National Chinese Language ConferenceLanguage and Literacy in Utah’s Chinese Immersion ProgramApril 15, 2011

Myriam Met Immersion Consultant

Susan Gong Coordinator

Chinese Dual Immersion

USOE

World Language Consultant

Sandra Talbot Director

Chinese Dual Immersion

USOE

World Language Consultant

Language, Literacy, and Academics

• Language and Literacy• Literacy and Language• Academics and Language• Academics and Literacy

Academics

Literacy Language

Language, Literacy, and Academics

Students need to use literacy as a tool to acquire, enhance, and display their learning.

Literacy is critical to success in an academically rigorous curriculum.

Language, Literacy, and Academics

Academics in the primary grades

Concept development

in later grades

describe the characteristics of sounds and vibrations, including how sounds are produced, received and used.

describe the relationship between fractions and decimals 

Identify situations that are represented by negative numbers.

explain how early European and African cultures influenced colonial lifestyles.

Literacy in Immersion

Research on the transfer of literacyAlphabetic languagesNon-alphabetic languagesOral language and literacy

developmentAlphabetic languagesChinese?

Chinese ImmersionLanguage, Literacy, and Academics

•Where are we?

•Where do we need to be?

Immersion Student Proficiency

1. Set targets 2. Describe end-of-year outcomes3. Develop a language framework

(functions, forms, and vocabulary)

4. Integrate framework into content units and lesson plans

5. Provide explicit language/literacy instruction

7

Immersion Student Proficiency:Set Targets

At the end of … Total Immersion Partial Immersion

grade 2 intermediate low novice mid to high

grade 5 intermediate mid intermediate low-mid

grade 8 intermediate high intermediate mid to high

grade 12 advanced mid to high advanced low to mid

ACCOUNTABILITY

• District/site• To parents and

students. How to report?

INSTRUCTIONAL DECISIONS

• How do you know students have learned what they need to know?

• How do you know when you can stop? When do you need to re-teach?

Immersion Curriculum Frameworks

Utah’s emerging Chinese dual immersion program

IntroductionProgramCurriculum mapsProcessAssessment

Program: history and scope2008 Utah legislature establishes dual language immersion

programFall 2009 program beginsFall 2011

8 school districts17 schools44 teachers2200 students (K-3)

ProgramUtah state-wide50/50 dual immersionTwo teacherCollaborative across schools,

districts, and grades

Program: content allocation K-3: English/Chinese

Math

(70 min.)

English Language Arts

(125 min.)

Chinese Literacy

(55 min.)

Integrated Social Studies, Science

and Health in Chinese

(55 min.)

Math, Social Studies and

Science Reinforcement

(55 min.)

Program

Maps:

Maps: ACTFL proficiency targets

K Novice Low1 Novice Mid2 Novice Mid-High3 Intermediate Low. . .

Maps: “Can Do” assessmentsFormative assessments shared

with parentsTied to ACTFL Standards

Maps: year-at-a-glance

Maps: year-at-a-glance

Maps: thematic units

Maps: thematic units

Maps: thematic units

Maps: learning plan

Maps: learning plans

Maps: cumulative languageby function and form

Maps: cumulative languageby topic

Process: collaborativeImportant for building lesson

plansMore important for building

teachers

CollaborationProvide professional development

◦Train teachers to make student-centered lesson plans

◦StarTalk teacher workshop◦AUDII (Annual Utah Dual Immersion

Institute)◦Six PD sessions per school year

GRADES 1-3 Chinese Instruction

 GRADES 4-6 Chinese Instruction

Language and Literacy in Utah’s Chinese Immersion

Program – Assessment Strategies

Utah's Chinese dual immersion programs currently enroll approximately 1400 K-2 Chinese dual immersion students and will exceed 5,000 K-6 students by 2015.  The Utah State Office of Education has set an aggressive goal of graduating 6th grade immersion students with intermediate-mid to intermediate-high proficiency in Chinese (on the ACTFL scale). As this critical mass of students moves through the developed K-6 Chinese immersion curriculum for Utah, careful analysis of the literacy curriculum and its effects on student proficiency levels is critical to the national conversation on Chinese second language acquisition. A carefully developed assessment plan is necessary to evaluate the success of the literacy curriculum developed for these Chinese immersion students and its impact on their second language proficiency outcomes.

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT

UTAH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES ARE BUILT ON THE ACTFL PROFICIENCY SCALE. GOALS ARE:6TH GRADE = INTERMEDIATE-MID9TH GRADE = INTERMEDIATE-HIGH12 GRADE = ADVANCED

Projected Growth

Can Do Statements

developed by

Greg Duncan, National Consultantin association with

Gregg Roberts, USOE World Language Specialist

Ann Tollefson, National ConsultantMyriam Met, National ConsultantUtah Team of Chinese immersion

specialists and teachers

GRADE 7-12 PROJECTED CURRICULUM OUTLINE DUAL IMMERSION CHINESE COURSE SEQUENCING, Grades 7-9Two courses per grade level, content course aligned with core requirements

DUAL IMMERSION CHINESE COURSE SEQUENCING, Grades 10-12 University Level Coursework directed toward Chinese Minor Requirements One course per grade level

Core Content Assessment (K-2)Utah State Legislature ReportingYear End Testing

◦English Reading Levels (Dibbles)◦Math (District Specific)

All tests administered in English

2010 End of Year Results2011 Mid-Year Results in Math

BYU Creative works

Step by Step

Chinese Dual Immersion Students 1st Grade

Math Language Arts

Chinese Dual Immersion (4)

90% 88%

Monolingual (4) 83% 75%

2 Schools, 8 Classes, 221 Students

Criterion Referenced Testing

Beginning in third grade, student core content knowledge of immersion students will be assessed in English with year-end criterion referenced testing

In 2014, as part of a multi-state piloting consortium, Utah will begin using the new computer adaptive criterion referenced tests currently under development by CCSSO

BYU Creative Works

Step by Step