WHO
The SEP English Training Center© functions within SEP‘s American Public High School Academy and is operated by the participating Chinese school’s principal as well as the US principal. The SEP English Training Center© employs only US State-certified public school teachers with at least 2 years teaching experience, and occasionally registered with the College Board as proctors of ETS administered exams (i.e. SAT, TOEFL, GMAT, GRE and AP exams). The State-certified teachers sign a one-year contract with SEP to live in China at or near the participating schools. All employees of SEP, including public school teachers and principals, have background checks performed that are made accessible to the Chinese participating school’s authorities.
WHAT
The SEP English Training Center© exists in order to improve, supplement, and perfect the Chinese student’s English skills. The SEP Training Center© offers instruction in the TOEFL, the SAT, the GRE, the GMAT, and upon approval at the Chinese participating school, of the Educational Testing Service branch of the College Board, Advanced Placement (AP).
The SEP English Training Center© also offers subject classes for SAT and AP exams. In addition, the Center will also offer English supplemental classes for students with lower than average English skills, in order to help those students have greater success in an English-speaking educational environment like a US university.
The SEP English Training Center© is equipped with computers the students may use for English practice tests, exercises, and English development skills.
WHEN
The SEP English Training Center© opens within the participating Chinese high school in the morning and will remain open until 9:00pm in the evening. A US State-certified public school teacher is available in the SEP English Training Center© at all times in order to assist students, make lesson plans, correct exams, answer students’ questions, or just to chat.
WHERE
The SEP English Training Center© operates within the participating Chinese high school premises and has its own desk spaces, computer terminals, test-prep books for the students to sign out, practice exercises, and sample exams. There are private cubicles and classrooms for one-on-one classes, as well as for larger group classes. The SEP English Training Center© utilizes the participating Chinese high school’s classrooms if class size determines such a need. Class size will never exceed more than 20 students for every US-State certified public school teacher.
WHY
SEP began as a mutually beneficial idea between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China in order to improve cultural relations, educational excellence, and to bridge educational differences between the two great nations, in order for Chinese and United States students alike to enhance their educational experiences, expand their cultural knowledge, and encourage lasting relationships between the countries’ youth.
In addition, SEP allows for Chinese students to earn American high school diplomas as well as Chinese high school diplomas, which gives the Chinese students authenticated American transcripts from the participating School Districts, thus ensuring credible GPAs and university applications, which include genuine applicant-written essays, out-of-classroom experiences, and community service verification. If the student is a high-level performer, they also have the opportunity to earn transcripted credit through participating universities, wherein, if the student has a high GPA, they are eligible to take University classes (while remaining in China) that will count as university credits, thus saving money and time when they go to an American university. This is not like the AP program that SEP also offers, rather, actual University classes being taught in China by certified American public school teachers.
The American participating School Districts earn a small percentage of the Chinese student’s tuition, which mainly covers the costs of administering the students into the School District’s record base, textbooks, software, and other expenses, with a small amount of profit for the American School District to use for research and technological development. The American School Districts also gain the benefit of creating jobs in their District through demand for teachers to be employed in China to work in the Satellite Education Program.
HOW
SEP is an organization that facilitates the cooperation between United States School Districts (public school system) and the People’s Republic of China. This program allows Chinese national students to obtain American high school diplomas through the completion of US School District and high school required curricula while remaining in China.
SEP works in conjunction with the People’s Republic of China and is operated by Chris Foos (Director and Liaison to the United States), Jasmine (Zhi Wen) Foos (Director of Development), Amelie Chai (Marketing Manager), and Grace Yin (Interpreter, Office Administrator).