Yu Ying - Do/Can Non-Native Kids Actually SPEAK Chinese?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids cheerfully speak Mandarin at the near native speaker level and don't seem to have "given up anything" in English or math. No, they score 5s on both PARCC sections. They also play sports.

YY could attract parents who prioritize language immersion by marketing and delivering a world-class immersion product, instead of merely a world-class building. The parents YY attracts know they don't have to be serious about the Mandarin. That could change. Come on, the HOS isn't dastardly, she's under-qualified for the job. A strong replacement could do wonders to raise the bar on Mandarin instruction. I see it happening eventually, once unimpressive IB Diploma results light a fire under PA parents.

You are wrong. You'd also have to turn the whole board over. Read their mission statement and founding documents. It isn't all about the Mandarin. It just isn't.

Right you are, and she's wrong. The 50% Mandarin instruction couldn't possibly be improved at YY under a new HOS.

Sure, YY have to turn the whole board over to put more emphasis on good Mandarin instruction.

I suggest an early night for you. mate.

Who do you think would hire a new HOS? What are their goals and priorities? If they were dissatisfied they would let the current HOS go. They won't, because they are pleased with how the school is performing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What outreach to native speakers? YY did a little eight or ten years ago, mostly in MoCo dim sum places and community centers in Chinatown, in a really clueless way, without disseminating promotional materials in Cantonese/traditional characters, or sending dialect speaking representatives into the local community to spread the word about what the program offers. Admins and PA parents then threw their hands in the air, blaming the local ethnic community for their lack of buy-in.

Ahhhh now I get it. There's just bad blood between native speakers and YY. Otherwise this thread makes no sense (parents of YY kids are happy, so why all this bickering by folks who don't even go there nor clearly want to?).

That's too bad, that is something I don't see with the Spanish bilinguals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:YY has emerged with a study body that's not even 10% FARMs. There are several schools in Upper NW (Eaton, Stoddert, Hearst) with higher percentages of poor minority kids.

In 2017, comparisons between YY and government schools in affluent swathes of Western Europe, along with Singapore, are on the mark.

It's time to get more serious about immersion language studies in DC public, or the DCI IB Diploma program will emerge as just another Banneker or Eastern, programs barely scraping by with average pass point totals in the 20s. IB World Schools fed by partial immersion MS programs can't do the Diploma right without offering Higher Level language studies (which emphasize speaking skills).

Oh, FFS. Are you saying that Yu Ying should be as good as schools in Singapore based on SES? Are you insane? Singapore has the highest student achievement IN THE WORLD, and you are suggesting that one urban public charter school with a tiny native population, not even supported by a large urban school district, should be achieving at the same levels? Come on. I don't even think the homogeneous and wealthy JKLM schools are even close to Singapore.

I wonder how all of those schools are doing at teaching Asian students English, or teaching Swiss students Mandarin, which would be a fairer comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:YY has emerged with a study body that's not even 10% FARMs. There are several schools in Upper NW (Eaton, Stoddert, Hearst) with higher percentages of poor minority kids.

In 2017, comparisons between YY and government schools in affluent swathes of Western Europe, along with Singapore, are on the mark.

It's time to get more serious about immersion language studies in DC public, or the DCI IB Diploma program will emerge as just another Banneker or Eastern, programs barely scraping by with average pass point totals in the 20s. IB World Schools fed by partial immersion MS programs can't do the Diploma right without offering Higher Level language studies (which emphasize speaking skills).

I'm the PP who mentioned this comparison being apples and oranges. I didn't actually realize that the FARMS % was so low at YY. However, I'd submit that there are still likely SES differences between YY's students (e.g., working-class families a generation out of poverty, but who still have trouble making ends meet, providing enrichment and language support, etc.) and those in the other locations mentioned. I'm sure many families may not be very far above the FARMS cutoff, and therefore that data point shouldn't be the only factor to consider when determining what should be reasonable goals with YY's students.

[Anonymous]

The ABC community here views Yu Ying as cultural appropriation. The AA principal is the last straw; they just seethe. That's the dynamic you need to understand to make sense of the non-stop tsunami of seemingly pointless venom spewed in this thread and all the others about Yu Ying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The ABC community here views Yu Ying as cultural appropriation. The AA principal is the last straw; they just seethe. That's the dynamic you need to understand to make sense of the non-stop tsunami of seemingly pointless venom spewed in this thread and all the others about Yu Ying.

I'm not sure if you are kidding, but this would explain a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ABC community here views Yu Ying as cultural appropriation. The AA principal is the last straw; they just seethe. That's the dynamic you need to understand to make sense of the non-stop tsunami of seemingly pointless venom spewed in this thread and all the others about Yu Ying.

I'm not sure if you are kidding, but this would explain a lot.

100% serious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The ABC community here views Yu Ying as cultural appropriation. The AA principal is the last straw; they just seethe. That's the dynamic you need to understand to make sense of the non-stop tsunami of seemingly pointless venom spewed in this thread and all the others about Yu Ying.

Nah, they have better things to do than seethe, like raising their bilingual kids to thrive in their connection to the rising China while making good use of JKLM, Brent, privates, MoCo programs etc. Give me a break, the AA principal isn't the issue - it's the HOS that doesn't speak the language of immersion for ten years now that's a joke. I bet they'd applaud her if she were fluent in Mandarin, have lived in Taiwan or China, and hired a Cantonese speaking admin to connect to the small DC immigrant community.

We're in Spanish immersion but I don't see pointless venom on immersion threads, I see a lot of fair points in a school system that's a whole lot better at pretending to promote excellence than actually doing it. Can't wait to see those IB Diploma scores for the many YY families with the million dollar houses on Cap Hill, in Brookland etc. Yea, some of them could attain Singapore IB Diploma heights if they bothered to put nose to the grindstone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:YY has emerged with a study body that's not even 10% FARMs. There are several schools in Upper NW (Eaton, Stoddert, Hearst) with higher percentages of poor minority kids.

In 2017, comparisons between YY and government schools in affluent swathes of Western Europe, along with Singapore, are on the mark.

It's time to get more serious about immersion language studies in DC public, or the DCI IB Diploma program will emerge as just another Banneker or Eastern, programs barely scraping by with average pass point totals in the 20s. IB World Schools fed by partial immersion MS programs can't do the Diploma right without offering Higher Level language studies (which emphasize speaking skills).

I'm the PP who mentioned this comparison being apples and oranges. I didn't actually realize that the FARMS % was so low at YY. However, I'd submit that there are still likely SES differences between YY's students (e.g., working-class families a generation out of poverty, but who still have trouble making ends meet, providing enrichment and language support, etc.) and those in the other locations mentioned. I'm sure many families may not be very far above the FARMS cutoff, and therefore that data point shouldn't be the only factor to consider when determining what should be reasonable goals with YY's students.

The tracked number now is percentage of 'at-risk' students (not FARMS, because so many schools are now community eligibility schools where all get free lunch). At-risk is defined as students whose families receive nutrition assistance or TANF, or are homeless.

Here are the percentages of at-risk students in SY 2016-17 or a few schools that have been mentioned in this thread or that also have low percentages of at-risk students. The only charter with a lower at-risk percentage than YY last year is Washington Latin middle school.

YY - 4%
MV - 9%
LAMB - 10%
Stokes - 12%
DC Bilingual - 37%

Janney, Mann - can't calculate because fewer than 10 students

Washington Latin Middle School - 3%
DCI - 18%
Basis - 8%

[Anonymous]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing. 4% at YY, that explains a lot. Any more excuses for the weak Mandarin from the peanut gallery?

[Anonymous]

It isn't just Chinese that puts YY out of reach for less affluent families.

It's also the cost of their aftercare and the location which is not easy to get to via public transit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ABC community here views Yu Ying as cultural appropriation. The AA principal is the last straw; they just seethe. That's the dynamic you need to understand to make sense of the non-stop tsunami of seemingly pointless venom spewed in this thread and all the others about Yu Ying.

Nah, they have better things to do than seethe, like raising their bilingual kids to thrive in their connection to the rising China while making good use of JKLM, Brent, privates, MoCo programs etc. Give me a break, the AA principal isn't the issue - it's the HOS that doesn't speak the language of immersion for ten years now that's a joke. I bet they'd applaud her if she were fluent in Mandarin, have lived in Taiwan or China, and hired a Cantonese speaking admin to connect to the small DC immigrant community.

We're in Spanish immersion but I don't see pointless venom on immersion threads, I see a lot of fair points in a school system that's a whole lot better at pretending to promote excellence than actually doing it. Can't wait to see those IB Diploma scores for the many YY families with the million dollar houses on Cap Hill, in Brookland etc. Yea, some of them could attain Singapore IB Diploma heights if they bothered to put nose to the grindstone.

Well, you won't know until 2020 when the very first DCI class graduates, so I hope you're not holding your breath.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very interesting, thanks for sharing. 4% at YY, that explains a lot. Any more excuses for the weak Mandarin from the peanut gallery?

I haven't seen an excuse given yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:YY has emerged with a study body that's not even 10% FARMs. There are several schools in Upper NW (Eaton, Stoddert, Hearst) with higher percentages of poor minority kids.

In 2017, comparisons between YY and government schools in affluent swathes of Western Europe, along with Singapore, are on the mark.

It's time to get more serious about immersion language studies in DC public, or the DCI IB Diploma program will emerge as just another Banneker or Eastern, programs barely scraping by with average pass point totals in the 20s. IB World Schools fed by partial immersion MS programs can't do the Diploma right without offering Higher Level language studies (which emphasize speaking skills).

I'm the PP who mentioned this comparison being apples and oranges. I didn't actually realize that the FARMS % was so low at YY. However, I'd submit that there are still likely SES differences between YY's students (e.g., working-class families a generation out of poverty, but who still have trouble making ends meet, providing enrichment and language support, etc.) and those in the other locations mentioned. I'm sure many families may not be very far above the FARMS cutoff, and therefore that data point shouldn't be the only factor to consider when determining what should be reasonable goals with YY's students.

The tracked number now is percentage of 'at-risk' students (not FARMS, because so many schools are now community eligibility schools where all get free lunch). At-risk is defined as students whose families receive nutrition assistance or TANF, or are homeless.

Here are the percentages of at-risk students in SY 2016-17 or a few schools that have been mentioned in this thread or that also have low percentages of at-risk students. The only charter with a lower at-risk percentage than YY last year is Washington Latin middle school.

YY - 4%
MV - 9%
LAMB - 10%
Stokes - 12%
DC Bilingual - 37%

Janney, Mann - can't calculate because fewer than 10 students

Washington Latin Middle School - 3%
DCI - 18%
Basis - 8%

PP here. Right, but that doesn't address the bolded re: SES differences. The suggestions put forth in this thread--mandatory aftercare in Chinese, more supplementation out of school, etc.--may still be out of reach for many families. Just because YY has a low % of FARMS and at-risk (very specific designation--students who are in foster care or homeless, who are receiving welfare benefits or food stamps, etc. ) doesn't mean all other families are affluent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:YY has emerged with a study body that's not even 10% FARMs. There are several schools in Upper NW (Eaton, Stoddert, Hearst) with higher percentages of poor minority kids.

In 2017, comparisons between YY and government schools in affluent swathes of Western Europe, along with Singapore, are on the mark.

It's time to get more serious about immersion language studies in DC public, or the DCI IB Diploma program will emerge as just another Banneker or Eastern, programs barely scraping by with average pass point totals in the 20s. IB World Schools fed by partial immersion MS programs can't do the Diploma right without offering Higher Level language studies (which emphasize speaking skills).

I'm the PP who mentioned this comparison being apples and oranges. I didn't actually realize that the FARMS % was so low at YY. However, I'd submit that there are still likely SES differences between YY's students (e.g., working-class families a generation out of poverty, but who still have trouble making ends meet, providing enrichment and language support, etc.) and those in the other locations mentioned. I'm sure many families may not be very far above the FARMS cutoff, and therefore that data point shouldn't be the only factor to consider when determining what should be reasonable goals with YY's students.

The tracked number now is percentage of 'at-risk' students (not FARMS, because so many schools are now community eligibility schools where all get free lunch). At-risk is defined as students whose families receive nutrition assistance or TANF, or are homeless.

Here are the percentages of at-risk students in SY 2016-17 or a few schools that have been mentioned in this thread or that also have low percentages of at-risk students. The only charter with a lower at-risk percentage than YY last year is Washington Latin middle school.

YY - 4%
MV - 9%
LAMB - 10%
Stokes - 12%
DC Bilingual - 37%

Janney, Mann - can't calculate because fewer than 10 students

Washington Latin Middle School - 3%
DCI - 18%
Basis - 8%

PP here. Right, but that doesn't address the bolded re: SES differences. The suggestions put forth in this thread--mandatory aftercare in Chinese, more supplementation out of school, etc.--may still be out of reach for many families. Just because YY has a low % of FARMS and at-risk (very specific designation--students who are in foster care or homeless, who are receiving welfare benefits or food stamps, etc. ) doesn't mean all other families are affluent.

With their gold-plated aftercare, YY manages to attract few working poor families either.