Mandarin Immersion Parents Council

Information for parents of kids in Mandarin immersion education

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  • China revamping its version of TOEFL

    China plans revamp of HSK test

    • October 11th, 2010 5:12 am ET

    Two-decade-old method assesses Mandarin Chinese proficency

    BEIJING, CHINA – When South Korean student Yi Da Hye came to China in 2004, she could speak a smattering of Mandarin but struggled with sentences and could write only a few Chinese characters.
    After five years of drilling for the state-run Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) or ‘Chinese Proficiency Test’ here, the 27-year-old has been certified as an ‘Advanced’ student of the language and is sharp enough to major in Chinese at the elite Peking University.
    “I learnt a lot during the preparation of the HSK tests. I have no problem conversing with Chinese, and I have a lot of Chinese friends,” she said.
    The HSK, which is China’s Mandarin Chinese equivalent of Britain’s International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the United States’ Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), has been criticized before for its focus on the written language – arguably the most difficult aspect for Western learners.
    But the Chinese test is also undergoing changes itself.
    Memory work will be slashed when the new HSK kicks in this year, with emphasis given to comprehension and communication, especially on the usage of the language in daily life.
    It is believed to be the first time the two-decade-old test is undergoing a revamp, as it seeks to improve its examination of Chinese proficiency among non-native speakers.
    “We have been studying the IELTS and TOEFL, and finding our own way towards the new model,” said Mr Zhou, a department head of the Office of Chinese Language Council International, or Hanban. He declined to give his full name.
    There will be six levels – one being the lowest. An oral component will also be introduced, using short conversations and dialogues on daily events.
    For the basic learners, the test uses a large number of pictures and pinyin to help the students. Native languages of the students, such as English for example, are also used to guide the students along.
    Read more here.

  • Arizona State University – what our kids can look forward to

    The Chinese Language Flagship Program exists at several universities and offer a place for already-fluent Mandarin speakers to go with their Chinese. At many universities, Chinese classes are for beginners and don’t get much beyond moderate/advanced. For kids coming out of immersion programs, there simply aren’t enough classes at enough depth for them. The Flagship program creates those classes, and more importantly adds connections to universities in China, so students can study abroad.

    Universities include:

    Arizona State University
    Brigham Young University
    Indiana University
    Ohio State University and Ohio Public Schools
    San Francisco State University Partner Program
    University of Mississippi
    University of Oregon and Portland Public Schools
    University of Rhode Island Partner Program
    Western Kentucky University Pilot Program

    Here’s one example, from StatePress.com in Arazona

    ==

    ASU celebrates Chinese immersion program

    By Michael Reppenhagen October 6, 2010 at 10:23 pm

    “One University, Many Places” – students see it all over campus, but an ASU program is making strides to add a whole new meaning to this vision.

    The ASU Chinese Language Flagship Program prepares undergraduate students to function at the professional level in China, giving them the opportunity to study and work in Chinese cities.

    The program, which is part of a global, multi-lingual initiative called the Language Flagship, celebrated a continuation of its relationship with the National Security Education Program at an event held in the Memorial Union Wednesday.

    The NSEP is a government initiative designed to create a pool of U.S. talent that can excel in other cultures. It awarded ASU’s Flagship program a federal grant on Sept. 29 to ensure its funding for the next three years. The program began in 2007 on a grant from the same organization.

    NSEP Director Robert Slater said graduates of the center are on par with other universities who have had similar programs for a longer period of time.

    Slater said the grant is intended to recognize ASU for being one of the few universities that stands by its commitment to investing in language studies.

    “What ASU has is not just rhetoric, but actual practice,” Slater said.

    He added that ASU must now lead a push to encourage studies of this nature to become more widespread across the country.

    “Become missionaries,” Slater said to students. “Become the norm, not the exception in education.”

    At Wednesday’s event, ASU President Michael Crow said the center is poised to help improve the country’s understanding of other cultures, which is a serious problem in international relations.

    “We don’t have the deep understanding that we’re in need of,” Crow said. “The notions of [the U.S. and China] working together can only be achieved through cultural understanding.”

    Read more here.

  • Visa troubles slow start of South Carolina program

    From The Beauford Gazette

    The arrival of two instructors from China who will help launch partial immersion programs in Mandarin is being delayed as the Beaufort County School District wrangles with the state Department of Education and other agencies.

    The district received grants this summer to bring Chinese teachers to two international baccalaureate elementary schools this year: Hilton Head IB and Broad River. However, their contracts haven’t been approved because of complicated visa, teacher-certification and other legal issues, said Sean Alford, the district’s instructional services chief.

    Those issues could be settled as soon as today in a conference call with lawyers for the state and other nonprofit and international agencies involved with the district in developing the program, Alford said.

    Two teachers already are prepared to come and probably would arrive within 10 days after their contracts are approved, Alford added. They will live with host families while in Beaufort County.

    “Everything that could have been an issue has been,” Alford said. “But it hasn’t deterred us.”

    Read more: http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/10/04/1395949/chinese-immersion-at-beaufort.html#ixzz11VCoDVq7

  • Nice wiki article about Mandarin in British Columbia

    Parents in the western Canadian province of British Columbia are working full out to create Mandarin immersion programs there. They’ve got several web sites up, and a really nice wiki article up on the University of British Columbia web site  here.

    It’s a good model for parents in other parts of the world who want to work to create Mandarin immersion programs.

  • St. Cloud, Minn. program looks at middle school

    St. Cloud school district looks to expand immersion program

    By Dave Aeikens • daeikens@stcloudtimes.com • October 2, 2010

    Sixteen third-graders in the immersion program at Madison Elementary School sang in Chinese with their teacher last week.

    Almost three years from now they will leave Madison for middle school, ready for the next stage of the St. Cloud school district’s language immersion program.

    Four years into immersion programs that provide instruction mostly in Mandarin Chinese at Madison and Spanish at Clearview Elementary School, efforts by St. Cloud school district and its partners are turning toward what happens when the children who have stayed in the programs hit middle school and high school.

    “What the discussion needs to be is how is it going to run in the middle levels?” said Bob Huot, principal at North Junior High School, where Madison’s immersion students will go in three years. “We just need to find out what is the best programming for students.”

    Read more here.

  • TV story and video on Denver’s immersion school

    Charter school offers immersion in Chinese, Spanish

    Nelson Garcia 3 hrs ago

    DENVER – In the old Whiteman Elementary building, teachers are doing something never done before in the Mile High City. They’re teaching kids every subject in Mandarin.

    “We really felt that there was definitely a strong demand here in Denver for this kind of program,” said Kristy Fantz, co-founder of the Denver Language School.

    Within the Denver Language School, nearly half the students are enrolled in a full immersion program teaching them Mandarin Chinese. The other students are in a full immersion Spanish program, all tuition-free as a Denver Public Schools charter.

    “We use the language 100 percent in teaching not only the language arts, as well as other subject contents,” said Jian Lin, Chinese program director.

    Students learn math, social studies, and science all in Mandarin. Students are not allowed to speak English in class.

    “We use the interactive white board to show the elements,” said Lin. “The hands-on activities always help the kids to understand.”

    The Denver Language School currently has grades kindergarten through second grade. It will eventually be a K-8 school as the program adds a level each year.

    Read the rest of the article here.

  • Berkeley Bilingual Book Fair

    Oct 30: Shu Ren Fall Festival and Bilingual Book Fair

    Come celebrate fall with Shu Ren International School’s Fall Festival and Book Fair!
    Join us for a day of fun and games to support the East Bay’s Mandarin/English dual immersion school:
    – Magic Show! (at 11 am)
    – Bouncy House and other games and prizes for the whole family
    – Homemade snacks
    – A bilingual book fair featuring a wide selection of hard-to-find Chinese children’s books, DVDs and educational games, and English books for all ages provided by Scholastic.

    The festival will be held at Shu Ren, 1333 University Ave., Berkeley from 10:30-4:00 on October 30.

    Shu Ren is also offering school tours every other Wednesday throughout the fall starting October 6, and will host several open houses. The first Open House is on October 21.

    Learn more about Shu Ren’s exciting dual immersion curriculum for Pre-K through 3rd grade, after school program, summer camp and adult Mandarin classes at http://shureninternationalschool.com