Board adopts new Chinese curriculum and StudySync for targeted English instruction

The Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees on May 29 approved two curriculum adoptions: Go Far with Chinese for Benicia High School’s Level 1 Chinese-Mandarin course, and StudySync (McGraw Hill) for the district’s Program for Emotional Regulation and Learning (PERL) and Intensive Academics (IA) ELA programs at the middle and high school levels.

Stephanie Rice, the district’s director of education services, presented the Chinese recommendation and said the new text aligns with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages standards and is written for teens, combining print and digital materials. The district’s newly hired Mandarin instructor, Miss Liang, reviewed materials and recommended Go Far with Chinese because it uses contextual grammar, age-appropriate topics, and multimodal supports.

Rice said the Mandarin course already has three scheduled sections at the high school. "She prefers Go Far with Chinese for our level 1 Chinese Mandarin course," Rice said, noting the curriculum’s student-focused features.

On the English/ELA adoption, Rice and special-education teachers recommended StudySync by McGraw Hill for PERL and IA classes. Staff said StudySync provides age-appropriate texts, video “blast” previews, student-led instructional videos, and built-in scaffolds that teachers can assign individually. The district noted the product serves grades 6–12, enabling alignment between middle- and high-school intensive-academics offerings.

Trustees unanimously approved both adoptions. No budgetary or contract cost details were discussed at the board table; staff indicated StudySync had already been adopted for Liberty High School and proposed expanding that license to the other targeted programs.

Administrators said they will continue to work with teachers to implement the materials and monitor student engagement and outcomes.