Dual Programming

IMPORTANT / IMPORTANTE: Elementary Dual Language Presentation

Please watch the video player to view this update regarding the Elementary Dual Language Program. This presentation is delivered in both English and Spanish.

Did you miss the recent town hall? You can review the answers to families’ top questions in our FAQ document.

Download the Elementary Dual Language Town Hall FAQ (PDF)

What is Dual Language?
Dual Language education integrates all students for academic instruction in English and Spanish. Social and academic learning occurs in an environment that values the language and culture of all students. This sets high standards for students to ultimately achieve high academic success in Spanish and English.

Benefits of Bilingualism
More than forty years of research has shown:

The image presents the benefits of bilingualism, including increased test scores, expanded educational and employment opportunities, development of cross-cultural attitudes and behaviors, achieving proficiency in two languages, and a positive sense of self.

The image presents a graph depicting patterns of long-term achievement in English reading on standardized tests for different groups of English language learners (ELLs), with various enrichment and remedial models represented.

General Pattern of K-12 Language Minority Student Achievement on Standardized Tests in English Reading Compared Across Six Program Models

© Wayne P. Thomas and Virginia P. Collier, 2002, 2010
Data was aggregated from a series of 3-7 year longitudinal studies of records of more than two million students from well-implemented, mature programs in US schools.

Dual Language Program Goals

The Dual Language Program at East Aurora School District 131 is designed to ensure that all students become bilingual, biliterate, and multicultural while preparing them to succeed in today’s global society. All instruction is given in Spanish and English and is aligned with East Aurora School District 131’s general educational philosophy and curriculum as well as the Common Core State Standards, WIDA Spanish Language Development, and English Language Development Standards.

The goal of our Dual Language Program is to prepare students for a bright future with abilities to listen, speak, read, and write in both English and Spanish, as well as develop an appreciation for different cultures. The Dual Language Program provides students the opportunity to become fluent in both languages while maintaining high academic standards. Additionally, students can work toward earning the prestigious State Seal of Biliteracy, a recognition of their bilingual proficiency and academic achievement

CBS Chicago – School Spotlight: Bardwell Elementary School

FAQs

What is the program model and structure?

Dual language Programs can differ in how much Spanish is used for instruction. East Aurora has adopted two models: an 80/20 instructional model and a 50/50 instructional model. The 80/20 classrooms are a 1-teacher model, and the 50/50 classrooms follow a 2-teacher model.

In each model we follow the following content allocation.

2-Way English Dom	Kinder	First	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth
SEL	English	English	English	English	English	English
L1 Literacy	English	English	English	English	English	English
L2 Workshop	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish
Science Lab	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	English	English	English
Social Studies	English	English	English	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish
Math	English & Spanish	English & Spanish	English & Spanish	English & Spanish	English & Spanish	English & Spanish

2-Way Spanish Dom	Kinder	First	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth
SEL	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish
L1 Literacy	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish
L2 Workshop	English	English	English	English	English	English
Science Lab	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	English	English	English
Social Studies	English	English	English	Spanish	Spanish	English
Math	English & Spanish	English & Spanish	English & Spanish	English & Spanish	English & Spanish	English & Spanish

1-Way Spanish Dom	Kinder	First	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth
SEL	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish
L1 Literacy	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish
L2 Workshop	English	English	English	English	English	English
Science Lab	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	English	English	English
Social Studies	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	English
Math	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	English & Spanish	English & Spanish

How is placement determined?

All families with incoming students in the district are automatically enrolled in the Dual Language Program. Upon registration, students are placed in either English-dominant or Spanish-dominant classrooms based on a series of criteria:

Home Language Survey (HLS)
Illinois School Code 23 Illinois Administrative Code 228 requires schools to administer a Home Language Survey (HLS) to every parent/legal guardian of all newly enrolled students for the purpose of identifying students who have a language background other than English. This includes students in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and grades 1-12. The HLS serves to indicate possible eligibility for bilingual/ESL education services. The HLS asks parents/guardians to answer two questions:

Is a language other than English spoken in your home?
Does the student speak a language other than English?

If the answer to either question on the HLS is YES, the school must assess the child’s English language proficiency using the appropriate English language proficiency screener to determine program eligibility. No later than 30 days after the beginning of the school year OR 14 days after enrollment of any student that qualifies for language services, the school district notified by mail the parents/legal guardians of the student that their child has been enrolled in the DL, TBE, or TPI program.

English Language Proficiency Screeners
The Illinois School Code 23 Illinois Administrative Code 228 also requires that schools administer an individual English language proficiency screener to students identified through the HLS as coming from a family where a language other than English is spoken. All students who have a YES answer on the HLS must be screened with the Pre-IPT (Early Childhood) Model (K-1) or WIDA Screener (1-12) to assess their English proficiency. Results from the screener will determine a student’s eligibility for language services.

What is the role of staff?

Certified teachers deliver instruction in Spanish and English with the support of other staff. In the Dual Language Program, our teachers, administrators, and staff promote a positive, multilingual learning experience in which staff and students interact in a student-centered environment. Teachers use a variety of effective and developmentally appropriate instructional practices to help students build strong academic skills while learning both languages successfully.

How can parents help their children at home?

How does the Dual Language program support special needs students?

Current research suggests that learning in two languages does not create an extra cognitive load for students
“[Dual language programs] can be seen as ideal placements for special needs students, as many of the accommodations considered useful for these students (e.g., hands-on learning, thematic instruction, and multimodal instruction) are the same strategies recommended for two-way educators,” (Howard, Sugarman, Perdomo, & Adger, 2005, p. 48).

Will teaching students Spanish lower their scores on important stakes tests?

Research has found that all students in Dual Language Programs, regardless of their pattern of language dominance, do as well as or better than students in monolingual English programs on standardized tests administered in English (Freeman, Freeman, & Mercuri, 2005, p. xiv). However, we might still expect to see a delay in these results on standardized tests in English. (Genesee, Paradis, & Crago, 2004, p. 177).

Parent Resources:

DL Brochure updated in Spanish and English
Multilingual Preschool Videos for families
Center for Applied Linguistics: resources for two-way immersion and Dual Language Practitioners
¡Colorin Colorado!: an overview of Dual Language Instruction
Bilingual Parents Blog: Content on bilingual parenting
Early Childhood: Early Childhood Professional Learning videos

Tenets of Biliteracy (CAL pillars)

“Dual language education is more than teaching two languages– it’s a commitment to equity, excellence, and opportunity, empowering students to success academically, bilingually, and culturally in a global society.” -Palafox Education

The image depicts three pillars representing the three pillars of dual language: bilingualism and biliteracy, high academic achievement, and sociocultural competence.

IMPORTANT / IMPORTANTE: Elementary Dual Language Presentation

© Wayne P. Thomas and Virginia P. Collier, 2002, 2010 Data was aggregated from a series of 3-7 year longitudinal studies of records of more than two million students from well-implemented, mature programs in US schools.

© Wayne P. Thomas and Virginia P. Collier, 2002, 2010
Data was aggregated from a series of 3-7 year longitudinal studies of records of more than two million students from well-implemented, mature programs in US schools.