The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) suggest that a high proficiency in the language is essential for all Spanish teachers. No matter what level of Spanish (SPN) a teacher teaches, the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines declare that the minimum level of proficiency for Spanish teachers should be advanced low, which sets the standards high. Most teacher preparation programs do not have a system in place to help non-native language instructors maintain and improve their language proficiency. With the growth of the Spanish speaking population in the U.S and the diversity of the Spanish Culture, teacher education programs need to ensure that teacher candidates are better equipped to face the increased demands of language proficiency.
This two-phase (survey + case studies) study investigated both native and non-native high school Spanish teachers language practices outside and inside of the school setting such as their level of involvement in target language activities. Results suggest that NSTs and NNSTs had different needs in the areas of teacher education and professional development. While native teachers preferred to focus on improving their pedagogical knowledge, most non-native teachers sought additional classes and professional development opportunities designed to enhance their language proficiency. Survey results suggested that NNSTs had considerably less experience teaching upper level classes than NSTs. Many NNSTs felt that teaching only lower level Spanish classes affected their confidence and proficiency in the language.
Several important implications for teacher educators and Spanish teachers emerged from this study, including the development of a fluent communication channel between foreign language and teacher education departments to ensure that Spanish teachers’ proficiency development does not stop when they enter a teacher preparation program, the establishment of safe and effective learning Communities of Practice (COP) for Spanish teachers in which the target language is the sole language of the community, and the implementation of a rotation system in which teachers alternate in the teaching of lower and upper level classes. Recommendations for future research are also offered.