Immersed in Foreign Language Options

By Jay Mathews
Thursday, February 16, 2006

Dear Extra Credit:

In response to your column, "Getting the Lowdown on Foreign Language Immersion" [Fairfax Extra, Feb. 2], you could really do Fairfax readers a service by providing more comprehensive information on elementary-level foreign language offerings in the Fairfax County Public Schools. I suggest that you speak with Paula Patrick, the school system's foreign language coordinator. There's also a lot of information available on the Web site http://www.fcps.edu . From my discussions with Ms. Patrick, my understanding is that there are the following options for elementary school children in Fairfax:

· Partial immersion programs. As you pointed out, these are at designated schools and are open through a lottery system. Also, they are only available in four languages. I sought to have it expanded to Chinese -- arguably one of the most critical languages in the future -- and was told expansion into new languages was not possible.

· Foreign Languages in the Elementary Schools (FLES). This is a program in which every child at the elementary school receives language instruction a couple of times a week in a designated language. At Mantua Elementary in Fairfax, for example, each child receives instruction in Italian.

· Foreign Language Experience Program (FLEX). This is a before- or after-school class that parents pay to have their children attend once or twice a week. It's open to children who do not attend the school at which it is held, and parents are responsible for transportation. It is administered by the continuing education department. They can start an advanced-level FLEX class for children who already speak a language, provided that eight children sign up to attend.

I understand that the school board is looking to implement a FLES-like approach at every elementary school in the county beginning in 2007. This is currently being discussed by a strategic planning group established by the school board. Kristen Day

Fairfax

Dear Extra Credit:

Your response regarding foreign language instruction in county schools discussed only the partial immersion programs -- programs that require great dedication on the part of parents and children (particularly those outside school boundaries) and that are used only by a small fraction of the population, even at participating schools.

Not discussed was another program that provides language instruction for all children at a given school, Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools (FLES). The program has been introduced in seven county elementary schools. FLES uses teachers to provide instruction to all of the children up to sixth grade a couple of times a week as a normal part of the school curriculum. The FLES program makes an important contribution to exposing all children to foreign languages.

Fionnuala Quinn

Fairfax

Navy Elementary ,

Hunters Woods Elementary

a nd Rachel Carson

Middle School parent

Thanks for filling the holes in that column. If there are parents or students who have experience with FLES or FLEX, I would love to hear about them.

I share Kristen Day's interest in Chinese. I called her and discovered that she, like me, studied it in college and later lived in China. If you are not tone-deaf, it is a relatively easy language to speak, with simple grammar and syntax. Learning to read and write it is more difficult, but fun for elementary school students who already like to draw weird shapes.

As you may know, there are FLES programs in Chinese at Shrevewood and Wolftrap elementary schools. The Marshall Academy, which is held at Marshall High School and is open to all students in the county, has had an International Baccalaureate Chinese program for two years and this fall will add, along with West Potomac Academy, an Advanced Placement Chinese course. Speaking of West Potomac High School, last week I erred in calling the student newspaper the Pyramid. The correct name is the Wire.

I thought when I was 16 that China would be the great rising power of the 21st century, and that seems to be coming true.

Please send your questions, along with your name, e-mail or postal address and telephone number to Extra Credit, The Washington Post, 526 King St., Suite 515, Alexandria, Va. 22314. Or e-mailextracredit@washpost.com.