Program Overview
The Global Scholars Program (GSP) prepares high school students in Wisconsin to be workforce and world-ready with global competence. Globally competent students pursue knowledge about the world, value diverse perspectives, communicate across languages and cultures, and take action to improve conditions in our interdependent world. School communities that participate in the Global Scholars Program are committed to providing learning experiences, within and beyond the curriculum, to support global learning.
Wisconsin school districts submit a registration form to be authorized to implement the Global Scholars Program within their school community. Global Scholars Program Regisration Form
Districts are invited to review the Global Scholars Program Planning and Implementation Guide prior to registering with DPI.
Global Scholars develop global competence through the following program requirements:
- Three credits of sustained learning in a world language or evidence of language proficiency at or above Intermediate High on the ACTFL scale. English Learners meet the world language requirement by taking 4 credits of academic coursework, facilitated in English. (Language learners may also be interested in pursuing a Wisconsin Seal of Biliteracy.)
- Four credits of coursework designed to facilitate global learning, approved within each participating district. One additional world language credit may be applied toward this requirement.
- Eight reflections on global learning and cultural literacy development through reading 4 or more books (fiction or non-fiction), and including up to 4 learning experiences through art, music, films, podcasts, and community-based cultural events.
- Active participation/leadership in four, or more, school-based extracurricular and special events with a global focus.
- Twenty or more hours of service learning projects related to a global issue such as those addressed through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The Certificate of Global Competence
Program coordinators certify student completion of program requirements using the State-Certified Credentials App, within WISEHome, and publish digital Certificates of Global Competence for qualifying Global Scholars. This industry-recognized credential serves as a college, career, and community readiness indicator and recognizes students for their language, intercultural and global competence. Coordinators, in districts authorized to implement the program, follow the Wise Home Credential Site User Guide to enter student data, track progress, and publish certificates.
Global Competence
Wisconsin's working definition for global competence is based on a framework developed by the Asia Society in collaboration with the Office of Economic Cooperation and Development. Their joint publication Teaching for Global Competence in a Rapidly Changing World provides guidance and examples of how to engage students in global learning across formal and lived curricula.
Global competence is defined as the capacity to examine local, global and intercultural issues, to understand and appreciate the perspectives and world views of others, to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with people from different cultures, and to act for collective well-being and sustainable development. (OECD/Asia Society, 2018)
Sample resources for building and assessing global competence across the curriculum are available below: