Aligning Practices with the NJSLS for World Languages

This workshop provides a deep dive into the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) for World Languages, focusing on alignment from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Participants engage in a review of the standards’ components, explore their application across proficiency levels from Novice Low to Advanced Low, and examine the integration of intercultural communication within instructional practices. Through model activities and curated resources, educators learn how to foster interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational language skills while incorporating culturally authentic materials.

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• Insufficient understanding of proficiency-level expectations across grade bands.
  
  
• Limited strategies for integrating intercultural communication and global themes (e.g., climate change) into language instruction.
  
  
• Challenges in identifying or creating performance-based activities aligned with standard benchmarks.
  

1. Understanding and Applying Proficiency Levels Across Grade Spans
   Participants will gain clarity on the performance expectations for each NJSLS proficiency level—from Novice Low through Advanced Low—and learn how to scaffold instruction accordingly. They will leave equipped to adjust their curriculum and instruction based on learners’ developmental and linguistic readiness.
   
   
2. Integrating Culturally Authentic Resources to Build Language and Intercultural Skills
   Educators will learn to select and utilize authentic materials, such as media, texts, and visuals, to support communication across interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes. These resources foster a deeper understanding of cultural practices and perspectives, enhancing students' global competence.
   
   
3. Designing Standards-Aligned, Performance-Based Activities and Assessments
   The workshop provides models of engaging, practical classroom activities helping teachers design and implement tasks that reflect the core ideas and intercultural statements in the NJSLS. Participants will also explore tools and strategies to assess student progress toward language proficiency goals.