The course is designed for students whose first language is Spanish, may have grown up using Spanish at home, or find that our traditional Spanish classes do not meet their language skills needs.  A candidate for this course is able to speak and understand Spanish at a native or near native fluency. While they may communicate at a high level, they need help with skills such as spelling, accents, higher grammatical structures, reading comprehension of authentic material, and writing in formal and informal situations.  Heritage speakers will solidify their knowledge of Spanish, focus on comprehension of multiple regionalisms, and reach a level of fluency that will make them an asset to the labor force and academia.

Spanish is the second most used language in the United States, and this course will give Heritage speakers the chance to compete with other bilingual speakers at a more in-depth level.  Many students have a strong, but colloquial understanding of Spanish, and this course will help them to identify the differences between that and more formal, structured usage of language that is essential to succeed in professional settings.  By studying the culture in more depth, it will give students a better understanding of diverse Latin American communities, thereby giving them the ability to relate more efficiently with people of a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs within the Spanish speaking world.

With the adoption of the New York State Seal of Biliteracy, the WCSD has shown its commitment to embracing bilingualism and the benefits of speaking multiple languages.  By offering our heritage students a unique course to focus on and embrace their language skills, we seek to even the playing field for heritage learners whose learning of the language may become stagnant in a traditional Spanish classroom.  It is our goal for to encourage more graduates to apply for and succeed in attaining the Seal on their diploma.

World Language Learning Standards: