DPI: Certificate program will use existing resources
Global Education Achievement Certificate recognizes students for global competency
MADISON, Wis. — The Department of Public Instruction developed a new model policy so students can receive recognition for their global competency and that program, the Global Education Achievement Certificate program, can be implemented using existing sources, according to a release.
School districts have the option to award a Global Education Achievement Certificate to recognize students who demonstrate their global competency through academic and co-curricular activities, officials said.
All of the necessary courses for the certificate — world languages, mathematics, literature, history, science, social studies, and the arts — are already part of every high school curriculum, according to the release.
Each school district will be specifying local requirements but the model policy calls for students to take coursework in world languages and other subjects that have a strong global focus to demonstrate cultural literacy, according to the release. The program also calls for students to have extracurricular activities and experiences with global themes, and to complete a community service project connected to a global community or global issue.
The certificate program was established in response to demands from students for more opportunities to experience other cultures during high school and from employers who say they want Wisconsin graduates to be career-ready for the multicultural, interconnected world, officials said.
“We absolutely need our high school graduates to be knowledgeable about the world so they are prepared to be successful in the different cultural and linguistic environments that have become a part of everyday life through trade, travel and the Internet,” State Superintendent Tony Evers said in the release. “The global scholars certificate creates a framework for students to demonstrate global citizenship and to have those efforts recognized at a local and state level.”
The certificate program is endorsed by the Statewide International Education Council, the Wisconsin Association for Language Teachers, the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators, the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators and the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, according to the release.
