Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How is ALD Chinese School different than other Chinese Schools?
We are a small school that offers small classes, individualized instruction, and an innovative and fun approach to learning Chinese. Our modern, high tech schools are designed to meet the needs of a new generation of children wishing to learn Mandarin Chinese - the modern way.
ALD is home to the world famous ALD Chinese Summer Camp, ALD Summer LAB, and ALD Chinese Orchestra. These are original Chinese language learning programs created by ALD that no other langauge school has.
ALD™ is unique in that we use our own proprietary Proper Mandarin™ Curriculum © and Textbook Series. Proper Mandarin™ is an effective, modern, and comprehensive system for learning Mandarin Chinese language and Chinese culture. It is specifically designed for students of diverse backgrounds to be fun and engaging and is the product of successfully teaching Mandarin Chinese and Chinese Culture to thousands of students of all backgrounds.
We are effective because of our unique approach to teaching, focus on making learning fun, experienced and passionate teachers, and small class sizes. More importantly, we are focused on achieving results with your child's learning of Mandarin Chinese and will work closely with you to ensure these goals are successfully met.
2. Are your teachers credentialed?
Many of our teachers have multi-subject or specialist teaching credentials, with NCLB compliance, and have experience teaching for Irvine USD, Santa Ana USD, Saddleback USD, Fullerton USD and other public school districts. Most of our teachers also have certifications in teaching Mandarin Chinese. However, all of our teachers have outstanding educational backgrounds,annually updated training, and experience in teaching Mandarin Chinese effectively. See Our Staff.
3. Does my child have to have any prior exposure to Chinese to enroll in any of the programs?
We have classes for complete beginners with no background in Chinese. Our Little D Program and Into to Mandarin classes are taught bilingually in both English and Chinese.
4. Are there non-Chinese students enrolled in your program?
Yes, we have a very diverse student body in terms of background; however, they all share a common interest in learning Mandarin Chinese!
5. What type of Chinese characters and phonetic system is used in your program and why?
Our focus is teaching Traditional Chcaracters using Zhuyin phonetics but our innovative Proper Mandarin™ curriculum teaches both Traditional and Simplified characters, as well as both the Zhuyin and Pinyin phonetic systems for complete Mandarin literacy.
6. Can I enroll in the middle of a semester if the Chinese school semester has already started?
Yes, you may enroll at any time subject to space availability. We will provide additional support to bring up to speed students who start after the beginning of a semester and tuition will be prorated accordingly.
8. Can my child enroll in a higher level class if he/she already has the appropriate language ability, even if he/she doesn’t meet the age guideline?
Yes, we will work with you and your child to determine the appropriate class level and we will monitor the progress on an on-going basis to ensure your child’s specific needs are met.
9. What is the academic learning objective for the first year for the different programs?
Little D Program - The learning objective is to provide consistent exposure to Mandarin Chinese for children to recognize Chinese words and sounds and to learn to speak simple Chinese words and phrases. This program is an excellent way to prepare younger students for Chinese Immersion School.
Chinese Immersion Programs - The learning objective for the first year of Level 1 & 2 (Beginner & Intermediate) students is to learn to recognize all Chinese phonetic characters (Zhuyin) and to speak in sentences. For Advanced students, the learning objective is to be able to read Traditional Characters using Zhuyin and to speak fluently.
Chinese Immersion Summer Camp - The learning objective for Summer Camp is to provide students with an accelerated foundation for Mandarin Chinese to prepare them for our Chinese Immersion programs throughout the school year.
10. Can I take a trial class?
Yes, we offer trial classes for our Little D Parent & Me program. Please contact us to schedule a day and time to attend our class. Unfortunately we are not able to provide trial classes for our immersion programs given the nature of the class.
11. What is your refund and withdrawal policy?
The registration and materials fees are not refundable. Tuition is fully refundable upon written notice prior to the start of the program. If payment was made by credit card, 5% of the amount paid is not refundable as a reimbursement of the credit card transaction fee paid by the School.
Students may withdraw with 30 days notice. Remaining tuition will not be refunded but a credit will be applied for future classes. The credit will expire within 1 year from date of issuance.
We are a small school that offers small classes, individualized instruction, and an innovative and fun approach to learning Chinese. Our modern, high tech schools are designed to meet the needs of a new generation of children wishing to learn Mandarin Chinese - the modern way.
ALD is home to the world famous ALD Chinese Summer Camp, ALD Summer LAB, and ALD Chinese Orchestra. These are original Chinese language learning programs created by ALD that no other langauge school has.
ALD™ is unique in that we use our own proprietary Proper Mandarin™ Curriculum © and Textbook Series. Proper Mandarin™ is an effective, modern, and comprehensive system for learning Mandarin Chinese language and Chinese culture. It is specifically designed for students of diverse backgrounds to be fun and engaging and is the product of successfully teaching Mandarin Chinese and Chinese Culture to thousands of students of all backgrounds.
We are effective because of our unique approach to teaching, focus on making learning fun, experienced and passionate teachers, and small class sizes. More importantly, we are focused on achieving results with your child's learning of Mandarin Chinese and will work closely with you to ensure these goals are successfully met.
2. Are your teachers credentialed?
Many of our teachers have multi-subject or specialist teaching credentials, with NCLB compliance, and have experience teaching for Irvine USD, Santa Ana USD, Saddleback USD, Fullerton USD and other public school districts. Most of our teachers also have certifications in teaching Mandarin Chinese. However, all of our teachers have outstanding educational backgrounds,annually updated training, and experience in teaching Mandarin Chinese effectively. See Our Staff.
3. Does my child have to have any prior exposure to Chinese to enroll in any of the programs?
We have classes for complete beginners with no background in Chinese. Our Little D Program and Into to Mandarin classes are taught bilingually in both English and Chinese.
4. Are there non-Chinese students enrolled in your program?
Yes, we have a very diverse student body in terms of background; however, they all share a common interest in learning Mandarin Chinese!
5. What type of Chinese characters and phonetic system is used in your program and why?
Our focus is teaching Traditional Chcaracters using Zhuyin phonetics but our innovative Proper Mandarin™ curriculum teaches both Traditional and Simplified characters, as well as both the Zhuyin and Pinyin phonetic systems for complete Mandarin literacy.
6. Can I enroll in the middle of a semester if the Chinese school semester has already started?
Yes, you may enroll at any time subject to space availability. We will provide additional support to bring up to speed students who start after the beginning of a semester and tuition will be prorated accordingly.
8. Can my child enroll in a higher level class if he/she already has the appropriate language ability, even if he/she doesn’t meet the age guideline?
Yes, we will work with you and your child to determine the appropriate class level and we will monitor the progress on an on-going basis to ensure your child’s specific needs are met.
9. What is the academic learning objective for the first year for the different programs?
Little D Program - The learning objective is to provide consistent exposure to Mandarin Chinese for children to recognize Chinese words and sounds and to learn to speak simple Chinese words and phrases. This program is an excellent way to prepare younger students for Chinese Immersion School.
Chinese Immersion Programs - The learning objective for the first year of Level 1 & 2 (Beginner & Intermediate) students is to learn to recognize all Chinese phonetic characters (Zhuyin) and to speak in sentences. For Advanced students, the learning objective is to be able to read Traditional Characters using Zhuyin and to speak fluently.
Chinese Immersion Summer Camp - The learning objective for Summer Camp is to provide students with an accelerated foundation for Mandarin Chinese to prepare them for our Chinese Immersion programs throughout the school year.
10. Can I take a trial class?
Yes, we offer trial classes for our Little D Parent & Me program. Please contact us to schedule a day and time to attend our class. Unfortunately we are not able to provide trial classes for our immersion programs given the nature of the class.
11. What is your refund and withdrawal policy?
The registration and materials fees are not refundable. Tuition is fully refundable upon written notice prior to the start of the program. If payment was made by credit card, 5% of the amount paid is not refundable as a reimbursement of the credit card transaction fee paid by the School.
Students may withdraw with 30 days notice. Remaining tuition will not be refunded but a credit will be applied for future classes. The credit will expire within 1 year from date of issuance.
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