A PROGRAM WAS BEGUN IN AUGUST 1967 TO TEACH MANDARIN CHINESE IN TWO TUCSON, ARIZONA HIGH SCHOOLS. IT WAS FELT THAT SUCH CHINESE LANGUAGE CLASSES WOULD BECOME A COMPETITIVE ALTERNATIVE TO TRADITIONAL HIGH SCHOOL LANGUAGE OFFERINGS ONLY IF THESE PIONEERING CLASSES PROVED VERY SUCCESSFUL. IN ANALYZING THE BACKGROUND OF THE 42 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE TWO SCHOOLS, IT WAS FOUND THAT (1) ALL OF THE STUDENTS ARE ON THE HONOR ROLE OR HAVE ABOVE AVERAGE GRADE RECORDS, (2) THE MAJORITY (29) ARE JUNIORS AND SENIORS, AND (3) 14 STUDENTS ARE OF CHINESE ANCESTRY AND HAVE VARYING RANGES OF READING AND WRITING SKILLS. SINCE THE CHINESE LANGUAGE IS CONSIDERED DIFFICULT TO LEARN, A COURSE IN THIS SUBJECT SHOULD NOT APPEAR TO BE AIMED SOLELY AT THE ABOVE-AVERAGE STUDENT OR THOSE WHO POSSESS CULTURAL ADVANTAGES. IN ORDER THAT THE EXTREMELY BRIGHT STUDENTS IN THE "CORE GROUP" SHOULD BE CHALLENGED AND THE AVERAGE STUDENT FEEL HE IS MAKING PROGRESS AS WELL, A SUPPLEMENTARY PROGRAM OF INDEPENDENT STUDY IN WRITTEN CHINESE WAS SET UP. REGULAR CLASSWORK IN THE FIRST YEAR IS PRIMARILY AUDIOLINGUAL AND IS ABOUT AS DIFFICULT AS OTHER FIRST-YEAR LANGUAGE COURSES. WRITTEN CHINESE IS PARTICULARLY WELL SUITED TO INDEPENDENT STUDY SINCE IT INVOLVES MAINLY THE ACQUISTION THROUGH MEMORIZATION OF IDEOGRAPHS. TWENTY-THREE STUDENTS VOLUNTEERED FOR THE INDEPENDENT WORK PROGRAM AND SET GOALS FOR THEMSELVES OF LEARNING FROM 160 TO 650 CHARACTERS. AFTER AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CHINESE WRITING SYSTEM, THE STUDENTS WORKED INDEPENDENTLY, TAKING TESTS WHEN THEY FELT PREPARED AND RE-TAKING TESTS WHEN THEY WERE NOT SATISFIED WITH THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE INDEPENDENT STUDY PROJECT DO NOT SEEM TO FEEL PENALIZED. IT IS HOPED THAT CHINESE LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION WILL EXPAND IN THE FUTURE BY SERVING BOTH THE AVERAGE AND THE ABOVE-AVERAGE STUDENT. THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE JANUARY 1968 ISSUE OF THE "ARIZONA FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS' FORUM." (JD)