SVUSD May Offer Chinese Classes Next Year

Local high school students may get the chance to study Mandarin Chinese next year if a proposal to add beginning courses in the language is approved by the Saddleback Valley Unified School District board.

The school board is scheduled to review the proposal Tuesday evening at its monthly meeting in Mission Viejo.

If the board approves the new courses, "some high schools" in SVUSD could offer them for the 2012-2013 school year, according to the staff report. The report does not specific which schools are interested in adding Chinese classes to their course catalog and attempts to reach the district for more information were unsuccessful.

According to the report, enrollment, site funds for textbooks and materials and the availability of qualified staff are all factors that could affect which schools offer the courses.

The beginning course would help students develop initial listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, with emphasis on practical use. Instruction would be primarily in Chinese.

Students would also learn about the culture and people of some Chinese-speaking countries.

The public portion of the meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the SVUSD Board Room at 25631 Peter A. Hartman Way.