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has, we believe, wider applicability. We believe, therefore, that this document
offers a useful curriculum planning guide for any program concerned with the
early stages of a language learning career in Russian, whether or not
articulation with other programs is a goal.
The particulars of the goals that we suggest have been discussed at
some length with both high school and college teachers of Russian, but are still
to be viewed as thoughtful suggestions. Readers of this document should keep
in mind as they proceed that the framework and the fact of national guidelines
are what we aim to argue for most forcefully as the starting point for further
discussions. That any or all of the particular goals should seem objectionable is
of secondary importance to us, and, in fact, to be expected. As is the case with
any attempt at educational change, we do not expect that all of the particulars
are or ever will be entirely accurate or appropriate. In the first place, we have
tried to define a range of goals acceptable and feasible for both high school and
college programs at the present moment. It is an empirical question as to
whether or not we have succeeded. In the second place, we hope--indeed it is
an important working hypothesis--that the adoption of these guidelines will
soon render obsolete the particulars described here.
In order to promote maximally efficient use of the time spent by learners
in formal learning environments, it is imperative that transitions from one
institution to another be made as seamless as possible. This follows from the
principle of life-long learning. A national goal, then, ought to be to establish a
framework that allows students to move efficiently from high school to college
Russian programs, for example. The productivity of our language training
system will be greatly enhanced if substantial work done in high school is
regularly acknowledged by placement above the introductory stage in college.
It is not just learners who stand to benefit from improved articulation. In
principle, college programs will also benefit in two ways. First, we would expect
that more students who enter college with a high school Russian background
would continue with Russian if they were treated in ways that indicated
appreciation for their prior work. Second, if more students enter the pipeline at a
more advanced level and then stay in the system, colleges would benefit from
the increased enrollments at upper levels and by the possibility of developing
programs beyond the current limits. As more students reach advanced stages
in college programs, small institutions should find that they are able to offer
advanced courses more often, and large institutions should find increased
demand for a wider variety of advanced courses.34
34Like all other statements of what might happen in principle, this one is subject to the
local condition (real or feared) that such advanced courses will never materialize (due, e.g.,
to lack of administrative support) and that these students will simply be lost to college
programs earlier in their careers. One hope may be that technology will provide a means
for students in small programs to continue at higher levels through more independent work.
This possibility suggests yet another reason for the overriding goal of the advanced level
be for students to acquire largely to manage their language learning independently.
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