World Languages

Language, culture and communication are at the heart of the human experience. Students proficient in other languages and cultures increase their opportunities for future work, study and travel. Learning language is not only fun and engaging, but research shows that acquiring a second language boosts brain power and improves memory, first language skills and performance in other academic areas.

Visit Jeffco School Finder for information about how schools provide world language opportunities.

Everyone knows that knowing another language makes travel more fun and rewarding and opens up more career opportunities. But did you know that according to the research, language learning is beneficial in the development of students’ reading abilities?

There is evidence that:

• Early language learning improves cognitive abilities.
• Bilingualism correlates with increased cognitive development and abilities.
• Language learners transfer skills from one language to another.

There are correlations between language learning and:

• Higher academic achievement on standardized test measures. 
• Students’ ability to hypothesize in science. 
• Higher scores on the SAT and ACT tests.
• Higher academic performance at the college level.

There are correlations between bilingualism and:

• The offset of age-related cognitive losses.
• Attentional control on cognitive tasks.
• Memory skills.
• Problem-solving ability.
• Improved verbal and spatial abilities.

See the research at ACTFL, and read the New York Times article “Why Bilinguals are Smarter.”

Jeffco students have the opportunity to take advanced coursework in middle school, including world languages. These courses are one way of providing accelerated and challenging coursework to students, and follow the same Colorado Academic Standards and curriculum as the courses offered at the high school level. 

All sixth, seventh, and eighth-graders are eligible to take any world language course Level 1 or above, or a 101/102 combination (not including summer school courses, as stated in Board policy IKF).

The Colorado Department of Higher Education recommends one year of high school world language credit when applying to a college or university. Completion of this coursework in middle school opens up options for students in their schedules for either more advanced study or the opportunity to pursue other academic interests. 

Effect on high school transcripts and GPA 

Students who do not wish to receive credit for these courses will have the option to opt out using a district consent form. Middle schools will provide this information to the high school for course registration. If a student does not opt out and chooses to receive the high school credit, the grade will be on their high school transcript but will not be calculated into the student’s high school GPA.

Students who successfully complete eligible classes will automatically receive high school credit and will move to the next level unless they have opted out.

Factors to consider

Before enrolling, families and students should consider their teachers’ recommendations, current grades in the subject area, interests, maturity level of the student and extracurricular activities. Contact schools for more information.