Italian Language is now part of the
prestigious Advanced Placement (AP) Program
for gifted high school students, and
will be offered beginning in the Fall of 2005.
This can be attributed to the efforts
of prime movers, Matilda Cuomo and her daughter, Margaret Cuomo-Maier,
M.D., with the support of the OSIA, AATI,
NIAF, UNICO, the Italian government,
AND the 46% increase in Italian language enrollment in U.S. high schools
between 1994-2000.
That increase in Italian should be
noted is in comparison to ONLY a 26%
increase in Spanish, whereas French
DROPPED 2.75 %, and German 13 %.
============================================================
COLLEGE BOARD TO ADD ITALIAN LANGUAGE
TO ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) PROGRAM
WASHINGTON, June 23, 2003 – Italian
is now part of the prestigious Advanced
Placement (AP) Program for gifted
high school students and will be offered
beginning in the Fall of 2005.
The College Board unanimously approved
the Italian Language Course for its
Advanced Placement (AP) Program portfolio
on June 20. The decision came
after several years of negotiations
led by the Order Sons of Italy in America
(OSIA), the American Association of
Teachers of Italian, the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), UNICO
National, and the Italian government.
Prime movers were Matilda Cuomo and
her daughter, Margaret Cuomo-Maier, M.D.
The AP Italian course and examination
will give outstanding students the
opportunity to earn college credit
for Italian while still in high school.
OSIA National President Robert Messa
notes the news is "a tremendous step
forward" for OSIA and the Italian
American community in promoting the study
of Italian in the United States. “It
places Italian on the same level as
such other commonly taught foreign
languages as French, German and Spanish,”
says Messa.
The foreign languages currently offered
by the AP program are French,
German, Latin and Spanish. A 2002
report from OSIA, using data from the
American Council on the Teaching of
Foreign Languages revealed that Italian
language enrollment in U.S. high schools
rose 46 percent between 1994-2000
compared to Spanish enrollment, (26
percent rise). French and German
dropped 2.75 percent and 13 percent,
respectively.
After an official announcement, expected
shortly from the College Board, a
national task force will be formed
to outline the curriculum, draft the AP
Italian examination and identify the
professional development needs for the
successful implementation of AP Italian
in schools throughout the country.
The College Board anticipates that
the first full year of instruction in the
new AP Italian Language course will
commence in the fall of 2005.
The Order Sons of Italy in America
is the largest and longest established
national organization for men and
women of Italian heritage in the United
States. Founded in 1905, today it
has 600,000 members and supporters and a
network of more than 700 chapters
coast to coast.
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NEWS-For Immediate Release
-------------------------------
Press Contact:
Diane Crespy
202.547.8115
dcrespy@osia.org
--------------------------------
John Alati
UNICO National President
Bus. 973-571-9744
Fax: 973-571-9740