Seventh International Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education

Strand III: Program Design, Development and Evaluation

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Ensuring effective statewide Dual Language (DL) program implementation is challenging, particularly in Texas, where over one million English learners (EL) are served in 1,200 school districts. With 19% of its children identified as ELs, Texas is second only to California in terms of the total number of ELs served in PK-12 schools. Just under half of the State’s ELs are served through bilingual education (BE), as required by statute.

Presenters will share the state’s Dual Language Program Implementation Rubric, a self-evaluation tool developed at the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The Rubric outlines effective DL program implementation practices on a three-point scale that aligns to state statute and is grounded in the research. The tool provides guidance on what constitutes best practices in categories such as Program Model Design, Staffing, Professional Development, Student Evaluation, Instruction, and more. The Implementation Rubric serves as an example of how a state education agency can leverage current research on best practices to create a user-friendly tool and aligned resources, to support effective implementation of DL programming on a grand scale.