Middlebury Interactive Languages Launches New Summer French Immersion Academy in Quebec City

MIDDLEBURY, Vt., Jan. 9, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High school students seeking an authentic French language experience can spend four weeks this summer immersed in the vibrant culture and history of Québec City through a new French Academy from Middlebury Interactive Languages.

The Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy (MMLA) in Québec City brings Middlebury Interactive's proven immersion pedagogy north of the border in a partnership with IES Abroad. A recognized leader in study abroad programs, IES Abroad will help MMLA recruit staff, plan student outings and manage logistics at the Academy for 50 students in grades 10-12.

The new French Academy will be located at the Université Laval, the oldest center of education in Canada and the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French. The curriculum includes trips to the region's cultural and historic sites, including the Québec Parliament and Musée Nationale des Beaux Arts Québec.

"We are very excited to offer students this new immersion experience right in the heart of French-speaking Canada," said Middlebury Interactive CEO Jane Swift. "With IES Abroad on board and MMLA's successful language acquisition model, we are confident our students will enjoy a fun, safe and enriching month immersed in French language and culture."

Swift noted that this summer IES Abroad will assume the same role for its Spanish Academy in Granada, Spain, which was founded in 2014 in the town of Comillas. The other MMLA sites include a Chinese Academy in Beijing, China, as well as two sites in Vermont, Green Mountain College (Arabic, German, Spanish) and St. Michael's College (Chinese, French).

"IES Abroad is excited to partner with Middlebury Interactive Languages for their international language academies," said Dr. Mary M. Dwyer, President and CEO of IES Abroad. "When IES Abroad developed the IES Abroad MAP for Language Learning, we set out to codify and measure the important standards we use to help our students with second language acquisition. With Middlebury Interactive employing its well-respected pedagogy, we feel this is a perfect academic fit for furthering young students' language and intercultural competencies."

A key component of MMLA's proven language pedagogy is the Language Pledge®, with requires students and faculty to communicate in their target language at all times during the summer of study. A recent review of MMLA showed that more than 90 percent of beginning language students gained at least one level on the American Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL) performance scale, which is equal to roughly a full year of traditional classroom language instruction.
For more information or to apply, please visit the MMLA website.

About Middlebury Interactive Languages

Middlebury Interactive is the academic leader in language instruction for K-12 students. A joint venture between Middlebury College and K12 Inc., Middlebury Interactive provides access to superior language programs and prepares students with the skills and cultural understanding to compete in the 21st Century global marketplace. Middlebury Interactive programs translated to the digital and K-12 setting core principles of the immersive language pedagogy and teaching methodology used at Middlebury College's renowned Language Schools over the past 100 years. Middlebury Interactive also offers in-person language immersion summer academies, Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy, for middle and high school students.

About IES Abroad

IES Abroad is a leading international education not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization specializing in study abroad. We are an academic consortium of more than 215 leading colleges and universities in the United States, and we partner with more than 95 renowned foreign universities in 35+ locations throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and South America. Since our founding in 1950, more than 100,000 students have been taught by prominent international faculty, either in our own academic centers and/or at our foreign partner universities. Today, we educate nearly 6,000 students annually offering 1,200 courses in more than 100 distinct academic programs.