Global Languages Academy

Clements High School

Global Languages Academy Night

Incoming 9th-graders living anywhere in Fort Bend ISD, including those zoned to Clements, may apply to the Global Languages Academy. Applications are evaluated on the basis of the applicant's grades in 7th and 8th grade, standardized-test scores, discipline and attendance records, two teacher recommendations, and a personal essay. Bus transportation to Clements is provided for those accepted to the Academy.

GLA students choose a primary language and a secondary language from these languages:

• Arabic
• Chinese
• French
• German
• Hindi
• Japanese
• Latin
• Spanish

Italian and Vietnamese are projected to be introduced in future years (2010-2011 or later).

Level 1 and level 2 world language courses are offered at the advanced level. Students will be awarded credit based upon the 5 point grade scale.

Benefits

• Houston-area field trips relevant to the languages and cultures the student is studying
• District-subsidized travel or exchange programs to countries where the language is spoken
• For those who reach Level IV or V of the primary language: free registration for the Advanced Placement (AP) test in the primary language, with the potential for college credit
• Participation in local and state contests, some of which offer scholarship possibilities
• Membership in language clubs and honor societies
• Community-service opportunities
• Participation in an annual campus International Festival as well as other community international festivals
• Mentorship and internship programs with international businesses and agencies
• Mentoring of elementary students
• Virtual field trips to other countries via distance learning labs
• Opportunity to learn languages not offered at other FBISD campuses

Requirements

GLA students must:

• Complete at least three credits in their primary language and at least two credits in their secondary language, for a total of five world-language credits. A maximum of one of the five required credits may be satisfied by a middle-school language course or by Credit by Exam (CBE). However, if a student has earned more than one high-school language credit in middle school and/or through CBE, all such credits will be recorded on the student’s high-school transcript. The following examples illustrate ways of satisfying the "3+2" requirement: [examples omitted here]
  
• Take at least one world-language course during each of their four years of high school.
  
• Take a course in the primary language in the 9th grade and begin the secondary language no later than 11th grade.
• Achieve an 80 semester average in each of their world-language classes and a 75 semester average in all their other academic courses.
• Take and pass a Global Studies course (1/2 credit) in the 11th or 12th grade. The student may choose between International Marketing and AP Human Geography, both of which are one-semester courses.
• Pass all sections of the TAKS in grades 8, 9, 10, and 11.
• Maintain satisfactory conduct.
• Adhere to the 90% attendance rule.
• Complete at least three of the following advanced measures:
  • An additional year of the primary language beyond the minimum three-credit requirement and the AP exam (if an AP exists in that language).
  • Participation for two years in an approved language contest.
  • Participation for three years in a campus language club or Model UN.
  • Participation in an approved travel or exchange program.
  • Independent research project.
  • Elementary-school language program.

Contact Information
Clements High School
4200 Elkins Dr.
Sugar Land, TX 77479
Academy Coordinator – Rustin Buck
281-634-2230/Fax 281-634-2168