Ashland High School offers 6 years of Spanish and 4 years of French and Mandarin Chinese, as well as Advanced Placement French and Advanced Placement Spanish.

World Language Placement Policy

Students must follow the articulated course sequence. In exceptional circumstances, the following placement procedures must be followed:

1. The student must take a written and oral placement test no later than the end of the first full week of school and must pass the assessment at the appropriate proficiency level.
2. The student must obtain AHS teacher recommendation and approval.
3. If an 8th grader wishes to challenge Level 1 French or Spanish and begin as a 9th grader in Level 2, they must take a placement test in May of their 8th grade year. The test will be given at the middle school.
4. Students who take an online world language class will not be permitted to register for the next level at AHS until they have taken and passed a written & oral placement test. If the student does not have sufficient proficiency, they will need to enroll at the appropriate level.

For a student to progress from one level to the next (i.e., from Spanish 1 to Spanish 2), they must have a grade of C- or better at the end of the second semester. Students with a grade of F at the end of the first semester cannot continue to the second semester.

Who Should Take a World Language in the 9th Grade?

Students who are successful in language arts and social studies should be counseled to begin the language of their choice in 9th grade, so that they can benefit from the full 4-year program. Students who struggle with reading and writing in English are advised to wait one year before studying a world language in the high school.

Students who are musical (this includes singing and/or playing a musical instrument) often have an excellent ear for languages and should be encouraged to begin a world language in the 9th grade.

9th Grade is the optimum time to begin a world language for most students. It is a misconception that starting a language in the 9th grade is too academically challenging— it is a communication-based class that starts students on the rewarding path to speaking a world language!

World Languages

• Advanced Placement French
• French 1
• French 2
• French 3
• French 4
• Mandarin Chinese 1
• Mandarin Chinese 2
• Mandarin Chinese 3
• Mandarin Chinese 4
• Advanced Placement Spanish Language & Culture
• Spanish 1
• Spanish 2
• Spanish 3
• Spanish 4
• Spanish 5
• Spanish 6

College & Career Opportunities

In our growing interdependent global economy, it is more essential than ever that Americans learn to communicate in languages other than English, both at home and abroad. Studying a world language will enhance employment opportunities in many fields.

College Entrance Requirements

There is a 2-year World Language entrance requirement to all of Oregon's universities. Many private colleges and universities prefer a 3 or 4-year language commitment. They are looking for depth, as when they see a student who has devoted 4 or more years to a course of study.

Southern Oregon University Credits

Ashland High School offers a unique opportunity for seniors in levels 3 and 4 of French and levels 3, 4, 5, & 6 of Spanish to receive college credits. Students are eligible to receive 8-20 SOU credits for a greatly reduced fee, depending upon where you place on a national oral and written assessment. This can not only save you money for college, but also allow you to more easily double major, or minor in a World Language in college.