GLENDALE UNIFIED SCHOOL BOARD MEETING PREVIEW

BILINGUAL EDUCATION

The California Assn. for Bilingual Education has named the Glendale Unified School District its district of the year for providing “exemplary” programs for English learners.

The association will announce the award during a presentation Tuesday and will recognize the district at a conference Feb. 25 at the Long Beach Convention Center.

Bilingual education has been an emphasis for the district, which has dual-language immersion programs for Armenian, German, Korean and Spanish, with Italian set to begin next year.

Dual-language immersion classes are taught at least half in a foreign language and help develop critical thinking skills, officials say.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The Board of Education will not vote during this presentation.

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UPDATED TYPING COURSE

Staff members will propose a revision for a middle school typing course, so that it helps students with a more broad set of skills, beyond touch-typing.

The course would introduce students to computer vocabulary and technology, including desktop publishing programs and Microsoft Excel.

Students would also learn about using the Internet as a tool for research.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The board will not vote during this discussion. It will likely be put on a future agenda for further discussion and a vote.

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TEXTBOOKS PROPOSED

Trustees will discuss a proposal for new textbooks in middle and high schools.

The textbooks would be for English, nutrition and child care classes, including the titles “Working with Young Children” and “Fallen Angels.”

WHAT TO EXPECT

The board will talk about the proposed textbooks, but will not take action on during this discussion.