37% Mandarin Dropout Rate at SHS Speaks to District's Commitment

This letter was sent to Scarsdale10583 by Julie Zhu of Harcourt Road:
In the newly published November 2015 World Language Report, the Administration cited the following increasingly high dropout rate of Mandarin students in the High School:
The historical enrollment of first­ year Mandarin students is as follows:

• 2011-­2012: 50 students (open to all students in grades 9-­12) [2%*, 14%**]
• 2012-­2013: 18 students [6%*, 11%**]
• 2013­-2014: 16 students [6%*, 18%**]
• 2014-­2015: 27 students [0%*, 37%**]
• 2015-­2016: [pending]

* Drop rate during the course.
** Discontinue rate at the end of the year (does not include graduates)

In the absence of context, this information suggests a lack of student interest and/or commitment at the High School and, by extension, yet another reason not to start Mandarin at the Middle School. On the contrary, this is strong evidence that Mandarin instruction needs to start earlier than High School.

What the dropout data alone fails to tell us is that since the Mandarin program began over four years ago in September 2011, High School students have only been encouraged to take Mandarin as an extra course on top of their already full course load. Middle School counselors and High School deans routinely emphasize to parents and students that colleges prefer students to take as many years of language instruction as possible, which means continuing the same language that the student began in Middle School. In addition, students who have taken either French or Spanish in 7th and 8th grade already have earned 1 year of High School course credit that few would want to give up. As a result, High school students are essentially being encouraged to add Mandarin only as a second or even third World Language. It is therefore no surprise to see Mandarin being dropped as students become overwhelmed by their extra course load and concerned about their GPA.

The appropriate question we should be asking is not how committed our students are but how committed our District is to Mandarin. To answer this question, one could begin by going back to the District's "2008 World Language Committee Report." According to the 2008 Report, the Committee did initially recommend starting Mandarin instruction in 6th grade. Even though Mandarin eventually started only at the High School in 2011, it was, however, done with a clear intent that roll out to the Middle School would be the second of a two-phrase implementation.

We are now standing at a critical juncture. The Board and the Administration have a choice to make: Cut what some might perceive as 'losses' by eliminating the 4-year-old High School Mandarin program, or properly nurture the growth of the now stunted program by offering Mandarin starting from the Middle School. Keeping the status quo of Middle School "World" -- that is, European -- language offerings (Spanish or French) is neither being fiscally responsible to the tax payers nor serving and preparing our students well for the converging and interdependent world we live in.

It is time to honor part two of our District's 2008 commitment to a full Mandarin program, including instruction in the Middle School.

Julie Zhu
Harcourt Road