The AIS Language Continuum
Second Language Expectations and Transitions at Atlanta International School (AIS)
From the moment a student enters the dual language program in Primary School (PS) at AIS, that student
embarks on an individual language journey. Our goal is to help each student reach their highest possible level
of second language proficiency during their time here. What range of outcomes can students and parents
realistically seek? What characteristics of a student’s language profile influence the outcome? What choices
and transitions along the way are available?
Primary Years
Our Pre-Kindergarten, Early Learning Center, is designed for 3 and 4 year olds and all instruction is carried out
in one of three languages (German, French and Spanish). Our language program in the 5K-5th Grade Primary
School is referred to as a dual language program. In the early years when language is predominantly used to
communicate orally and students are immersed in the language for all of the time or one day in two, motivation
to learn and oral proficiency is built quickly. Most students who start with us early will achieve a very good level
of comprehension and oral proficiency although they are unlikely to be performing at the same level of oral and
written expression in the second language as a student at the same grade level in a country where this native
language is spoken. We call those students with this level of proficiency “language modelers”. Note that most
students who have been assessed as “language modelers” by the end of 5th grade have at least one parent or
caregiver at home who is a practicing native speaker of the language. Students from homes where one of the
three target languages is routinely practiced have an advantage over students from English-speaking homes.
Yet all students enjoy the full benefits of a dual language program and have the opportunity to maximize their
language profiles. Students with strong language profiles are those who extend their second language learning
through routinely speaking the language at home or in the homes of friends where the second language is
spoken, who participate in exchange immersion programs, and who read books and watch movies in the
language in their leisure time. Such language enrichment nurtures love of the language and builds on natural
ability.
Transitioning into Middle School
AIS has a naming convention tied to its IB curriculum in secondary school where Language Acquisition
(formerly language B) describes a student’s second language and Language and Literature (formerly
Language A) refers to their mother tongue. The difference is represented by Language and Literature’s
increasing emphasis on written skills and a student’s increasing need to critically analyze text as the grades
progress.
Because students leaving 5th grade have been immersed in both English and another language, they generally
have the unique ability of communicating at a very high level, especially in terms of oral proficiency, in two
languages. Therefore, with rare exceptions all long-term AIS students transitioning from Primary School are
placed in two classes named A language in 6th grade. One will be a traditional English class and the other will
be the other language they pursued in Primary School. In order to continue to support exposure to this second
Language and Literature course, students in the 6-8th grade taking a second Language and Literature class,
will also take a Humanities (History/Geography) class conducted in in that language. All other classes are
conducted in English although some students may opt to take up a third language at this juncture.
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At the 5th-6th transition then, language exposure is reduced from 50% to 22% (2 of 9 blocks) of a student’s time.
Because this Humanities class ends in 8th grade leaving only the Language and Literature class itself,
exposure is further reduced to 11% of a student’s time in 9th Grade. This reduction of exposure to the language
means that it becomes increasingly difficult for students to achieve a level of textual analysis equivalent to a
student in a country speaking that language. Thus some students’ natural tendency will be to transition into a
Language Acquisition class at some point between 6h and 12th grade. Students who are native German,
Spanish or French speakers when they arrive may still begin to favor English as their language of strength.
This is not surprising given that the majority of our students will likely decide to communicate in the English
language for social reasons and may not have the motivation or predisposition for literary analysis in the
language. However, there are some students, even those who do not speak the language at home who have
are proficient at the Language and Literature level. If a student is performing as a proficient Language and
Literature student (4 or above) it is unethical for them to proceed in that language, in a Language Acquisition
class, at the Diploma Level.
Transitioning into the Diploma Years in 11th and 12th Grade
Students in the Diploma are required to continue the study of two languages but they may opt to continue
three. Their choices are still defined by B language and A language terminology.
Language B: Language Aquisition
For AIS students studying Language B in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP)
the baseline goal is to become functionally proficient in a social and business environment. Available at
“Standard” (SL) or “High” (HL) level, Language B study in the Diploma Programme (DP) years
represents an accomplished level of second language study and is consistent with and vital to AIS’s
mission of preparing students for a globally connected world. Language B HL in particular requires
significant elements of text and literature analysis. Successful completion of B level courses in the DP
is equivalent to the following international standards: Advanced Level in Foreign Language as
designated by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and B2 Vantage
in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). For those students with no exposure to
another language joining the Diploma program we offer a Language B: Foundation Course in either
German or Spanish.
Language A
For the AIS student strong in linguistic aptitude, in motivation, and in second language support, the goal
in the DP years is balanced bilingualism, a native level of proficiency in both mother tongue and in
second language. Available with two course options in the DP—Literature or Language & Literature—
Language A study represents linguistic competence equivalent to that of a native speaker and
academic student of the language, capable of analyzing major works of literature, writing literary critical
essays in that language and demonstrating complete fluency in comprehension and speaking.
Students who study both mother tongue and second language as Language A in the Diploma
Programme earn the IB bilingual diploma. This denotes their ability to function at a high academic level
in both languages.
Being Bilingual
At AIS—and in the IB—we hold ourselves to a high standard when using terms like “bilingualism,” “functionally
proficient,” or “linguistically competent.” Through the years, AIS graduates have demonstrated exceptional
second language skills in university and beyond, in their professional pursuits. In short, AIS has a reputation
for providing students with excellent second language preparation. This is true for students who have left AIS
after the dual language program in Primary School as well as for students who have entered AIS in Middle
School and Upper School. It is true for students who have taken their second language in the Diploma
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Programme as Language B or as Language A, at both Standard or at High levels. Even students who enter
AIS as 11th graders for the Diploma Programme and who have had no previous second language study, have
demonstrated remarkable second language achievement through our Foundation (formerly ab initio) classes (a
2-year course). Although highly coveted, a student need not have obtained the bilingual diploma to attain
college recognition for their relative level of competence when they apply.
AIS has been successful because our language teachers and community recognize that language learning is a
long-term process requiring commitment and discipline. It is a continuum of learning. A student’s progress can
be assessed throughout the journey, but a student is never “done” or “finished” learning any language,
including mother tongue. The key conditions for making language acquisition efficient and effective and thus
motivational include excellent native speaking teachers, as much time as possible studying and speaking the
language (both duration and concentration), and authentic opportunities to use the language with native
speaking peers, a condition well afforded in an international community like AIS. Those students fortunate to
begin their second language study in our dual language Primary School program have the added advantages
of an early start, of peer exchange in what we call “ immersion” and “dual-immersion” classes, and of learning
the language through the medium of all subject areas. The focus in the Primary School is on teaching through
the language rather than on teaching the language as an end in itself.
Progression of Language Exposure and Course Terminology 3K -12
Primary Years Programme
Pre-K -2nd Grade
Middle Years Programme
6th Grade-10th Grade
MYP
Language and Literature
*22%
decreasing to 11%
100%
Immersion
3K and 4K
50%
Immersion
5K-5th
Diploma Programme
11-12th Grade
Language A Literature (HL or SL)
Language A Language and
Literature (HL or SL)
Language Acquisition (HL)
MYP
Language Acquisition
11%
Language Acquisition (SL)
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