans who play diverse roles in life, yet each could present a convincing rationale for the importance of studying a foreign language.  Their reasons might range from the realistic to the idealistic, but one simple truth would give substance to them all:  to relate in a meaningful way to another human being, one must be able to communicate.  To study another language and culture gives one the powerful key to successful communication:  knowing how, when and why to say what to whom.

Performance Standards for Language Competencies

A LOTE program is based on the following five standards:

• Communication
• Cultures
• Connections
• Comparisons
• Communities

These standards offer a vision of what students should know and be able to do with another language.  In the Katy ISD LOTE programs, students are given ample opportunities to explore, develop and use communication strategies, learning strategies, critical thinking skills and skills in technology, as well as the appropriate elements of the language system and culture.

Diverse Language Learners

At one time, and not so long ago, most second language learners in high school belonged to the college-bound group.  These students pursued language study mainly because higher education required it.  However, in Katy ISD the power of communicating in another language and knowing other cultures is recognized.  Additionally, Katy ISD understands that the value of language learning goes beyond the practical benefits of communication.  All children profit in their thinking skills by learning how a different language system operates, how languages influence one another, and how different cultures express ideas.  Students once shut out of language courses, prosper in classrooms that acknowledge that ALL students are capable of learning other languages given opportunities for quality instruction.

MayDell Jenks – Director of Other Languages 281-396-2619

Pauline Sayers – Curriculum Specialist for LOTE 281-396-2621