American Sign Language is one of the four essential languages taught in HMHS’ language department, yet ASL’s program is different from the rest. With smaller classes and a reliance on the teacher, Mrs. Gravinese’s busy schedule comes in conflict with the new rising numbers in each class. “It has only been recently that a large number of freshmen have shown interest”, Says Mrs. Gravinese.
ASL has been growing to be a much larger program over the years, and with its significant spike in attendance with the freshman class, the question on more advanced classes comes into question. If there’s an AP German, French, and Spanish, where is the AP ASL? Mrs. Gravinese responds to these questions: “We’ve never had an AP ASL class because most students in the program graduate before they get to that point. But with the amount of Freshmen coming in, this is something myself and the administration should start considering.”
What use would an AP ASL even have? Well, every AP language prepares you for the bi-literacy exam, and that is no different for ASL’s own literacy exam. Although students from ASL three (a program that had to take a brief hiatus this year due to contractual restrictions) have the opportunity to take this exam, there should be a dedication to it like the other AP languages have to offer. “There is a test for ASL literacy and it has been offered to ASL 3 students in the past by administration. It’s a different type of test that is scheduled with a Deaf provider on live video feed. It is offered for students who are interested in taking it.” With the passion in the class and the dedication that each student shows in the program, there are more than enough qualifications for a more specialized version of this class.
As Mrs. Gravinese has said, “I think there’s always a space for a classified offering regardless of the language. I think the more we can offer our students the better! With that being said, we also have to be mindful of the resources available to us and the manpower we have. Special education services are supporting as much as they can to serve the most students possible at this time. A classified section has always been on the table but sometimes priority lists have to be made and servicing math and English classes will have to take precedence.”
