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

Paper/Best Practice Session (1 hour)

no language specific

One-Way Second/Foreign Language Immersion
Co-Official/Regional Language Immersion
Two-Way Bilingual Immersion
One-Way Developmental Bilingual Education
Indigenous Language Immersion

High School

Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) strategically used Minnesota's new state Bilingual Seal to identify and recognize heritage language students’ college credit eligible linguistic skills. The MPS journey, success story, and challenges will inspire attendees to envision systematic support and recognition of heritage language learners in their own contexts.

Using newly legislated Bilingual Seals, 500 MPS students became eligible for college credit including Hmong, Somali and Spanish heritage speakers.  MPS was innovative in strategically identifying bilingual students outside of world language classrooms.  Our effort empowered heritage language students and families and connected them to a college pathway.  The effort involved a comprehensive strategy of student identification, outreach campaign to  families,  creation of appropriate assessments, training and coordinating of raters in multiple languages, test scheduling, legislative advocacy,  a public celebration of multilingualism which connected students,  school district, higher education, state administrators and  community leaders.  Participants will leave with a vision and checklist of a comprehensive approach to recognize and support Heritage learners path towards careers built on their 21st century linguistic skills based on Minneapolis Public Schools model.