Compiled by the National Working Group on Japanese Language Competency Goals, convened by the Association of Teachers of Japanese and the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers, January, 2000, with the generous support of the United States-Japan Foundation

Content standards, upon which performance standards are based, lie at the heart of education reforms undertaken in the United States during the past decade. The movement to develop national standards in world languages was inspired by the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. Standards for Japanese education were developed by a committee of Japanese teaching professionals representing educators from kindergarten through graduate education, working as part of the National Standards in Foreign Language Education Collaborative Project. The Japanese standards have been published as part of the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century.⁽¹⁾

The foreign language teaching profession believes that content standards can guide:

• development of logically ordered sequences of language study,
• development of curricula and teaching methods that help students meet appropriate performance goals,
• design of appropriate assessments that will help learners and teachers define and communicate progress toward the goals
• designation of teacher standards (so that teachers will be prepared to help students meet the student standards), standards for teacher trainers, and standards for certification programs.

As an example of the interlinkage between these objectives, the National Standards in Foreign Language Education Collaborative Project (which consists of eleven language fields) has been accepted for membership in the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Writing on "Standards for World Languages--On a Firm Foundation," June K. Phillips notes: "During the standards development process, much effort had been aimed at achieving a strong national consensus. That challenge was successfully met as individuals from education, government, and business embraced the standards and over fifty professional and state organizations endorsed them officially. Certainly a primary reason for this consensus lies with the extensive dissemination activities that occurred as the standards were being drafted and with the subsequent familiarization workshops that have been conducted nationwide. Equally important, although not as uniformly established throughout the profession, another basis for consensus lies in the fact that the standards are grounded in a combination of solid research, strong and sequential curriculum, and effective instructional practices." (Foreign Language Standards: Linking Research, Theories and Practices [NTC, 1999], p. 2.)

Recognizing that completion of the content standards document was just the first step in the process, in 1998, as the K-16 Japanese standards were completed, the Japanese teaching field convened with the support of the United States-Japan Foundation a National Working Group on Japanese Language Competency Goals (see Appendix A for a list of members). The objectives of this group, which brought together twenty leaders in the field of Japanese education, were to share current knowledge about standards-based education, develop recommendations for implementation of the Standards for Japanese Language Learning (see below), and foster model projects to test the recommendations and serve as demonstration sites for their realization nationwide (see Appendix B for a list of projects). The group reviewed the current status of the field in terms of standards-based education, targeting the areas of teacher training, professional development, curriculum, delivery of instruction, and assessments. They identified areas for model projects and research and disseminated their recommendations via the Association of Teachers of Japanese Web site.

This document--"Resources for the Implementation of Standards for Japanese Language Learning"--contains the findings of the National Working Group. It inventories standards, frameworks and guidelines for Japanese language education, it presents an annotated bibliography of information sources on standards-based education, it lists resources for developing and delivering a standards-based curriculum, it presents information on computer and Web-based technologies, and it presents a series of recommendations to the field on steps that need to take place to build on the groundwork that has been laid.

Discussions among members of the National Working Group and the directors of eleven model projects have led to a series of recommendations for the Japanese language education field. These recommendations address professional development and communication for and among Japanese teachers. The broad areas most in need of further attention are: 1) teacher awareness of standards, 2) pre-service and professional development, 3) alignment projects for local curricula, state frameworks, and national standards, 4) development of standards-based assessments, 5) communication among teachers and dissemination of information for teachers, 6) research and practical articles on the subject of standards, (7) communication between Japanese educators, other foreign language teachers, parents, and administrators, and other community members, (8) information about funding opportunities, (9) advocacy for foreign language education generally, and Japanese specifically, and (10) development of standards-based in-service and pre-service training.

1) Increase awareness of standards

Professional development should include an emphasis on the philosophy of standards-based education. It is important that educators and the broader community understand the history of the development of standards for foreign languages--and specifically for Japanese--as well as how to use Standards for Japanese Language Learning.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Share your knowledge of standards-based education through writing articles, participating in e-mail groups, and speaking to other teachers in your area.

2) Incorporate standards in pre-service and professional development

New teachers need training in standards-based education before they begin teaching, and those already teaching need helpful, timely information and training. The field needs to continue to hold courses, workshops, and training sessions for new and experienced teachers on pedagogy, curriculum development, materials development, advocacy, and other basic components of teaching.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Support, offer, and organize workshops and training sessions in your area or try to bring such workshops to your area. Work with professional organizations to develop a database of such workshops and development opportunities to help disseminate such information. Provide information on such opportunities to your professional organizations

3) Carry out alignment projects for local curricula, state frameworks, and national standards

Teachers in numerous states are in the process of developing Japanese-specific frameworks aligned to national standards.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Develop curricular frameworks and local curricula which are aligned with state foreign language documents as well as the Standards for Japanese Language Learning. Seek information from groups that have already done this (see Appendix B). Share information with other teachers working on alignment. In states with a very small number of Japanese language teachers and no state Japaneses framework, teachers need training in methods for using national standards to develop local curricula.

4) Develop assessment standards and materials

As classroom practice is transformed by standards-based education, both performance standards and assessment standards are necessary. Teachers need support as they try to develop their own assessments for local use, and the field as a whole should develop assessments for national use. For example, the field would benefit from a Japanese Advanced Placement test to encourage students to take Japanese at the secondary level. Workshops and training programs are needed to help teachers successfully develop their own assessments.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Share assessments that already exist and work with others to develop new assessments.

5) Increase communication among teachers and disseminate of information

We recommend that the field create a clearinghouse to disseminate current information on standards as it becomes available. The field needs a clearinghouse to disseminate the most up-to- date information on and resources for standards implementation as they become available in order to make use of new materials at all grade levels. Internet technology will play an important role in communication and dissemination of information on a national level.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
New technologies offer many opportunities to help implement standards in the Japanese language field. Here we offer a few examples of approaches for using the various available technologies effectively in support of standards implementation.

a. Electronic mailing lists. Electronic mailing lists which serve well-defined purposes are particularly easy to keep functioning and tend to require a minimum of intervention, discussion focusing or moderating activity. Announcement-style mailing lists for general or timely information to large-scale communities (i.e. not necessarily discussion-oriented, but purely dissemination paths) work well with a minimum of intervention by a list administrator.

b. E-mail or bulletin-board systems. The need to support Japanese teachers as they begin and continue reworking their classes for standards-based education is great. Smaller, more tightly focused group discussion forums, either e-mail or bulletin-board systems, can help teachers in isolated areas connect with others and share concrete ideas about standards and classroom strategies.

c. Search engines. Given the current level of Web technology, it is possible to create topic-specific search engines for which the search realm is, say, only Japanese language teaching-related Web materials. This requires human judgment in the design and information-gathering phase and possibly on an ongoing basis. This is a substantial human resource and the software, programming and maintenance resources necessary are considerable, as well.

d. An on-line resource center. Such a center will compile teaching scenarios and other resources that can be accessed and commented upon by a wide range of teachers. This involves the integration of many tools into one larger system. Resources need to be indexed into a searchable database so that teachers can look for, for example, "activities for teaching greetings to third-graders" and get back a list of appropriate materials. Each scenario should have a linked discussion section, where previous users can comment on the effectiveness of that particular activity, suggest additions, etc. Users can add themselves to mailing lists specific to their interests (e.g. "Elementary teachers in the Southeast") or to receive announcements for new materials, etc. Such a service will, of course, require large-scale computing support, both to build and run the service, and to support the users, but is well within the realm of technical possibility with current technology.

6) Research standards implementation process and report results to the field

As a result of discussions of the National Working Group, the following articles have been commissioned to help fill a gap in information and material on standards implementation efforts. These will be published in 2000 by the Alliance.

1. The impact of the standards movement on students, teachers, and administrators
2. K-12 implementation of the National Standards at the district level
3. Implementation of the National Standards from a teacher's perspective
4. Implications of the National Standards for teacher education
5. Implications of the National Standards for universities and colleges
6. The National Standards and distance learning
7. The National Standards as a catalyst for articulation
8. The National Standards and the use of technology
9. Implementation of the National Standards: Voices from classrooms
1. Elementary schools and immersion programs
2. Middle schools
3. High schools
4. Universities and colleges
10. The role of action research and the National Standards

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Eengage in and report on additional research on standards-based Japanese education. Build on research results when planning future projects.

7) Create a dialogue with other foreign language teachers, parents, administrators, and other members of the community about standards in foreign language education

The field of Japanese language is a leader in standards-based education in foreign language. Our experience may be useful to others trying to move toward standards-based training, teaching, assessment, and materials development. By sharing our knowledge of standards we support the field of foreign language education generally and educate those who may not be aware of the growing interest in Japanese language education.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Take opportunities to tell people about the Standards for Japanese Language Learning and projects being carried out to implement the standards.

8) Seek support to carry out further projects to help increase standards-based training and implementation projects

Teachers need information about funding. The field should develop an information clearinghouse of funding opportunities and guidelines for writing proposals.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Share information about sources of funding for language education. Develop projects, request funding from local or national sources, and contribute information to a central database on potential funders.

9) Advocate for foreign language education generally and Japanese specifically

The field needs to continue to stress the importance of foreign language education generally and Japanese in particular. Standards-based methods help link foreign language education to the humanities and social sciences.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
All Japanese teachers can play a role in advocacy for the field of foreign language education gen- erally and Japanese specifically. Information on Japanese language education and Standards for Japanese Language Learning can be provided for those outside the Japanese field. Seek collaborative relationships with teachers of other subjects.

10) Develop standards-based in-service and pre-service training

Training programs based on INTASC for beginning teachers and NBPTS for experienced teachers should be developed.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
As a teacher trainer, educate yourself and your students about all aspects of the national standards. Align pre-service training with the goals for professional teachers being developed at the national level.

The model projects funded in Phase II of the National Working Group are a first step in carrying out the recommendations of the National Working Group (Appendix B). These eleven projects include awareness workshops, alignment projects between national standards and state frameworks, curriculum development to align with state frameworks, assessment development, development of tools for pre-service training and professional development, and materials development. The projects provide action research, effectiveness research, and development research on these standards-implementation processes that will be of use to teachers across the country as they attempt to implement standards. The results of the model projects will be published on the ATJ Web site and in paper form in January 2000.

In response to a consensus in the field that is reiterated in the recommendations made by the National Working Group for improved communications across the entire Japanese language education field, ATJ and NCJLT have collaborated to create the Alliance of Associations of Teachers of Japanese. Since its formation in early 1999, the Alliance has taken on many functions to facilitate improved communications by keeping abreast of new information relevant to Japanese language teachers and students, disseminating information through a comprehensive Web site, newsletter and other mailings, and serving as a clearinghouse for inquiries from members of the field as well as members of the larger community including parents, administrators, government representatives, and funding sources. The Alliance plans to play a central role in creating the technological resources discussed in the recommendations above, including on-line search engines, an on-line resource center, bulletin boards, and electronic mailing lists.

In response to a widely perceived need to provide more professional development opportunities and to train more leaders in the field, the Alliance plans to convene a Leadership Institute to be carried out over the next three years to provide opportunities for a new cohort of leaders across the country to develop their skills and to increase the dissemination of new information about Japanese language education. The Institute would give teachers training in standards-based education, grant writing, and materials development as well as advocacy skills.

Finally, in response to the dearth of articles on standards implementation, the National Working Group has asked teachers experienced with standards to write some specific articles that will help those implementing standards in a variety of different learning settings (see above).