Arabic Language Pathway Feasibility Study

Report by Lisa Kwong Multilingual Pathways Department Curriculum and Instruction Division

February 2016

Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary 2 2. Background Information 3

Board Resolution 3 Current World Languages Offered by SFUSD 4

3. Review of Current Student Data 5 Findings 8

4. Response from the Community 9 Community Meetings 9 Community Survey Results 9 Findings 12 Student Focus Groups 12 Student Survey Results 13 Findings 16 Response from Staff 16 Findings 17

5. Research on Arabic Language and Programs 18 Characteristics of the Arabic Language 18 Extended Learning Opportunities 20 Arabic Language Programs in the U.S. 20 Findings 22

6. Curriculum Resources 23 Curriculum Resources and Materials 23 Other Resources 24 Curriculum Selection Process 25 Findings 25

7. Recruitment of Teachers 26 Findings 26

8. Potential Sites for World Language Pathway 27 Criteria for Selecting Potential Sites 27 Possible Configurations 29

9. Fiscal Impact 32 10. Final Recommendations 33

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1. Executive Summary SFUSD school board passed a resolution in May of 2015 to explore world language pathways for Arabic and Vietnamese. This resolution called for a feasibility report to collect data on multiple components that needed to be reviewed before implementing a language pathway. An analysis of current student data on Arabic students found that majority of families live in the northeastern quadrant of the city. The elementary schools with highest enrollment of Arabic students are Redding and Tenderloin. The middle schools with highest enrollment of Arabic students are Marina, Roosevelt and Francisco. The high schools with the highest enrollment of Arabic students are Galileo, Wallenberg and Mission. One community meeting, five student focus groups and interviews with staff were conducted to gather feedback from the community. Findings indicated that parents, community members and students who participated in the survey were very supportive of starting an Arabic language pathway. Staff from the elementary level shared concerns about finding time for world language instruction in an already tight instructional day and suggested offering it as an after school option. Overall, school communities want to be involved in the selection process. University partners who offer Arabic language courses were consulted to research the characteristics of Arabic. There is a standard form of Arabic for the teaching of reading and writing, but spoken Arabic has many different dialects. The Arabic community in the San Francisco area speak mostly a Levantine dialect. A survey conducted by Qatar Foundation International found that in 2013, approximately 84 primary and secondary schools across the U.S. offer courses in Arabic. Arabic is taught mostly in high schools as a world language option. There are more Arabic programs and curriculum resources than was thought to be available. Certificated teachers with proficiency in Arabic are hard to find, but two credentialed teachers were identified and are interested in pursuing a bilingual authorization in Arabic. Additional teachers will need to be recruited using community and global networks such as Qatar Foundation International. After analyzing all the data, we believe that there are adequate resources to start an Arabic world language pathway. The report concludes with a list or recommendations to increase successful implementation of an Arabic world language program.

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2. Background Information Board Resolution On May 26th of 2015, Commissioners Fewer, Haney and Walton presented to the SFUSD school board a resolution to create language pathways for Arabic and Vietnamese. The board voted to allocate .2 FTE of Public Education Enrichment Funds (PEEF) monies to explore the feasibility of the Arabic language pathway and another .2 FTE of PEEF monies for the exploration of a Vietnamese language pathway. A decision to move forward with program implementation of the two language pathways will need to be made by February 2016 in order to make budgetary decisions. If the district decides to move forward with implementation, the language pathways would begin at the start of 2017­18 school year. This resolution called for a feasibility report to include the following components: Program Design, i.e., alignment to district goals, curriculum, instructional

materials and assessments; Staff Needs, i.e. recruitment, pathway language and cultural competency and

professional development; Facility Needs, i.e., available classroom(s) for grade level instruction; Fiscal Impact, i.e., resources needed over time; Impact on Existing Programs at the school, i.e EL Pathways, Special Education,

change in school demographics, etc.; Responses from students, community and school staff; and Timeline for program development and implementation.

This resolution further stipulated that the Arabic and Vietnamese pathways:

should follow a world language model; will be taught by native speakers to provide authentic experiences in language

and culture during the school day; include an “opt­in” option for students enrolled at the site to participate; do not segregate students within schools; will be placed at schools with the highest concentration of Arabic and

Vietnamese speakers; and should be in close proximity to the neighborhood that students live.

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The following timeline was created to gather data for all components of the report.

Month Task/Events

August Search for SFUSD teachers with language proficiency in Arabic

September Create survey to capture response from community Review current student data

October

Set up community forums to explain process and gauge interest

Outreach to SFUSD parents for meetings through flyers & auto­dialer, school contacts, etc.

Set up student focus groups at the secondary level to survey student interest

Compile curricular resources from universities and other school districts

Search for other Arabic language programs in the U.S.

November

Gather feedback from staff Continue to meet with student focus groups at the secondary

level to survey interest Continue to meet with community members to explain

process and gauge interests. Visit schools with existing Arabic language program if possible continue to compile curricular resources from universities and

other school districts

December Compile data for report

January Share draft with leadership and community

February Present to School Board for final approval

Current World Languages Offered by SFUSD SFUSD currently offers instruction in 8 different languages at multiple school sites through our world language pathway. Majority of world language courses are offered at our high schools. Three languages (Japanese, Filipino and Italian) are offered at a few elementary schools following the foreign language in elementary school (FLES) model where instruction of the targeted language is about 30 ­ 40 minutes per day.

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Language School

Filipino Longfellow ES Bessie Carmichael K­8

French Balboa HS Galileo HS Lincoln HS Lowell HS O’Connell HS Washington HS

Hebrew Lowell HS

Italian Clarendon ES Lowell HS

Japanese Clarendon ES Rosa Parks ES Presidio ES Lowell HS Washington HS

Latin Lowell HS

Mandarin Marina MS Roosevelt MS Balboa HS Burton HS Galileo HS Independence HS ISA HS Lincoln HS Lowell HS Marshall HS MIssion HS Wallenberg HS Washington HS

Spanish Presidio MS Willie Brown MS Lick MS Academy of Arts and Sciences Balboa HS Burton HS Downtown HS Galileo HS Independence HS International Studies Academy June Jordan HS Lincoln HS Lowell HS Marshall HS Mission HS O’Connell HS School of the Arts Wallenberg HS Washington HS Wells HS

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3. Review of Current Student Data Over 70 languages are spoken by families of SFUSD. Arabic students make up about 1% of the student population, which is equivalent to 519 students.

An analysis of 2015­16 student demographic data generated in the fall of 2015 listed the following as the top 10 neighborhoods where Arabic students live.

Ranking Zip Code Neighborhood # of Students

Percentage

1 94102 Tenderloin 109 21%

2 94109 Nob Hill 88 17%

3 94110 Mission 41 8%

4 94134 Portola 31 6%

5 94112 Mission Terrace 30 5%

6 94107 Mission Bay 28 5%

7 94115 Lower Pacific Heights 25 5%

8 94121 Outer Richmond 25 4%

9 94116 Inner Sunset 21 4%

10 94133 North Beach 21 4%

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The following chart shows the percentages of Arabic students clustered by neighborhoods.

The following is a list of top 10 schools with the highest enrollment of Arabic students.

Ranking School Level # of Students

1 Redding ES Elem 46

2 Tenderloin ES Elem 39

3 Galileo HS High 30

4 Wallenberg HS High 29

5 Mission HS High 20

6 Marina MS Middle 19

7 Roosevelt MS Middle 18

8 Washington HS High 16

9 Francisco MS Middle 14

10 Parks ES Elem 12

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Findings: 1. Arabic students make up about 1% of students in SFUSD. 2. Although our Arabic students live throughout the city, a high concentration (53%)

of families reside in the northeastern part of our city, in the Tenderloin, Nob Hill, North Beach, Chinatown and Lower Pacific Heights neighborhoods.

3. Elementary schools with the highest enrollment of Arabic students are Redding ES and Tenderloin ES.

4. Middle schools with the highest enrollment of Arabic students are Marina MS and Roosevelt MS.

5. High Schools with the highest enrollment of Arabic students are Galileo HS and Wallenberg HS.

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4. Response from the Community Community Meetings A community meeting was held in October 2015 at Redding ES. The Tenderloin district was chosen as the prime location for the meeting because student demographic data indicated that many of our Arabic students live in that quadrant of the city. Outreach to community members for this public meeting involved the following: 1. publication in district calendar 2. notification of all district staff via the Weekly Administrative Directive (WAD) 3. direct mailing to Arabic students at their schools 4. automated calls made directly to parents of Arabic students 5. emails to principals who have Arabic students at their school 6. enlisting the help of community partners to share information of public meeting

At the meeting, participants were presented with information about the feasibility report and the timeline for the decision making process followed by a question and answer session. At the end, participants completed a survey before the meeting concluded.

Date and Time Location Number in Attendance

10/14/15, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Redding ES 101 Community Survey Results: 1. A total of 101 participants completed the survey: 85 parents, 16 students, 3 SFUSD staff, 21 community members. Some parents and students also identified themselves as community members.

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2. Of those who were parents, they represent families with about 243 students in our public schools.

3. Participants considered maintaining language and culture as the most beneficial reason for learning Arabic followed by sharing language and culture with others.

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4. Other reasons for learning Arabic as listed by participants: Empower Arab youth. Encourage Arab youth to be proud and ambitious. Bilingual children are smarter. Keep our children’s identity. Our community is often ignored. Help fill national demand for Arabic cultural literacy. Increase awareness and pride of threads that make up diversity of SF. Master Arabic language.

5. Of the 101 participants, 96 indicated they would enroll their child in an Arabic language program if available, 2 said maybe, and 4 did not respond.

6. Potential school sites suggested by survey participants

Top Elementary School Results i. Tenderloin ­ 20 mentions ii. Redding ­ 18 mentions

Top Middle School Results i. Roosevelt MS ­ 6 mentions ii. Kipp Academy ­ 6 mentions

Top High School Results i. Wallenberg HS ­ 9 mentions ii. Galileo HS ­ 8 mentions

Six parents indicated that all school should have an Arabic language program and 2 would like program to start at any school.

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7. General comments and concerns mentioned in the survey: How will the district ensure that this program is culturally sensitive? Hope it starts soon. How are languages chosen? Why some and not others? Worried that the program will take too long to begin. Arabic is a hard language to learn. Need to start in elementary school. Concerned about not hiring adequate teaching staff. Wished that Arabic is offered at all schools. Afraid that this will start and not continued. Very excited that this might happen.

Findings: Parents and community who participated in the survey were overwhelmingly

supportive of starting an Arabic language program. Many were eager for program to start as soon as possible.

Parents would like Arabic to be offered at all schools. Although Tenderloin and Redding received more mentions than other schools,

the data about school preference was not conclusive. Parents mostly suggested schools that their children were attending.

Parents want be involved in the selection process. Student Focus Groups Secondary schools with the highest enrollment of Arabic students were asked to participate in student focus groups. Of the eight schools contacted, five schools participated in the focus groups. A total of 52 Arabic students completed the survey.

Dates School Level # of Students

10/19/15 Wallenberg HS High 30

10/26/15 Galileo HS High 10

10/26/15 King MS Middle 3

10/28/15 Lincoln HS High 6

10/29/15 Washington HS High 3

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Student Survey Results: 1. This is a breakdown of the schools and the number of students who participated in the survey.

2. Of the 52 student participants, only 3 did not speak Arabic at home.

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3. Of the 52 students, 45 indicated interest in learning Arabic, 4 were unsure and 3 were not interested.

4. These were some of the reasons students wanted to learn Arabic: To learn home language and communicate with parents. Beneficial to their future in getting jobs. Didn’t want to forget or lose their language. Want to improve on what they know. Be able to choose Arabic as one of their language choices.

5. The only reason indicated by one student who did not want to learn Arabic:

Last year in high school. 6. In the student focus groups, 12 students indicated they were learning Arabic outside of school, 36 were not, and 4 students did not respond.

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7. Of the 52 students, 37 of them wished the elementary school that they attended offered Arabic language.

8. Students shared that maintaining home language and having opportunity to share language with others are the most important benefits for learning Arabic. 9. When asked when they would prefer taking an Arabic language course, 40 students prefered to take this class as an elective during the school day, 2 prefered after school, 4 were not interested in taking the class and 7 did not respond.

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10. If given only one elective, 42 students said they would choose Arabic as elective, 4 would choose other world languages, and 6 did not respond.

Findings:

About 87% of students who participated in the survey were interested in enrolling in an Arabic language program.

67% of students we interviewed were not learning Arabic outside of school. Majority of students preferred taking an Arabic language class during the school

day as an elective. If they only have one choice for elective, 81% of students who participated in the

survey would still select Arabic over other choices. Response from Staff To begin identifying potential challenges that school sites might face, a small group of principals and teachers were interviewed. Those who participated included 2 principals at the elementary level, 1 principal at the high school level and a group of 16 elementary teachers. They provided their feedback about starting a new language pathway at their school through an interview process or by submitting a feedback form. Some questions that were asked were:

1. What are the potential benefits of starting a world language pathway at your school?

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2. What are the potential challenges of starting a world language pathway at your school?

3. How can we overcome the challenges that you have identified? Findings:

Lack of time during the instructional day was repeatedly the main concern expressed by principals and teachers.

There is a general opinion from the elementary staff that an enrichment language program would fit better as an after school option.

One principal shared that starting a new language pathway will complicate scheduling in a small high school versus a comprehensive high school.

School communities want to be involved in the final selection process.

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5. Research on the Arabic Language and Programs Characteristics of the Arabic Language The following was a list of questions that was compiled and posed to local university partners to gather data on the characteristics of the Arabic language.

1. How many students in your university are enrolled in the study of Arabic? How many professors in your department teach Arabic?

2. Is there a standardized form of Arabic? 3. What is the existing curriculum that is used at your university? Is it appropriate

for use with high school students? 4. Is there a cultural element to your instruction that would be appropriate for a

public institution? 5. How are dialects introduced especially if there are student who are from different

regions in the same class? 6. We are interested in recruiting teachers for our district. Do you know of any

students you come in contact be who might be interested in becoming teachers? 7. Are there other uniqueness to the Arabic language that we should be aware of?

Professors from local universities and well­known private universities that offered Arabic courses were contacted. Of those who were contacted, two provided detailed responses. Professor University Number of

Professors Who Teach Arabic

Course Taught Average Class Size

Nawal Laymoun University of California in Berkeley

8 Intermediate Arabic

18 students

Nawal Laymoun San Jose City College

1 Beginning and Intermediate Arabic

15­21 students

Jamal Mavrikios

Pacific Arabic LLC

4 Total of 90 at the school

Here are some characteristics of Arabic that the professors shared:

The written and formal language is Modern Standard Arabic, called (Fus’ha) in Arabic. This is the only written form of Arabic and the official language of every Arabic­speaking country.

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Arabs do not use Modern Standard Arabic for daily communication, but everyone can understand it no matter what their dialect is. This is the language of reading and writing.

There are many Arabic dialects that are spoken in different regions of the Middle East. The differences between the dialects are vast and sometimes a native Arabic speaker from the Levantine will not understand the dialect of a Moroccan person, for example.

Students can learn a dialect fairly easily once they've developed intermediate­level proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic.

Textbooks introduce each text and its vocabulary words in Modern Standard Arabic but also provide the same text in both Levantine and Egyptian dialects so students are familiar with the two most common Arab dialects.

Most courses at the university level use the Alkitaab Language Program for instruction. This program would be age appropriate for high school students as well.

Arabic study often becomes politicized in our society but culture, current events and religion can be addressed in a non­biased manner that’s appropriate for a public institution.

Most of the students learning Arabic at the universities are not heritage speakers. Professors know of students who would be interested in becoming teachers and

would be happy to refer them to us. Other insights to consider: Arabic is now the fourth most widely spoken native language in the world after

Chinese, Spanish, and English. The Arabic alphabet is the second most widely used alphabet in the world,

because it has been adopted by numerous languages such as Persian, Kurdish, Urdu, Malay, Ottoman Turkish, and other Turkic languages.

Proficiency in Arabic is a path to a wide range of professional opportunities. Lawyers, doctors, journalists, and other professionals who speak Arabic enjoy a wide range of exciting career choices.

Arabic is also an official language of many international organizations. Knowledge of Arabic is in great demand and has helped recent college

graduates get high­paying job opportunities. Learning Arabic can benefit anyone, and especially those majoring or minoring in

international relations, political science, comparative literature, Islamic studies, religion, history, anthropology, social studies, African studies, women’s studies, linguistics, and many other fields.

Numerous short and long­term scholarships in Arabic studies are available through federal agencies.

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Extended Learning Opportunities The following are agencies that offer language classes for the community for a fee. Many churches and mosques run their own Arabic classes on weekends.

Organization Age of Students

Locations Times Contact Person

Alefb Ages 3 to 12 Several Bay Area locations

After school and weekends

Michelle Tager

Arab Cultural and Community Center

Ages 5 to 14 San Francisco Saturdays Maram Alaiwat

Arabic Language Programs in the U.S. According to Qatar Foundation International, a global agency that promotes the learning of Arabic, there are currently 84 primary and secondary schools across the U.S. offering courses in Arabic as of 2013. The results of the 2013 QFI Arabic schools survey can be accessed via this weblink: http://issuu.com/qfintl/docs/qfi_alc_infographic_vf Here are a few of the Arabic language programs in public schools in the U.S.

District Location School Contact Program Model

Levels

Houston

Independent

School District

Houston, TX Arabic Immersion

Magnet School

(AIMS)

http://www.houst

onisd.org/Domain

/1865

Principal:

Kate Adams

Dual Language Immersion

PreK - K

Portland Public

Schools

Portland, OR Forest Park ES http://www.pps.k

12.or.us/schools/f

orestpark/

Dual Language Immersion

Elementary

New York

Department of

Education

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

P.S./I.S. 30 http://psis30pta.o

rg/

PrincipaL: Carol

Heeraman

Dual Language Immersion

K-8

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Los Angeles

Unified School

District

Los Angeles, CA Bell HS http://www.bellhs.org/

World Language

High School

Los Angeles, CA Granada Hills

Charter HS

http://www.ghchs

.com/

Teacher: Manar

Mayalah

World Language

High School

Los Angeles, CA Hamilton HS http://hamiltonhs

-lausd-ca.schoollo

op.com/wld?no_c

ontrols=t

World Language

High School

Boston Public

School

Boston, MA Boston Arts

Academy

http://bostonarts

academy.org/aca

demics

World Language

High School

Boston, MA Boston Latin

Academy

http://latinacade

my.org/

World Language

High School

Tucson Unified

School District

Tucson, AZ Cholla HS http://edweb.tus

d.k12.az.us/cholla

/InternationalBac

calaureate.php

World Language

High School

Tucson, AZ Stafford Magnet

School

http://edweb.tus

d.k12.az.us/saffor

d/

Lead Teacher:

Nour Jandali

World Language

Middle and High School

Orleans Parish

Public School

New Orleans, LA International High

School of New

Orleans

http://www.ihsno

la.org/

World Language

High School

Hawaii Public

Schools

Ewa Beach, HI James Campbell HS http://www.camp

bellhigh.org/

World Language

High School

Portland Public

Schools

Portland, OR Lincoln HS http://www.pps.k

12.or.us/schools/l

incoln/1544.htm

World Language

High School

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Portland, OR West Sylvan MS http://www.pps.k

12.or.us/schools/

east-west-sylvan/

World Language

Middle School

Pflugerville

Independent

School District

Pflugerville, TX Pflugerville HS http://www.pfisd.

net/Domain/9

World Language

High School

Pflugerville, TX Hendrickson HS http://www.pfisd.

net/Domain/10

World Language

High School

District of

Columbia Public

Schools

Washington D.C.

Washington Latin

Public Charter

School

http://latinpcs.org

/

World Language

MIddle and High

Washington D.C.

E.L. Haynes MS and

HS

http://www.elhay

nes.org/#!academ

ics/r5d1z

World Language

Middle and High

Findings: There is a standardized form of written Arabic call Modern Standard Arabic. There are many different spoken dialects of Arabic. According to a San Francisco based agency that serves the Arab community, the

majority of Arabs in the San Francisco area come from Palestine and Jordan where they speak a Levantine dialect.

We have local experts who have many years of experience teaching Arabic. There are more Arabic language programs being offered throughout the United

States than expected. Most of these programs are at the high school level.

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6. Curriculum Resources Curriculum Resources and Materials An online search was conducted to find available resources for the teaching of Arabic. In addition, staff at Arabic Immersion Magnet School in Houston, TX, shared a list of resources that has been vetted and deemed appropriate for use in public schools.

Company Type of Resource

Contact Info Can be used by public institution

Scholastic Books www.scholastic.com

Yes

Jarirbooks Books Alphabet Posters

www.jarirbooksus.com

Yes

Scribd Electronic Books for $8.99 per month

http://www.scribd.com/doc/30288774/Set­01­Book­01

Need to be reviewed

Noorart Books Posters Puzzles Materials for Primary Grades

www.noorart.com

Yes

Dino Lingo Apps for language learning

www.dinolingo.com

Need to be reviewed

Global OUP Books global.oup.com

Yes

Alhadaek Group

Books www.alhadaekgroup.com

Yes

Creative Education and Publishing

Arabic Verb Bingo www.creativeeducationandpublishing.com

Yes

Arboh

Math Exercise Books www.araboh.com

Yes

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Sanabil Books Books Arabic Music CD Arabic Letters

www.sanabilbooks.com

Yes

Ahlan wa Sahlan: Beginners

Web Resource for Secondary Level

http://www.yalebooks.com/awsexercises/lesson1/lesson1frame.htm

Need to be reviewed

Arabalicious Web Resource Teaching Units

http://arabalicious.com/

Need to be reviewed

Alkitaab Language Learning Program

Textbooks http://www.alkitaabtextbook.com/books/

Yes

Qatar Foundation International (QFI)

Available curriculum on website

http://qfi.org/

Need to be reviewed

Alefb Teacher created curriculum

http://www.alefb.org/ Contact: Michelle Tager

Need to be reviewed

Other Resources STARTALK is a project funded by the National Security Agency and administered by the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland. STARTALK’s mission is to increase the number of U.S. citizens learning, speaking, and teaching critical­need foreign languages, with programs for students (K­16) and teachers. Grants are available. https://startalk.umd.edu/public/ Qatar Foundation International (QFI) is a U.S.­based member of Qatar Foundation (QF). Their mission is dedicated to connecting cultures and advancing global citizenship through education. Grants for projects that promote Arabic language and culture are available. They also help with recruitment of teachers. http://qfi.org/grants/ Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP) places teachers from Egypt in U.S. host schools for an academic year where they teach Arabic language and culture. Program provides teachers’ salaries, healthcare, roundtrip airfare, training, and ongoing program support. http://www.tclprogram.org/ Selection Process for Curriculum:

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Any curriculum materials to be adopted by SFUSD will be reviewed following Board Policy and Administrative Regulations for both Curriculum Development and Evaluation (BP 6141) and Selection and Evaluation of Instructional Materials (BP 6161). Highlights from relevant board policies are listed below. Board Policy 6141 Curriculum Development and Evaluation

Curriculum aligns to district vision and goals. Controversial topics shall be relevant to the course of study. Curriculum shall not reflect adversely upon persons because of their race, color,

ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, age, religion, as such. Administrative Regulation 6141 Instruction

When prepackaged curriculum is not available, curriculum may be adapted or developed.

Upon approval by the Board, a new curriculum may be implemented in a limited number of schools or classrooms on a pilot basis.

Board Policy 6161 Selection and Evaluation of Instructional Materials

A selection committee is established to review curriculum before making recommendation to the Board.

Findings: There are more resources in the teaching of Arabic than expected. Books in Arabic are available through international websites as well as U.S.

publishers. There is available curriculum that can be be adapted for public school use. Alkitaab Language Learning Program was highly recommended by multiple

sources as an excellent curriculum for high school students.

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7. Recruitment of Teachers A search was conducted to see if there were any SFUSD employees with BCLAD authorization in Arabic. This search yielded no results. Next, a search for teachers who self­reported as being proficient in Arabic generated 6 names. These 6 teachers were invited to an informational meeting to hear more about the Arabic language pathway. Two teachers and one candidate considering teaching as a career attended the meeting. At the meeting, the candidates were presented with information about the feasibility report, timeline and decision making process. All three were interested in teaching in the program if it was available. They asked to be informed of any updates. Findings: There are currently no teachers with Arabic BCLAD credential working in

SFUSD. An analysis of current staff at SFUSD listed at least six employees who

self­reported as being proficient in Arabic. Two potential teachers for an Arabic language program were found. One is a

certificated teacher with a multiple subjects credential working currently at an SFUSD school. Another is a former SFUSD teacher working in another district. Both are credentialed and literate in Arabic.

During the course of this research, there were several individuals who indicated interest in teaching in an Arabic program and have the language proficiency but did not have the required credentials.

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8. Potential School Sites for Arabic Language Pathway Criteria for Selecting Potential Sites The following criteria was developed in considering potential school sites for an Arabic language pathway: A. school in the community where Arabic students live B. school with significant number of Arabic students C. school without multiple pathways or programs D. potential elementary sites feed into a middle school that can also provide Arabic

language instruction

A. Where do Arabic students live?

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B. Where do Arabic students go to school?

Ranking School Level # of Students

1 Redding ES Elem 46

2 Tenderloin ES Elem 39

3 Galileo HS High 30

4 Wallenberg HS High 29

5 Mission HS High 20

6 Marina MS Middle 19

7 Roosevelt MS Middle 18

8 Washington HS High 16

9 Francisco MS Middle 14

10 Parks ES Elem 12

A, B & C Criteria Combined:

Neighborhoods in Northeastern Part of SF

School Level Number of Arabic Students

Number of Language Pathways

Tenderloin

Redding Elementary 46 0

Tenderloin Elementary 39 0

Marina

Galileo High 30 1

Marina Middle 19 1

North Beach Francisco Middle 14 0

Nob Hill

Yick Wo Elementary 11 0

Sherman Elementary 7 0

Spring Valley Elementary 3 2

Fillmore

Rosa Parks Elementary 12 1

John Muir Elementary 8 1

SOMA Carmichael K­8 6 1

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The following are schools will high enrollment of Arabic students but are not located in the northeastern quadrant of the City.

Neighborhoods Outside of Northeastern Part of SF

School Level Number of Arabic Students

Number of Language Pathways

Western Addition Wallenberg High 29 0

Mission Mission High 20 0

Inner Richmond Roosevelt Middle 18 1

D. Elementary to Middle School Feeders

Ranking Elementary

School # of Students Middle School

Feeder # of Students

1 Redding ES 46 Marina MS 19

2 Tenderloin ES 39 Francisco MS 14

10 Parks ES 12 Presidio MS 12

Possible Configurations Elementary School

Configuration Sample Schedule Staffing Advantages Challenges

Push­in Model Language teacher pushes into classrooms to provide 30 minutes of daily instruction to students who opt in to language pathway.

8:55 ­9:25 Kindergarten 9:30 ­ 10:00 1st Grade 10:00 ­ 10:20 Recess 10:25 ­ 10:55 2nd Grade 11:00 ­ 11:30 3rd Grade 11:30 ­ 12:25 Lunch 12:30 ­ 1:00 4th Grade 1:05 ­ 1:35 5th Grade

1.0 FTE ­ serve up to 154 students (based on class size limits) ­ no need for additional classroom

­ limits access to one class per grade ­ schedule is tight with 5 minutes in between ­ cannot accommodate sessions longer than 30 minutes ­ need space for students who opt out of program ­ impacts time for other subjects

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Pull­out Model Language teacher meets with students by grade levels in a separate location to provide 30 minutes of daily instruction.

Same as push­in model 8:55 ­9:25 Kindergarten 9:30 ­ 10:00 1st Grade 10:00 ­ 10:20 Recess 10:25 ­ 10:55 2nd Grade 11:00 ­ 11:30 3rd Grade 11:30 ­ 12:25 Lunch 12:30 ­ 1:00 4th Grade 1:05 ­ 1:35 5th Grade

1.0 FTE ­ serve up to 150 students (25 per class) ­ can accommodate schools with 2 to 3 classes per grade

­ additional classroom needed ­ schedule is tight with 5 minutes in between ­ cannot accommodate sessions longer than 30 minutes ­instructional time may be lost due to multiple transitions ­ impacts time for other subjects

Pull­out Model with Grade Clusters Language teacher meets with students from two grade levels to provide 50 to 40 minutes of instruction for 3 to 4 days per week.

9:00 ­ 9:40 K/1st 10:20 ­ 11:00 2nd/3rd 1:00 ­ 1:40 4th/5th

1.0 FTE ­ serve up to 75 students (25 per class) ­ longer instructional blocks of 40 to 50 minutes ­ scheduling can be flexible to meet needs of school

­ additional classroom needed ­ impacts time for other subjects

Before and After School Language teacher meets with students before and after school to provide 30 to 40 minutes of daily instruction.

8:00 ­ 8:30 Beginning 2:45 ­ 3:15 Intermediate/Advance

.4 FTE ­ can serve up to 50 students (25 per class) ­ classroom space will be available ­ does not impact existing schedule ­students can be grouped by proficiency levels.

­ students who ride school bus will not be able to attend ­ may need additional staff to accommodate more students

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Middle School

Configuration Sample Schedule Staffing Advantages Challenges

Offer language as elective during school day

50­minute classes for beginning, intermediate and advanced levels

.6 FTE ­ serve up to 99 students (33 per class) ­ part of elective choices

­ classroom space needed

Offer language course as 0 and 7th period

50­minute classes for 2 levels

.4 FTE

­ serve up to 66 students (33 per class) ­ classroom space would be available

­ students will need to arrive to school early or stay after school ­ may need additional staff to accommodate more students

High School

Configuration Sample Schedule Staffing Advantages Challenges

Offer language as elective during school day

50­minute classes for beginning, intermediate and advanced levels

.6 FTE ­ serve up to 99 students (33 per class) ­ part of elective choices

­ classroom space needed

31

9. Fiscal Impact Given the many unknown factors of the program, this is a potential scenario of the fiscal impact for the next three years.

School Year

Budget Items Staffing Estimated Cost

Year 1 2016­17

1 TSA to review and develop curriculum and prepare schools for implementation

1.0 FTE $104,779.32

Instructional Materials, Supplies and Language Assessments ($120 per student with estimated 200 students)

$24,000

Year 2 2017­18

1 TSA for elementary to teach and to develop curriculum

1.0 FTE $110,018.29

1 TSA for secondary to teach and to develop curriculum (2 courses at high school)

1.0 FTE $110,018.29

Instructional Materials, Supplies and Language Assessments ($120 per student with estimated 300 students)

$36,000

Year 3 2018­19

1 TSA for elementary to teach and to develop curriculum

1.0 FTE $113,318.84

1 TSA for secondary to teach and to develop curriculum ( 3 courses at high school 1 at middle school)

1.0 FTE $113,318.84

Instructional Materials, Supplies and Language Assessments ($120 per student with estimated 350 students)

$42,000

Total Projected Cost $653,453.58

32

10. Final Recommendations After analyzing all the components, we believe that there is overwhelming community support and adequate curriculum resources to start an Arabic world language pathway. Availability of qualified teachers is limited at this time and will be a significant factor in developing and implementing the pathway. The following is a list of recommendations to increase the success of a Arabic language pathway. Scope of Program Start with one elementary and one high school site in 2017­18. Delay start at the middle school level until 2018­19 to address master schedule

issues. Based on the logistical parameters of the selected sites, explore possible

instructional configurations. School Selection Process More work is needed to survey school communities of potential sites.

Teacher Recruitment Expand search for Arabic bilingual teachers beyond San Francisco. Post job listings through Arabic community networks like Qatar Foundation

International. Develop teacher pipelines with university partners.

Curriculum Resources Provide funding for at least one teacher (1.0 FTE) in 2016­17 to begin the

process of reviewing and adapting curriculum and building school site capacity to provide Arabic world language instruction.

Use Modern Standard Arabic to teach reading and writing of Arabic. The issue of dialect may need further discussion. One consideration is to use

the most common dialect spoken in the Bay Area as the focus of instruction but honor the different dialects that students speak at home.

Review Alkitaab textbook series as possible curriculum for high schools. Review curriculum from local language schools as possible curriculum at the

elementary and middle schools.

33

SurveyforInterestinArabicLanguagePathway(WorldLanguageModel)1.Iama:____SFUSDParent____SFUSDStudent____SFUSDStaff____CommunityMember____Other:_______________2.IndicategradelevelswhereyourchildrenareattendingSFUSDschools.(Pleasecheckallthatapplies)__pre-K___TK__K___1st___2nd____3rd___4th___5th___6th___7th___8th___9th___10th___11th___12th3.IthinkthebenefitsforanArabiclanguagepathwayare:(Pleasecheckallthatapplies)____maintainhomelanguageandculture____haveopportunitytosharelanguageandculturewithothers____createjobopportunitiesforourchildren____breakdownstereotypesofArabAmericans____Other:______________________________4.Ifavailable,Iwouldenrollmychildrenintheprogram.___Yes___No___Maybe5.Mypreferenceforlocationofthisprogramis:(pleasewriteinschoolname)6.Afterattendingtoday’sinformationalmeeting,Ifeelthat____Iunderstandbettertheprocessandthetimeline____Ihadachancetosharemythoughtseitherinthegrouporinthissurvey.7.DoyouhaveanyconcernsaboutthestartofanArabiclanguagepathway?Whatarethey?8.Otherinformationyouwouldlikeustoknow:Pleasereturnallcompletedsurveysviaschoolmailto:LisaKwong,MultilingualPathwaysDepartment

استطالع للرغبة في درب اللغة العربیة (الفیتنامیة)

. انا :1

___والدة/والد بمدارس مقاطعة سان فرانسیسكو الموحدة

___طالب بمدارس مقاطعة مدارس مقاطعة سان فرانسیسكو الموحدة طاقم بمدارس مقاطعة سان فرانسیسكو الموحدة

___عضو بالمجتمع___اخرى:____________

ر الى مستوى الصف الذي یحضره ابنائكم بمدارس مقاطعة سان فرانسیسكو الموحدة. (یرجى وضع عالمة اماك كل فقرة تنطبق . اش2

علیھا)___Pre-K___TK___K___1st___2nd____3rd___4th___5th___6th___7th___8th___9th___10th___11th___12th

ب اللغة العربیة ھي: (یرجى وضع عالمة كل ماینطبق). اعتقد بأن منافع در3

___الحفاظ على لغة البیت والثقافةامتالك فرص مشاركة اللغة والثقافة مع االخرین ___

___خلق فرص عمل الطفالكمریكیین___كسر الصور النمطیة للعرب االم

___اخرى:________________________ . ان متوفر، سوف اسجل اطفالي بالبرنامج.4

یمكن ____ال ____نعم ____

. اولویتي لموقع ھذا البرنامج ھي: (یرجى كتابة اسم المدرسة)5

. بعد حضوري آلجتماع الیوم االعالمي، اشعر بأن6

___انا فھمت بشكل افضل العملیة والجدول الزمنيافكاري اما في المجموعة او في ھذه الدراسة. __انا حصلت على فرصة مشاركة_ . ھل لدیكم اي مخاوف حول بدء برنامج درب اللغة العربیة؟ وماھي تلك المخاوف؟7 . معلومات اخرى تودون منا ان نعلمھا: 8

Pleasereturnallcompletedsurveysviaschoolmailto:LisaKwong,MultilingualPathwaysDepartment