Dual immersion option on the table

NEWMAN – The Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District is moving closer to establishing a dual immersion program which would incorporate Spanish and English into classroom instruction, but a final decision won’t be reached until district leaders know with more certainty how many parents are willing to commit to the program.

Surveys conducted by an action team studying dual immersion reflected adequate interest and the balance of English learners and English-speaking students needed for a program to operate, the school board was told earlier this month, but the district wants firm registration numbers before deciding whether to implement dual language immersion classrooms at kindergarten and first grade next year.

District officials have stressed that the program must draw enough students to create class sizes equivalent to those in traditional classrooms, and that parents must be willing to make a four- to seven-year commitment to the program.

Board members directed staff to begin advertising potential dual immersion teaching positions, and authorized staff to accept dual immersion requests during kindergarten registration, which will be held Feb. 15-17.

In addition, a registration meeting for parents wanting to enroll next year’s first-grade students in dual immersion will be held Feb. 15 from 5-8 at Von Renner, which is where the program will be housed next year if offered.

Parents interested in enrolling students in dual immersion at either grade level are asked to first pick up an application packet at Von Renner. Packets are available beginning Jan. 30. Parents are asked to call 862-2868 for an appointment.

Superintendent Ed Felt and Von Renner Principal Alice Solis, who led the action team, briefed the school board earlier this month on the work of the task force and results of surveys.

While there has been enthusiasm for the program, not everybody was convinced that dual immersion would draw enough students to be viable – or that the program would have the backing of the community.

“I guess I’m somewhat skeptical that there will be the participation you hope for,” board member Tim Bazar stated. “I am a little skeptical that we have the existing resources to put it on, and whether the community will really support the program.”

He pointed out that aside from the parent surveys there has not been a great deal of community input, and that there was not an audience of supporters present encouraging the board to push forward with dual immersion.

While acknowledging that some would embrace dual immersion as a beneficial program, Bazar said that other segments of the community may view it as something the district can ill afford while cutting costs elsewhere.

“It is hard for me to say to the community that the best investment is this program, which is akin to a magnet program,” he stated.

But board President Kerry McWilliams said dual immersion may simply prove to be another alternative to offer students and families.

“This is a program of choice,” he commented. “Just like any other type of program, we want to make sure that it does not compromise any other programs.”

“I think the numbers will speak for themselves when it comes down to it,” McWilliams said in reference to the pending registration.

Board member RoseLee Hurst agreed.

“I think a lot of work has gone into it. I would like to see what the true interest is,” she stated. “We’ll see what the numbers say.”

Felt agreed that the registration numbers will tell the tale.

“Those will give us the real numbers to support what we have received through surveys and in parent meetings,” he told Mattos Newspapers. “If those real numbers add up to a full class, we would return to the board in March with the results.”

Dual language immersion programs have a track record of success with both English learners and English-only students, backers say, and produce students who are both bilingual and biliterate – which is a huge advantage in today’s world.

Dual immersion is a multi-year commitment, however.

Under one popular model, for example, 90 percent of K-1 instruction would be in Spanish, with more English instruction introduced each following year until a 50-50 balance was achieved at the fifth-grade level. At sixth-grade, 60 percent of instruction would be in English.

The district cannot enforce the multi-year commitment, Felt conceded, but from his experience parents who enroll their children in such programs are serious about the obligation it entails.

“We’re looking at starting with 28-30 students (per class). We know that we will lose a couple along the way,” Felt explained. “We are asking for a moral commitment.”

Von Renner Principal Alice Solis, who led the action team, said she was encouraged by the level of interest and response.

“There are a lot of excited families out there,” she told the board. “We definitely have the interest, and the numbers are showing a balanced classroom.”

The district has been holding information nights at elementary schools to further educate parents about the dual immersion option.