Language Immersion Program
Language immersion is woven throughout the Pine Street School experience, with Spanish, and Mandarin from the early years and German introduced as an additional language track in Middle School.
Language immersion begins in the very first year at Pine Street School, with English, Spanish, and Mandarin in Nursery, Spanish-English or Mandarin-English pathways from Preschool through Grade 5, and Spanish, Mandarin, and German tracks in Middle School.
Children learn language by using it throughout the school day, during play, routines, conversations, inquiry, and academic learning. Over time, they build stronger speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills while developing a more direct connection to the cultures and perspectives represented by the languages they study.
Language learning is an essential part of Pine Street School’s International Baccalaureate education, supporting communication, open-mindedness, and international-mindedness. Students may join our Spanish or Mandarin pathways at any grade level, with or without previous experience.
How Immersion Grows by Age
Welcoming Learners at Every Level
Students may join our Spanish or Mandarin pathways at any level, with German also available as a language track in Middle School. Our classrooms include beginners, continuing learners, heritage speakers, and fluent speakers, with instruction differentiated to provide the right balance of support and challenge.
The goal is for every student to participate meaningfully, make steady progress, and grow as a confident multilingual communicator.
Measuring Language Growth
Our language program is aligned with proficiency levels established by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and with the International Baccalaureate’s additional-language pathways, providing a clear progression for developing speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills.
Beginning in the elementary years, students also take the Avant STAMP language proficiency assessment, giving teachers and families an external measure of progress in the target language. Recent STAMP results show Pine Street School students developing meaningful proficiency in both Spanish and Mandarin across reading, writing, listening, and speaking, with listening emerging as a particular strength across both programs.
Language learning is woven throughout the school day rather than limited to an occasional class. Nursery students experience English, Spanish, and Mandarin. From Preschool 3 through Grade 5, students follow a Spanish-English or Mandarin-English pathway. In Middle School, students may continue Spanish or Mandarin or begin German as a new language track.
Students begin with English, Spanish, and Mandarin in Nursery. From Preschool 3 through Grade 5, families choose a Spanish-English or Mandarin-English pathway. In Middle School, students may continue Spanish or Mandarin or choose German as a language track.
No. Students may join the Mandarin, Spanish, or German pathways at all levels of experience (German is only available in Middle School). Our classrooms include beginners, continuing learners, heritage speakers, and fluent speakers, with instruction differentiated to provide the appropriate level of support and challenge.
No. Families do not need to speak the target language at home for a child to participate in Pine Street School's language program.
Mandarin is used in consistent, meaningful contexts throughout the school day. Students develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing through conversation, routines, inquiry, academic learning, stories, projects, and age-appropriate language study.
Kindergarten through Grade 5 students receive 90 minutes of daily target-language instruction, approximately one-third of the school day. They use Spanish or Mandarin for communication, inquiry, self-expression, and academic learning.
Middle School students receive 80 minutes of daily target-language instruction in Spanish, Mandarin, or German. The program develops increasingly sophisticated communication across listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Students receive sustained daily immersion designed to build greater proficiency and fluency, although language development depends on each student’s starting point, age, and time in the program.
In Elementary School, students receive 90 minutes of daily target-language instruction; in Middle School, they receive 80 minutes. Students develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing by using Spanish or Mandarin for communication, inquiry, and academic learning.
Beginning in Grade 3, students take the Avant STAMP language proficiency assessment, which gives teachers and families an external measure of progress across all four areas. The program is also aligned with ACTFL proficiency levels and the International Baccalaureate’s additional-language pathways.
The language program is aligned with ACTFL proficiency levels and International Baccalaureate additional-language pathways, providing a clear progression for speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
Beginning in Grade 3, students take the Avant STAMP language proficiency assessment, which gives teachers and families an external measure of progress across all four areas.
Teachers differentiate instruction so beginners can build foundations while continuing, heritage, and fluent speakers work at appropriately challenging levels. Strategies may include flexible grouping, scaffolding, varied tasks, and individualized support.
Families should consider how much time students spend learning Mandarin, how consistently the language continues across grade levels, how different proficiency levels are supported, and how progress is assessed.
At Pine Street School, students may follow a Mandarin-English pathway from Preschool 3 through Grade 5 and continue Mandarin in Middle School. Instruction is differentiated for beginners, continuing learners, heritage speakers, and fluent speakers, with opportunities to develop speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
Families should look at how frequently students use Spanish, whether the program continues as children grow, how teachers support different starting levels, and whether language learning is integrated meaningfully into the school day.
Pine Street School offers a Spanish-English pathway from Preschool 3 through Grade 5, with Spanish continuing through Middle School. Instruction is differentiated so students can be appropriately supported and challenged at different levels of experience.
German language offerings vary among NYC middle schools, so families should consider whether students can begin German without previous experience, how frequently the language is taught, and whether it is part of the regular academic program.
At Pine Street School, students can begin German as a new language track in Middle School. German is offered alongside Mandarin and Spanish, with students receiving 80 minutes of daily target-language instruction.