Efforts are being made by the Bethlehem Central Board of Education to appropriately phase out the Chinese language program at the district after parents and students spoke out about the curriculum change.
District officials said last month it was becoming difficult to continue with the Chinese program because of low student enrollment. There was also the challenge of finding a certified teacher to teach with the appropriate visas to work in the United States. The original plan consisted of phasing out the program for most high school students, while asking students in the middle school or those entering ninth grade to choose a different language.
“It’s not that we’re advocating a phase out. It’s just that we have numerous issues we have to address,” said Superintendent Tom Douglas at the Wednesday, May 7, meeting. “One of the things we’re looking at is overcoming any of the staffing needs.”
Some parents felt students would fall behind their peers if they were forced to choose another language. The district was asked for a “true phase out,” where all students who already began taking the language would be able to complete the course through high school.
Assistant Superintendent for Educational Programs Jody Monroe said the district was looking into different options for the program. The first was to find a new teacher.
“We will tell the board that we would very vehemently continue searching hill and dale for a prospective candidate for the program at a full-time nature,” said Douglas.
If a teacher were found, the board would then have to discuss if they would continue to let sixth grade students participate in the program.
Douglas said if a teacher could not be found, the district would still recommend that middle school students select a different language for the coming year. However, parents said they would like the second option of providing online courses or distance learning opportunities to those already enrolled.
“There are potential high risks in that, and once the choice is made, that is the choice,” said Douglas.
Board member Lynn Lenhardt asked if seventh- and eighth-graders would be as engaged if they had to take language courses online, rather than in a normal classroom.
Monroe said a lot of online courses are not as engaging as a class would be, and it might be hard for kids their age to participate in that type of program.
“My personal opinion is I would not recommend middle school students take an online class,” said Monroe. “It’s a different style of learning. It’s a lot more autonomous.”
The assistant superintendent also said the district has seen the program only provides three years of course work for middle school students. This would help them get a Regents diploma, but would not meet the requirement for Advanced Regents.
The other problem is they would not be able to take the same program high schoolers would take next year because the two programs would not match up. High school students would most likely take part in a distance language program, where a teacher in another class who was certified to teach in New York taught the class via webcam. A non-certified Mandarin speaker then would hopefully be in the room with students to provide help.
Monroe said a similar option could not be found for the middle school, so they would need to do all of their coursework online. She said some students have already opted to switch from Chinese to another language. Students would continue to have that option until July, when a final decision is made by the school board.
Douglas said students who took Chinese and then switched to a different language may be eligible to take the proficiency exam to at least get one high school credit for the Chinese they’ve already learned.
Some board members asked if it would be possible for students to double up on language courses, so students could eventually drop Chinese if they found it too difficult or didn’t like the online program. Monroe said it wouldn’t be possible for the majority of students because of the number of classes they are required to take and the issue of scheduling.
Parents and students continued to speak in favor of the Chinese program at the end of the meeting, some arguing the choice was the more competitive option for college applications. Several students, mostly in middle school, demonstrated what they’ve learned so far by speaking to the school Board in Mandarin.
District officials will continue to search for a new teacher until July. The Board of Education will then have to make a determination on how best to move forward.