For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Melrose High School Works with Salem State for Dual Enrollment Program

MELROSE — High School Principal Jason Merrill is pleased to announce that the global language department has partnered with Salem State University to offer a pilot dual enrollment program for students in their final year of Spanish.

The program, which replaced the high school’s Advanced Placement option for seniors, is designed to recognize students for the entire scope of work they complete during the year, with the hopes that many achieve biliteracy.

At the end of the year, those who meet the criteria will receive credit for a 300 level course from Salem State. This year, around 20 Melrose students enrolled in the course, as opposed to the less than 10 who were in last year’s AP course.

Kim Talbot, Melrose’s Director of Global Education, and a team of Spanish teachers, including Paul Bondanza and Nicsa Dagger-Cain, as well as MaFLA New Teacher Award winner Steven Malley, visited Salem State last year and earlier this year, observing the Spanish courses to best tailor the high school’s program to college level.

“We know that our students work so hard in the final year of their language class,” Talbot said. “We don’t feel it’s appropriate to have everything they’ve done over the course of school year come down to one day, one test. We want to reward them for the work they’re doing all year long.”

Talbot is also working with Dr. Nicole Sherf, Secondary Education Coordinator and Professor for the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Salem State, to ensure Melrose’s program meets the correct course objectives.

The philosophy behind the partnership and program centers on allowing for a more seamless connection between what happens in the high school and what happens in college, and in turn, furthering a student’s language skills for any path they choose going forward.

“I think the bottom line is that the AP course is not fully accepted by all colleges and it’s also a very specific program for the top tier of students. It doesn’t emphasize language learning for all students,” said Sherf. “The college course aspect is more universal, it’s not just for the top tier student, or for the typical AP student. It can be for the student who’s just interested in learning another language.”

Students who pass the dual enrollment assessment, which involves applying interpretive reading skills, writing, speaking and using authentic resources, are then able to more easily apply the credits to a college of their choosing.

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