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Board unanimously adopts updated Chinese high‑school curriculum
Summary
The board approved Integrated Chinese (Simplified Characters, 3rd ed.) for high‑school Chinese courses after public testimony from world‑language teachers urging replacement of textbooks more than a decade old; the item passed unanimously on second reading.
The San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education unanimously approved the adoption of Integrated Chinese (Simplified Characters, third edition) for high‑school Chinese world‑language instruction during its Jan. 26 meeting.
Kathy Fleming and other staff read the superintendent’s recommendation into the record and described the materials as the core proposal for high‑school Chinese instruction. Two public speakers — Xiaolin Chang, a teacher at Lowell High School, and Amy Chen, a high‑school Chinese teacher — told the board current textbooks were outdated (one speaker cited references to cassette players and Australian‑context examples) and urged adoption of a more current series with online resources and both simplified and traditional character support. Chang said the proposed materials served both beginning and higher‑level students.
Board members thanked the public speakers and the adoption committee; Commissioner Fewer noted student review of the materials during the selection process. The adoption had been recommended by the curriculum committee and was supported at second reading. The board’s roll call recorded unanimous approval.
The adoption will replace materials used for more than a decade and, according to staff, provide modernized content and digital resources for classroom use. The board did not attach additional conditions to the approval.
Next steps: the district will proceed with procurement and site distribution for the new high‑school Chinese materials prior to the next school year.
