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(844) 703-8257 BIRD
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10501 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024
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Frequently Asked Questions
Verification, Accreditation, and Certifications
1. Go to: http://www.acswasc.org/
2. Click on: Directory of schools
3. Type in: LanguageBird under school name
4. Click enter
1. https://www.advanc-ed.org/
2. Click on “Find Accredited Schools” link at top of page
3. Type in LanguageBird for institution name
4. Click “search”
1. Go to: NCAA Eligibility Center
2. Click on Help at the top right of the page
3. Scroll down to resources
4. Click on first option/link: Find your core courses. It will take you to this page:
https://web3.ncaa.org/hsportal/exec/hsAction?hsActionSubmit=searchHighSchool
5. In the field for high school name type: LanguageBird (all one word)
To see LanguageBird’s current UC course list click here:
LanguageBird UC List
To add an online publisher’s course to a school’s “A-G” course list, the school will select “Adopt an online publisher course” from the submission menu once logged into the A-G Course Management Portal (https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcmp). From there, select the online publisher’s name and course title. Once in the submission form, provide school-specific information, such as transcript abbreviations and/or course codes. Then submit the course for processing.
Note: This can only be done between Feb. 1 and September 15th .
LanguageBird does not have a CEEB code.
Only schools issuing full high school diplomas have CEEB codes. LanguageBird® is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and AdvancED to specialize in world language studies. LanguageBird does not offer a full high school diploma.
Instructions from the UC:
Students will search for the online school once or twice and LanguageBird will not come up. After searching, there will be an option at the bottom of the grey box there will be an option to manually input the school. They will select that option and manually enter the school: LanguageBird.
The students will enter LanguageBird as a school they attended for the term(s) they attended. Once that is done, the student will be able to enter the course under the Language Other Than English (LOTE – E) area, the term(s) they took it and the grade(s) they received.
LanguageBird’s grading system is:
A B C D F
What what is LanguageBird’s term system?
Semester (2 final grades per year)
How do you indicate on the application more details about LanguageBird?
You can only put this type of information about a school in an additional section on the application for other information you would like to provide. You can write something like:
LanguageBird is a WASC accredited, UC A-G approved, NCAA approved online language school where students are taught one to one live with a native speaking instructor at an accelerated pace.
What if the student is still enrolled and not finished with a course by the time the application is due? What will her transcript look like?
If the student has finished 12 lessons they will get a mid-year grade (semester). That can be represented in the application. All classes planned but not yet taken or completed get logged onto the application as either “Planned” or “in Progress”.
For any further questions regarding the UC application please contact the UC directly:
E-mail:
[email protected]
Telephone:
(800) 207-1710 (within the U.S.)
(925) 298-6856 (outside the U.S.)
Hours (PST)
Monday-Friday: 10am – 6pm
Saturday & Sunday: Closed
Steps:
1. In the School Lookup in the Other Schools section on the Education page, scroll to the “I do not see my school listed.” option.
2. Add in the information for Language Bird. Name, School Type, Country, State, and Zip code are required.
3. Navigate to Courses and Grades.
4. Language Bird should now appear in the school list
Steps:
1. Start with academic history and high schools attended. You want to list all schools you attended including LangaugeBird
LanguageBird’s physical address is 10501 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles CA, 90024.
Courses for Credit - Curriculum and Evaluation
No. Our teacher will assess your level from the trial lesson or from the first few minutes of your lesson and adjust accordingly.
No problem. Many of our students have never studied a foreign language before. ALL levels are welcome. We will start teaching where you are.
The lesson by lesson curriculum will be provided upon request. The teacher follows the curriculum and it is loosely created around a textbook you will access digitally. Our courses are WASC accredited and UC and NCAA approved. The curriculum is essential to give some structure to each lesson and ensure you grasp key concepts which will prepare you for future studies at the university and beyond!
This depends on your level. Immersion is the goal. Teachers are encouraged to strive for 90-100% Spanish during class. However, sometimes it will be helpful to use English for a quick translation or explanation and that’s acceptable. As you improve, English will become less and less necessary.
Of course, if you are a very beginner (levels 1-2 +), all of our teachers are fully bi-lingual and will switch back and forth between English and the language you are studying.
If you are taking a course for credit, you will have a textbook. Details on the book access will be emailed to you upon enrollment. You can also see the course syllabus per language in our resource library once enrolled. All courses have a corresponding textbook. In some cases you will need to purchase access to the text (it can be borrowed, rented online or purchased). For some languages, LanguageBird provides access to the digital text free.
In addition, students will use a variety of current and timely educational resources available online: pictures, music, news sources and cultural studies related sites. These will be provided online by the teacher or in the website resource library during the course.
Yes! At the conclusion of your course, your teacher will assess you and give you a final grade. This may be at the semester or at the end of the full year courses. A grade of A-F (just like in school) will be given. This is only for courses for credit.
Your LanguageBird teacher stays with you for your entire course. Every time you go online you will meet with and create a relationship with the same person. This means they have the ability to observe your progress over time. Our philosophy is you can’t show what you know with only one test or assignment. You are assessed in terms of growth over time as well as your willingness to participate in conversation, attendance, homework completion and overall progress. You will have the opportunity after each lesson to get feedback from your teacher. At the bottom of your notes there will be a score from 1-10 (10 is the highest – A). This way, all along you will know how your teacher is assessing you. LanguageBird is project-based. At the culmination of the semester or full year course you will be expected to turn in a project to your instructor. This is a long term assignment that you will work on with your teacher as well as on your own. Depending on your level of study this could involve a variety of activities but will always include: research, writing, listening, creating and speaking. Your final project is turned in at the end of the course to your instructor. Often it is presented and your teacher will ask you questions. Sometimes it is filmed and turned in. The student will always have input and choice as to the topic of their project.
We do not offer an AP curriculum as that is a very particular and prescribed curriculum designed to teach to a test. LanguageBird does not teach to a test. We focus more on oral competencies and getting students to feel confident speaking with a native speaker. If a student successfully finishes our level 4 course, usually, they are ready to prepare for an AP or SAT Subject exam. Our students can take the AP or SAT Subject exams in the language if it is offered. Students can prepare by having test prep lessons with our instructors or taking timed practice tests on their own. We do not offer honors courses, but we do offer very high levels (beyond high school studies) in each of our languages. Typically, in schools, honors courses entail a faster pace class or more work added for some students on top of a traditional course. LanguageBird courses are taught to the individual student. The student is able to go at their pace, accelerate or do more on their own. There is no chance to be “held back” due to a classroom pace since we offer only one to one instruction. Additionally, students can complete more than one year of high school study with LanguageBird within a traditional school year. Therefore, it is not necessary to offer “accelerated” courses – ours already are!
All 11 languages are offered through level 5 or year 5. (Spanish is offered through level 6). Each level is equivalent to a full year of high school study. If a student completed year two at their school and wishes to take year three they would enroll in our level 3 course. Students can also take one semester. Our full year courses are divided into semester “A” and semester “B”. Traditionally, if a student were to start studies in 9th grade, they would finish senior year (year 4) at level 4. Many of our students fit a level of study into a traditional semester so there is a lot more room for acceleration.
Pace of Lessons
Most of our students take 2-3 lessons a week. This is the best pace to keep up with your studies and not to forget any material. It also ensures you will complete your course in approximately 4-6 weeks per semester of study. This is much faster than a traditional class in school because it’s one to one instruction that’s personalized to you. There is no better or faster way to learn than one to one instruction.
If your schedule does not permit you to take more than one lesson a week, that’s fine. Provided that you don’t skip any weeks, you will finish a full year of study in 24 weeks! That’s still much faster than a traditional class in school. If you are not taking lessons for credit, you can schedule your lessons as frequently as you wish. Again, remember, the more consistent you are, the more quickly you will see progress!
There is not really a limit but it is recommended that you pace your lessons so that you have time to study on your own for one to two hours between lessons. While you are in your lessons you will be focused on oral components of the course. You will be making the most of your time with your teacher and be speaking and listening! When you are studying on your own you will be adding to your vocabulary, reviewing your notes from class, practicing writing and grammatical concepts… you get the idea
No. Our teachers are patient and productive. They will quickly assess what gaps you may have in your learning and catch you up. With private instruction you won’t have to go over things you already know. They can just focus on the things you need to review and make sure you are up to speed. You may not be used to speaking as much as you will with LanguageBird if you have only been in large classroom environments. However, you will see quickly once you are a little bit familiar with your teacher, you will establish a relationship and not be shy to speak up or make mistakes and that is where the magic happens! You’ll see, you’ll start learning faster and faster and having fun!
Your course is tailored to you. At the higher levels, teachers and students work together to challenge each other and bring in materials that are interesting and challenging. You will be as challenged as you want to be!
Scheduling
You’ll set up the first lesson with a LanguageBird® administrator here in the U.S. After you are in contact with your instructor, you’re free to schedule with your teacher future lessons. Most stick to a consistent schedule (ie: Monday, Wednesday at 5 p.m. or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 4 p.m. etc.
60 minutes. Classes are broken down to: 10 minutes review/homework review, 20 minutes new concepts and practice, 10 minutes new vocabulary, 10 minutes practice of new grammar/vocabulary, 10 minutes wrapping up and preview of next class and homework. (Sessions may vary depending on teacher as well as student needs)
Most times. We try to be flexible to meet your scheduling needs. Depending on the language you are studying it may be more difficult to offer instructor availability at the exact time you prefer but we try and usually get pretty close.
We offer lessons on weekdays as well as weekends. Some students like to learn early in the morning, sometimes it’s after school. Tell us what you need.
Yes – with at least 24 hours notice. Classes cancelled with fewer than 24 hours notice will not be refunded or rescheduled. See terms section of this website.
Classes start and end punctually. Your teacher may have time and be willing to extend the lesson a bit, but this is the exception rather than the rule. For students enrolled in the high school courses, they will need to pay for additional courses as needed. See terms section of this website.
Technology Requirements
You will received your own Microsoft licenses and an @languagebird.com account. This will give you access to Microsoft TEAMS, which is where your lessons will be conducted.
No worries! Many of our students aren’t. Just give us a call at 1-844-700-BIRD or email us at [email protected] We can send you video tutorials to help.
A computer, headphones, and a microphone. (Many computers have built-in microphones these days. If not, you can use the headset from your cell phone or pick up a headset at any big electronics store for $10-$40.)
You can also use the camera built into your computer or an attached web cam, which is very easy to set up. Usually you just plug it into your USB port and are ready to go. Use of a camera is mandatory. It enhances the experience!
Windows or Mac computer.
A DSL, Cable or Fiber-Optic Internet connection.