The number of Mandarin Chinese immersion programs offered at primary and secondary schools in the San Francisco Bay Area has been gradually growing. ISTP was the first school to decide to use the TOCFL and CCCC tests to build up its standardized Chinese language proficiency assessment system. ISTP has been conducting the TOCFL tests annually since 2009, and held the CCCC tests for the first time last year. These language proficiency tests are an extremely helpful assessment instrument for teachers and for students as well. The tests allow them to clearly gauge their learning performance.

ISTP provides daily intensive language learning activities, and the teachers there are delighted to see the excellent results that their efforts have brought about. This year thirty 5th and 6th graders took part in the TOCFL tests, and ninety-one pupils in lower grades took the CCCC tests. The pupils did a great job: 26 passed the TOCFL tests and 90 passed the CCCC tests. The overall pass rate was 95.9%.

ISTP is now holding discussions with the Education Division about the possibility of recruiting a Chinese teaching intern to help to further enhance and upgrade its Chinese immersion program.