Can Chinese Language Get Your Students

Admitted to Their Dream Colleges?

2011 National Chinese Language Conference

San Francisco, CA

• Baocai (Paul) Jia, HS Chinese Teacher, Cupertino High School, Cupertino, CA

• Jamie Northrup, Director of Marketing, Middlebury-Monterrey Language Academy, Middlebury, VT

• Michelle Whittingham, Associate Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management and Director of Admissions, University of California, Santa Cruz

• James Montoya (Moderator), Vice President of Relationship Development, The College Board

Meet the Presenters

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• Look at key factors considered in the college admissions and enrollment process

• Examine role of Chinese language knowledge and cultural experiences in college admissions and enrollment

• Learn about tools students can leverage to demonstrate language proficiency and cultural awareness

• Have fun!

Session Objectives

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Let’s play….

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The Rules

• Team who “buzzes” first gets 20 seconds to guess as many answers as they can

• Answers are recorded on flip charts

• Points are awarded for matched answers

• Team with the most points at the end wins

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Let’s meet the families…

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Part One – Admissions Factors

What are the most common factors considered by colleges when looking at a

student profile?

Factors Considered in College Admissions

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Primary Factors(2 points each)

Quality/Rigor of Academic Courses

Academic Performance/ Grades

Test Scores (SAT, SAT Subject Tests, AP®, etc.)

Special Talents, projects, achievements

Additional Factors(1 point each)

Extracurricular Activities Personal Statements /

Essay(s) Letters of

Recommendation Demonstrated Interest

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Part Two – Chinese Language Knowledge & Cultural Awareness

What does demonstration of Chinese language knowledge and cultural

awareness indicate about a student?

Role of Chinese Language Knowledge & Cultural Awareness

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Academic Insights(2 points each)

Bilingual ability Fulfillment of foreign

language requirement Interest / readiness for

advanced study of the language

Potential fit for a major / program (e.g., East Asian studies, international economics, international relations)

Non-Academic Insights(2 points each)

Global perspective Cultural awareness Ability to contribute to

campus diversity Facility with intercultural

communications Eagerness to investigate the

world Ability to translate ideas

into action

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Part Three – Academic Resources & Tools

What academic resources & tools are available for students to demonstrate

proficiency in Chinese language and culture?

Academic Resources & Tools

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2 points each

Take high school courses in Chinese language and/or culture

Take Advanced Placement Chinese Language and Culture Course & Exam

Pursue Chinese language study outside of the high school classroom (e.g., weekend language study, online courses)

Demonstrate Chinese language proficiency through SAT Subject Test in Chinese

Participate in Summer Language & Culture immersion programs (e.g., Middlebury-Monterrey Language Academy, STARTALK programs)

Advanced Placement Chinese Language and Culture Course & Exam

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Content & Skills Covered

Cultural Awareness

• Explores contemporary and historical Chinese culture

• Cover social, geographic, economic, environmental and political topics

Language Proficiency

• Employs 3 communicative modes

– Interpersonal - two-way interaction

– Interpretive – interpret a broad range of written and oral texts

– Presentational – speaking & writing proficiency

Interweaves language and culture to deepen students’ immersion into the Chinese-

speaking world

• Comparable to a fourth semester college/university course in Mandarin Chinese

• Exam:

– Is 2hrs & 15min long

– Assesses proficiency in Interpersonal, Interpretive and Presentational Communication

– Graded on a 1-5 scale

SAT Subject Test in Chinese

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Skills Assessed

Listening Comprehension

• Ability to understand spoken Chinese

• Based on short, spoken dialogues and narratives

Language Usage

• Correct completion of sentences

• Printed in traditional Chinese characters and simplified Chinese characters, and two phonetic transcriptions (Pinyin romanization and the Chinese phonetic alphabet Bopomofo)

Reading Comprehension

• Understanding of main and supporting ideas, themes, and the setting of passages

Evaluates a student’s ability to understand spoken and

written Mandarin Chinese in the context of contemporary

Chinese culture

• One-hour long test; 85 multiple questions

• 20 minutes of listening and 40 minutes of usage and reading

• 200-800 score scale

• Based on 2-4 years of Chinese language study in high school, or the equivalent

Subject Tests and AP - How do they compare?

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• Focuses on both language proficiency and cultural understanding

• Assesses proficiency in Interpersonal, Interpretive and Presentational Communication

• Exam is tied to study in the corresponding AP course

• Primarily used for college course credit & placement

AP Chinese Culture & Language Exam

College level test that assess a student’s knowledge, skills, and

abilities, learned in the corresponding AP course

SAT Subject Test in Chinese

• Primarily focuses on language proficiency

• Covers listening and reading comprehension skills

• Can be taken at any time during high school; not tied to a specific curriculum

• Primarily used for college admissions

High school level test that indicate a student’s Chinese language

proficiency based on 2-4yrs of high school level study

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Part Four – Non-Academic Resources & Tools

What non-academic resources & tools are available for students to demonstrate

proficiency in Chinese language and culture?

Non-Academic Resources & Tools

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2 points each

Study abroad / Travel abroad programs

Volunteer work in communities where there are native speakers

Involvement with Chinese language & culture clubs

Participation in local embassy community outreach programs

Involvement with government-sponsored exchange programs in foreign languages

Online language exchange programs

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…and THE WINNING TEAM is…

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Come see us after the session for your prize

Questions?

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