Credit for proficiency: The impact of the Road Map World

"How can we honor bilingualism and encourage students and educators to recognize bilingualism as an asset? The Road Map World Language Credit Program seeks to do this by awarding up to four high school creditsthe equivalent of four years of classroom language studyto students who demonstrate, in a standardized test, their ability to speak, understand, read, and write a language other than English. What effect did the World Language Credit Program have on students proficient in more than one language? Researchers from Education Northwest spoke to participants and found that the program created a positive recognition of the value of bilingualism, which increased students' pride and their appreciation of their own strengths."