Seventh- and eighth-grade students at Latta Middle School in Dillon School District 3 will be able to take Spanish and French courses for credit beginning this school year.
Superintendent Dr. John Kirby said the board of trustees recently approved offering eighth-grade students a full unit of credit for Spanish and French classes, and seventh-grade students a half unit of credit for Spanish and French classes.
Kirby said foreign language is very important for students to learn and the school wanted to raise the bar for its foreign language courses.
“We want our students to take two foreign languages by the time they finish high school,” he said. “We want students to be fluent in one language and be very familiar with the other language.”
The school offered exploratory courses in foreign language last year, but this year is the first time the courses will be held for credit. Two full-time teachers have been hired to teach the courses. Eighth-grade students will meet 50 minutes a day all year long, while seventh-grade students will meet for 50 minutes every day for a semester.
During Tuesday’s school board meeting, Kirby said, the board approved the administration’s plans for algebra courses for all eighth-grade students at Latta Middle, which, traditionally, top performing eighth-grade students took.
The majority of students will take algebra for high school credit, but students who don’t reach a mastery level in algebra will receive credit for eighth-grade math, Kirby said.
Implementing algebra in the eighth grade helps the district in its goal of increasing the rigor at the high school in terms of its math course offerings.
The district will provide all students with a TI-83 graphing calculator for their personal and school use. High school students will receive TI-84 graphing calculators, which the board approved Tuesday as part of the district’s technology needs. Other needs included software and infrastructure updates, bringing the technology projects’ total to $100,000.
Other projects included $20,000 for a green house at Latta High School, $25,000 to replace student desks in seventh and eighth grade, $60,000 for a custodial supply building, $33,000 for food service equipment and $70,000 for HVAC control systems at the middle and high school.
The district will purchase the calculators, green house, desks and food service equipment now, Kirby said. The rest of the projects will be completed as money becomes available.
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