At Avant, we recognize that true leadership in language education goes beyond the classroom. It’s about inspiring students to make language an integral part of their daily lives, their future, and their career. In this spirit, we honor Parthena Draggett, Past President of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), for her years of giving and inspiring students to embrace lifelong language education.
From Teacher to Visionary Leader
Parthena’s journey in language education started with a passion for teaching Spanish. As an Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish language and culture teacher, she always emphasized the importance of language proficiency. Her goal was simple but powerful: to help students see language not as something to be studied, but as a lifelong skill that would open doors to future opportunities.
Her leadership took a major step forward when she transitioned from Ohio to Florida to lead K-12 language programs. Her mission was clear—vertical alignment across the grade levels and stronger proficiency outcomes. One of her first strategic decisions was to implement the Avant STAMP assessment. This provided the necessary data to establish benchmarks, track student progress, and set clear growth targets. With this foundation, Parthena and her team were able to track annual growth in each skill—reading, writing, listening, and speaking—ensuring a well-rounded approach to language acquisition.
Data-Driven Success
With proficiency data in hand, a deeper understanding of the learning process for students, educators, and administrators emerged. Parthena’s ability to harness data and set clear goals created a culture of growth and achievement. Every March, she and her team would analyze the latest results, celebrate gains, and identify areas for improvement. Whether students were excelling in reading or needing more support in speaking, Parthena’s leadership ensured that every student had a path to growth.
Language proficiency data plays a critical role in informing and improving classroom instruction by providing teachers with actionable insights into students’ language abilities. This data allows educators to identify specific strengths and areas for growth, enabling them to tailor instruction to meet individual needs. For example, by analyzing proficiency data in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, teachers can adjust lesson plans and provide targeted support where necessary. Research shows that data-driven instruction improves student outcomes by promoting more effective and differentiated teaching strategies, leading to greater student engagement and higher proficiency levels. Moreover, proficiency data helps educators set realistic goals for students and measure their progress, enhancing accountability and fostering a growth-oriented learning environment.
As Parthena explains, “Many of our districts are data-driven. My head of school was all about the data every year. He couldn’t wait to get my scores and plug them in and see what that growth was for each student.” This level of accountability and attention to detail is what makes Parthena’s leadership so effective.
Building Proficiency for Life
For Parthena, the ultimate goal was to move beyond the idea of language learning as a temporary academic task and set students up for future success. This required shifting mindsets from “I’m studying this” to “I’m acquiring something that will be part of my life and future career.”
Numerous studies support the many benefits of being bilingual, both personally and professionally. Bilingual individuals often experience enhanced cognitive flexibility, better problem-solving skills, and a delay in the onset of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Being bilingual also increases employability, as employers increasingly seek candidates with language skills to navigate global markets. In fact, studies show that bilingual employees can earn 5-20% more than their monolingual counterparts.
With the introduction of the Global Seal of Biliteracy, she ensured students reached their language goals and were rewarded with a credential that would follow them into their future careers.
“When the Global Seal of Biliteracy emerged, our kids all of a sudden had a credential with data proving their proficiency,” she said. “They cared because they could actually level up and use it in their lives and careers. Students actually engaged in their own goal-setting, studying their previous scores and requesting help, such as in this example, Señora, last year I had a 7 (advanced low) in reading, writing, and listening, but I only had a 6 (intermediate high) in speaking. How can I raise my speaking score to make sure to earn Working Fluency for my Global Seal? This was so exciting to hear because students grew to understand proficiency and worked toward improving scores for the Global Seal. Having access to past spoken (and written) responses, sharing them each year with students, and helping them to understand how to improve is GOLD to a teacher!”
Parthena’s vision empowered students to view language as an essential part of their future. It wasn’t just about learning for a test—it was about acquiring a skill they could carry with them for life.
A Professional Learning Community
Parthena has been instrumental in fostering a thriving professional learning community. By working with AATSP, Avant, and a network of dedicated educators, she helped create an environment of collaboration, support and shared growth. Her leadership brought together quality materials, strong classroom instruction, and robust professional learning to foster a comprehensive and sustainable language program.
With Parthena at the helm, educators didn’t just teach—they inspired. And students didn’t just learn—they embraced language as a key to their future success.
Thank you, Parthena, for your leadership and for reminding us that language learning is more than just a subject—it’s a pathway to a richer, more connected future!
AATSP Member Benefits with Avant
AATSP and Avant have partnered to offer premium benefits for AATSP members. These benefits include gaining access to exclusive discounts on Avant’s language proficiency assessments, such as Avant STAMP and STAMP WS. These assessments provide valuable tools for measuring real-world language skills.
In addition to discounts, AATSP members receive ongoing support from Avant through professional learning resources, webinars, and expert insights on integrating assessments and their data into their curriculum. This partnership empowers educators with the tools they need to track and validate student progress, while also staying informed about the latest trends in language education.
Learn more and register to take advantage of these benefits.
