The Department of World Languages at CMS strives to cultivate a supportive environment which empowers our students to develop and use their language skills in conversation, thus enabling them to engage in productive roles in our global community.
In CMS language courses, students will:
- Develop the skills necessary to listen, speak, read, and write in a language other than English to meet the communicative needs of an ever-changing world.
- Attain and demonstrate the ability to use more than one language in culturally authentic situations.
- Develop cross-cultural understandings and an appreciation for diverse cultures and perspectives.
- Develop the critical thinking skills and creative habits essential to the learning process.
- Develop lifelong language skills and demonstrate the ability to apply them to the English language and to the study of additional languages.
- Develop the technological skills necessary to access information which will enhance their linguistic and cultural awareness of the language(s) which they study.
At CMS, we offer languages in grades 7 and 8. Our curriculum is based on the NYS Standards for World Languages.
Students have the opportunity to study Spanish or French. This NYSUT Brochure on how to help your child be a language learner is a helpful and valuable resource.
NYS Checkpoint Exams
The Checkpoint A and B exams are assessments that measure a student’s language proficiency with respect to the New York State Standards for Languages Other than English.
The Checkpoint A Exam is typically given at the end of grade 8. Students who successfully pass this exam and the course earn one (1) high school language credit.