Chapter 8: “Let’s get on the same page”: The Curriculum and the ACTFL Standards

Chapter 8 focuses both the curriculum in general and on the ACTFL Standards in world language education. It begins by exploring the concept and nature of the curriculum, both in general terms and with special emphasis on its characteristics in world language education. It identifies the different types of curricula that exist in the public school context, as well as explores the relationship between the curriculum and the textbook, especially in world language education. It then goes on to examine the nature and role of interdisciplinary curricula. It presents a discussion of the history of curricular development, especially in the secondary school, in the United States, and then turns to a discussion of the national standards movement in education as it began during President Bush’s administration and developed under his successors. Next, it explores the historical development of the ACTFL Standards for foreign languages, and considers the content and structure of the ACTFL Standards, especially in terms of the “Five Cs.”