ABOUT US
CLASS is a non-profit professional organization that represents all Chinese language educators at all levels from elementary to secondary schools. CLASS advances and promotes the teaching and learning of Chinese language and culture at PreK-12 schools in the United States.
History
While Chinese language instruction has long been a part of the American education system, it has mainly been confined to the university and post undergraduate levels as part of special fields such as literature or history. It is only in the past two decades that instruction of Chinese has been extended to high schools, junior high schools, and even elementary schools. This came about mainly due to the far-sighted and ceaseless efforts of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. In 1982, the Dodge Foundation began what is known as the "China Initiative," a decade long commitment and effort to bring Chinese language into the mainstream of foreign language curriculum in American high schools. Chinese language programs were given a substantial boost when the Dodge Foundation provided funds to sixty secondary schools to introduce or expand their Chinese language programs. As Chinese language instruction in high schools began to develop, it became increasingly clear that high school Chinese teachers needed to form an organization to provide professional support. In 1987 at the first high school Chinese teachers' convention at the Iolani School in Hawaii, the American Secondary School Chinese Language Teachers Association was founded. During the membership meeting in 1989, the official name of the Association "Chinese Language Association of Secondary Schools" was adopted and the Association's constitution was established. In 1994, the membership approved the change of the Association's name to "CHINESE LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION OF SECONDARY-ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS" (also known as CLASS) in response to the professional needs of the increasing number of members who are Chinese teachers at elementary schools across the United States.
Our Mission
- Actively promote the teaching and learning of Chinese at K-12 levels;
- Encourage effective articulation among teachers of Chinese language at all levels
- Establish a national network for sharing and exchanging curricular resources.
These objectives have been pursued primarily through the Association's newsletter and regional workshops, and through an annual membership meeting held in conjunction with the national conference of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Any educators who are interested in teaching and learning Chinese language and culture at secondary and elementary schools are welcome to join CLASS. Among the current members, approximately 90% of them are K-12 Chinese teachers and 10% are college professors and educators who are not elementary or secondary Chinese teachers but are interested in pre-collegiate Chinese language instruction. The majority of CLASS members reside in the United States; however, about 5% of them reside outside the United States, mainly in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taipei. In 1993, CLASS established the National Chinese Honor Society to acknowledge the high academic achievement of high school students studying Chinese as a second language. Like other honor societies, the National Chinese Honor Society not only recognizes the high scholastic achievement of students but also leadership, character, and community service.