Spanish Dual Language Immersion at PCS
Petaluma City Schools hosts a thriving Kindergarten - 3rd grade Spanish Dual Language Immersion program McDowell Elementary School. This program is now expanding into 4th and 7th grade for the 2024-2025 school year and we look forward to welcoming you to our community.
Dual language immersion is an educational model that integrates native English speakers and native Spanish speakers in the same classroom for the entire school day. Students learn to speak, write and read at grade level in both languages with the goals of promoting high academic achievement, first and second language development, and cross-cultural understanding for all students.
In dual language immersion programs, language learning takes place primarily through content instruction. Academic subjects are taught to all students through both Spanish and English. As students and teachers work together to perform academic tasks, the students' language abilities are developed, along with their knowledge of content area subject matter.
Teachers in the dual language program are specially trained to make the information meaningful through the use of visuals, objects, gestures, and specialized instructional strategies. The students also help each other!
No. Research shows that students who achieve advanced levels of proficiency in two languages often experience cognitive and linguistic advantages when compared to monolingual students. Bilingual students perform better on tasks that require divergent thinking, pattern recognition, and problem-solving, and have higher levels of metalinguistic awareness.
Absolutely! The standards and curriculum at PCS are the same as for all students and are held to the same rigor and standard. The only difference is the language of instruction.
The English speaker is not at risk of losing the English language. English is spoken at home, in the community, and in the media. Dual language immersion programs are not replacing English with another language, but provide the students the opportunity to acquire a second language. Dual language immersion programs are additive programs in that a second language is acquired while maintaining the first language of the students.
English time must be carefully defined and implemented. High-quality curriculum and instruction are essential. Research shows that when programs are fully implemented according to the program design, English learners in 90:10 models score as well as or better than their peers in other programs in English tests. (Lindholm-Leary, (2001)Dual Language Education, Multilingual Matters LTD)
Understanding or reviewing the research on which these programs are based best answers this question. Dual language immersion programs are based on years of research from the foreign language immersion models in Canada designed for English speakers learning French. This model, in which English-speaking students have been instructed in French for up to 100 percent of their day, shows students perform as well as or better on tests of English than their English-speaking peers who have been instructed only in English. For more information on immersion programs, visit the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition. Fifteen years of results on two-way immersion programs show similar results.
The dual language immersion program should not be viewed as a separate program. The school should develop a common vision of equity for all students that values the students' language and culture. The same standards-based curriculum is taught in the dual language immersion program that is taught in other school programs. Staff development should be provided for all staff so that the philosophy and program goals are shared. Sufficient time must also be allocated to the specific needs of the dual language immersion staff.
By providing students with a strong foundation in their first language, parents are helping to lay the groundwork for strong second language skills. Parents can support literacy skills as well as content knowledge in the child’s first language by reading together and learning about the topics the child is learning in school. For example, when students learn about community helpers in Spanish, children who are already familiar with the topic in English will transfer the knowledge, making the lesson in Spanish more comprehensible.
Parents can also support students at home by making sure that they have the right environment and tools to get homework done (e.g., a quiet space and enough time, paper, dictionaries in both languages, writing utensils, and art supplies such as construction paper, paste, tape, and colored markers). Parents can also ask questions about the homework in the language spoken at home, thus giving the students opportunities to explain the assignment in their first language.
Parents must carefully consider if dual language immersion is a fit for their family as it is a seven year commitment. For children to gain academic success and language proficiency, families must be willing and able to commit to this program. Because these programs typically have only one or two classes per grade level, your child will work with the same classmates throughout his/her elementary education. This may be an asset for your child.
The first phase of the program will focus on elementary. We will develop a plan to expand the program into secondary with a long-term goal of creating a Spanish dual language immersion pathway in grades 7-12.
We ask that all families commit to the program for the full K-6th grade programs. Research indicates that this model leads to academic achievement and English proficiency to a greater degree than shorter programs.
Please call McDowell Elementary at 707-778-4745 for more information.
