NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The State Board of Education is studying whether to eliminate Tennessee's two-year foreign language high school graduation requirement.

Currently, TN students must complete two years of a foreign language to get their high school diploma, or obtain a waiver to take another course in its place.

However, during a recent State Board of Education meeting, chairman Bob Eby proposed forming a study group to look into the pros and cons of eliminating the requirement.

“Benefits could come if those credit hours are used for something else that moves a student further along in their path to post-secondary success. For example, more STEM, computer coding, additional fine arts, manufacturing CTE opportunities, ect.," Eby said. “How often have you used your foreign language you took in high school during your career and lifetime?” 

Eby acknowledged the value of learning a foreign language, but he said students could benefit from having more flexibility in their course choices if the requirement were removed.

A study group of stakeholders was formed to discuss the potential change.

“I like the option of expanding the elective focus," Dr. Gary Lilly, the executive director of the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS) said. "I think that provides more flexibility, and it still does not minimize the importance of world language or fine arts, but if we’re talking about reducing the doom and gloom of the waiver, then why not operationalize that flexibility and just make it part of the process?”

However, some educators said learning a foreign language helps students develop critical thinking skills and expands their world view. Some officials in higher education were also concerned about how the change could impact the college admissions process.

The University of Memphis currently requires at least two credits of foreign language for admission, but says students may be considered without those credits. The University of Tennessee Knoxville "strongly recommends" two foreign language credits for admission, but does not require them.

“One of the big programs here at MTSU right now is concrete industry, and many of those students are pairing concrete industry with a language because they know that’s going to help them advance in their careers, so I think it’s important to talk about language as a value-added," Dr. Leah Lyons, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Middle Tennessee State University said.

Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) told News 2 removing the foreign language requirement would be a "step in the wrong direction," not only for students but TN's economy.

“Not only does it help with understanding other cultures and literature, and the language centers help us with math and music, but also I think it’s an important skill to have in a burgeoning job market that in many ways is global," Sen. Campbell said. “In Tennessee alone, we have 1,000 foreign-owned businesses that operate here and employ more than 160,000 residents, so eliminating the requirement would undercut our workforce competitiveness and undermine our appeal to global investors.”

A petition to keep the requirement has collected more than 3,400 signatures as of this writing.

No formal proposal has been made. The study group will hold more discussions in the future.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-politics/tn-foreign-language-graduation-requirement/