STARTALK – Start Talking!

Since the first program cycle in 2007, CLASSRoad has been a recipient of highly competitive annual grants from STARTALK—a U.S. federal government initiative launched in 2006 to expand and improve the teaching and learning of Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Hindi, Persian, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu, strategically important, yet less commonly taught, world languages (LCTLs). Through this funding, CLASSRoad has established language teacher training programs in collaboration with California State University, San Bernardino, and has developed a comprehensive online training system. CLASSRoad has recruited experts who exemplify best practices in language education and in language teacher development, and has contributed to the formation of an extensive educator community of practice that seeks continuous improvement in such criteria as outcomes-driven program design, standards-based curriculum planning, learner-centered approaches, excellence in selection and development of materials, and meaningful assessment of outcomes.

STARTALK is a national project funded by the National Security Agency. STARTALK’s mission is to increase the number of U.S. citizens learning, speaking, and teaching critical-need languages, with programs nationwide for students (K-16) and teachers. https://startalk.umd.edu

Upcoming CLASSRoad STARTALK Courses

InProgress CLASSRoad STARTALK Courses

Past CLASSRoad STARTALK Courses

Self-Paced CLASSRoad STARTALK Courses

 STARTALK Principles and Standards

Principles for Teacher Effectiveness for Language Learning (TELL)

World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements: Progress Indicators for Language Learners