Chinese Officials and College Board Announce

Advanced Placement Course in Chinese Language and Culture

New Curriculum Is Response to China's Growing Economic Importance

and the Increasing Diversity in U.S. Classrooms

12/05/03

http://www.collegeboard.com/press/article/0,3183,29541,00.html

WASHINGTON - Representatives of the People's Republic of China and College Board President Gaston Caperton today announced the creation of an Advanced Placement Program ^® (AP^®) Course and Examination in Chinese Language and Culture, citing China's growing economic significance and the College Board's commitment to promoting cultural understanding in America's schools as motivating forces behind the decision.

Yang Jiechi, Ambassador of China to the United States, and Yan Meihua, director general of China's National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, participated in the announcement at the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

"On behalf of the Trustees and members of the College Board, I would like to thank the People's Republic of China for the generous financial support that will help to create this new college-level course for American high school students," said Caperton. "I am pleased to make this announcement just prior to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's official visit to the United States." Chinese is the national language of the 1.3 billion inhabitants of China and is the predominant language of 31 million Chinese people living overseas.

"Our education system needs to respond to an increasingly interconnected global economy and to the growing cultural diversity in the United States," Caperton said. "It is our hope that this partnership will become an educational bridge to China, a country whose political, cultural, and economic impact on the Asia-Pacific region-and the world-is paramount. The study of Chinese will not just connect high school students with the language but also with the literature and rich history of China. Knowledge of another civilization-and the ability to communicate across cultures-can have a humanizing and enriching effect on a young person's development."

"People-to-people contact between China and the United States is important for increasing mutual understanding, fostering friendship, and expanding bilateral relations," Yang said. "The bridge of understanding and friendship cannot be built without language. Today's announcement just prior to Chinese Premier Wen's official visit to the U.S. has a special importance for both sides. It will further promote Chinese language education in the U.S. and increase mutual understanding and exchange between the younger generations of our two countries. This will undoubtedly expand bilateral economic and trade relations, and strengthen China-U.S. exchanges and cooperation in all fields."

In a letter to President Caperton, Chinese Minister of Education Zhou Ji wrote, "This announcement represents special importance to both sides. It is very wise and foresighted of the College Board to approve the AP Course and Examination in Chinese Language and Culture alongside the three other languages of Italian, Russian, and Japanese. The Ministry would like to provide any needed help in making this possible."

Since 1978, China's national gross domestic product has quadrupled. China recently joined the World Trade Organization, and continued economic liberalization has brought with it a powerful influence in international trade.

Currently, one in six U.S. jobs is tied to international trade and investment, and over the past decade exports accounted for about 25 percent of U.S. economic growth. Trade with Asia has surpassed trade with Europe and now exceeds $800 billion per year.

Today, the majority of students in China learn English. Yet few students in the United States are being offered the international education needed to participate in this part of the global arena. For example, one million students in U.S. schools study French, a language spoken by 70 million people worldwide. Fewer than 50,000 students study Chinese, a language spoken by almost 1.5 billion people worldwide.

Also present at today's announcement was Vivien Stewart, vice president of Education at the Asia Society. She said, "To succeed in the extraordinarily complex and rapidly changing world, our high school graduates will need far greater international knowledge and skills than in the past. AP Chinese will offer students a high-quality and widely available opportunity to become conversant with the language and culture of an ancient civilization that will also be a dynamic power in the twenty-first century."

Under the full support of the Chinese Ministry of Education, China's National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (NOTCFL) is developing an agreement with the College Board specifying the assistance that the Chinese government will be able to offer. In addition, Yan expressed NOTCFL's willingness to assist in the development of the AP Chinese curricula, test development, and professional training.

The College Board maintains that the study of a world language, such as Chinese, should no longer be seen as a rarified pursuit, but as a necessary component of secondary education. "We want to ensure that the next generation of Americans speaks more than one language and is competitive in a global marketplace," said Caperton.

Additionally, the Advanced Placement language programs respond to a growing cultural diversity in our schools. According to the 2000 U.S. Census Report, Chinese Americans are the largest Asian group in the United States, with more than 2.7 million residents. The development of AP Chinese Language and Culture is the second step in a commitment by the College Board to further multiculturalism and multilingualism in secondary school education. In September, the College Board, along with the Italian government, announced the creation of an Advanced Placement Program (AP) Course and Examination in Italian Language and Culture.

Last June, the Trustees of the College Board approved in principle a plan for four new AP Courses and Examinations in World Languages: Chinese, Italian, Japanese, and Russian. The Trustees also agreed to evaluate support for potential new AP offerings in other areas of history and ethnic or cultural studies (such as African American History, Latino Studies, and Asian Studies).

The College Board's Advanced Placement Program allows students to pursue college-level studies while they are still in high school. Students of different interests and backgrounds can choose from among 34 courses and exams in 19 subject areas to demonstrate their knowledge of rigorous academic curriculum. Based on their performance on AP Examinations, students can earn college credit, advanced placement, or both.

The College Board is a national nonprofit membership association whose mission is to prepare, inspire, and connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 4,500 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves over three million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best-known programs are the SAT^®, the PSAT/NMSQT^®, and the Advanced Placement Program (AP). The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities, and concerns.

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