AMERICAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL
BEIRUT-LEBANON
School Language Policy
*Last updated on February , 2014
This policy is intended to inform the American Community School at Beirut (ACS) community
about our philosophical beliefs concerning language learning, our language programs, and our language
placement policies.
This policy was written in the academic year 2012/2013, and will be reviewed on a regular basis.
ACS Language Philosophy
At ACS, we believe that language plays a critical role in developing life-long learning, cultural identity,
and international-mindedness.
Our Philosophical beliefs pertaining to language can be summarized in the following1:
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Language-learning is a lifelong process; through language use, we develop and grow as human
beings.
Language learners are 21st century learners.
All students can be successful language learners; they learn in a variety of ways and settings and
acquire proficiency at varied rates.
Language is important to create cultural identity and intercultural understanding to promote the
ideas of peace, open-mindedness, and international-mindedness.
Language is a means of thinking and communicating and therefore it is intrinsic to the learning
of all subjects. In this sense, all teachers are teachers of language.
ACS Language Profile
Data collected about the languages spoken at home from the enrollment application forms of students
in 2012 showed the following:
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First Language spoken at home: 63% identified English as their first language spoken at home,
29% Arabic, 2% French, 1% Spanish, 1% German, 1% Italian, and the remaining 3% was shared
among 12 other languages. (100%)
Second Language spoken at home: 44% identified Arabic as their second language, 28% English,
5% French, 1% German, 1% Italian, 1% Russian, 1% Spanish, and the remaining 19 % was shared
among 14 other languages. (100%)
Third Language spoken at home: 8 % identified French as their 3rd language spoken at home, 3
% Arabic, 1 % English, 1% German and the remaining 87 % was shared among 15 other
languages. (100%)
According to the above data and to the definitions presented in the Glossary of Terms, English is
considered as the first language and mother tongue of 63% of ACS students. Arabic is considered as the
main second language, and French is considered as the main foreign language of ACS students.
1
adopted and adapted from K-12 task Force standards philosophy developed for the National World
languages Standards in the US
English Language Context at ACS
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English is the language of instruction across all school divisions.
In Elementary and Middle Schools, all students study English as a first language including those
requiring extra English language learning support. This support is provided through the English
Language Learning (ELL) program.
In High School, all students study English language as a first language. As per the graduation
requirements, all students must successfully complete 4 credits of English in grades 9-12- a
minimum of one English class per year.
Course Offerings:
o Grades 1-10: All students follow the American College Preparatory Program (ACP) English
courses which are based on the AERO Standards. These courses aim to develop the skills of
reading, writing, listening, speaking, language foundations, and media literacy through
engaging learning tasks using authentic contexts and assessments.
o In Grades 11-12, the English offerings are:
 IB Diploma English A Literature SL and HL for the IB Diploma and IB Course students
 ACP English courses for the ACP and Lebanese Baccalaureate students who are not
taking the IB English A course.
English Language Learning (ELL)
ACS has a diverse school population. Our goal is to support the academic and social development of all
students. The ELL program enables students whose first language or whose prior language of instruction
is not English to develop their language skills. The purpose of the ELL services is to assist students to
become proficient in English and to be able to study at grade level. The ELL program is offered in grades
1-5. In grades 6-8, ELL is offered on a need basis.
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For a student to be identified as an ELL student, an assessment of his/her English language
proficiency is carried out. Initial assessments will be typically conducted upon a student’s first
enrollment at ACS, but may also be conducted at any point if there is an indication that there
might be a need for ELL services.
Assessment of English language proficiency determines if the student’s use of English is below
grade level expectations. Support is provided for the student to adjust to the school culture and
achieve grade level expectations at ACS.
Differentiated support is provided for each ELL student.
Progress in the acquisition of English is regularly reported to parents.
An ELL specialist plans and delivers the ELL services. Services may include individual or small
group instruction, pull-out or push-in services.
Arabic Language Provision at ACS
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According to the data presented in the ACS language profile, the majority of the ACS students
are Heritage Arabic language learners who have been exposed to Arabic at their homes, who
speak or merely understand Arabic, and who are, to various degrees, bilingual. Accordingly,
Arabic is their second language. On the other hand, the data suggests that about 20% of the ACS
students are Native speakers.
In order to meet the needs of ACS students, two Arabic programs are offered:
1. Modern Standard Arabic program (MSA) for Native and Heritage learners, and
2. Arabic as a Foreign Language program (AFL) for non-native learners.
 Description of the courses can be found on the ACS webpage
http://www.acs.edu.lb/page.cfm?p=350
The Arabic Curriculum is standard based integrating the Lebanese national program, the IB
diploma curriculum and the AERO+ World languages Standards.
Arabic is provided at all grade levels.
o In Elementary, Arabic is offered for one hour on a daily basis for all students.
o In Middle School, Arabic is offered on a daily basis for one hour for all students.
o In High School, Arabic courses are four 70-min blocks per a 6-days cycle.
Enrollment in the Arabic program:
o Incoming students will be placed in one of the two above Arabic Programs depending on
their background. A placement test will be given to all incoming students during
admission to check their level in Arabic.
o Students enrolled in Modern Standard Arabic, the mainstream at ACS, may not join AFL
at any time as it is not designed for heritage learners. However, AFL students will be
encouraged to stretch up to join MSA.
o Placement in the AFL language courses depends on students’ background, proficiency
level and availability of courses. In order to abide by the ethical considerations of the IB
Diploma Programme, students will be placed in appropriate language courses in grade
11 based on their proficiency and background.
French Language Provision at ACS
French is offered as a foreign language program.
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The French curriculum is standards-based integrating the IB diploma curriculum, and the AERO+
World Languages standards.
French is provided in grades 3 to 12
o In Elementary, French is offered two times a cycle in grade 3 and three times a cycle in
grades 4 and 5 for all students (classes of 40 minutes).
o In Middle School, French is offered three times a cycle for all students in grades 6 and 7
and for students who are not in the Lebanese Baccalaureate program in grade 8 (60
minutes classes).
o In High School, French courses are four 70-min blocks per a six-day cycle.
o Placement in the French language courses depends on students’ background,
proficiency level and availability of courses. All students entering High School will be
given a placement test to assess their proficiency level. In order to abide by the ethical
considerations of the IB Diploma Programme, students will be placed in appropriate
language courses in grade 11 based on their proficiency and background.
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Spanish Language Provision at ACS
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In order to accommodate the diversity of language needs for learners in the IB Programme, IB
Spanish AB SL is offered in grades 11 and 12.
The Spanish course is offered to IB Diploma and IB Course students.
The time allocation for IB Spanish AB SL is four 70-min blocks per six-day cycle.
The Spanish AB course is offered for students who have little or no prior knowledge of Spanish.
Notes:
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As per the graduation requirements, all students must successfully complete three credits of
foreign language in grades 9-12.
For an ACP student to continue in an IB language course in grade 12, he/she must fulfill the IB
requirements for the course, including sitting for the IB official exams.
In order to meet the IB requirements regarding the number of hours for SL courses, all IB 12 SL
language courses meet three blocks per cycle.
The number of students in an Abinitio language class should not exceed 12.
Professional Development
Teachers at ACS are encouraged to pursue professional development opportunities to develop their
skills. The school provides different forums for professional development including:
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Writing workshops on the use of 6+1 Traits
AERO+ World Language workshops
IB Language workshops (online and face to face workshops)
On-site workshops led by professionals in the field
Related Documents
World Language Placement Policy
Arabic Language Placement Policy
Bibliography
International Baccalaureate Organization (2011). Language and Learning in IB Programmes,
Cardiff: International Baccalaureate Organization (UK).
Skutnabb-Kangas, Tove, and Teresa L. McCarty. "KEY CONCEPTS IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION:
IDEOLOGICAL, HISTORICAL, EPISTEMOLOGICAL, AND EMPIRICAL FOUNDATIONS." Encyclopedia of
Language and Education. Ed. Jim Cummins and Nancy Hornberger. 2nd ed. Vol. Volume 5, Bilingual
Education. New York: Springer, 2008. 3-17. Print.
Valdés, Guadalupe. The Teaching of Minority Languages as Academic Subjects: Pedagogical and
Theoretical Challenges.” The Modern Language Journal 79 (1995): 299-328.
Glossary of Terms
Mother tongue: The term mother tongue is used in the research literature in various ways. It may
denote the language learned first; the language identified with as a “native speaker”; the language
known best; the language used most. When used in this document, it includes all those meanings. (IB
16)
First language: Often a synonym for mother tongue, or in contrast to a second language; the language
first learned, best known, and/or most used (Skutnabb-Kangas and McCarty 3).
Foreign language: A language learned mainly in the classroom, for reading texts and/or communication
with its speakers (e.g., Arabic in Korea, English in Mongolia, French in Russia) (Skutnabb-Kangas and
McCarty 3).
Native speaker: Individual whose competence in a language almost always derives from the language
being the mother tongue and first language learned (Skutnabb-Kangas and McCarty 7).
Second language: Language learned after acquiring the mother tongue (as opposed to first language), or
learned and used in the environment, often in addition to school (as opposed to foreign language)
(Skutnabb-Kangas and McCarty 8).
Heritage language learner: defined as a learner who has been exposed to this language (ex: Arabic) in
the home, who speaks or merely understands this language and is, to various degrees, bilingual. (Valdés)