Sun Prairie
Sun Prairie, a suburb of Madison, is one of the fastest growing cities/districts in the state. With a new high school set to open in the coming years, at this time it is unclear what the structure of the language program for the district will look like.
Heritage Spanish + Hmong
Sun Prairie is one of the few districts in the state to offer heritage Hmong and Spanish classes.
“Spanish Language for Heritage Speakers are classes for students who speak or understand Spanish as a heritage language. In these classes students will work on improving their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through the study of the history and culture of multiple Spanish speaking countries. Students will read and study literature as a point of departure for advanced vocabulary and grammar instruction. The classes will be conducted entirely in Spanish.”
“Hmong Language for Heritage Speakers is a class for students who speak or understand Hmong as a heritage language. In this class students will work on improving their reading, writing, speaking, listening and comprehension skills through the study of the history and culture of the Hmong. Students will read and study literature as a point of departure for advanced vocabulary and grammar instruction. The class will be conducted primarily in Hmong.”
See interview with Michaela Miller to learn more about these programs.
Less-Commonly-Offered Languages + Global Scholars
In addition to French and Spanish, Sun Prairie High School also offers German and Chinese, as well as ASL in an informal club setting.
“Sun Prairie High School belongs to the Wisconsin Global Schools Networks and our language students have the opportunity to earn the Wisconsin Global Education Achievement Certificate. The Wisconsin Global Education Achievement Certificate (GEAC) is awarded to graduating high school students who have demonstrated a strong interest in global issues by successfully completing a global education curriculum and engaging in co-curricular activities and experiences that foster the development of global competencies.”
Dual-Enrollment
This option is offered through the AP Spanish and French courses.
“…..a dual-credit class via UW-Green Bay to earn up to 14 college credits if successfully completed (B or better). UW-Green Bay credits will transfer to the majority of other colleges and universities.
This dual credit is 3 credits for the course, plus 11 retroactive credits (available for World Languages, after a B or better in a 202 level course), all through UW-Green Bay. AP is a separate additional amount of credits, depending on the exam score and individual university requirements.
The partnership between the high school and UW-Green Bay allows UW-Green Bay to reduce tuition to $100 per credit, which is 1/3 less than regular, on-campus, tuition.”