Today, I learned a new term, Dual Immersion. My children’s school is supposed to be implementing this program over the next several years. At Sunnyslope Elementary School, Dual Immersion will require a multi-year commitment, beginning in Kindergarten. The two Dual Immersion Kindergarten classes will have 90% of their instruction in Spanish, and 10% in English. As the students progress to 1st Grade, the ratio will change to 80% Spanish and 20% English. 3rd Grade will by 70% Spanish and 30% English and by the 5th Grade, the ratio will be 50/50.
I am all for introducing secondary language in our Elementary Schools. I believe that there is solid evidence that language skills are more easily obtained by children at that age. That being said, I have concerns about this program and the way it will be implemented. On the surface, it appears to me that is likely that Dual Immersion is a way to circumvent Proposition 227, California’s English Only initiative. Perhaps I am wrong, but to prove this to me, there are a few questions that I need to have answered.
Who is this intended to benefit, English Speakers or English Learners? With a 90/10 split in instruction time to begin with, I have a hard time believing that it is both. If it is good for English Speakers to have 90% of instruction in Spanish, wouldn’t it be good for English Learners to have 90% of their instruction in English? If it is good for the English Learners to have 90% of their instruction in their native tongue, isn’t it a disservice to the English Speakers to have only 10% of their instruction in their native tongue?
How will English Speakers in a classroom that has 90% of the instruction in Spanish not fall behind in the core curriculum? The documentation that I have read indicates that by the time students in a Dual Immersion program reach the 6th Grade, they are at or above grade level. The same documentation, however, indicates that there is, either by design or by chance, a higher degree of parental involvement with students enrolled in Dual Immersion. Many studies have shown that higher parental involvement is an excellent indicator of student performance on standardized tests, which begs the question: What would these students test scores have been had they been enrolled in a more conventional program, with the same level of parental involvement? How can we be assured that it is the language skills that have made the difference, and not the additional parental involvement?
Why not just add Spanish to the Elementary School curriculum, at least on an optional basis? This question is actually rhetorical. There isn’t time to add Spanish to the curriculum. We are asking our children to do more and more at a younger and younger age. I see my 4th graders asked to do math that we didn’t see until 8th or 9th grade. I see my 5th and 6th graders expected to exhibit levels of cognitive thought that they aren’t ready for yet. My kids are struggling to keep up as it is, I can’t imagine what it would be like if we were to add a secondary language to the mix?
What assurances do we have that this isn’t merely a way of circumventing Prop 227? As stated above, it is counterintuitive that both English Speakers and English Learners will benefit equally from a disproportionate percentage of instruction being in Spanish. The thing is, it appears that the move away from bilingual education is working. Standardized test scores have improved since the passage of 227. This indicates that the better way to learn a second language is through immersion programs. If we are using programs such as this as a back door around 227, we may be doing a disservice to our English Learning students.
Do we know what the demand is for this program? The current plan is to have two kindergarten classes taught as Dual Immersion classes in the first year of the program. Do we have enough demand for this program within the area serviced by Sunnyslope Elementary? If there isn’t, there is talk of allowing students from elsewhere in the district to transfer to Sunnyslope. Doesn’t this open up the possibility that some kindergarteners in the Sunnyslope area will have their places taken by students from outside the area because they may not want to be involved in the program. From what I understand, these classes are in place of standard kindergarten classes at Sunnyslope, not in addition to them. Will students be forced to attend schools farther away from home because of this program? I hope not. I hope that no parent is told that their child can attend Sunnyslope, but the only slot that is available is in a Dual Immersion class.
All this being said, this is an optional program. I am a firm believer that we need more choice in our schools, not less. As long as this program is voluntary, and as long as it is not meant as a way to get around Prop. 227, I am not opposed to it. If I had a child entering kindergarten, I don’t think that I would sign up for this. Other parents can make their own choices
