How to Start a
German Charter School
Jo Sanders
Founder, Rilke Charter School
German School of Arts and Sciences
Anchorage, Alaska
frausanders@alaska.com
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Table of Contents
What is a Charter School?
How to Start
The Planning Committee
Charter School Law
Conceiving the Mission, Vision and Goals
Assessing Need and Interest
Faculty
Financing the School
Finding a Site
Curriculum
Marketing and Public Relations
Anticipating Problems
Appendix
Sample Documents from Rilke Schule
Mission, Vision, Goals Statements
Governance
Description of Need
Development Schedule
Assessment
Kindergarten Oral Assessment Checklists
A2 Exam
Other Assessments
The Sprachmeister Award
Resources
PASCH Schools Initiative
Essential Book
Associations
German Immersion Schools
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What is a Charter School?
Charter schools are nonsectarian public schools of choice that operate with
freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools. The
"charter" establishing each such school is a performance contract detailing the school's
mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure
success. The length of time for which charters are granted varies, but most are granted for
3-5 years. At the end of the term, the entity granting the charter may renew the school's
contract. Charter schools are accountable to their sponsor-- usually a state or local school
board-- to produce positive academic results and adhere to the charter contract. The basic
concept of charter schools is that they exercise increased autonomy in return for this
accountability. They are accountable for both academic results and fiscal practices to
several groups: the sponsor that grants them, the parents who choose them, and the public
that funds them. (source: US Charter Schools : uscharterschools.org)
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How to Start
1. The Planning Committee
The most important component needed to start a German charter school is a
dedicated, knowledgeable group of leaders. It may be one person’s vision originally, but
one person alone cannot start a charter school. The members of the planning committee
should include individuals with expertise in education, business, finance, architecture/real
estate, public relations and grant writing. The planning committee can be made up of
teachers, parents, local German Club members and the community at large. If your
school district or state has a charter school liaison person, use this valuable resource. Our
District had a charter liaison part-time person who had assisted other charter schools in
opening. The other charter schools in town were also very helpful in sharing suggestions
and warnings. The third group to help was the District’s non-charter immersion schools.
They had over 25 years experience in immersion education and were glad to help in
many ways. All of the Planning Committee members visited both District language
immersion schools and other (non-language) charter schools. Visits were made to other
German immersion schools, charter, public and private, around the country.
Members of the Planning Committee must write the Proposal, the Business Plan
and the Marketing Plan and other documents as required by individual states. The
Planning committee often morphs into the governing body of the charter school. In the
instance of Rilke Schule, this became the Academic Policy Committee and was
responsible for the running of the school. (see Appendix).
Make a time line. After checking with the state and or district to see what their
requirements are, set up a time line which begins with the planning committee meeting
and ends up with the opening of the school. It is vital that you find out when the proposal
must be approved by which bodies. For example, our district had to approve the charter
first and then the state board of education, which only meets twice a year. So it was
essential that our proposal had been approved locally before the meeting of the state
school board. (see Appendix for sample Development Schedule)
2. Charter School Law in Your State
It is important to find out about charter school law in your state, since regulations
vary from state to state. To find out about charter school law in your state, go to
http://www.uscharterschools.org , where a link is given for every state.
3. Conceiving the Mission, Vision and Goals
The committee should agree on a mission, vision and goals for the school. Once
the vision is determined, goals can be set. The following are some of the questions which
should be addressed:
 Why do we want a German charter school? Can the community support a
German charter school? Is there demand for such a school?
 What do we want the students to attain?
 Will the school be full or partial immersion? What percent will be
German?
Are there other language immersion schools in the area which use a
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specific pattern? i.e. all language immersion schools in Anchorage
(two Spanish, one Japanese, one Russian) used the 50/50 model very
successfully, so it was expected that the German Charter school would
use the same model.
 What grades will the school have? Will it be elementary only, will it
include middle school, will there be a pre-school either in the school or
associated with it?
 What opportunities will students have to continue German after graduating
from the charter school? Are the local high schools equipped to continue
German on a level commensurate with the abilities of immersion school
students? If not, what is the committee’s plan for
further education in German for their students?
 What are the goals of the school?
For Mission, Vision and Goals of the Rilke Schule, see Appendix.
4. Assessing the Need and Interest
It may be that only the planning committee is interested in a German charter
school. It is essential to assess the need and interest in the community for such a school.
Are there heritage Germans living there? Are there high school and university programs
for German and what are their enrollments? It might be impractical to send out an
interest survey to all elementary school parents, but if possible that is one way to assess
interest.
In forming our Anchorage school, we held public informational meetings every
Monday night for the whole year and a half before the school opened at local coffee
houses. We advertised these meetings in the local paper free under “Community
Events”. Typically between five and twenty persons attended each meeting. We talked
about our vision for the school and what we hoped to accomplish. Interestingly enough,
many parents did not choose our school primarily for the German, but because we
promised smaller classes, more parental involvement, a strict dress code and healthy food
only. When we took a survey of families the first year asking why they chose the school,
German was the number six, not the number one reason! We had parents sign an
“interest list”, which did not commit them to anything, but did give us a list of names to
present to the local school board to prove sufficient interest did exist.
For Description of Need of the Rilke Schule, see Appendix.
5. Planning for Faculty
One of the biggest problems facing all German immersion schools in the United
States is a lack of qualified, trained teachers who have native or near-native fluency.
This lack is not limited to German, but is felt in every language immersion program.
Ideally, one could find native speakers who are currently teaching successfully in the
local elementary schools. One of the problems is that even when you think you have
potential teachers lined up, they will not commit to the school until it has been proven
successful. After all, if they put in a transfer request to the local district and are
transferred, if the school does fall through, they will not get their old jobs back. They
may be placed in a totally different school teaching other subjects and grades. Therefore,
the teachers who initially showed a great interest in Rilke Schule chose not to come the
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first year. They adopted a “wait and see” policy. Fortunately, after Rilke had proved to
be viable and had passed all of the No Child Left Behind exams successfully, then local
teachers were interested in transferring.
Another source of teachers is to retrain high school German teachers. Unfortunately, this
method has several drawbacks: they were taught to teach German as a foreign language,
not to teach elementary subjects such as math and science in German. Often their oral
language skills in German are not up to the requirements of such instruction. Also,
elementary school children present a whole different psychological profile than high
school students and not all high school teachers can adapt.
All charter school teachers in Alaska must have a valid Alaskan teaching
certificate and be hired directly by the school district itself, not by the school. All
teachers are members of the National Education Association and Alaska Education
Association and receive the same pay and benefits as all teachers. No teacher can be
transferred against his/her will to a charter school. If a charter school fails, all teachers
are reassigned to other schools in the district. The principal does not have this right.
There are few institutions of higher education which have immersion teacher
training programs. The best recognized program is at the University of Minnesota. The
University also sponsors CARLA: The Center for Advanced Research on Language
Acquisition and ACIE: The American Council on Immersion Education, which puts out a
valuable newsletter on immersion teaching. Another source of help is the Kinder Lernen
Deutsch special interest group at the American Association of Teachers of German.
The American Association of Teachers of German has a List Serve for schools searching
for teachers as well as for teachers looking for a job.
Once the charter school has been established and has a proven track record, it can
qualify to become a PASCH school (see Appendix), sponsored by the Zentralstelle für
Auslandsschulen. There are three representatives in the United States: one in
Washington, D.C., one in Los Angeles and one in Portland, OR. Once a German school
is a PASCH school, they can qualify for a free teacher from Germany. Albert Einstein
Academy in San Diego is an example of a German charter school which has two (!) such
teachers, one for elementary and one for middle school.
What about the principal? Are we going to require our principal to speak
German? In our district, the Academic Policy Committee hires the principal and he/she
is answerable directly to them. In turn, with a committee of teachers and parents, the
principal hires the staff (teachers, aides, secretaries, etc.) Principals in Alaska do not
have to have a principal’s certificate, therefore they cannot be part of the principal’s
union. We chose a principal who did not know German but who was familiar with local
school district rules and policies and then offered her German lessons. It is important to
choose a principal who gets along well with the district, the staff and the parents. The
staff at a charter school has to work 50% harder than at regular public schools and gets no
extra pay for this.
6. Financing the School
Charter schools are publicly funded, but it is necessary to ascertain how much
income the school will get per child. In Alaska at the time we opened Rilke, charter
schools had to have a minimum of 150 students to start a school with full funding.
Anything below the 150 students (determined by a 20 day average student count in the
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month of October) would receive only 60% funding. Unless it was a tiny school
operating out of one’s home, no school could survive on 60% funding. In order to meet
that number, the local district insisted that we have 200 lottery applications and at least
165 firm commitments by August 1st of the year we planned to open. Working with the
district and state, we figured that we would receive a total of about $ 8,000 per child.
Multiplying that by our anticipated 180 students gave us a working budget of
$1,440,000. Sounds like a lot of money! It didn’t take long to figure out that we would
need a finance committee to work with our funds. The one person on the planning
committee with some financial background formed the Finance Committee, which
worked initially with both finances and grants. Eventually, a separate Grants Committee
will be necessary with an expert on researching and writing grants. The Federal
Government offers start-up grants for charter schools to buy initial items like furniture,
technology, copiers, textbooks, manipulatives, science supplies, maps, filing cabinets,
bookshelves, supplies, etc. Ours was approximately $400,000, but that was not sufficient
for our needs. Fortunately, the Anchorage School District opened their warehouse to us
and we were allowed to choose cast-off furniture from other schools. Only the
kindergarten classes got all new, beautiful furniture.
All charter schools in Alaska must go through their local school district and the
districts take a fee for administering grants and monies, so this must also be planned for.
The usual fee is 3 – 4 %. In return, all ordering is done through the district, all staff are
paid directly through the district, etc. Unfortunately, it means the charter school can hire
only union labor through the district, so the charter school cannot save money by hiring
someone else as a janitor, for example. All extra services, such as physical therapy,
school psychologist, speech therapy, etc., must by done through the district and these
services are billed to the charter school, while other public schools get them free. This
may differ from state to state.
In order to get all of these various expenses under one cap, the finance committee
must make a business plan which covers for example: Legal Structure, Risk
Management, Founding Committee’s Qualifications, Academic Policy Committee,
Market Needs, Goals, Competition, Curriculum, Grading and Assessment, Special
Education Services, Dress Code, Potential School Building (location, value, description,
floor plan), Cost of Development, Expenses and Capital Requirements, Preliminary
Contingency Plan, Employee Requirements, Marketing Plan, Estimated Enrollment,
SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) Analysis, Public Relations
Plan, School Administration and Policies. Due to length, no sample document is
included in this booklet. For a copy of Rilke Schule’s Business Plan, write Jo Sanders at
frausanders@alaska.com.
7. Finding a Site for the School
Most states do not provide a building for charter schools. In order to find an
appropriate building, the architect/real estate member of the planning committee needs to
form a sub-committee, the Building Committee. They need to work closely with the
finance member of the committee, who can give them a ballpark figure on how much rent
they will be able to afford. In searching for an appropriate building, it is necessary to
evaluate each site with an eye on these questions:
 Is the site centrally located for the potential student body?
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Is there room for expansion within the building or nearby?
Is there appropriate space for a playground?
Is it sufficiently far from the nearest bars, liquor stores and gun stores
as mandated by law (and common sense)?
 Are there a large number of sex offenders living in the area?
 Is there enough room for drop-off and pick up of students to allow a
smooth flow of traffic?
 Is there enough parking? Parking must be allotted not just for staff and
visitors, but for assemblies and performances when parents from the
whole school may be in attendance.
 What is the zoning code for that area?
 Can the building used as a school or rebuilt within the budget to conform
to municipal codes?
 Is there space for a multipurpose room (gym, assembly, lunchroom) which
can hold the whole student body and their parents.
 Is there space for computer lab, library, art room, science room, music
room, storage, teacher lounge, copier / work room, principal’s office,
reception area with desk, nurse’s office with couch, rooms for special
education, specialists such as curriculum director, speech therapist, etc,
(some can be shared)?
When a building is found, usually a “build-out” will be necessary to re-configure it as a
school. Where are you going to put students if the build-out is not done on time (it never
is)? Will the building owner finance a temporary school somewhere else? Although
promised that our school would be done by the beginning of the school year, 2007, it was
in fact not completed until February, 2008. Having seen other charter schools who did
not plan for this delay change their school site every week or two, we planned ahead for
the worst scenario and warned parents that the first year would most likely be chaotic. In
advance we found a large church with huge classrooms available (each room was shared
by two classes) and although it was not ideal, we held school successfully there for six
months. The Native Charter School which opened 2008 found they had another problem
– the State Department of Transportation would not allow them to use their school for
drop off and pick up because it was on a busy state road. They had to have parents drop
off at a nearby church and then bus the children to and from the school!
8. Planning the Curriculum
Charter schools have a lot of say in developing their own curriculum. Some full
immersion schools adopt a German curriculum, i.e. The German-American School of
Portland uses the curriculum of Nordrhein-Westfalen. However, since charter schools
are public schools, American parents expect their students to have a deeper knowledge of
American history, government and language than is given in German curricula.
Therefore most charter schools use a combination of authentic German materials,
teacher-produced materials, American materials translated into German and English
materials. For example, the Anchorage School District does not use a science book, but
has developed a curriculum based upon science kits. These kits are in giant tubs and
contain a teacher’s manual, masters for handouts, supplies for all experiments and
activities and age-appropriate books in English to accompany them. All of the immersion
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schools use these kits, but the teachers translate the appropriate accompanying materials,
occasionally supplementing them with German science books written at the appropriate
level. The school district actually pays immersion teachers to attend science seminars on
Saturdays to translate the materials into their respective languages.
If the school can become a PASCH school, the Federal Republic of Germany will
help with grants for Lehr- und Lernmittel.
Many German schools are willing to share their teacher-made materials and all of
them welcome visits to their schools. The principals and/or curriculum directors can be
very helpful. Before Rilke Schule was opened, visits were made to the Albert Einstein
Academy Charter School in San Diego, the German-American School of Portland, the
German Immersion School in Minneapolis, the German School of Milwaukee and the
German School of Cincinnati. All of the schools were most helpful.
There are two excellent German units which can be used in the upper grades in
immersion. These are units produced by the Kinder Lernen Deutsch committee of the
American Association of Teachers of German and are very reasonably priced. The units
are used in our school for science (Die Umwelt und Ich - $25.00) and social studies
(Deutsch-Amerikaner - $12.00). They also have a number of thematic units “Mappen”
available.
9. Marketing and Public Relations
The first step in marketing your school is to choose a name and logo, so that
public relations that you do is immediately stamped with this tag. This helps people
identify the product. As soon as we had chosen Rilke as the name of our school, we
made up a panther logo to go with it and put it on all of our flyers.
 Make a flyer. As soon as you have a general idea about what you want
in a German Charter School, make a flyer for it. Where do you get the
seed money for public relations? Our planning committee members
dug into their pockets and chipped in whatever was needed. You may
have members on your committee who can get the copying done free
or at a reduced rate, which is really important.
In the flyer, emphasize:
 The benefits of learning German
 That the school will be K – 8 (or pre-K – 6, or whatever)
 How an immersion program works
 That students in immersion programs do as well or better on
national and state tests than students with no language
 That there is a plan for continuing their German after
graduation
 That Boot Camp will be offered free after school for any
students needing additional help
 That there will be programs available for students who have to
be dropped off early or picked up late.
Make hundreds of flyers and take them to every preschool,
kindergarten and church in town. Have planning committee members
carry a box of them in their cars, so they can put them up in grocery
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stores, laundromats, gyms, beauty parlors – in short, all over town.
Most public school principals will either send flyers home with their
students (if they have been approved by the school district) or at least
put them on a table or rack for parents to pick up. Since every
immersion school in town (Spanish, Russian, Japanese) had waiting
lists, we were able to get these lists and offer the students admission in
our school. Many parents want their child to learn any foreign
language, not a specific one.
Make a parent handbook. Rilke developed a parent handbook which
explained the mission, vision and goals in detail and clearly laid out
such things as the school schedule, grading, the dress code and healthy
foods policy.
Start a website. Put all information on the website as well as
applications for the school or lottery. Make links to articles extolling
the benefits of immersion education.
Prepare a power point presentation to give at the public information
meetings.
Have periodic press releases as soon as the school district or state
approves the school. If there are public events, invite the press to
them. The Rilke planning committee held barbeque dinners at public
parks (and later at the school) and invited the public to learn about the
school.
As soon as the school site is close to being ready, hold open house and
give tours.
10. Anticipating Problems
It helps to begin the journey to open an immersion charter school knowing in
advance what some of the problems will be. Some can be planned for, others must just
be taken in stride. Some common problems:
 Many more parents sign up as interested than actually show up. We
have found that we need 120 kindergarten lottery applications to come up
with 80 kindergartners who actually attend.
 . There will be attrition no matter what. We are a mobile society and
American families move a lot. In an immersion school students leave and
cannot be readily replaced with new students, unless you happen to have
native speakers coming in. We have a significant military population, so
we know that a number of the families will be rotating out after three
years. A few parents will not agree with one aspect of the school, be it
that their child cannot wear hair dye or have cookies for lunch or
wear t-shirts or jeans to school. Since most districts do not provide
transportation to school, parents must drive and carpools must be
organized. When gas hit over $4.00 per gallon, we lost some thirty
otherwise very satisfied families because they could not afford the gas.
 There is a dearth of appropriate, classroom-ready materials in German.
Most of the textbooks used in Germany are unsuitable to American
curricula, so teacher end up creating much of the materials themselves.
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Just try to find a book in German written on a third grade level on
Alaskan history! Also, many subjects are taught in American schools
which are not in the German curriculum or are taught at different grade
levels. For example, our fourth graders do social studies units in German
on archeology, Ice Age Man, Germanic Tribes, the Romans, the Greeks,
the Egyptians, the Aztecs, Incas and Mayas and Old China. Where these
materials are available at all in German, they are meant for older students,
native German speakers and have limited use in class.
Deciding which subjects should be taught in English and which in
German. If using a total immersion model, when should English be
introduced and for how many hours? What do we do about American
history? What subjects will be tested on the national tests and how will
our students master the necessary vocabulary?
How will we assess our students in German? There are no good
assessment vehicles to assess immersion German progress. For the
students in upper elementary and middle school, there are the A2 and B1
tests from the International Reference Framework of the European Union
and the AATG tests, which test only a part of student mastery of the
language. For younger children, we use a checklist and test each child
individually (see Appendix)
What will you do about special education students? In Alaska, as a public
schools, charter schools must accept all students who are chosen at
random through a lottery system.
Appendix
I. Sample documents
from the Rilke Schule German charter school of Anchorage, Alaska
A. Mission, Vision and goals
Mission Statement
The Rilke Schule German Charter School of Arts & Sciences is a K through 8 school that
provides an outstanding education focused on high academic achievement by engaging
each child through an enriched language curriculum taught primarily in German. Our
teaching focus is on language, arts, and sciences, fostering creative expression through
drama, arts, music, and sports. With the support of parents and the extended family, our
school creates a community which is immersed in the German culture and promotes
international awareness. Our school nurtures a child’s natural curiosity, cultivating life
long learning.
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Vision
The vision of the Rilke Schule German Charter School of Arts & Sciences is to be the
BEST German Immersion School in Alaska, the United States, and beyond.
Being the best means:
Multilingualism - Multilingualism is the norm in most of the world and we believe that
children who know more than one language will be better prepared for life in the 21st
century.
World Citizenship - By exposing and immersing our students and their families in new
cultures, we will promote informed, active, and responsible world citizenship.
Respect - We believe that all children learn best when they are known and understood as
individuals. Each child at our school will be accepted and challenged in the manner that
is most appropriate for them. We instill respect for the diversity of humankind by
applying a social curriculum that is as important as the academic curriculum. This will
include manners and etiquette.
Challenges - We believe that children rise to academic challenges that are
developmentally appropriate. We are committed to providing a learning environment that
teaches and expects students to do the best work of which each student is capable.
Involvement - We believe that at the heart of every vibrant school are involved parents,
extended families, and their communities. Board members, faculty, and families share in
the daily tasks and long-term planning that comprise the ongoing functions of the school.
Healthy Lifestyle - We practice healthy living through nutritious eating and regular
exercise in school.
Sustainability – We are committed to the policy of “reduce, recycle, reuse.”
Goals of the Rilke Schule
1. Students will learn to speak German fluently and will have a deep understanding
of heritage, cultural norms and customs of German-speaking countries and use
German to acquire knowledge not available to them in English.
2. Community Service – each child will actively be involved in the community to
learn that helping others is part of being a responsible world citizen.
3. The school will have a financial plan to assure sustainability.
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4. Students will have penpals and email pals in the German-speaking countries. .
Regular exchange trips to partner school(s) will be made and the school will host
students from partner school(s).
5. Every family will be expected to fulfill a volunteer commitment of at least 4 hours
per month to help the school with various needs. Families will also be involved in
joint projects, field trips, festivals, performances, and similar activities.
6. Traditional holidays and festivals of the German-speaking countries will be
celebrated.
7. The school, its faculty and staff will collaborate with other learning entities to
enrich the school life. We will work with Anchorage School District German
faculty to develop an excellent German high school program to provide our
students with an opportunity to continue their advanced German studies beyond
8th grade. We will work with members of the German government, the Goethe
Institute and the American Association of Teachers of German to provide preservice and in-service staff development.
8. The curriculum will meet the Content Standards for Alaskan Schools in all areas.
9. Performance standards in each subject area will be evaluated regularly in order to
ensure continuity and effectiveness.
10. Students performing below ‘proficient standards’ will be offered tutoring for
German and/or English subjects.
11. Professional development and additional staff training will be emphasized during
in-services, as well as on other special occasions.
12. Parents will be continually informed about student progress and school events
through: newsletters, website, notes sent home, phone calls or e-mails from
teachers, regular and special parent conferences, and the use of student portfolios.
13. Staff will be given the opportunity to improve their German through seminars in
German-speaking countries.
14. The school will provide before and after school enrichment programs such as
Spanish, French, Russian, other languages, drama, robotics, chess, choir, Orff
Ensemble, sports, arts and crafts, and German games.
15. The school will maintain an active recycling program and will participate in local,
national, and international ecological and conservation projects.
16. Classes in German will be offered for parents and other adults who wish to learn
German.
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B. Governance
Rilke Schule Academic Policy Committee
Rilke Schule German Charter School proposes to have an Academic Policy Committee
(APC) consisting of seven members: three parents, one community member at large (who
may or may not be a parent), two teachers from the school and a liaison with the
American Association of Teachers of German. Guest members who may add input but
have no vote will include one representative from the high school teachers and one from
the university level. The parent positions must be filled by parents of students currently
attending Rilke Schule German Charter School and may not be filled by teachers or any
other paid employee of the school. Only one parent per family may serve on this
Committee at a time. Attendance is mandatory. The members of the Academic Policy
Committee will receive no compensation for their services as members of the committee.
General Powers and Duties
The APC will monitor progress in achieving academic policies and other goals of the
Rilke Schule German Charter School, oversee the business and affairs of the school,
interview and hire the principal and teachers (with the aid of the principal) and answer to
the Anchorage School Board with respect to responsibilities laid out in School Board
Policy. The APC will meet with the principal at least four times a year to review
academic policies, goals and objectives and modify these as necessary.
The following persons are members of the organizing committee: (names and
information deleted here, but listed in the original document).
C. Description of Need
Rilke Schule Charter German School Description of Need
Anchorage has four successful language immersion programs: Spanish two-way
immersion at Government Hill Elementary, Japanese at Sand Lake Elementary, Russian
at Turnagain Elementary and Spanish at Chugiak Elementary. Spanish immersion
students continue on at Romig Middle School and West High School. Japanese
immersion students continue on at Mears Middle School and Dimond High School.
Russian students will continue on at Romig Middle School and West High School. There
is no German offered at the elementary or middle school level in regular programs.
Northern Lights ABC does offer German in seventh and eighth grades, but as it is a
lottery school starting in kindergarten, most students could not join the program in middle
school, so it is not really an option.
Why German? One in five Americans is of German descent; there is a rich history of
Germans in America and in Alaska as well. Germany has provided a rich literary,
musical, scientific and political legacy for the evolution of Western Civilization. Ten
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percent of the books published in the world are in German. More than 1,100 companies
in German-speaking countries have subsidiaries in the United States and over 750
American companies do business in German-speaking countries. Over 60,000 Germanspeaking tourists visit Alaska each summer, creating a demand for Alaskans who are
comfortable in that language. In order to meet the needs of the 21st Century, it is
important to start German at an early age and continue it in a long, articulated sequence
leading to fluency in the language and a deep understanding of German culture.
German has proven to be a language of high interest in Alaska, which has the second
highest percent of students taking German in the United States, after Pennsylvania.
Every high school in Anchorage has a solid German program and our students and
teachers have won national honors, including free trips to Germany. The University of
Alaska now offers a major in German, so students can now continue their education in
their home state.
Brain research has shown that for greatest accuracy and excellent pronunciation, foreign
language learning must begin before the age of ten. Research studies across the United
States and Canada have shown that young foreign language learners show greater
achievement in basic skills and improvement in standardized test scores compared to
students who were not learning a foreign language. Foreign language learning improves
understanding of the students’ native language, enhances listening skills, improves
memory and gives a new perspective and understanding of language. Mastery of German
provides insights into German literature, science, history and culture, which cannot be
obtained in translation.
D. Sample Development Schedule
Anchorage School District Charter School Development Schedule:
Nr.
1.
Date
………..
July 15
2.
July/August
3.
August
4.
5.
August
September
6.
Sept./Oct
7.
Nov.
8.
Nov.
Action………………………………………………
Status
One year prior to the first year of opening a new charter
school – letter of intent sent to Assistant Superintendent
of Anchorage School District
Meet and review intent with Charter School Supervisor
and Assistant Superintendent of ASD
Meet and review intent with Charter School Supervisor
and Budget Director of ASD
Charter school application due to Asst. Superintendent
Meet with Asst. Superintendent and department chairs
for an administrative review of application
Make any adjustments requested by the administrative
review to the application
Meet and review charter school application with ASD
school board in a work session.
Make any adjustments requested by the School Board
review.
x
14
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14
15
16.
17.
18.
19
20.
1st Mon.
Dec.
Feb./Mar.
School Board approves/disapproves charter school
application.
Proposers of charter school finalize building arrangements for charter school and schedule parent information meetings.
March
Approved charter school application is submitted to the
State Board of Education and the Commissioner of
Education for charter approval.
March
Approved charter is eligible for implementation and
start-up grant funds from the federal government.
March
Contract is signed between the ASD school board and the
proposers of the approved charter school.
Apr/May/Jun Parent information meetings are held, participation in the
May lottery, staffing, final building arrangements are
made. Attend State Charter School Conference (April).
July
Access to Foundation funds from State via ASD begins.
Purchase of supplies and equipment begins.
August
Final staffing takes place through ASD Human Resources.
August
Students participate in a lottery to enroll into the new
charter school. Individual Educational Plans meet with
teams from prior school and new school to work out
placement issues.
August
Set up classrooms, office, support areas in building. Have
District AV people establish communications systems that
interface with the District.
August
Develop school schedules. Plan calendar for the school
year. Mail out welcome newsletter to parents (hold
welcome barbeque potluck at school). Continue to market
if numbers are low.
mid- August SCHOOL BEGINS!!
E. Assessment
1. Sample Kindergarten German Assessment checklist
Rilke Kindergarten Checklist
Checklist for German Kindergarten – First Quarter 2008
Student Name ______________________
Checker _____________________
None
Begun Emerging Mastered
___
___
___ ____
1. Student can count to 20
___
___
___
2. Student can greet and ask after health.
___
15
___
___
___
___
3. Student can recognize numbers 1 - 10
___
___
___
____
4. Student can ask for and give own name.
___
___
___
____
5. Student can ask for and give own age
___
___
___
___
6. Student can give class motto in German and explain in
English. “Seid nett zueinander”
___
___
___
____
7. Student can say the days of the week
___
___
___
___
8. Student can recite the four behavior rules.
___
___
___
___
9. Student can ask for permission (bathroom, drink, play)
._
___
___
____
10. Student can tell 6 things animals can do.
___
___
___
___
11. Student can tell 10 things he can do. (Ich kann laufen)
___
___
___
___
12. Student can tell 3 things she can not do
___
___
___
___
13. Student can follow basic classroom directions
___
___
___
___
14. Student can copy a pattern of beads in shape and color.
___
___
___
___
15. Student can show preference for food (lecker, ekelhaft)
___
___
___
___
16. Student can point to 10 body parts as they are named.
___
___
___
____
17. Student can name head, eye(s), ear(s), nose, mouth,
hand (s), arm(s), leg(s), foot (feet), finger. Article does not have to be correct.
___
___
___
___
18. Student can tell number of above body parts.
___
___
___
____
19. Student can identify and name 10 colors.
___
___
___
___
20. Student can name 6 fruits and/or vegetables.
___
___
___
____
21. Student can sing „Ich habe eine Banane“
___
___
___
____
22. Student can sing „Guten Morgen, ruft die Sonne“
___
___
___
____
23. Student can sing „Guten Morgen,wir winken uns zu“
___
___
___
____
24. Student can sing „Guten Tag, sagen alle Kinder“
____
25. Student can sing „Wir Haben Hunger“
___
___
____
___
___
____ ____
26. Student can sing „.Die Blätter am Baum”
___
___
____
____
27. Student can sing „Montag, Dienstag“
___
___
____
____
28. Student can sing „Eine kleine Spinne“
___
___
____
____
20. Student can sing „Bis bald, ade“
___
___
____
____
21. Student can sing “Grün, grün, grün”.
___
___
____
____
22. Student can sing „Kopf, Schulter, Knie...“
16
___
___
____
____
23. Student can sing „Hoch soll er leben“
___
___
____
____
24. Student can name 4 relatives.
___
___
____
____
25. Student can identify the basic tableware used in class.
(fork, knife, spoon, plate, cup, saucer, glass)
___
___
___
___
___
____
___
26. Student can name the basic tableware used in class.
___ 27. Student can recite health verse: Nach dem Klo und
vor dem Essen, Händewaschen nicht vergessen!
Checklist for German Kindergarten Evaluation – Second Quarter, 2008-09 School Year
Student Name ______________________
Checker _____________________
None
Begun Emerging Mastered
___
___
___
____
27.
Student can give today’s day and complete date.
___
___
___
____
28.
Student can give yesterday’s date in past tense.
___
___
___
____
29.
Student can give tomorrow’s date.
___
___
___
____
30.
Student can recite Nikolaus poem.
___
___
___
____
31.
Student can recite Advent poem.
___
___
___
____
32.
Student can sing first verse of “O Tannenbaum”
___
___
___
____
33.
Student can sing first verse of “Stille Nacht”
___
___
___
____
34.
Student can sing “Laßt uns froh”.
___
___
___
____
35.
Student can sing “Es war eine Mutter” (all verses)
___
___
___
____
36.
Student can sing “Kling, Glöckchen”
___
___
___
____
37.
Student can sing “Laterne, Laterne”
___
___
___
____
38.
Student can sing “Ich geh’ mit meiner Laterne”
___
___
___
____
39.
Student can sing “Brüderchen, komm tanz mit mir“
___
___
___
____
40.
Student can name items ordinally to 19 (first, sec.)
___
___
___
____
41.
Student can count to 100 by ones.
___
___
___
____
42.
Student can count to 100 by tens.
___
___
___
____
43.
Student can count to 100 by fives.
___
___
___
____
44.
Student can add numbers whose sums equal 12 or
less.
17
___
___
___
____
45.
Student can name at least 5 forms of transport from
pictures (Fahrrad, Dreirad, Motorrad, Auto, zu Fuß,
fährt Schi, Schlitten, Schneeschuhe)
___
___
___
____
46.
Student can identify 5 new animals from pictures
(Fuchs, Schwein, Stinktier, Waschbär, Eichhörnchen, Krähe)
___
___
___
____
47.
Student can recite his/her part from “Drachentöter”
___
___
___
____
48.
Student can name 10 daily activities (from pictures)
___
___
___
____
49.
Student can identify 5 school supplies.
___
___
___
____
50.
Student can identify 6 types of weather.
___
___
___
____
51.
Student can name 6 types of weather.
___
___
___
____
52.
Student can give basic commands to other children
(aufräumen, Schule anziehen, in die richtige Reihenfolge, Hände waschen, etc)
___
___
___
____
53.
Student understands and reacts to all basic classroom commands
___
___
___
____
54.
Student can read some basic sight words in German
(see list)
Checklist for German Kindergarten Evaluation – Third Quarter, 2008-09 School Year
Student Name ______________________
Checker _____________________
None
Begun Emerging Mastered
___
___
___
____
55..
Student can sing “Hänschen klein”
___
___
___
____
56.
Student can sing „Wischi Wischi Waschi“
___
___
___
____
57.
Student can sing the German alphabet
___
___
___
____
58.
Student can sing „Alle meine Enten“
___
___
___
____
59.
Student can do addition problems to 20.
___
___
___
____
60.
Student can do subtraction problems without
borrowing.
___
___
___
____
61.
Student can do addition with carrying.
___
___
___
____
62.
Student can determine whether a problem is
18
addition or subtraction.
___
___
___
____
63.
Student can show that addition is commutative.
___
___
___
____
64.
Student can tell what basic materials things are
made of.
___
___
___
____
65.
Student can judge whether objects will float or sink.
___
___
___
____
66.
Student can identify redwood, plywood, basswood
and particle board in German.
___
___
___
____
67.
Student knows that wood comes from trees.
___
___
___
____
68.
Student can differentiate between deciduous trees
and conifers by sight.
___
___
___
____
68b.
Student knows that deciduous trees have leaves and
conifers have needles.
___
___
___
____
69.
Student can read numbers accurately up to 99.
___
___
___
____
70.
Student knows and can read basic opposites words.
___
___
___
____
71.
Student answers common questions spontaneously
in German.
___
___
___
____
72.
Student can ask three questions about a presentation
___
___
___
____
73.
Student can give three compliments.
___
___
___
____
74.
Student can read and understand class chores
___
___
___
____
75.
Student can name the basic geometric twodimensional forms.
___
___
___
____
76.
Student can name fifteen body parts.
___
___
___
____
77.
Student can read fifteen body parts.
___
___
___
____
78.
Student can name the basic German vowels.
___
___
___
____
79.
Student reads correctly diphthongs „ei“ and „au“
___
___
___
____
80.
Student can sound out basic syllables in reading
German.
___
___
___
____
81.
Student can name ten things in class (eg Leseecke).
___
___
___
____
82.
Student can name the five senses.
___
___
___
____
83.
Student can recite the poem „Die fünf Sinne”
___
___
___
____
84.
Student can describe the German flag.
19
___
___
___
____
85.
Student can sing “An die Freude” by heart.
___
___
___
____
86.
Student can sing the German national anthem
by heart (“Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit”).
___
___
___
____
87.
Student can locate all of the continents when named
___
___
___
____
88.
Student can name the continents in German.
___
___
___
____
89.
Student can name and locate the Atlantic, Pacific,
Indian oceans.
___
___
___
____ 90.
Student can find and name the poles on a globe.
___
___
___
____ 91.
Student can locate the 5 German-speaking countries
on a European map and name them.
___
___
___
____ 92.
Student can name the capitals of the Germanspeaking countries.
___
___
___
____ 93.
Student can locate Alaska on a globe and world
map.
___
___
___
____ 94.
Student can locate the United States on globe and
world map.
___
___
___
____ 95.
Student can name the capital of Alaska.
___
___
___
____ 96.
Student can name the capital of US
2. The A2 Exam
The Education Commission of the European Union set common standards in all
European languages for achievement in the four skills (comprehension, speaking, reading and
writing), called the Common European Framework of Reference. A series of
examinations is available to test German using these standards: A2, B1, B2 and C1. The
tests are appropriate for German language students from about 5th grade on, although
students as young as third grade have successfully passed them at Rilke. The advantage
of these tests over, for example, the AATG tests, is that all four skills are tested. In
addition to listening and reading, students must also write an essay and have an oral
interview, which is a combination of conversation and a prepared presentation by the
student. The exams are administered in the United States by the ZfA-Fachberater for
each region. The cost is the same as the AATG exams.
3. Other Assessments
SOPA: The Student Oral Proficiency Assessment is intended with students with
two or more years of foreign language in the elementary school. Only assesses oral
achievement.
ELOPA: The Early Language Learning Oral Proficiency Assessment
20
These two assessments have been developed through the National K-12 Foreign
Language Resource Center in Ames, Iowa (nflrc@iastate.edu)
4. The Sprachmeister
Building upon a model used at the Concordia Language Villages where students wear a
pendant with “Sprachmeister” written on it if they plan to speak German all day, Rilke
Schule adapted the idea to promote oral proficiency and constant use of the language at
school. Using wooden flag blanks approximately 2” x 3”, flags of the German-speaking
countries were painted on each blank, along with the word “Sprachmeister”. The teacher
keeps track (with the help of the students) on a daily chart of all the students who speak
only German each day during the German half of the day (3 ½ hours). The flags are
awarded as follows:
25 days : flag of Germany
50 days: flag of Austria
75 days: flag of Switzerland
100 days: flag of Luxemburg
125 days: flag of Liechtenstein
150 days: flag of Belgium
all year: flag of the European Union
Students wear their flags proudly on gold cords and on special days, they wear all of
them they have earned. Days do not run over from year to year, but are started new each
year. For kindergarten, students only have to speak for 10 days to get their first flag.
The outcome of this system is that in whole classes, only German is spoken willingly by
the students, especially from 2nd grade on. All students in the school who have spoken
only German for 100 days or more get a gold medal (see Teachers Discovery, German
awards), given at the public awards assembly at the end of school. Students who have
spoken German for 150 days or more get their names engraved on a beautiful permanent
plaque which hangs in the school reception area.
RESOURCES
PASCH
With the partner school initiative PASCH, a global network of schools is being built.
Pupils at these schools are not just given the opportunity of learning German and
enjoying German education. This cultural relations initiative is intended to arouse longterm interest in modern Germany and the German language amongst young people. The
Federal Foreign Office is responsible for coordinating PASCH, which is being
implemented in cooperation with the Central Agency for Schools Abroad (ZfA), the
Goethe-Institut (GI), the Educational Exchange Service of the Standing Conference of the
Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of
Germany (PAD) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The ZfAFachberater for the United States, who help in the establishment, support and assessment
at German schools in the US:
21
Frank Müller
Petra Reuter
Elke Rühl
Gert Wilhelm
zfa-losangeles@ca.rr.com
petra.reuter@web.de
ruehl-zfa@gmx.com
wilhelm-zfa@gmx.com
Südwesten USA; Washington, D.C.
Südosten USA
Nordwesten USA; New York
Mitte USA; Boston
Book to read:
First of all, everyone on the planning committee should have access to and have read the
bible of elementary school language instruction: Children and Language: Making the
Match, 3rd edition, by Helena Curtain and Carol Ann Dahlberg. This can be purchased
through AATG.
Associations:
AATG: American Association of Teachers of German. (aatg.org)
The national umbrella association for German teachers at all levels. Has a
materials center where books, CDs, DVDs, units, teacher-made materials, maps,
etc. can be purchased. Offers summer teacher training seminars in the US and
Europe, some scholarships available. Kinder Lernen Deutsch special interest
group is focused on teaching German to children up through middle school. Also
has a list serve for members to exchange information as well as a job list serve.
Offers national tests with medals and prizes. Annual meeting is held with
ACTFL. Offers the excellent journal Unterrichtspraxis and an online newsletter.
ACTFL: The American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages. (actfl.org)
The umbrella organization for all world language teachers in the United States.
Developed student achievement standards for every level of every language.
Standards are very useful in planning curriculum. The ACTFL Proficiency
Guidelines also include sample lessons for all ages and proficiencies. Publishes
both the Foreign Language Annals journal and a monthly magazine The
Language Educator.
ACIE: The American Council on Immersion Education.
Publishes the ACIE Newsletter, a very practical, hands-on journal of immersion
education. Sponsored by the Center for Advanced Research on Language
Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota.
IBIS: International Book Import Service (www.ibiservice.com)
Barbara Patten runs an import service for German materials at all levels, but is
willing to work out specials rates for immersion schools.
US Charter Schools website gives an overview of what charter schools are and offers
help in forming charter schools. Offers newsletter of current issues affecting
charter schools.
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools: Overview of what charter schools are and
update on current issues affecting charter schools.
22
Some German Immersion Schools in the US
Charter Schools:
Albert Einstein Academy Charter School, San Diego.
Goethe International Charter School, Los Angeles
www.goethecharterschool.org
German International Charter School of La Mirada
Rilke Schule, Anchorage
Twin Cities German Immersion School
www.aeacs.org
www.germanschool-Lm.org
www.rilkeschule.org
www.germanschool-mn.org
Other Schools:
Deutsche Schule, Chicago
www.germanschoolchicago.com
German-American Elementary School, Houston
www.glchouston.com
German-American School of Portland, OR
www.gspdx.org
German-American International School, Palo Alto, CA
www.germanamericanschool.org
German International School of Dallas
www.german.isd.com
German International School of Silicon Valley
www.gissv.org
Milwaukee German Immersion School
www2.milwaukee.k12.wi.us
Immersion Schools mixed with other languages:
Atlanta International School
www.aischool.org
Colorado International School, Denver
www.coloradointernationalschool.org
International School of Tucson, AZ
www.internationalschooloftucson.org
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