Information and Offerings

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At Hinsdale South High School, students can select from four-year programs of study in French, Latin, or Spanish or a two-year program of study in American Sign Language. Our goal is for all of our students to become lifelong language learners beginning with a positive language experience at South. A positive experience for each student begins with correct placement in our language courses. To make a placement recommendation, we use our best professional judgment supported by several sources of information including knowledge of our curriculum, the student’s previous language coursework, the student’s performance on standardized tests, the student’s current language teacher’s assessment of the student’s performance, our knowledge of how students with a specific profile have performed in our courses during previous years, and a written placement test. Etymology is also offered as a semester course. Many sophomores, juniors, and seniors take Etymology in conjunction with a language course. Below are some commonly asked questions. Please contact the World Language Department with questions, so we can best help you to choose your 9th grade language course. We look forward to meeting you next year.

• On your registration sheet provided by our Counseling Department, the courses listed are the recommended courses.  Students may choose from those courses.
   
• The recommended courses are based on the sources of information listed above.
   
• Students can study more than one world language at the same time.

Our research shows that students are most successful if they get to choose which language they study.  

• Students who are recommended for level 2 are prepared for level 2.  First semester of last year, 93% of freshmen enrolled in a level 2 course earned As or Bs.  Repeating French 1 or Spanish 1 after a successful middle school experience is not recommended (earning As and Bs).  We strongly encourage students to follow the recommended placement or consider starting a new language.
   
• French 1 and Spanish 1 at Hinsdale South are aligned to French 1 and Spanish 1 at the public feeder schools.  We communicate and meet regularly throughout the school  year to discuss curriculum alignment and success of current freshmen.  This ensures a smooth transition for students starting level 2 as freshmen after successful completion of level 1 in middle school. 
   
• Many students who do not want to repeat a course are most successful starting a new language when they enter 9th grade.
   
• Students who did not have two full years of level 1 in 7th and 8th grade may not be prepared for level 2.  This could include students who transferred into the district or students with excessive absences during 7th and 8th grade.
   
• Our quantitative and qualitative data indicate that students who repeat a middle school course in our program because they struggled tend to encounter a variety of challenges. We strongly encourage students to start a new language.  

• Students who are recommended for Honors are prepared to handle the more rigorous coursework.
   
• Students who enroll in Honors should have a strong desire to communicate orally and in writing using the target language. They should look forward to immersing themselves in the target language during class.
   
• Students who take an honors-level language class should be comfortable with brisk pacing and be self-motivated, independent learners.  There is an expectation of greater retention of previous learning, higher communicative proficiency, and greater grammatical accuracy.
   
• We strongly encourage students to consider their entire schedule when deciding to take a World Language honors course.  Our standard and honors level courses are aligned, so honors courses are accessible at all levels. 

Students who have taken French 1 in middle school are well-prepared to succeed in French 2 or French 2 Honors and may not take French 1 Honors in 9th grade. 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your student’s placement, please contact:
Sarah Lombard
Hinsdale South World Language Department Chair
630-468-4390
slombard@hinsdale86.org