KCA Programs

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 KCA's Chinese language curriculum is informed by and aligned with the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, which provide a proficiency-based framework for developing students' ability to use Chinese in real-world communication.  The curriculum focuses on developing students' skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with instruction designed around what students can understand and communicate at each stage of their language-learning journey. 

KCA's current curriculum consists of five levels, progressing from Chinese 0 (Pre-School) through Chinese 4 (Intermediate). Students are placed in the level that best matches their age, prior experience, and current Chinese language abilities. The five levels correspond to increasing proficiency within the ACTFL framework, helping students build communication skills progressively while developing their understanding of Chinese language and culture.

Introduces young learners to Chinese through age-appropriate activities that develop foundational listening and speaking skills, vocabulary, and familiarity with Chinese language and culture. 

Builds foundational Chinese communication skills through familiar topics and everyday situations. Students develop basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills while building vocabulary and sentence patterns. 

Students expand their ability to communicate using familiar words, phrases, and simple sentences. Instruction develops comprehension and communication across increasingly varied everyday topics. 

Students develop greater ability to communicate about familiar topics using combinations of learned words and phrases and increasingly connected language. They continue strengthening listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. 

Students begin to communicate more independently in familiar contexts, creating with language rather than relying primarily on memorized words and phrases. They develop the ability to communicate with sentences and connected language across a broader range of topics. 

Prior to adopting KCA's current five-level Chinese curriculum, the Chinese language program offered separate Heritage Chinese and Non-Heritage Chinese tracks. The Heritage Chinese track was designed for students with a background in Chinese language and/or exposure to Chinese at home, while the Non-Heritage Chinese track served students who were learning Chinese as an additional language. These tracks reflected KCA's approach to meeting the different language-learning backgrounds of its students at the time. As the needs and demographics of our student population have changed, KCA has transitioned to a unified five-level curriculum ranging from Chinese 0 (Pre-School) through Chinese 4 (Intermediate). Students are now placed according to their age, prior experience, and current Chinese language proficiency. 

AP Chinese Prep classes are designed for students who will be taking AP Chinese Language and Culture exam. These virtual classes are taught by an experienced language teacher with over 5 years of experience and include comprehensive content review and exam preparation for AP Chinese. Students will learn practical test-taking strategies and improve proficiency in listening, reading, writing, speaking, and cultural understanding. Weekly class schedule will be arranged between parents and teacher.