The Puget Sound Academic Alliance for Foreign Languages is an organization of world language professionals at all levels of instruction, program coordination or administration formed for the purpose of meeting to discuss concerns in their field and their daily work. The founding idea of the Alliance, which forms part of a national network, is that ALL foreign language professionals have common concerns that can successfully be addressed only in the framework of a group of people crossing the traditional boundaries of elementary, secondary and post-secondary programs. Any alliance must be co-chaired by people from secondary and post-secondary education; the agenda is set by people from all languages and levels of instruction cooperatively.
For the academic year 1996-1997 the focus of meetings was the notion of assessment. Speakers of national importance, Rick Stiggins and Chantal Thompson, presented our first and final meetings of the year. Between them, members met to discuss the ACTFL guidelines and how they related to their particular teaching environment. The program of the upcoming year will be more eclectic, including, hopefully, meetings with a representative of Washington State's Commission on Student Learning, a session on the Higher Education Coordinating Board's new entrance requirements to the State's public baccalaureate institutions, and at least one workshop with a nationally-known speaker.
If you teach a foreign or second language in the Puget Sound region, we need
your input and suggestions. For more information on the Alliance contact:
Lynn Klausenburger of UW Educational
Outreach. Phone: (206) 685-6421 or 685-6407 (messages)
Patricia Vigini of Newport
High School. Phone: (206) 455-6136.
PSAAFL
The Language Learning Center
University of Washington
Box 353140
Seattle, WA 98195-3140