Sixth International Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education: Connecting Research and Practice Across Contexts

Paper/Best Practice Session (1 hour)

Spanish

One-Way Second/Foreign Language Immersion

Elementary (K-5)

Representatives from a suburban school system share their journey of beginning language immersion programs.  A representative from Visiting International Faculty, the sister organization for programming, will discuss the level of support needed for the program’s success. Results from a program evaluation will be shared including academic impact and program perceptions. 

Representatives from a sub-urban school system in North Carolina share their journey of beginning dual language immersion programs in various schools within the district.  The first programs were started five years ago and now support instruction grades K-4. Nine separate programs have been started and represent 2 languages, Spanish (7) and Mandarin (2). Union County Public School (UCPS) representatives will share the challenges that exist for leaders of the programs as well as highlight program successes.  Also, UCPS will share the strategic plan of offering a dual language program as a choice for all rising kindergarteners district-wide.

A representative from Visiting International Faculty (VIF), the sister organization for UCPS Immersion Programs, will discuss the program’s scope and sequence as well as the level of support needed for the program’s success. In addition, the VIF representative will discuss teacher recruitment, retention and development.  The VIF representative will discuss program design, sustainability and expansion plans in UCPS as well as North Carolina.

Results from a program evaluation will be shared including academic impact and program perceptions. The program evaluation, A Study of a Spanish Immersion Program and Its Impact on the Academic Achievement of First Grade Students, sought to identify the academic progress of students in the first grade Spanish Immersion class compared to the students in the non-immersion classroom in the area of reading and literacy skills. This study also sought to identify the perceptions of the program from both staff members working in the schools and parents who currently have students enrolled in the program. 

Practical takeaways include:

a) A checklist/timeline of implementation used in building programs

b) Access to the program evaluation

c) A copy of the presentation, including examples of program highlights