Press Releases
Italian Officials and College Board Announce Advanced Placement Course in Italian Language and Culture
Italian to Be First in a Series of College-Level Courses Aimed at Introducing High School Students to Culture through Language09/24/03
NEW YORK -- Representatives of the Italian government and College Board President Gaston Caperton today announced the creation of an Advanced Placement Program ® (AP ®) Course and Examination in Italian Language and Culture.
Participating in the announcement at the Consulate General of Italy were Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi; Italian Ambassador to the United States Sergio Vento; Italian Consul General Antonio Bandini; New York State's former First Lady Matilda Raffa Cuomo, who spearheaded the Italian AP initiative; and representatives of the three sponsoring Italian American organizations: the National Italian American Foundation, represented by the Honorable Frank Guarini; the Order of Sons of Italy in America, represented by Joseph Sciame; and UNICO National, represented by John Alati.
The development of AP Italian Language and Culture is the first step in a commitment by the College Board to further multiculturalism and multilingualism in secondary school education. Last June, the Trustees of the College Board approved in principle a plan for four new AP Courses and Examinations in World Languages: Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. The Trustees also agreed to evaluate support for potential new AP offerings in other areas of history and ethnic or cultural studies (such as African-American History, Latino Studies, and Asian Studies).
Caperton said, "On behalf of the Trustees and members of the College Board, I would like to thank Prime Minister Berlusconi for the Italian government's generous financial support in creating this new college-level course for American high school students. We also thank Italian Minister Mirko Tremaglia for his leadership in this effort. And we applaud the Italian American community for its determination and financial support on behalf of AP Italian, and Mrs. Cuomo for the combination of grace and tenacity with which she chaired the National AP Committee and coordinated this effort."
In addition, Caperton expressed his gratitude to the National Italian American Foundation, UNICO National, and the Order of Sons of Italy in America, for uniting in support of the initiative and joining the Italian government in underwriting it. He also acknowledged the American Association of Teachers of Italian and its President Dr. Christopher Kleinhenz for their support. He also acknowledged the American Association of Teachers of Italian for its support.
"Through the new world language programs, the College Board hopes to make a significant contribution to secondary school curriculum," Caperton said. "World events make it ever more obvious that a broad knowledge and understanding of other languages and cultures is essential for our young people."
To begin the development process for AP Italian, a task force will be formed and charged with creating an outline for the course and drafting the exam specifications. An AP Italian Development Committee will then be formed to refine the course outline, finalize the exam specifications, write the AP Italian Course Description, begin the writing of exam questions, and assemble the first forms of the exam. The first college-level courses will be offered in U.S. high schools in the fall of 2005, followed by the exam in May of 2006. To date, five hundred high schools have indicated that they will be in the first group to offer the course.
The addition of the three other new courses and examinations in world languages is currently being explored. High school principals, the Board's Foreign Language Academic Advisory Committee and Academic Council, and outside disciplinary associations have indicated their support for courses in Japanese Language and Culture, Chinese (Mandarin) Language and Culture, and Russian Language and Culture.
The College Board's Advanced Placement Program allows students to pursue college-level studies while they are still in high school. Students of different interests and backgrounds can choose from among 34 courses and exams in 19 subject areas to demonstrate their knowledge of rigorous academic curriculum. Based on their performance on AP Examinations, students can earn college credit, advanced placement, or both.
For further press inquiries, contact the College Board Public Affairs Department at (212) 713-8052.