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| Table 225.70. | Number and percentage of high school graduates who took foreign language courses in high school and average number of credits earned, by language and number of credits: 2000, 2005, and 2009 |
| [Standard errors appear in parentheses] | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Language and number of credits | 2000 | 2005 | 2009 | |||||||||||||||||
| Number of graduates (in thousands) | Percent of graduates | Average credits1 | Number of graduates (in thousands) | Percent of graduates | Average credits1 | Number of graduates (in thousands) | Percent of graduates | Average credits1 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |||||||||||
| All foreign languages | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Any credit | 2,487 | (33.8) | 84.0 | (0.92) | 2.5 | (0.03) | 2,295 | (51.1) | 85.7 | (0.49) | 2.5 | (0.02) | 2,599 | (52.7) | 88.5 | (0.45) | 2.6 | (0.02) | ||
| Spanish | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Any credit | 1,780 | (31.9) | 60.1 | (0.90) | 2.2 | (0.03) | 1,705 | (42.2) | 63.7 | (0.66) | 2.2 | (0.02) | 2,032 | (45.0) | 69.2 | (0.70) | 2.3 | (0.02) | ||
| 2 or more credits | 1,369 | (32.2) | 46.2 | (1.04) | 2.6 | (0.03) | 1,344 | (35.9) | 50.2 | (0.67) | 2.6 | (0.01) | 1,638 | (39.2) | 55.8 | (0.73) | 2.6 | (0.02) | ||
| 3 or more credits | 554 | (26.3) | 18.7 | (0.90) | 3.4 | (0.03) | 531 | (20.1) | 19.8 | (0.57) | 3.4 | (0.01) | 721 | (30.2) | 24.5 | (0.78) | 3.4 | (0.02) | ||
| French | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Any credit | 528 | (21.5) | 17.8 | (0.73) | 2.3 | (0.05) | 414 | (14.1) | 15.5 | (0.49) | 2.3 | (0.03) | 411 | (16.1) | 14.0 | (0.47) | 2.4 | (0.04) | ||
| 2 or more credits | 398 | (17.8) | 13.4 | (0.61) | 2.7 | (0.04) | 309 | (11.1) | 11.5 | (0.38) | 2.7 | (0.03) | 314 | (14.1) | 10.7 | (0.42) | 2.8 | (0.03) | ||
| 3 or more credits | 190 | (12.1) | 6.4 | (0.42) | 3.5 | (0.04) | 143 | (7.2) | 5.4 | (0.25) | 3.5 | (0.03) | 167 | (10.6) | 5.7 | (0.32) | 3.5 | (0.03) | ||
| German | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Any credit | 142 | (17.2) | 4.8 | (0.57) | 2.3 | (0.08) | 139 | (10.0) | 5.2 | (0.36) | 2.3 | (0.04) | 122 | (8.6) | 4.2 | (0.29) | 2.3 | (0.06) | ||
| 2 or more credits | 104 | (14.6) | 3.5 | (0.49) | 2.8 | (0.07) | 102 | (8.2) | 3.8 | (0.29) | 2.8 | (0.04) | 91 | (7.8) | 3.1 | (0.27) | 2.8 | (0.05) | ||
| 3 or more credits | 55 | (8.6) | 1.8 | (0.29) | 3.5 | (0.06) | 53 | (4.7) | 2.0 | (0.17) | 3.5 | (0.04) | 46 | (5.3) | 1.6 | (0.18) | 3.5 | (0.03) | ||
| Latin | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Any credit | 120 | (15.3) | 4.0 | (0.52) | 2.1 | (0.08) | 106 | (10.4) | 4.0 | (0.36) | 2.1 | (0.05) | 108 | (10.6) | 3.7 | (0.35) | 2.2 | (0.07) | ||
| Italian | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Any credit | 29 | (5.5) | 1.0 | (0.19) | 2.2 | (0.20) | 29 | (5.3) | 1.1 | (0.20) | 2.4 | (0.16) | 36 | (7.0) | 1.2 | (0.23) | 2.3 | (0.18) | ||
| Japanese | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Any credit | 36 | (7.3) | 1.2 | (0.25) | 2.3 | (0.15) | 30 | (4.4) | 1.1 | (0.16) | 2.1 | (0.12) | 28 | (4.3) | 1.0 | (0.15) | 2.5 | (0.12) | ||
| Chinese | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Any credit | 12 | (3.1) | 0.4 | (0.10) | 2.4 | (0.20) | 8 | (2.1) | 0.3 | (0.08) | 2.1 | (0.23) | 20 | (4.1) | 0.7 | (0.14) | 1.9 | (0.13) | ||
| Arabic | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Any credit | ‡ | (†) | ‡ | (†) | ‡ | (†) | ‡ | (†) | ‡ | (†) | ‡ | (†) | ‡ | (†) | ‡ | (†) | 2.8 | (0.36) | ||
| Russian | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Any credit | 10 | (2.7) | 0.3 | (0.09) | 1.9 | (0.24) | 5 | (1.3) | 0.2 | (0.05) | 1.5 | (0.17) | 3 | ! | (1.3) | 0.1 | ! | (0.04) | 2.4 | (0.14) |
| Other foreign languages |
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| Any credit | 106 | (12.0) | 3.6 | (0.40) | 2.5 | (0.17) | 89 | (5.9) | 3.3 | (0.23) | 2.8 | (0.10) | 105 | (10.6) | 3.6 | (0.37) | 2.5 | (0.18) | ||
| AP/IB/honors foreign languages | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Any credit | 183 | (23.9) | 6.2 | (0.81) | 1.2 | (0.04) | 157 | (10.3) | 5.9 | (0.38) | 1.2 | (0.02) | 233 | (15.9) | 7.9 | (0.52) | 1.2 | (0.02) | ||
| †Not applicable. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| !Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ‡Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 Average credits earned are shown only for those graduates who earned any credit in the specified language while in high school. For these students, however, credits earned include both courses taken in high school and courses taken prior to entering high school. Credits are shown in Carnegie units. The Carnegie unit is a standard unit of measurement that represents one credit for the completion of a 1-year course. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| NOTE: For a transcript to be included in the analyses, it had to meet three requirements: (1) the graduate received either a standard or honors diploma, (2) the graduate’s transcript contained 16 or more Carnegie credits, and (3) the graduate’s transcript contained more than 0 Carnegie credits in English courses. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2000, 2005, and 2009 High School Transcript Study (HSTS). (This table was prepared April 2014.) |