Procedure 3120.3P
Mandarin (Jing Mei) Dual Language Enrollment Procedure
1.0 General
1.1 Students in the Mandarin Dual Language Program are taught the standard Bellevue School District
curriculum but receive instruction both in Mandarin and English. They learn to understand, speak, read
and write both in Mandarin and English.
1.2 Admission will be granted on a space available basis to those students selected under this
Procedure.
1.3 For the purpose of this Procedure, the nonresident children of full-time employees of the Bellevue
School District shall follow the lottery guidelines set forth for residents of the Bellevue School District. In
addition, if these students are not residents of the Bellevue School District, they will need to follow the
requirements described in section 8.2, below.
1.4 Residents of the Bellevue School District will receive first priority for admission to the Mandarin Dual
Language Program. If there is space available after the applications for all residents and nonresident
children of full-time employees, admission of nonresident students will be offered. The school and
District websites will indicate if the school is accepting applications from nonresident students for the
upcoming school year.
1.5 Applications will be available via the school website. Late, incomplete and multiple applications for
the same student will not be accepted and will result in the applicant being removed from the lottery
process. Applicants with siblings already at the school must submit an application by the due date;
failure to do so will result in the applicant not being admitted to the school. Completed applications
must be submitted by the due date. Applicants without internet or email access may complete a paper
form to submit their application. Paper applications will be manually entered into the online application
tool by Student Placement. For more information, please see Resident Admission procedures, below.
1.6 The Mandarin Dual Language Program application schedule will coincide with the Bellevue School
District Open Enrollment and Choice School Application period for resident and nonresident students.
1.7 Students will be accepted for specific grade levels. The school will accept students entering K-5.
Kindergarten grade admission occurs via lottery. Admission to grades 1-5 is based on space availability,
successful completion of a Mandarin oral screening assessment and is at the discretion of the principal.
Part-time or home-based enrollment is not available in the Mandarin Dual Language Program.
1.8 Enrollment in the Pre-K Mandarin Program is not a condition which determines preferential
enrollment in the Mandarin Dual Language Program.
1.9 Per State Law and District Policy 3110, a child must be 5 years old on or before August 31 of the year
of entry to kindergarten. Early entrance testing is available only to Bellevue School District Residents
and children of District employees as outlined in District Policy 3110.
2.0 Verification of Residency
2.1 All applicants applying as residents to the Mandarin Dual Language Program must be residents of the
Bellevue School District at the time of application following the guidelines in District Procedure 3120P.
2.2 If, after acceptance to the school, residency cannot be established in the timeframe allotted, the
student will forfeit their place and it will be offered to the next student on the waiting list.
3.0 Language Requirement
3.1 The structure of the Mandarin Dual Language Program seeks a population of which 50% of the
students peak Mandarin proficiently and 50% of the students who are non-Mandarin speaking. The
Mandarin Dual Language Program seeks to serve students in a learning environment in which 50% of the
students in a kindergarten class are Mandarin speakers and 50% are non-Mandarin.
3.2 In order to gain the academic and linguistic achievement that is expected from this type of program
it is important to enroll students from the different language backgrounds to reach the required balance
of students and preserve the academic and linguistic integrity of the model. To be included on the
Mandarin side of the lottery, students must pass a Mandarin oral language proficiency screening.
3.3 Students admitted after the beginning of kindergarten will be evaluated to determine if they meet
the language requirements to be successful at the school. If a seat becomes vacant after the beginning
of kindergarten, it will be filled with a student from the same language group. If it is before the end of
the first semester on the District calendar, no screening will be required for entrance. If it is after the
end of the first semester on the District calendar, students will need to pass a Mandarin proficiency
screening in order to enroll.
4.0 Resident Kindergarten Admission Procedures
4.1 Bellevue School District resident students (as defined by District Procedure 3120P) may apply during
the District enrollment period used for all Open Enrollment, Choice School Applications and special
programs for the next school year. Applicants will be required to show proof of residency.
4.2 In accordance with State Law, the children of any full-time employee at Jing Mei shall be admitted if
the employee so requests. The student may remain in the program until graduation regardless of the
parent’s employment status. The overall enrollment target for the school shall be raised by one for each
such student enrolled in the program in any given year. If these students are not residents of the
Bellevue School District, they must submit an Interdistrict Transfer Application to the Bellevue School
District their first year in the school and a Choice Transfer Form each year they are enrolled in the
Bellevue School District.
4.3 Applications will be available via the school website. Late, incomplete, and multiple applications for
the same student will not be accepted and will result in the applicant being removed from the lottery
process. Applicants with siblings already at the school must submit an application by the due date;
failure to do so will result in the applicant not being admitted to the school.
4.4 Completed applications must be submitted via the online process by the due date. Applicants will
need to verify their email address within ten (10) minutes of submitting the application. Failure to do so
will result in rejection of the application and it will need to be resubmitted. An email containing further
instructions and the applicant’s lottery number will be sent to the verified email address.
4.5 Applicants without internet or email access may complete a paper form to submit their application.
The form is available, by request, at Jing Mei or the Student Placement Office at the District Office (ESC
Building). Both locations will accept the completed paper application forms. Paper forms submitted at
the school will be scanned and emailed to the Student Placement Office who will manually entered
them into the online application tool. Applicable automated responses will be sent, via US Mail, to the
address on the application form. Late, incomplete, and multiple applications for the same student will
not be accepted and will result in the applicant being removed from the lottery process. Applicants with
siblings already at the school must submit an application by the due date; failure to do so will result in
the applicant not being admitted to the school.
4.6 If the number of applications for enrollment in the Mandarin Dual Language Program (K-5 at Jing Mei
Elementary) is less than the maximum number of spaces available and the language dominance of the
students is balanced, then all qualified applicants who apply will have a space in kindergarten. If the
applications are greater than the maximum in either language group, then a lottery will be conducted
and a waiting list will be established by language group.
5.0 Kindergarten Lottery Procedure
5.1 These procedures will apply to each language group as needed but will only be described once. In
addition, the lottery and waiting list procedures will be the same for resident vs nonresident applicants.
Resident applicants will receive preference in admission. The school and District websites will indicate if
the school is accepting applications from nonresident students for the upcoming school year.
5.2 Applications received during the District Open Enrollment and Choice School Application period will
be numbered consecutively by language group. Multiple applications of siblings for the same grade level
will be assigned one lottery number. After the end of the District Open Enrollment and Choice School
Application period, the applications for kindergarten will be prioritized using random lottery (separate
lists by language and resident and nonresident), witnessed by the PTSA president (or another PTSA
officer if president is not available), a school staff member and a District staff member. The lotteries will
be held at the District office and will not be a public event.
5.3 Preference for kindergarten enrollment in the Mandarin Dual Language Program is given to
applicants who have siblings currently enrolled in the Mandarin Dual Language Program K-12. To be
admitted as a sibling, a complete application form must be submitted by the due date; failure to do so
will result in the applicant not being admitted to the school. To the extent that the percentage of
siblings for the kindergarten class will not exceed fifty percent for each language group, admission of all
applicants who have siblings currently enrolled in the K-12 Mandarin Dual Language Program will be
allowed. If the number of applicants with siblings in K-4 at the time of the lottery exceeds fifty percent
of the available kindergarten spaces, an initial sibling lottery of the K-4 group will be conducted for each
language group.
5.4 Applicants with siblings in grades 5-12 will participate in a sibling lottery for any available spaces to
bring the sibling total to fifty percent of the kindergarten enrollment. If the percentage of siblings
exceeds fifty percent, those whose siblings are in grades 5-12 at the time of the lottery will be denied
guaranteed entry as a sibling.
5.5 Those applicants with siblings in the program who are not guaranteed admission as a sibling will
then be included in the general resident lottery for the remaining fifty percent of the available
kindergarten spaces. The general lottery will include applicants who do not have siblings in the
Mandarin Dual Language Program.
5.6 The children of nonresident Bellevue School District employee(s) will be allowed to participate in a
lottery on an equal basis with residents. Should the child or children of nonresident employee(s) be
selected in the lottery for any of the originally identified available positions, a number of resident
students equal to the number of nonresidents selected will be added to increase the enrollment cap for
resident students. The student may remain in the Mandarin Dual Language Program until graduation
regardless of the parent’s employment status. If these students are not residents of the Bellevue School
District, they must submit an Interdistrict Transfer Application to the Bellevue School District their first
year in the school and a Choice Transfer Form each year they are enrolled in the Bellevue School District.
5.7 Applicants will be notified of their acceptance to the Mandarin Dual Language Program via email.
Applicants without email access will be notified of their acceptance by phone and in writing, sent via the
US Mail. All applicants must notify the school, in writing, following the instructions provided in their
acceptance notification, to affirm their intention to attend in the fall. All replies must be received no
later than the date provided in their notification. Failure to affirm by the due date will result in
forfeiting a position at the school. Applicants who accept admission to the Mandarin Dual Language
Program will be removed from all other Choice School waiting lists.
5.8 Applicants who are not accepted in the lottery will be placed on a waiting list in the order they were
drawn in the lottery. There will be separate waiting lists for each language group and residents and
nonresidents. The kindergarten waiting lists will expire at the end of the school year to which the
student is applying. Admission from the waiting lists is at the discretion of the principal and will require
an evaluation of the applicant’s Mandarin language proficiency.
6.0 Sibling Attendance
6.1 Kindergarten resident applicants who have an older sibling attending the Mandarin Dual Language
Program may opt, during the period described above, to guarantee their enrollment. To be admitted as
a sibling, a complete application must be submitted by the due date; failure to do so will result in the
applicant not being admitted to the school. This admission is subject to the provisions of section 1.0 of
this Procedure, and it is required that the sibling already in the Mandarin Dual Language Program will be
attending at the time of initial attendance by the applicant sibling and that the siblings will attend
together for a minimum of one school year. The policy that siblings attend together for a minimum of
one year applies to applicants of any grade regardless of their waiting list status. An appeal to this policy
may be made to a committee consisting of the school principal, counselor, District staff member, and a
member of the PTSA who has no particular connection to the student.
6.2 Applicants who have a younger sibling attending the Mandarin Dual Language Program will be
placed at the top of the waiting list for their grade level subject to the provisions of Section 1.0.
6.3 If, during the one-year period of dual enrollment, the sibling first admitted to the Mandarin Dual
Language Program makes a discretionary transfer to another school, the student admitted by the sibling
guarantee privilege will revert to his/her original waiting list status. If there are applicants above
him/her on the waiting list, the sibling must transfer to another school at the end of the semester. The
applicant next on the waiting list will be offered enrollment following the guidelines in the Waiting List
Procedure and Admission from the Waiting List described below.
7.0 Kindergarten Students Moving into the District After the Lottery Registration Deadline
7.1 If a student entering kindergarten moves into the District after the kindergarten lottery registration
deadline, the student may be added to the end of the resident waiting list beginning the first school day
of school. Verification of residency will be required. If more than one student requests to be added to
the end of the waiting list and there are insufficient openings, a lottery for those students will be held,
as determined by the District, and those students will be added (in the order they were selected) to the
end of the waiting lists.
7.2 Admission from the waiting lists is at the discretion of the principal and will require an evaluation of
the applicant’s Mandarin proficiency.
8.0 Nonresident Students
8.1 If a Mandarin Dual Language Program student moves out of the District during kindergarten, the
student will be withdrawn from the Mandarin Dual Language Program and the Bellevue School District.
If the resulting available space occurs during kindergarten the space will be offered to the next resident
kindergarten student on the waiting list at the discretion of the principal. Applicants on the resident
waiting list will receive priority.
8.2 Should the child or children of nonresident full-time employee of the Bellevue School District be
selected in the lottery the student may remain in the Mandarin Dual Language Program until graduation
regardless of the parent’s employment status. These students must submit an Interdistrict Transfer
Application to the Bellevue School District their first year in the school and a Choice Transfer Request
each year they are enrolled in the Bellevue School District.
8.3 Applications for qualified nonresident applicants to the Mandarin Dual Language Program will be
accepted during the Open Enrollment and Choice School Application period. These applications will be
entered into a lottery if space is available after all applications from resident students and children of
employees have been offered following District Policy 3141. Applicants will be notified of their status
and will be subject to the same affirmation procedures described above.
8.4 The lottery and waiting lists for nonresident students will be facilitated in the same manner as
described for resident students.
8.5 Nonresident students who have been admitted to the Mandarin Dual Language Program under the
provisions of this Procedure will be required to reapply on a yearly basis via a Choice Transfer Request.
These students must submit an Interdistrict Transfer Application to the Bellevue School District their
first year in the school and a Choice Transfer Request each year they are enrolled in the Bellevue School
District. Students enrolled as Bellevue School District residents who subsequently move outside the
district boundaries will be allowed to attend the Mandarin Dual Language Program through the end of
the current grading period, at which time it will be necessary for them to reapply, in compliance with
District Procedure 3141P. Reacceptance is not guaranteed.
8.6 In compliance with District Procedure 3141P, any student who has attended the Mandarin Dual
Language Program for a minimum of two years and moves out of the District during the last two grades
of that grade span (e.g., Grades 4 or 5 for elementary) may continue to attend that school until they
have completed the highest grade at the school. These students must submit an Interdistrict Transfer
Application to the Bellevue School District their first year in the school and a Choice Transfer Request
each year they are enrolled in the Bellevue School District.
9.0 Admission After Kindergarten
9.1 Students who wish to enter the Mandarin Dual Language Program after kindergarten, must apply
during the Open Enrollment and Choice School Application period for resident and nonresident students
for admission in the upcoming school year.
9.2 When an opening occurs, if there is no waiting list and a resident student wants to transfer into the
Mandarin Dual Language Program, a Transfer for Cause form must be completed. Acceptance of the
transfer will be based on the student successfully testing into the Program and is at the discretion of the
principal.
9.3 If there is a waiting list, students at that grade level will be placed in a lottery. Students will be
assessed in order of the lottery results. Offers of enrollment will be based on the student successfully
testing into the program.
9.4 Preference will be given to residents of the Bellevue School District.
10.0 Waiting List Procedure
10.1 Waiting list procedures function the same for the resident and nonresident lists. Preference will be
given to residents of the Bellevue School District.
10.2 Kindergarten applicants who are not accepted to the Mandarin Dual Program through the lottery
process described above, will be added to the waiting list and notified of their place on the appropriate
(resident and nonresident) waiting list. Notification will be via email. Applicants who do not have email
access will be notified of their status on the waiting list in writing via US Mail. All applicants who wish to
remain on the waiting list need to reaffirm, in writing, their desire to remain on the waiting list. All
replies must be postmarked by the date listed in their notification.
10.3 The waiting lists for kindergarten students will be carried on as the waiting lists for grades 1-5.
Each year, new applicants will be added to the waiting lists.
10.4 If a place becomes available in a given grade, the school will notify the students on the waiting list
and a lottery will be conducted. Students not selected will remain on the waiting list if they so choose.
10.5 Applicants who are admitted to the Mandarin Dual Language Program will be removed from the
waiting lists for all other Choice Schools (e.g. Puesta del Sol, Spanish Dual Language.)
11.0 Admission from the Waiting List
11.1 Admission from the waiting list may be offered as space is available at the discretion of the
principal.
11.2 Admission from the waiting list will require an evaluation of the applicant’s Mandarin proficiency.
12.0 Compliance with District Policy and Washington State Law
12.1 It is the intent of this Procedure to comply with Bellevue School District Policy and Washington
State Law. If at any time a portion or portions of this Procedure are found not to be in compliance with
Bellevue School District Policy or Washington State Law those portions will be dealt with separately and
will not impact the remaining Procedure.
Date: 1.17