This is an innovative model of foreign language instruction, which will provide art, music and social studies lessons related to the Italian language instruction.

I. The fiscal agent of the program is Union Ridge School District (S.D.), one of the S.D. participating in the project.

II. The 5 full time  and 3 part time teachers in the project are paid by each of the school districts. Their salaries also include fringe benefits. Each SD is reimbursed by Union Ridge SD.

III. Funds


Italian Government funds will be employed to finance the following:

· full time teacher salaries and  part time teacher salaries
· Italian teachers training course

School District funds will finance:

· 2 half time teachers
· 10% of administrative time of Superintendent of Union Ridge School

· A portion of the administrative time of the Principals of the schools participating in
the program.

IV. A District Agreement has been signed by the schools participating in the
       program. The Agreement states that participating schools should:

· Provide Italian language instruction according to the proposal schedule.
· Include Italian language learning in the school improvement plans required by school code and students’ foreign language results in their report cards.
· Provide student transportation for field trips to Italian cultural sites and allow students to participate in Italian cultural events and performances.
· Commit a portion of district technology funding for the professional development of foreign language teachers, software purchases, on-line charges and inclusion of the foreign language component into the District Technology plan.

V. Activities planned for the 2009-2010 school year:

·  Evaluating and revising the sequential curriculum (k-8) and the assessment
· Improving and increasing the uniformity of the k-8 instruction across the schools by using the same lesson plans, preparing cultural units and student workbooks for each grade

· Increasing the number of Italian books and related materials for students and staff at each school

· Piloting and revising the proficiency test for determining the placement of students entering high school

· Recruiting community members as Cultural Ambassadors and promoting other cultural exchange programs with Italian schools

· Organizing teacher workshops: curriculum development, telecomputing training, Italian as a foreign language seminars

· Preparing sequential documentation of all aspects of the Italian Language program, useful for   further dissemination and for presentation at appropriate Illinois and national venues (participation at the annual I.C.T.F.L. and A.C.T.F.L. Conferences)

· Participating in some cultural events, such as: Columbus Day Parade, visit to the Art Institute of Chicago

· Participating in the Chicago Lyric Opera Education program and other  attending a performance at Ridgewood High School Auditorium, performed by a theatrical company from Italy.