Dual Language Immersion Program

Mandarin Dual Immersion Informational Meeting

January 21, 2026

6-7 p.m. at the District Boardroom

981 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95131

mandarin dual immersion program application process

Mandarin Dual Immersion Program

Applications for the 2026-2027 school year will soon be available.

Applications will be accepted starting January 21st after the Informational Meeting!

Applications must be submitted to Thien Tran in the Education Services Department by Friday, February 13th.

Applications received after February 13th will be placed on a waitlist.

This includes new students who already have siblings in the program. All new students must follow the same deadlines with regards to the application process.

Step 1: Complete the Online Enrollment Application for your new student and submit the application.

Step 2: Submit all required paperwork to your home school.

Step 3: Complete the Mandarin Immersion Program application and submit the application to the Education Services Department.

Acceptance lists will be posted on the front windows of the District Office on Friday, March 13th at 4:00 pm.

*Acceptance lists will be for the two (2) Kindergarten classes only.

Grades 1st-8th will be notified by email once language assessments

have been completed.

You may email, drop off, or mail your applications.

Email applications to Thien Tran: tgtran@busd.net

Drop off/mail: Berryessa Union School District

Attn: Thien Tran

981 Ridder Park Dr.

San Jose, CA 95131

Please contact Thien Tran at tgtran@busd.net for further assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

BUSD Dual Immersion Program Options 2026-2027

We are very proud to have launched a Dual Immersion Mandarin Program at Cherrywood Elementary School in the 2018 - 2019 school year. In the fall of 2023, we expanded the Dual Immersion Mandarin Program to Sierramont Middle School for our 6th-grade MIP students. For the 2025-2026 school year, the Dual Immersion Mandarin Program has relocated to Ruskin Elementary School.

Mandarin - Kindergarten, First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth grades

Brochure:
- Mandarin Immersion - English Brochure
- Mandarin Immersion - Chinese Brochure

Program Goals:

Meet the challenges of a global society
Become bilingual and bi-literate
Gain career advantages
Increase awareness of cultural traditions and customs
Achieve academic proficiency in English and Mandarin

What is Dual Immersion?

Immersion education is an alternative educational model designed to provide students with fluency and literacy in two languages. In this program, all students develop literacy in Mandarin first with the gradual addition of English.

All students in the Immersion Program receive the same curriculum as all students throughout the
district, except that initially they are taught in Mandarin for most of the day.

Students in the Immersion Program are taught using California State Standards in English as well
as Mandarin. Both English and Mandarin are taught daily and the students interact in both languages

Instructional Time in Each Language

Grade	Mandarin	English
Kindergarten	80%	20%
1st	75%	25%
2nd	70%	30%
3rd	60%	40%
4th and 5th	50%	50%
6th	2 Class Periods in Mandarin
7th	2 Class Periods in Mandarin
8th	2 Class Periods in Mandarin

Parent Resources:

California Department of Education- Two Way Language Immersion FAQ

Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition

Multilingual Children’s Association

Intercultural Development Research Association

The Enrollment Process

The goal is to have a balance of 50% English-only students and 50% Heritage speaker students enrolled in our Dual Immersion classrooms. In order for students to be successful in the Dual Immersion Program, they should have a strong foundation in their home language. All incoming Kindergarten students in the Berryessa Union School District are eligible to apply for the Immersion Program. Classroom placement will be based on the following criterion: