Students taking an advanced Spanish class at Lincoln-Way North High school were discussing — without using a word of English — films and literature, including the dark tale, “Chac Mool,” by the late Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes.
Several of them easily handled the often esoteric discussion, demonstrating they could function in a Spanish-speaking country — an elusive goal for generations of American kids who took a few classes but never mastered a second language.
Limited proficiency in a foreign language is no longer acceptable in a global, multicultural society, experts say, and Illinois is launching a statewide initiative this school year to do something about it.
Backed by a new law, the Illinois State Board of Education wants to ratchet up foreign language skills. The move will allow school districts to add a special credential called the State Seal of Biliteracy on high school diplomas and transcripts if students show a high level of proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English.
While Spanish is often a common language choice for students, high school graduates can get the seal in a variety of other languages — from French and Chinese to Latin as well as Am………….