Language Learning Framework

Russian Language Programs in the United States

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An Application of the Framework:

A Common Curriculum to

Facilitate Articulation

The articulation problem

The discussion of articulation--the fitting together of programs across
levels--always needs to consider the question of how different programs parcel
out knowledge and abilities. At the high school-university boundary, we must
acknowledge also that we are dealing with adolescent learners, which requires
that we also take into account the evolving intellectual development of these
students. That is, we must consider not only how to segment the acquisition
process, but we must do so in a way that conforms to our learners'
development.
It has long been a common complaint among high school Russian
teachers that their students' transition from high school to college Russian
programs in the US is fraught with difficulties for all parties involved. This
document proposes the establishment of uniform national system of
measurement, focusing initially on the early stages of language learning
careers, in order to help overcome the articulation problem among Russian
programs. It is our intent that these goals be achievable in both high school and
college programs in order that transitions be made more smoothly. We assume
that a uniform set of goals will improve the likelihood that students can move
into college programs with less difficulty than seems to occur with great
regularity in the current situation. We frame these goals in terms of a common
curriculum: a portion of the overall curriculum of any particular program that
would be shared across institutions.
The development of the goal statements in this document has been
guided by a set of principles within a language learning framework (LLF)
developed by the National Council of Organizations of Less Commonly Taught
Languages³³. While our initial goal was to find a way to overcome the
articulation problem, the adoption of the LLF has resulted in a document which

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		An Application of the Framework: A Common Curriculum to Facilitate Articulation
The articulation problem The discussion of articulation--the fitting together of programs across levels--always needs to consider the question of how different programs parcel out knowledge and abilities. At the high school-university boundary, we must acknowledge also that we are dealing with adolescent learners, which requires that we also take into account the evolving intellectual development of these students. That is, we must consider not only how to segment the acquisition process, but we must do so in a way that conforms to our learners' development. It has long been a common complaint among high school Russian teachers that their students' transition from high school to college Russian programs in the US is fraught with difficulties for all parties involved. This document proposes the establishment of uniform national system of measurement, focusing initially on the early stages of language learning careers, in order to help overcome the articulation problem among Russian programs. It is our intent that these goals be achievable in both high school and college programs in order that transitions be made more smoothly. We assume that a uniform set of goals will improve the likelihood that students can move into college programs with less difficulty than seems to occur with great regularity in the current situation. We frame these goals in terms of a common curriculum: a portion of the overall curriculum of any particular program that would be shared across institutions. The development of the goal statements in this document has been guided by a set of principles within a language learning framework (LLF) developed by the National Council of Organizations of Less Commonly Taught Languages³³. While our initial goal was to find a way to overcome the articulation problem, the adoption of the LLF has resulted in a document which
33	HOW TO FOOTNOTE THIS??