FAQs

Will kids be picked for the program any differently than for regular Cambridge Public Schools? What criteria will you use to choose children to enter the Immersion Program if over-subscribed? Interested parents should contact Family Resource Center directly that they want to sign up for King School Immersion Program as the first choice on the Kindergarten Application Form. However, if enrollment is over-subscribed, a lottery following CPS standard procedures may be necessary.

 How much of a grant do you have? What happens when the money runs out? We were awarded close to $1.5 million dollars in federal funds to implement a foreign language immersion program. Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grants address this issue as they are designed to build capacity through “matching” funds where the school/district matches grant funding 50/50. The FLAP grant has been cut prematurely from Year 3, however, the school will fully sustain the program.

 How many open slots will be available? How many classrooms? Students? 40 students in the JK/K classrooms, and up to 25 students from grade 1 on.

Our child is currently in kindergarten. Will it be too late for him to be part of this new program? We enroll students in JK/K and 1st grade each school year. Students entering in higher grade is possible depending upon the result from a language assessment.

 Will children be enrolled in JK or K or both? If your child reach 4 years of age by March 31 of the same year he/she is expected to enroll in school, you can enroll him/her in either JK. The cut-off birth date for K is August 31.

 What is the plan for involving parents in this planning year? How would you describe the feedback loop with respect to parents’ input? Parents are invited to participate in every step of the planning stage.
 * Parents’ input and suggestions are highly valued.
 * We will provide updates on our progress. Send us your comments and suggestions any time. We will respond to your questions in a timely manner, usually within 48-72 hours.

What was the progress leading to program approval?
 * Form Advisory Board
 * Recruit families to be part of the process and enroll students in the program.
 * Present to School Committee on December 7, 2010
 * Recruit highly qualified native speaking teachers
 * Visit other immersion schools
 * Plan curriculum and formative assessments
 * Continued professional development
 * Begin instruction in fall 2011

 How will you work with IEP students? Is this program open to, and suitable for children in special ed (on IEPs)? (In particular to children on a speech language IEP) The Immersion program is inclusive of all students. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) will be implemented as required in accordance with state and federal law as well as CPS policies and procedures. Students are expected to participate in all in-class learning. In addition to services provided and through differentiate instruction in accordance with the student's IEP, we will try to match Chinese students from neighboring universities to provide additional enrichment and individual help.

 How will this plan impact school staffing? If new staff (Chinese speakers) is hired, what will happen to existing teachers? The program implementation will not impact the existing staff.

 How will the rigor of the content be maintained with 50% of the instruction in the target language? Will students be bored learning the same materials twice? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008080; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Curriculum will be based on the [|Massachusetts State Framework] so students are learning the content like that of a typical classroom, but in two languages with different content-based materials. For example, in a science unit for 1st grade, students will be learning about rain forest in one language, then learn about Antarctica in the other language. Content will not be repeated, but will be reinforced in two languages. The standard of learning is rigorous, and students are expected to perform well in MCAS when they reach 3rd grade.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> What will happen to the immersion program if the school does not make AYP? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008080; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The state has supports and accountability measures for schools that do not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), but these steps do not target foreign language programming. State measures often include administrative support, teacher training, and student interventions. Our school has made tremendous progress on the MCAS; last year’s English/Language Arts student growth rate was the highest in the district. We continue to implement strategies to perform at a high rate.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Where will the teachers come from? What are their credentials and qualifications? Will they be current teachers or new teachers? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008080; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">We will recruit the highest qualify teachers for the immersion program. Candidates should be licensed to teach in the state of Massachusetts and have teaching experiences in earlier grades to non-Chinese speaking children in U.S. public school settings. They should be able to apply the most updated teaching methods in language and content based curriculum. Teachers are required to follow a track of continued professional development requirement adherent to the [|Professional Standards for Teachers].

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> What Chinese Immersion Schools will King be modeling itself after? How would the King Immersion Program be similar or different in structure to Amigos? Will they be switching between language each week like at Amigos? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008080; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The King dual language or two-way immersion program will be created in accordance with the [|Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (2007)] developed by the [|Center for Applied Linguistics]. The Guiding Principles promote vision and goals focused on bilingualism, biliteracy, and multiculturalism. and advocate sustained instruction in the partner language for at least 6 years, at least 50% of instruction in the target language throughout the program, and language arts and literacy instruction in both program languages by the upper grades (p.28). Rather than model itself after any other specific program, the King Chinese dual language immersion will incorporate all the critical features of what makes a dual language program successful.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Is 90/10 better or 50/50 better? Why not 90/10 model for King? Is there data to support a successful program with 50%-50% vs 90%-10%? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008080; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Models are implemented to fit the needs of the community. Two-way researcher Kathryn Lindholm-Leary concludes the following about 50/50 and 90/10 models: “The two-way bilingual immersion model has been carefully developed based on research and best practices, biliteracy and educational success in additive bilingual programs that provide for considerable instruction through the target language over an extended period of time (at lease 6-7 years). Both 90/10 and 50/50 two-way bilingual immersion models have positive outcomes for students.” Lindholm-Leary’s research is based on her extensive involvement in Spanish/English (not Chinese) programs in California. Currently, the government has approved the implementation of a 50/50 program at the King.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Will some K classes still be monolingual? Is the entire school switching to two-way immersion, or just some of the kindergarteners? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008080; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Only two out of the four existing kindergarten classes will adapt the immersion model. We plan to add one grade each year after the initial year.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> For incoming K-students, will the dual immersion program continue through 8th grade? What grade will the immersion program end? Is this program expected to be K-5? K-8? L-12? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008080; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Research indicates that the most successful dual language programs offer sustained instruction in the target language for at least 6-7 years and the King Dual Language Immersion program expects to implement the program into the upper grades focusing on continued literacy development and content area instruction in Chinese. Content immersion classes will have to be developed for CRLS as students reach the high school. Plans for students at the secondary level to take undergraduate courses in Chinese at the university level will also be explored.

I'm concerned about the effects of the longer school day on my young child. Is an 8 hour day necessary?
In order for students to receive quality, daily literacy instruction in both Mandarin and English, it is necessary to have a longer school day. However, a longer school day also allows K students opportunities for snacks, a rest period if needed, and extended periods of free indoor and outdoor play. These are critical aspects of the early childhood curriculum that 6-hours schools struggle to maintain.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> If one day students quit, will they have any delay in other subjects? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008080; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Students would not be expected to have delays in subjects and if research is considered, students will be at or above grade level. Of course, the benefits of true bilingualism/biliteracy can only be attained by continuing in the program for at least 6-7 years or more.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> How easy is it for an older sibling to transfer to King School if younger sibling gets into immersion? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008080; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Depending on the grade levels, King School has open space.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How will existing King School students benefit from this Chinese language teaching expansion? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008080; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">This grant will in countless ways improve upon the Chinese instruction for all grades through training, observation, and professional mentorship with Mary and Vivian.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Why would a parent choose your program over other schools? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008080; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">We are a public school located in the heart of Cambridge. Our Chinese program has been in existence for fifteen years. We are funded by the U.S. Department of Education. We also have partnerships with [|U-Mass China Program Center] and [|WestEd]. The Boston Chinese Immersion Charter School recruits out-of-district students only when space is available. Last but not least, we already have a team of devoted, experienced and highly qualified staff in the program. We are very pleased at the prospect of the Chinese Immersion Charter School in Chinatown becoming a reality in 2011-2012, and will look for ways to collaborate with them as we can both share resources and thereby strengthen both schools.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I've heard that the King School has a poor academic record. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008080; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Often, parents unfamiliar with our school make assumptions about our academic record based on the reputation the King School had several years ago. However, our school has changed. A long term study of student achievement data recently showed that 100% of students who had been at the King since kindergarten were reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade. At all grade levels, students show significant progress year-to-year on the MCAS exams. Please refer to on statistics for Student Growth Percentiles. We encourage families to visit the King School and sit in on classes to see for themselves the powerful, quality teaching that occurs here.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Will this program be completely separate from the King School or will the classes interact (e.g. lunch, recess, gym)? If (not) separated, what steps will you take to prevent the immersion students form being “different” from the rest of the King School? The Dual Language Program will be an integral part of the school. All King School students will interact during common gym, lunch, recess, music, technology, and library classes. At King School, we place high value in collaboration and global citizenship. Teachers incorporate [|Responsive Classroom] method in the classroom while students are inspired to become respectful members of the King School community. The non-dual language strand of the school will continue to promote Chinese language and culture through daily language instruction. All teachers will share best practices and work closely together in grade level and vertical teams to ensure the success of all students at the King School. This is a win-win situation.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Will there be opportunities to visit China/Taiwan? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008080; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">We had an existing week-long visiting program to [|our sister school in Hangzhou]. We intend to further explore exchange opportunity for longer stay in either China or Taiwan.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> How can I best support my child’s acquisition of Chinese if I don’t speak it myself? How will my child who has some Mandarin exposure fits in the program? The Classroom teachers utilize classroom blogs in communicating with the families. We found the blogs extremely helpful in helping parents stay abreast of what the children are learning in the classroom. Help your child develop a routine of at least of 15 minutes daily Chinese review time is important. Good organization. Have a place to keep all the handouts and learning materials at home. Have your child read and teach you what they learn each day. Create outside opportunities to validate their learning in real life setting. For example, take a weekly trip to a Chinese market (the two China Marts and Sun Sun Market in Chinatown, the Hong Kong Supermarket and a vibrant food court in Allston’s rapidly developing Asian neighborhood). Encourage students to talk to native speakers and read books about China. Share newspaper articles relating to China, China-U.S. relations (in a context that your child will understand), and community events. There are Chinese satellite companies (such as Direct TV, Phoenix TV, Chinese Dish Network) that broadcast variety of Chinese programs 24/7. It will help to subscribe to one of these programs to increase your child’s exposure outside of school to Chinese culture - including the customs, practices, and perspectives.

Vivian’s former students from Chinese-speaking families told their parents that they feel compelled to learn Chinese and speak the language better because their non-Chinese peers are learning and doing well in speaking, reading, writing, and listening to Chinese. They do not want to lag behind their friends!