Friday, July 15, 2022

81% of HoLa 8th graders in Hoboken pass Spanish AP exam, 1st in the state to do so

81 percent of 8th graders at the Hoboken Dual Language Charter School passed the Spanish AP exam, making them the first class in the state to take the test while in middle school.


“I’m thrilled that our students have had the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in this way,” HoLA Executive Director Jen Sargent said in a statement.


“This is what’s possible when children enter an immersion environment in kindergarten, and are supported in developing literacy and content knowledge in both Spanish and English simultaneously.”


The AP Spanish Language and Culture exam measures students’ Spanish reading, writing, speaking and listening, at an advanced college level.


The College Board has approved the 7th & 8th grade internally-developed Spanish Language Arts curriculum as a college level AP course – providing HoLa Middle School students with exposure to a rigorous curriculum before high school.


Some of HoLa's AP Students

Additionally, HoLa’s newly approved AP Middle School curriculum was entirely developed by HoLa’s faculty and instructional leadership.

“Our 8th grade students are able to manipulate college-level content primarily because they have been exposed to rigorous academic instruction in Spanish since elementary school,” added HoLa Middle School Principal Adina Medina.


“Exposure to such rich academic language in all of their classes, including Social Studies, Science, Math and Language Arts, exposes our students to a wealth of background knowledge and vocabulary that has, in turn, prepared them for the rigor of High School and beyond.”


In addition to being the first class in the state to have this recognition, all HoLa 8th grade students will graduate with an AP designation on their transcript.


See more on this story by clicking HERE