Late last week Hoboken Dual Language Charter School (HoLa) released the AP scores for their 8th grade class, showing that 81% of test-takers passed the Spanish AP exam and are eligible for college credit…before they even go to High School. The AP Spanish Language and Culture exam measures students’ Spanish reading, writing, speaking and listening, at an advanced college level.

The College Board has approved the 7th & 8th grade internally-developed Spanish Language Arts curriculum as a college level AP course – providing HoLa Middle School students with exposure to a rigorous curriculum before High School. HoLa’s newly approved AP Middle School curriculum was entirely developed by HoLa’s faculty and instructional leadership.

HoLa is the first public Middle School in the state to have this recognition, and all eighth grade students will graduate with an AP designation on their transcript. “I’m thrilled that our students have had the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in this way,” said Jen Sargent, Executive Director of Hoboken Dual Language Charter School. “This is what’s possible when children enter an immersion environment in Kindergarten, and are supported in developing literacy and content knowledge in both Spanish and English simultaneously.”

Adina Medina, Middle School Principal of Hoboken Dual Language Charter School, said: “Our 8th grade students are able to manipulate college-level content primarily because they have been exposed to rigorous academic instruction in Spanish since elementary school. Exposure to such rich academic language in all of their classes, including Social Studies, Science, Math and Language Arts, exposes our students to a wealth of background knowledge and vocabulary that has, in turn, prepared them for the rigor of High School and beyond.”