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Curriculum & Instruction World Languages January 2015
Hermosa Vista Elementary
Dual Language Immersion Program
Guidelines
Curriculum & Instruction World Languages January 2015
Mesa Public Schools
Hermosa Vista Elementary
Dual Language Immersion Program
Program Committee
John Trezise, Principal
Sherry MacEwan, Teacher
Gabriela Humes, Teacher
Stacy Murphy, Secretary
Dr. Dawn Foley, Curriculum & Instruction Director
Verónica Betance-Sandoval, World Languages Content Specialist
Curriculum & Instruction World Languages January 2015
Program Objectives
The Dual Language Immersion program at Hermosa Vista Elementary is a program designed to
empower students to achieve at a high academic standard. The program provides students with the
opportunity to become college and career ready in a globally competitive world through academic
excellence in content areas while acquiring scholastic achievement in two languages. Student success is
ensured through content knowledge and fluency in both languages. Students are instructed according to
Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards for grade level competencies in all subject areas in both
English and Spanish. A strong partnership between parents, teachers, and administration creates
students who are bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural who will cultivate an understanding and
appreciation of diverse cultures.
Parent Involvement
A strong school-home partnership between teachers, parents, and administration is an essential
component to ensure success of our dual language immersion program and the educational success of
the students in the program. Students will typically enter the program in kindergarten and commit to
remain in the program through the sixth grade in order for the student to gain the full benefit of the
program. Parents who enroll their children in the dual language immersion program will be asked to
commit their child’s participation through the conclusion of sixth grade. In addition, parents will be an
integral part of the program as active participants in their child’s education at school and home. A signed
program agreement that explains the goals of the program, the responsibilities and commitment of the
student and parents to participate in the program will be completed at registration.
Curriculum & Instruction World Languages January 2015
Program Design
The Dual Language Immersion Program combines a strong academic program with the most effective
and current practices of language immersion. The purpose of the program is to develop fluency and
literacy in English and Spanish through academic achievement in the content areas. The classroom
environment develops communicative competence and academic language development through an
interactive setting. The program implements 50% daily instruction in Spanish and 50% daily instruction
in English from kindergarten through sixth grade. Students are taught by a team of two teachers, one
who teaches primarily in Spanish and one who teaches in English. Students transfer between the two
teachers in order to receive content and language instruction in both languages. The structure and
process of the program fully cultivates and instills respect for both languages. Program participation
begins in kindergarten and a subsequent grade level will be added each year as students progress through
the grade levels. Students are expected to remain in the program until sixth grade to complete a seven
year commitment. The charts on the following page demonstrate the distribution of instructional time.
Curriculum & Instruction World Languages January 2015
English Language
Arts35%
Math & Content Areas Reinforcement
in English15%
Math in Spanish20%
Content Areas in Spanish (Social
Studies, Science)15%
Spanish Language Literacy
15%
Instructional Time: Grades K-3
Math in English15%
English Language Arts25%
Social Studies10%
Math Reinforcement
in Spanish10%
Spanish Language Literacy
25%
Science in Spanish15%
Instructional Time: Grades 4-6
Curriculum & Instruction World Languages January 2015
Policies and Guidelines
Program Eligibility 2015-2016
English-speaking students are eligible for the Dual Language Immersion Program based on the
following criteria:
Students begin program in kindergarten.
Students transferring from another dual language immersion program will be admitted based on
availability of space.
At least one parent/guardian will attend the Program Information Meeting scheduled in the
spring in order for their child to be eligible for the selection process.
The parent/guardian will complete the application process within the designated timeline to be
eligible for the selection process.
English language learners (ELL) are eligible to participate in the program. Students who are identified
as ELL by the English Language Acquisition Department and the AZELLA (the district and state
mandated assessment) will need to complete additional state required documentation.
Curriculum & Instruction World Languages January 2015
Program Admission
In order to maintain the integrity of the instructional model, the Dual Language Immersion Program admission
will be subject to the following criteria.
1. All students that live in Hermosa Vista Elementary School's boundary may apply. Open-enrollment
students will also be accepted based on availability.
2. Parents must sign a program agreement that explains the program’s goals, parent responsibilities and
commitment to the program.
3. Program participants and their families are expected to commit to the Dual Language Immersion
Program through sixth grade. This duration of enrollment ensures full development of academic
content and Spanish and English literacy skills.
4. Students may enroll in the program at the kindergarten level. Students wishing to enroll in the
program after kindergarten may be admitted at any grade level based on proficiency levels in both
English and Spanish. Admission will be determined by the district’s proficiency assessment.
5. Siblings of children already enrolled in the immersion program will receive first priority for
placement.
6. Once enrolled in the program, students automatically progress to the next grade level in the program
unless disenrolled by parents or the school.
7. Disenrollment of a student will be performed in consultation with the school principal, program
teachers, and parents.
Kindergarten Admission Process
1. Parents interested in the Dual Immersion Program contact Hermosa Vista Elementary School.
2. Parents are notified of student’s acceptance before May.
3. Parents attend informational meeting.
4. Parents complete enrollment and commitment forms.
Curriculum & Instruction World Languages January 2015
Program Selection Process
Students are selected to the Dual Language Immersion Program based on the following selection
process:
1. All applications shall be submitted by the school’s deadline.
2. Students will be selected through a lottery selection process if applicants exceed program
capacity.
3. Students not selected for the program will be placed on a waiting list.
4. Within the first two weeks of the start of school, any withdrawals from the program will be
replaced with students according to the waiting list order.
Screening for New Students in 1st – 6th Grade
All students are invited to enroll in our program at the kindergarten level. Students wishing to enroll in
1st – 6th grades will be administered a district proficiency assessment to make a determination if they
meet the necessary criteria to be successful in the program. The assessment/screening evaluation will be
conducted by a dual language immersion program teacher to assess the student’s language proficiency in
English and Spanish. As a result of the assessment, a decision will be made on whether the Dual
Language Immersion Program is the best placement and option for the student.
Request to withdraw
Parents and students admitted into the program make a long-term commitment to remain in the program
for its duration. Therefore, requests for withdrawal will only be considered due to extenuating
circumstances and may go through a multi-step process including conferences with the teacher and
administration.
Transportation
The Dual Language Immersion Program is an elective program. Therefore, parents will be required to
provide transportation for their child if Hermosa Vista Elementary is not the student’s home campus.
Curriculum & Instruction World Languages January 2015
Program Accountability
The Dual Language Immersion Program will be evaluated based on the following standards:
• Curriculum-based assessments will be administered in the appropriate language of instruction
Through-out the course of the school year.
• Spanish language proficiency and performance assessments will be administered throughout the course
of the school year.
• Progress reporting will follow district timeline.
• The Arizona’s Statewide Achievement Assessment (AzMERIT) will be administered to program
students in the assigned grade levels.
• Qualitative data will be gathered through student/parent/staff surveys to gather stakeholders’ opinions
and feelings, gauge program effectiveness, and increase positive impact in the community.
Curriculum & Instruction World Languages January 2015
Research
Further information regarding research-based language programs can be obtained by accessing the
following websites:
• American Council on The Teaching of Foreign Languages: http://www.actfl.org/
• The University of Minnesota's Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition:
www.carla.umn.edu
• The Center for Applied Linguistics: www.cal.org
• The National Dual Language Consortium: www.dual-language.org
• National Association for Bilingual Education: www.nabe.org
•Dr. Virginia Collier and Dr. Wayne Thomas at George Mason University, research on language acquisition: http://www.thomasandcollier.com/
• Dr. Jim Cummins, language development researcher at the University of Toronto: http://home.oise.utoronto.ca/~jcummins/cummins.htm
• Dr. Stephen Krashen, linguist, educational researcher at the University of Southern California:
www.sdkrashen.com/
Curriculum & Instruction World Languages January 2015
Frequently Asked Questions
What is dual language immersion?
The Dual language Immersion Program provides a way to learn academic content while acquiring another
language at the same time. Students receive math, science, and social studies instruction in a target language,
such as Spanish. The teaching strategies used support students in learning the concepts and skills for the subject
area and develop the ability to read, write, speak, and listen in another target language.
The goals are for the students to reach high levels of target language proficiency and develop cultural
competency while attaining academic achievement that is at or above their grade level.
Who can participate?
The dual language immersion program seeks to enroll students of varying backgrounds and all ability levels. All
students are capable of acquiring another language. Applications are open to all students entering kindergarten.
Is dual language immersion a gifted/high ability program?
The Dual Language Immersion Program is a general education program, not a gifted or high ability
program. Research has shown that the Dual Language Immersion Program is an effective educational option for
children from diverse backgrounds and all ability levels.
Can parents/guardians volunteer in a dual language immersion classroom?
Parents/guardians will be encouraged to volunteer in the classroom and familiarize themselves with the target
language. However, only the target language is spoken in the classroom.
Will learning two languages confuse a child or slow academic progress? Research have shown that young children have the capacity to learn multiple languages and have
demonstrated stronger cognitive abilities. According to a study by Peal and Lambert, “bilinguals have greater
mental flexibility, greater abstract thinking, greater lexical independence, superior concept formulation and
higher verbal IQ than monolinguals.”
Why is it better for a child to learn language at the elementary level?
Children tend to develop a more native-like pronunciation when language learning begins before adolescence.
Will students in the immersion classroom learn the same things in the general education classroom?
Yes. The Dual Language Immersion Program is aligned to the Arizona’s College and Career Ready
Standards. In addition to the Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards, this program integrates Arizona’s
Foreign and National World Language Standards.
Are students exposed to only 50% of the curriculum?
A common misconception about immersion programs is that students receive only 50% of the curriculum
because English is taught for 50% of the day. Students in the Dual Language Immersion Program receives
100% of the grade level core curriculum. One of the major differences in this type of specialized program is
how the curriculum is delivered.
Curriculum & Instruction World Languages January 2015
Dual Language Immersion Program
Parent and Student Commitment Agreement
Commitment to and acceptance of the following expectations are required for all participants in the Dual
Language Immersion Program.
1. Hermosa Vista Elementary School has adopted a 50/50 Dual Language Immersion Program model.
Students will receive 50% of daily instruction in Spanish and 50% of daily instruction in English in
the content areas.
2. The Dual Language Immersion Program is a general education program open to all students. There
are no qualifying requirements for students enrolling in the program.
3. Transportation is the responsibility of the parent/guardian of students who reside outside of the Dual
Language Immersion Program school’s boundaries.
4. The success of the program requires regular and punctual attendance of the student; taking the
student out of school for reasons other than illness and family emergency is strongly discouraged.
5. It is not uncommon for students to experience some fatigue and frustration in the first few months of
the program. A student should not be removed from the program for these reasons. Students must
be supported and encouraged during these initial stages of frustration.
6. Daily assignments and homework will be assigned; including 20-30 minutes of daily reading in
English at home.
7. Research indicates an immersion program is most effective when students remain in the program for
a sustained period of time. The student will be expected to continue with the program through sixth
grade unless a team decision is made involving the parent, teacher, and administration that it is in the
best interest of the student to have a different placement.
8. Students not making adequate progress academically or behaviorally, will be evaluated by school
personnel and interventions will be implemented and documented accordingly. If interventions are
unsuccessful, reassignments to a regular classroom may be considered.
___________________________________ _______________________________________ Student Name Student Identification Number
_________________________________________________________________________________ Name(s) of Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s)
___________________________________ _______________________________________ Signature of Parent/Legal Guardian Date
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