World Languages at NCSSM
About the Program
The study of languages opens up worlds as it increases our ability to communicate with one another, both across the globe and in our own hometowns of Morganton or Durham NC. In our language teaching, we strive to foster empathy, global understanding, and critical thinking. On the language level, we work on building vocabulary, developing grammatical competency, creating opportunities for real-world language use, and ensuring consistent, immersive contact with the target language. We foster student motivation to learn languages through instruction that sparks individual interests and builds personal connections with the target language.
At NCSSM, we offer courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, Japanese, Latin, and Spanish. Courses cover introductory and intermediate levels as well as advanced topics courses that focus on analyzing authentic cultural material. Our courses are primarily taught in the target language using the communicative method. This means that grammatical structures and vocabulary are introduced in ways that allow for practical application, thus emphasizing communicative competence.
World Language Graduation Requirements
All students who matriculate at NCSSM will graduate from NCSSM with at least two NCSSM World Language (WL) credits on their NCSSM transcripts.
Those credits will be achieved in one of the following ways:
2 Credits of WL Courses taken at NCSSM
1 Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) + 1 Credit of a WL Course taken at NCSSM
2 Credits by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) if student achieves exemption
Details
Students who demonstrate less than “intermediate low” proficiency on NCSSM’s WL placement assessments (confirmed through additional in-person assessments once classes begin) must take two WL courses in the same language at NCSSM.
Students who demonstrate “intermediate low” or higher proficiency on NCSSM’s WL placement assessments (confirmed through additional in-person assessments once classes begin) will earn one Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) and must take a minimum of one WL course at NCSSM. There will be opportunities for students to earn a CDM in languages not taught at NCSSM.
Students will begin their study of an NCSSM WL in the junior year. Students who are placed into an advanced NCSSM course may take that course during their junior or senior years.
Students may and are encouraged to take additional courses in WL beyond this minimum requirement.
World Language Exemption
Incoming juniors who come to NCSSM-Morganton with a very high level of proficiency in a language offered may qualify for exemption of the graduation requirement in World Languages by one of the following methods:
By demonstrating high proficiency in the language by means of a score of 4 or 5 on an AP Exam or by completing an in-person exam in other languages proctored by an NCSSM WL instructor. The WL program will provide opportunities every year for CDM and exemption testing.
NOTE: Until exemption is confirmed, entering juniors must enroll in an appropriate NCSSM-Morganton World Language course to meet junior-year enrollment requirements. We also welcome and encourage students who achieve exemption to take advanced language courses as electives for individual semesters.
