Important Notice for JK applicants to MLK's Chinese Immersion Program and to King Open Ola's Program
Posted on 12/22/2017
On December 5, 2017, the School Committee voted to pass the following Controlled Choice Policy change affecting King Open and Dr. Martin Luther King Schools. The exact Policy is copied below for your reference.
“That whereas how siblings are assigned to immersion programs should be aligned with the district goals of supporting families and prioritizing sibling togetherness in schools, beginning with the January 2018 Lottery for new students entering CPS in the 2018-2019 school year, the internal JK to K transfer program from King Ni Hao to King Chinese Immersion and King Open to King Open Ola will be eliminated. This means that JK students registering for the 2018 Lottery for school year 2018-2019 will not have the opportunity to transfer for their K year between programs at King and King Open during their 2019-2020 school year.
Furthermore, all internal transfer rules in place for the two programs at the time of the 2017 Lottery for the 2017-2018 school year shall govern the current JK to K transfer rights for internal transfers between King Ni Hao and Chinese Immersion and King Open and Ola. This means that current JK students in King Ni Hao and King Open retain their internal transfer rights for their K year in the 2018-2019 school year.
Further, that the administration will work to ensure that all siblings affected by the internal transfer policy be assigned to their siblings’ school for the 2018-2019 school year.”
Below we use Dr. Martin Luther King’s Ni Hao and Chinese Immersion Programs as the example to illustrate the implications of this Policy change: It also applies to King Open’s regular Program and its Ola Program.
1. What does this mean for my family since we are registering our JK-eligible child for the JK/K Lottery and we are interested in both the Ni Hao and Chinese Immersion Programs at MLK?
As of the JK/K Lottery in January 2018 for school entry in September 2018, if your child is assigned to Ni Hao as a junior kindergartener, then due to the change in Policy, JK Ni Hao students will no longer have the opportunity to automatically transfer to Chinese Immersion Program for your child’s kindergarten year in September 2019.
2. How does this affect the current SY17-18 JK Ni Hao students who wish to transfer to Chinese Immersion in September 2018?
The JK students currently in Ni Hao during SY17-18 will have the opportunity to internally transfer between Ni Hao and Chinese Immersion for SY18-19 as Ks. They will be the last cohort to have the opportunity to automatically transfer between Programs.
3. Will my JK child have any opportunity to enroll in Chinese Immersion if my child is assigned through the JK/K Lottery to Ni Hao, and I have selected Chinese Immersion as a first choice?
If your child is assigned to Ni Hao and you selected Chinese Immersion as your first choice, then your child will be placed on the Chinese Immersion waitlist. Students on waitlists may have an opportunity to transfer into Chinese Immersion off the waitlist; however, there is no guarantee and there is no priority given to students who are enrolled in Ni Hao to transfer into Chinese Immersion off the waitlist.
4. How much Chinese language instruction is offered in the Ni Hao Program?
In Kindergarten, Ni Hao students receive thirty minutes of Chinese language instruction four times a week. Starting at first grade through fifth grade, students receive 45 minutes of Chinese language instruction four days a week.