Utah has implemented a large-scale Chinese dual language immersion program across 33 elementary schools and 15 middle schools for the 2016-2017 school year, involving over 8,000 students. The program follows a 50/50 model where instruction is divided daily between one teacher teaching only in Mandarin Chinese and one teacher teaching only in English. At the 6th grade level specifically, there were 19 teachers and 700 students spread across 19 separate schools and 8 districts receiving Chinese instruction. The goals of targeting just 6th graders were to establish consistent standards, collect benchmark data on the transition to middle school, and identify gaps to address before moving to higher grades.

1. &
LEVEL CHINESE
Large Scale
Implementation
2016-2017
Stacy Lyon, Director
Utah Chinese Dual Language
Immersion
Utah State Board of Education

2. Instruction is divided between two
classrooms daily:
 One teacher teaches ONLY in the target language
 One teacher teaches ONLY in English
The Utah Model
50/50
two
teachers
starting in
1st grade

3. Program Scale
• Grades 1-6 = 33 schools, 173 teachers
• Grades 7-8 = 15 schools, 14 teachers
• Total Students 2016-2017 = 8,000+

4. Level Chinese Target Group
6th Grade = 19 teachers
700 students
19 separate schools
8 different districts
Why just 6th grade students?

5. Instructional Benefits
1. Consistent standard across multiple organizations and teacher
backgrounds.
2. Benchmark data for transition to middle school.
3. Progressive set of objectives encourages effective
instructional practices.
4. Helps identify gaps where explicit instruction is needed.
5. Engages students in taking responsibility for and celebrating
their own success.

6. stacy.lyon@outlook.com
Questions?