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

Paper/Best Practice Session (1 hour)

Mulitple

Two-Way Bilingual Immersion
One-Way Developmental Bilingual Education

Pre-K
Elementary (K-5)
Middle School/Junior High

Guidelines for effective program implementation are helpful, but campus leaders need access to hands-on tools to turn research-validated principles into practice. Session participants will receive a screening/interviewing tool that is aligned to current research, customizable to individual program features, and designed to maximize program-candidate fit to increase bilingual teacher retention.

The purpose of this demonstration is to share a tool for screening and interviewing bilingual teacher candidates to maximize the likelihood of a good candidate-program fit and thereby increase bilingual teacher retention rates over time. In Texas, the need for certified bilingual teachers far outpaces the supply. As the number of English learners whose home language is Spanish continues to grow, so does interest in serving these students through dual language education, and, in some instances, extending this type of programming to English-fluent students as well. More Texas students are gaining access to various forms of bilingual education, and as a result, there is a growing demand not just for more bilingual teachers, but for bilingual teachers whose skill sets represent a good fit with the goals and requirements of the program in which they are hired to serve. When recruiting to fill a bilingual teacher vacancy, hiring administrators know full well that one size does not fit all. Candidates are recruited to serve students in programs that range from early-exit to late-exit transitional, one-teacher to two-teacher dual language, 90-10 to 50-50 dual language, and one-way to two-way models. Hiring administrators need tools that are aligned to current research, customizable to their unique district and campus needs, and designed to maximize candidate-program fit. In this session, the presenter will demonstrate the use of a screening/interviewing tool that is aligned with the Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education, a trusted framework for effective program implementation. The tool includes suggestions for screening for candidate language and literacy proficiency in English and Spanish, as well as interview techniques designed to target and gauge competency in the skills that are unique to the bilingual/dual language educator. Participants will leave the session with a tool in hand for immediate use at their sites.