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Spring 2020 Middle School Multi-Language Sampler Briefing

MTDA Microphone Graphic 600 Wide

Spring 2020 Middle School Multi-Langauge Sampler Briefing
for
Counselors, Administrators and Site Facilitators

Update (January 6, 2020): MLS language classes were full shortly after registration opened.  As noted below, registration is first-come, first-served.  We are unable to open additional sections of the program due to finite financial and human resources.  Starting the week of January 13, 2020, we will post a list of courses that have drop slots available.  Information on that process will be posted in this space.

Notice to students and parents: This information is intended for distribution through districts and may contain details that do not apply to your local district’s program. If you are interested in enrolling in courses with Montana Digital Academy, your first contact should be with the counseling department or administration of your local public school to discuss what is available locally.

Important note for districts: As in past years, MTDA will be limiting enrollment in the MLS program to available staffing and financial resources. We strongly encourage you to plan for enrollments as soon as you can in November, looking at the opening of enrollment for our Spring 2020 on November 18, 2019.

Montana Digital Academy announces the continuation of our program designed to help middle school students begin to experience world languages and online learning. Middle school is a time of exploration and discovery for students.  As they get closer to entering high school, they will face a variety of challenges and opportunities designed to prepare them for their future choices. MTDA offers the Multi-Language Sampler (MLS) as just such an opportunity for 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students to explore up to four different languages: Spanish, French, German, and Latin.

2019-2020 Program Changes

As noted above, MTDA plans to offer as much service to students and schools as our resources and teacher availability allow.

Specific changes from the 2019-2020 school year include:

  • As noted, we will offer as many slots/sections as we have resources and teacher availability.  Enrollments remain first come, first served. We can’t reserve spots under any circumstances.
  • MLS Mandarin Chinese is not available. The University of Montana no longer hosts the Confucius Institute program, leaving MTDA without teacher resources to offer this program.
  • As in the past, we ask that schools apply our high school-level enrollment decision-making process to their middle school enrollments. That means that they should decide the merits of students individually in the program as opposed to whole classes. Tools are available to administrators and counselors to help explain the rigor and requirements of the program, including our online learning readiness matrix. Those tools are available here: LINK.
  • We ask that programs have functioning equipment and appropriate Internet access resources on day one of the session. We have refreshed our minimum technology requirements for the 2019-2020 program year and no longer require a webcam. However, the headphone and microphone requirements remain. Please refer to our technical requirements page here: LINK.
  • We will monitor student performance in weeks 1 & 2 of the program and apply our long-standing monitoring and slow-start/non-start protocols from the high school program to the MLS program. Students that do not log in or make adequate progress will be offered assistance and warnings and then dropped at the end of week two if they are not making progress. Students that develop a history of poor performance may be limited from future access to the program.
  • We ask schools not to enroll students in specific language workshops that they have previously taken and passed. The content is not new, and enrollments should be reserved for students that are new to our available content.
  • We ask that schools actively monitor their student enrollments. For example, it is the school’s responsibility to request drops for students that are no longer enrolled in their school.

Registration

  • Registration for both sessions of the Spring 2020 workshops opens on November 18, 2019, at 8 am.
  • Please review our student registration page for information on data collection and student registration in the site facilitator handbook. That resource is located here: LINK.
  • Please note that the MLS program has limited spaces available. Course spots are first-come, first served. We have no means of holding enrollments or otherwise reserving spaces, so the actual act of enrollment in our systems is the only method to reserve a spot.

Program Information

  • Our 2019-2020 Academic Calendar is located here: LINK. MLS course start and end days are firm and may or may not line up with your grading periods or quarters/trimesters/semesters.
  • Technical requirements for Montana Digital Academy courses are located HERE. A reminder that technical requirements need to be in place on day one of the session.

Workshop Availability

This list will be updated as more sections are available!

Fall Session 1 Fall Session 2 Spring Session 1 Spring Session 2
Spanish (3 sections) Spanish (3 sections) Spanish (3 sections)
Spanish (3 sections)
French (2 sections) French (2 sections) French (2 sections)
French (2 sections)
German (1 section) German (1 section) German (1 section)
German (1 section)
Latin (1 section) Latin (1 section) Latin (1 section) Latin (1 section)
Learning to Learn Online (formerly Stepping Stones to MLS) (1 section) Learning to Learn Online (formerly Stepping Stones to MLS) (1 section) Learning to Learn Online (formerly Stepping Stones to MLS) (1 section) Learning to Learn Online (formerly Stepping Stones to MLS) (1 section)

Frequently-Asked Questions

What is the middle school Multi-Language Sampler program?

MLS is scheduled for four 7-week sessions during which students will have the opportunity to have a meaningful experience in the language and culture in one of the five different world languages MTDA offers. In each 7-week session, a variety of languages will be offered to provide the opportunity for students to try one, two, three, or, four languages during their middle school years.

Please note: this is NOT designed as a comprehensive study in any given language. Only seven weeks of instruction are available in any given language. Please note that once a student has completed a language workshop successfully, they should not be enrolled in the same language again.

Why offer the MLS program?

The purpose of a multi-language exploratory language program is to allow students to experience several languages before deciding which language to study in a later course when they enter high school. The MLS program is designed to create a series of meaningful language-learning opportunities for middle school students that will lead to a better and more informed decision about their high school experience. With this goal in mind, middle school students should “taste” several or all of the MLS language flavors before attempting a regular high school online world language course.

What will students experience in the MLS program?

Middle school students will sample the flavor of the MTDA world language curriculum in their 7-week experience. The MLS program uses adventures to create engaging and productive lessons in grammar and vocabulary. Listening comprehension, oral production, reading, writing, and cultural awareness are all emphasized by standards formulated by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. The unique MLS program includes engaging, age-appropriate content, games, and culturally relevant activities, helping students to enjoy their early language experience.

What is “Learning to Learn Online?”

Learning to Learn Online (formerly Exploring Languages with MTDA or Stepping Stones to MLS) is an introductory class we offer to assist students that may be challenged by the independence or technical skill requirements of the online environment. The seven-week workshop will introduce students to online learning, assignment completion, and technological processes of being an online student.

Questions?

If you have any questions, PLEASE don’t hesitate to contact the helpdesk, support@montanadigitalacademy.org, or, contact our office via phone, 406-203-1812. We want to help you implement this in your school!