The Ohio Foreign Language Association voted at its February 12, 2022 board meeting to revise its Vision Statement.

The inclusion of the word culture puts OFLA in step with the Ohio Department of Education’s Learning Standards for World Languages and Cultures adopted in March 2020. This is from ODE’s website: 

In March 2020, the State Board of Education unanimously adopted Ohio’s Learning Standards for World Languages and Cultures. The addition of “Cultures” to the name reflects the essential role of intercultural communicative competence in one’s native culture as well as in global cultures. The addition of a literacy strand to the standards reflects how learning another language builds literacy skills in both the target and native language. These standards will go into effect in the 2021-2022 school year, but teachers may begin to use them immediately.

OFLA’s revised Vision Statement:

The Ohio Foreign Language Association is committed to articulated, standards-based world language and culture study beginning in the primary grades, so that every learner, from early childhood through adult, acquires a high level of language proficiency and intercultural competence.

Interested in becoming a member of the Ohio Foreign Language Association? Join or renew here.