Yu Ying Waitlist Movement

[Anonymous]

First grade next year will be .5 hours a night, according the presentation I attended at the school. Since the principal was present, I think this is accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clarification: I was the 6 yr old. Entered 2nd grade in the U.S. knowing no English and tested above grade in 4th grade. I am bilingual. For the 4 and 2 yr old, English became their primary language and both had to relearn their native language as teens.

Well first of all this was not just a half time immersion program--your whole life was basically immersion. I'm sure the same thing happens with US kids who live in other countries. Second of all, you're talking 4th grade which is when language immersion kids are expected to test above their peers.

Most, if not all, Yu Ying 3rd graders have been speaking English their whole lives and are tested in English for the DC CAS but are not expected to perform as well in English, their native language, as kids who are not in an immersion school. Sorry, but that's ridiculous. Lamb, Haynes, etc. score well on the DC CAS. If Yu Ying does not, it's obviously a problem with the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clarification: I was the 6 yr old. Entered 2nd grade in the U.S. knowing no English and tested above grade in 4th grade. I am bilingual. For the 4 and 2 yr old, English became their primary language and both had to relearn their native language as teens.

Well first of all this was not just a half time immersion program--your whole life was basically immersion. I'm sure the same thing happens with US kids who live in other countries. Second of all, you're talking 4th grade which is when language immersion kids are expected to test above their peers.

Most, if not all, Yu Ying 3rd graders have been speaking English their whole lives and are tested in English for the DC CAS but are not expected to perform as well in English, their native language, as kids who are not in an immersion school. Sorry, but that's ridiculous. Lamb, Haynes, etc. score well on the DC CAS. If Yu Ying does not, it's obviously a problem with the school.

Maybe you should check out the research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't the research actually say that bilingual students should under-perform until 5th grade or whenever the cognitive benefits of bilingualism kick in?

Some people on DCUM have mentioned this. Personally, I don't believe it. English is not my first language and our family immigrated here when my brothers and I were 6, 4 and 2, speaking a none European language and both parents spoke little English. Within two years all of us were completely fluent and tested above grade level in English. DC CAS tests for English proficiency not Chinese so I don't see why Yu Ying kids should not test at or above their grade level in their native language.

I question this too? Doesn't make sense and I wish someone would explain why bilingual students under-perform until 5th grade in the US. I wonder if the research refers to kids that are tested in their second language and not their first, which would be the case in the US? Why do kids in other countries in Europe and Asia who learn English and most likely another language in addition to their native language test at or above grade level and this is not the case in the US? I asked my friend whose native language is French and learned German and English in elementary school how she did and she had no problem testing above level in French. She did say English was harder, but she tested at level in English during her lower school years.

According to the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition

"Research has shown that “the effect of learning a second language on first-language skills has been positive in all studies done.... [and] the loss of instructional time in English has never been shown to have negative effects on the achievement of the first language.” (Bournot-Trites & Tellowitz, 2002) In fact, immersion students match and often surpass English program students’ performance by Grade 4 or 5 after first-language arts are introduced in the middle elementary years."

http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/acie/vol10/may2007_parentsten.html

So, since the YY kids being tested now didn't actually start Chinese until 1st grade, it should probably take them a couple of extra years. The real test will be the 5th grade scores for the class that started in Pre-K.

[Anonymous]

The point is not that Yu Ying 3rd graders will or will not test well--it is that there a bunch of factors that make the test score one of only many factors current and future parents will need to consider. The school has already told parents that at least 15% of kids in the 2nd and 3rd grade classes are struggling with the immersion model-thus the implementation of the new strategy for those grades. Based on that factor alone, I am expecting scores not to be amazing. But will I pull out my child, or think that there is something "wrong" with Yu Ying? Not at all. It is a new school, trying to accomplish something very challenging, and I see the day in day out work my own child is doing and can tell she is getting a great education. If they haven't figured out how to get perfect DC CAS scores, that is super low on my worry list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't the research actually say that bilingual students should under-perform until 5th grade or whenever the cognitive benefits of bilingualism kick in?

Some people on DCUM have mentioned this. Personally, I don't believe it. English is not my first language and our family immigrated here when my brothers and I were 6, 4 and 2, speaking a none European language and both parents spoke little English. Within two years all of us were completely fluent and tested above grade level in English. DC CAS tests for English proficiency not Chinese so I don't see why Yu Ying kids should not test at or above their grade level in their native language.

I question this too? Doesn't make sense and I wish someone would explain why bilingual students under-perform until 5th grade in the US. I wonder if the research refers to kids that are tested in their second language and not their first, which would be the case in the US? Why do kids in other countries in Europe and Asia who learn English and most likely another language in addition to their native language test at or above grade level and this is not the case in the US? I asked my friend whose native language is French and learned German and English in elementary school how she did and she had no problem testing above level in French. She did say English was harder, but she tested at level in English during her lower school years.

According to the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition

"Research has shown that “the effect of learning a second language on first-language skills has been positive in all studies done.... [and] the loss of instructional time in English has never been shown to have negative effects on the achievement of the first language.” (Bournot-Trites & Tellowitz, 2002) In fact, immersion students match and often surpass English program students’ performance by Grade 4 or 5 after first-language arts are introduced in the middle elementary years."

http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/acie/vol10/may2007_parentsten.html

So, since the YY kids being tested now didn't actually start Chinese until 1st grade, it should probably take them a couple of extra years. The real test will be the 5th grade scores for the class that started in Pre-K.

thanks for the link--I found the original studies that you quoted and will read them this week.

[Anonymous]

My current first grade child does about 45 minutes of homework per week if you don't count reading in English and Chinese. The teachers are the same next year, so they were probably quoting the highest range possible if your child is struggling or new to the school.

[Anonymous]

16:41, nope, they are upping the homework in all grades next year. I guess they are worried abou test scores.

[Anonymous]

I didn't think LAMB had very good scores, and Haynes is not a language immersion school.

[Anonymous]

DC CAS scores by school, FARM, etc. New scores not out.

http://www.nclb.osse.dc.gov/

[Anonymous]

So does that mean Kindergartners will be expected to do an hour of homework a night?

[Anonymous]

Well, if 1st grade is expected to do 1/2 hour a night, it would stand to reason that K would do 1/2 or less. Right?

[Anonymous]

More movement in 1st, K and PK.

[Anonymous]

My child went up two spots but unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, I noticed that other kids (one other child has a name similar to my child so I always notice that child's placement) moved up more than that. How can that be? I know that there might be some siblings moving up, but don't think there should be such a difference.

[Anonymous]

The thing to look at is how many slots separate your child from the one with the similar name. The wait list has moved several times and if you are remembering the other child's "raw" number (used to be 42 is now 38) you might be lumping 2 movements. The question is, if your child and the other used to be 52/42 are they now 48/38?