During the November meeting, the GCISD Board of Trustees approved new courses for the middle and high school programs of study, which includes the addition of Mandarin Chinese beginning in the 2013 fall semester.
The Mandarin Chinese course is an introductory course intended for students with little or no knowledge of the language and it aims to present essential vocabulary and grammar to develop the pronunciation, listening, reading and writing skills necessary for basic communication and comprehension.
“We are excited to offer this new educational experience for our students,” said Dr. Rick Westfall, Chief Learning Officer. “We are always searching for ways to expand the educational opportunities for our students and the addition of Mandarin Chinese to our world languages curriculum creates a new pathway for students to understand and be prepared for success in our global society.”
Board member Jesse Rodríguez echoed this sentiment in remarks during the meeting.
“This program is a fantastic opportunity for awareness and exposure to another language and culture,” Rodríguez said. “When applying for colleges, study abroad programs, or jobs, the more languages you know, the more marketable you become. This is an incredible academic opportunity and we are proud to be able to offer it to our students.”
The two-semester course will be offered at both Colleyville Heritage High School and Grapevine High School next year. Upon successful completion of each semester, one-half high school foreign language credit will be awarded. The course also will be available to eighth-grade students in a zero-hour format. Grade points are not awarded nor entered into the high school grade point average for completion of this course in eighth grade.
Other new programs in the 2013-2014 Program of Studies that will be offered for GCISD high school students include:
- Principles of Health Science
- Medical Terminology
- Health Science
- Medical Microbiology
- Pathophysiology
- Walk, Jog and Run Fitness
- Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science
