Date: April 23, 2013

For ACTION X

For INFORMATION

Board Agenda: Yes X

No

FROM: John L. Brown, Executive Director of Curriculum Services and Design

Suzanne Maxey, Principal T.C. Williams High School

Pierrette Hall, Lead Academic Principal

Shawn Thorpe, Academic Principal – World Languages

Tanja Mayer-Harding – World Languages Department Chairperson

THROUGH: Morton Sherman, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

GwenCarol Holmes,Ed.D. Chief Academic Officer

TO: The Honorable Karen Graf, Chairman, and Members of the Alexandria City School Board

TOPIC: New Textbook Request

BACKGROUND:

T.C. Williams High School is committed to offering an Advanced Placement course of study that reflects college level competencies, expectations, and progress. The AP Spanish Language and Culture and AP Chinese Language and Culture takes a holistic approach to language proficiency and recognizes the complex interrelatedness of comprehension and comprehensibility, vocabulary usage, language control, communication strategies, and cultural awareness. As part of its ongoing commitment to ensuring that the Advanced Placement Program courses reflect college-level expectations and progress, the College Board has announced revisions to the AP Language and Culture courses and exams for 2013-2014 school year.

Revisions to both AP Language and Culture courses align with the instructional goals reflected in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century. These national standards tie foreign language instruction to the “5 Cs” — Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons and Communities. The revised course will allow students to learn language structures and vocabulary in context and use them with meaning. The instructional focus is now enhanced to focus on function and not the examination of complex grammatical paradigms about the target language, which was the focus in the past.

In order to draw on authentic materials and thematic instruction to deepen students’ understanding, the World Languages Department at T.C. Williams High School is requesting approval of three new texts:

·  Integrated Chinese, Level 2 Part 1 Textbook, 3rd Edition (Simplified & Traditional) Author: Liu Yuehua, Yao Taochung, Bi Nyan-Ping, Ge Liangyan, Shi Yaohua, Publisher: Cheng & Tsui, ISBN: 9780887276798.

·  Integrated Chinese Level 2 Part 2 Textbook (Simplified & Traditional), Author: Liu Yuehua, Yao Taochung, Bi Nyan-Ping, Ge Liangyan, Shi Yaohua, Publisher: Cheng & Tsui, ISBN: 9780887276880, Year: 2008.

·  Azulejo: Anthology & Guide to the AP Spanish Literature Course, 2nd Edition, Maria Colbert, Abby Kanter, James Ryan, Marian Sugano, ISBN: 978-1-938026-24-9.

RECOMMENDATION: The World Languages Department at T.C. Williams High School is requesting the approval of the textbooks listed above for integration into its AP Language and Culture curriculum.

COST ANALYSIS: Based upon current enrollment, the following costs are projected for each textbook:

Textbook Name / Number of Textbooks Required / Cost Per Textbook / Total Cost
Integrated Chinese, Level 2 Part 1 Textbook / 10 / $51.29 / $512.90
Integrated Chinese Level 2 Part 2 Textbook / 10 / $53.74 / $537.40
Azulejo: Anthology & Guide to the AP Spanish Literature Course / 77 / $40.30 / $3103.10
Total / $4153.40

The costs above have already been factored into the 2013-2014 budget.

CONTACT PERSONS: Pierrette Hall and Shawn Thorpe

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