Immersion Information Session 2018 Elementary School

Introductions Ms. Dee, Principal Mr. Paul Iaboni, Assistant Principal Senora O’Connor (Spanish Partner Teacher) Ms. Pasquale (English Partner Teacher) Cora Scott Executive Director, Elementary Education, Brandywine School District

School Overview Grades: K-5 Enrollment: 522 Programs: After School Programs, STEAM Lab, Robotics Club, Soccer, Chess  School Hours:  8:35 pm - 3:35 pm Mascot: Leo the Lion Colors:  Cobalt blue and yellow

Delaware World Language Immersion Governor’s World Language Expansion Initiative: Preparing a Globally Competitive Delaware Workforce (2011) 10-year initiative 20 immersion programs 10,000 students Cigna HQ expansion story Overall goals of initiative

The Delaware Immersion Context “In today’s educational landscape, it is imperative for Delaware students to have the skills necessary to compete in a global economy. Learning a second language will offer our children an advantage in this increasingly competitive world.” Jack Markell, Governor of the State of Delaware Long sequences of language learning Entry points in elementary, middle, high

A K-12 Immersion Pathway Grades Instructional Content in Immersion Language Elementary (50% of the day: minimum 150 minutes) Grade K-5 Immersion Language Arts Math Science Middle (30% of the day: minimum 90 minutes) Grade 6-8 Grade 6-7 Social Studies Grade 8 High (15% of the day: minimum 1 course per year) Grade 9 AP Immersion Language/Culture Grade 10-12 Dual Credit Courses in immersion language K-12 initiative Content learning throughout Proficiency goals

Delaware’s Immersion Programs 2016-17 2017-18 Districts 11 73% 12 80% Schools 22 18% 32 27% Students 2800+ 1 in 11 Kindergarteners 4000+ 1 in 7 Kindergarteners Grades K-4 (5*) K-5 (6*) Middle School Launch (Spanish)

The Delaware Immersion Model World Language Immersion 50% instruction in each of two languages (K-5) Two-Teacher Model Different teacher for each language Strand within a School Coexists with traditional instruction One-Way & Two-Way Student Populations Predominantly native English speakers Balance of native English/Spanish speakers World Language Immersion: Both languages of high use throughout the world Two-Teacher Model: Separation of languages in immersion is key. Strand within the school: Immersion co-exists with traditional all-English instruction

Instructional Split: Grades K-3 Spanish Literacy / Language Arts (50 minutes) Science, select Social Studies concepts in Spanish (40 minutes) Math in Spanish (60 minutes) English Language Arts / select Social Studies units (120 minutes) Content Transfer / Academic Language Development (30 minutes) Spanish Literacy / Language Arts 15% English Language Arts, some Social Studies 35% Science, some Social Studies in Spanish 15% Instructional split for K-3 Focus on concrete math and science instruction Some districts include some social studies units on the Chinese side of the day Math in Spanish 20% Content Transfer / Academic Language Development 15%

A Typical Day Sample Schedule 8:40-8:50 Arrival 8:50-10:50 English Language Arts 10:50-11:10 English Content Reinforcement 11:10-11:15 Switch Classes 11:15-11:40 Spanish Math (part 1) 11:40-12:00 Recess 12:00-12:30 Lunch 12:30-1:00 Spanish Math (part 2) 1:00-1:45 Spanish Language Arts 1:45-2:30 Spanish Science 2:30-3:20 Related Arts

Instructional Integration The Spanish-language teacher and the English-language teacher plan closely together to support the entire grade-level instructional program. Curriculum is integrated across the two classrooms so that experiences support content learning throughout the day.

Benefits of Immersion Economic advantages Academic achievement Marketable language skills Academic achievement Achievement-gap closures among minority populations Scores as high or higher than monolingual peers (on average) Cognitive benefits Increased flexibility and focus Superior problem-solving skills Focus on teacher capacity, especially in their first two years Begin the year with a common foundation of immersion PD throughout the year by grade bands, language breakouts

Beneficios para hispanohablantes Dominio total de dos idiomas Habilidades altas en inglés y español Desarollo de la lectura/escritura El desarollo del lenguaje académico produce un rendimiento académico superior. Progreso académico más rápido El alcanze de niveles mayores en los exámenes estandaizados que los hispanohablantes que reciben todas las lecciones en inglés. Dominio total de dos idiomas: Home language is not enough. ELLs being to lose their L1 vocabulary when they begin school and do not develop academic vocabulary in Spanish without instruction in that language. Desarollo de la lectura/escritura: Specific literacy instruction in Spanish allows students to move beyond the social language used at home and develop the ability to read and write in academic settings. Progreso académico más rápido: Achievement test scores improve faster for ELLs who receive academic instruction in English AND their first language than ELLs who only receive instruction in English.

Parental Support for Immersion Read with your child in English 20-30 minutes daily or in whatever language is spoken in the home. Develop an understanding of immersion education and attend school immersion events. Commit to long-term participation in the immersion program in order for the benefits of the program to be fully realized.

Parental Support for Immersion Support the total educational process and talk with your students about instructional concepts at home. Seek out opportunities for your child to use the immersion language outside of school. Recognize and work through the challenges and celebrate the results!.

Enrollment Information Register your child for kindergarten at this school for the 2017-18 school year. Complete the “Immersion Application / Commitment Form” 50 students will be selected to enroll (2 classrooms of 25 students each) Two-Way Immersion Program Between 16 and 25 seats will be designated for native Spanish-speaking students

Enrollment Form Parent Commitment

Enrollment Timeline IMPORTANT DATES February – March 31st April – May 15th May 16th – June 30th July 1st – August 15th Students will be accepted into the program if commitment received by March 31st If more applications are received than available seats a lottery will be held to select students Separate lottery for native Spanish speakers If more applications are received than available seats students will be placed on a wait-list If seats continue to be available students will be accepted into the program if commitment received by May 15th If seats continue to be available students will be accepted into the program if commitment received by June 30th Applications accepted from Brandywine School District feeder students enrolled to attend other BSD schools Lottery held immediately following to identify students to be placed in the program

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