Language Immersion
Hopkins Public Schools Spanish and Chinese immersion programs develop intercultural competency traits to deliver globally-minded scholars to the world.
In an increasingly globally-connected and competitive world, being multilingual gives your child an amazing advantage. Hopkins Public Schools offers language immersion programs in Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. Both programs begin at Eisenhower Elementary School and continue in our secondary schools. Our Immersion students learn from native speakers, have travel opportunities, and even earn college credit!
Contacts
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Immersion Programming
XinXing Chinese Immersion
XinXing Chinese Immersion
Our Chinese Immersion program begins at XinXing Academy, housed within Eisenhower Elementary. XinXing is an early total immersion program. That means that all core subject matter is taught in Mandarin Chinese for the full day in grades K-2. Students learn to read and write in Mandarin first. Our teachers are native speakers of Chinese, and they strive to create a positive and authentic full-day immersion experience for your child. Special curriculum areas (art, music, physical education) are taught in English, but we infuse Chinese language and culture into those courses whenever possible.
Our goal is biliteracy in Chinese and English. English language arts are introduced for the equivalent of one hour per day beginning in grades 3-4, and there is an even distribution of English and Mandarin by grades 5-6.
XinXing Chinese Immersion courses continue at Hopkins West Junior High and Hopkins High School. Students who complete the full Chinese immersion track will be prepared for advanced coursework in Chinese at the college level and can earn up to 16 college credits by graduation.
XinXing has a partnership with Wuning Road Primary School in Shanghai, China and provides opportunities for educational exchanges between our schools!
Juntos Spanish Immersion
Juntos Spanish Immersion
Eisenhower Elementary's Spanish Immersion program provides children the opportunity to develop proficiency in a second language during their elementary years. In kindergarten, 90% of instruction is in Spanish and 10% is in English. Students learn to read and write in Spanish first, and English literacy instruction is increased gradually as they progress through the program. Our goal is to develop Spanish-English bilingual students. Students who speak a language other than English or Spanish at home may become trilingual.
Hopkins offers two Spanish immersion classrooms at each elementary grade level. Spanish immersion courses continue at Hopkins North Junior High through our Juntos Spanish Immersion program. Additionally, Hopkins High School offers College in the Schools courses in Spanish through the University of Minnesota and AP Spanish Literature. Students who complete the full Spanish immersion track will be prepared for advanced coursework in Spanish at the college level and can which can earn up to 16 college credits by graduation.
Bilingual/Multilingual Seal
Bilingual/Multilingual Seal
Are you proficient in a language other than English? If you are, you may be eligible to earn college credits and receive a World Language Proficiency Certificate or a Bilingual or Multilingual Seal on your Hopkins High School transcript when you graduate. Whether you have learned to speak another language in school or elsewhere, the Minnesota Department of Education has established a system for recognizing high school students for their language proficiency.
Contact
Molly Wieland - Immersion Coordinator
molly.wieland@hopkinsschools.org
952-988-4038
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a bilingual or multilingual seal?
- What are the benefits of earning a World Language Proficiency Certificate or Bilingual/Multilingual Seal?
- How can I earn a World Language Proficiency Certificate or Bilingual/Multilingual Seal?
- What languages are currently available for assessment?
- What if I took the AP exam in grade 9 as part of my Juntos or XinXing immersion program?
- What if I am taking College in the Schools courses? Will I need to take an assessment to earn a certificate or seal?
- How do I know if I am ready to take an assessment?
- How much does the assessment cost?
- When can I take the assessment?
What is a bilingual or multilingual seal?
The Minnesota legislature passed Statute 120B.022 subd. 1b, which states that school districts in Minnesota may award bilingual or multilingual seals and world language proficiency certificates to graduating high school students who demonstrate certain levels of proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and listening in a language other than English as measured by an approved language proficiency assessment.
What are the benefits of earning a World Language Proficiency Certificate or Bilingual/Multilingual Seal?
- Recognition
You have worked hard to develop a high level of proficiency in another language. This is your opportunity to highlight that accomplishment on your high school transcript. Earning a World Language Proficiency Certificate or adding a Bilingual/Multilingual Seal to your transcript shows colleges/universities and employers that you are proficient in a language (or languages) in addition to English. Because the assessments used to measure proficiency are based on the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning, the scores can be interpreted in a uniform way across institutions.
- Earn college/university credits
You can earn free college credits from 30 colleges and 7 universities in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system by taking an approved proficiency assessment during grades 10-12 and demonstrating proficiency in a language other than English. You must request credits within three academic years of high school graduation and upon enrollment in a Minnesota State college or university. Credits are awarded as follows:
World Language Proficiency Certificate: 2 semesters of college language credit per language
Gold Bilingual or Multilingual Seal: 3 semesters of college language credit per language
Platinum Bilingual or Multilingual Seal: 4 semesters of college language credit per language
Colleges outside of the Minnesota State College and Universities system (e.g., the University of Minnesota, private colleges, and institutions in other States) will use their own institution’s criteria for awarding credits for language proficiency seals.
How can I earn a World Language Proficiency Certificate or Bilingual/Multilingual Seal?
You will need to complete one of the qualifying assessments and receive a score that meets the criteria for a certificate or a seal, as shown in the chart below.
Students must also successfully complete all English Language Arts credits required for high school graduation and demonstrate mastery of Minnesota’s English language proficiency standards.
Proficiency Level Required | Qualifying Proficiency Assessments and Scores | Award Type | Minnesota State College and University Credits | |
World Language Proficiency Certificate | Intermediate-Low in all 4 skills: Reading, writing, speaking, listening |
STAMP 4S [Intermediate low] AP Language Exam [Score of 3] |
Transcript notation [for assessment taken in grades 9-12] |
2 semesters of credit [if assessment is taken in grades 10-12] |
Bilingual Gold Seal | Intermediate-High in all 4 skills: Reading, writing, speaking, listening |
STAMP 4S [Intermediate high] AP Language Exam [Score of 4] |
Transcript notation and seal [for assessment taken in grades 9-12]
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3 semesters of credit [if assessment is taken in grades 10-12]
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Bilingual Platinum Seal | Advanced-Low in all 4 skills: Reading, writing, speaking, listening |
STAMP 4S [Advanced] AP Language Exam [Score of 5] |
Transcript notation and seal [for assessment taken in grades 9-12]
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4 semesters of credit [if assessment is taken in grades 10-12]
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Multilingual Gold Seal | Intermediate-High in all 4 skills: Reading, writing, speaking, listening in 2 languages other than English |
STAMP 4S [Intermediate high] AP Language Exam [Score of 4] |
Transcript notation and seal [for assessment taken in grades 9-12]
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3 semesters of credit in each language [if assessment is taken in grades 10-12]
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Multilingual Platinum Seal | Advanced-Low in all 4 skills: Reading, writing, speaking, listening in 2 languages other than English |
STAMP 4S [Advanced] AP Language Exam [Score of 5] |
Transcript notation and seal [for assessment taken in grades 9-12]
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4 semesters of credit in each language [if assessment is taken in grades 10-12]
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What languages are currently available for assessment?
Hopkins offers the Advanced Placement (AP) exam in Chinese, Spanish, French and German. Students in the Juntos Spanish Immersion program or the XinXing Chinese Immersion program take the AP language exam in grade 9.
We can assess students using the STAMP 4S for the following languages: Arabic, Cantonese, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, and Spanish. Students may register to take the STAMP 4S in the spring of their senior year. The assessment is offered in April during the school day.
We can assess students for Czech, Hmong, Somali, Tamil, and Vietnamese using the STAMP World Speak Assessment for speaking and writing combined with a listening and reading assessment developed by the Minnesota Department of Education.
For all languages, students must demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking in order to be eligible to receive a world language proficiency certificate or a bilingual/multilingual seal.
What if I took the AP exam in grade 9 as part of my Juntos or XinXing immersion program?
What if I am taking College in the Schools courses? Will I need to take an assessment to earn a certificate or seal?
How do I know if I am ready to take an assessment?
Take a look at the STAMP 4S Benchmark and Rubric Guide to see what you need to be able to do at each level of language proficiency. The first section of the page describes benchmarks for reading and listening. The second section describes benchmarks for writing and speaking.
How much does the assessment cost?
When can I take the assessment?
AP is offered every Spring. Students may register here to take the STAMP 4S in the spring of their senior year. The assessment is offered during the school day.
This year's STAMP 4S assessments will take place on April 8 from 7:50-10:50 a.m. at Hopkins High School.