The dual language program has 152 English-speaking students and 152 Spanish-speaking students who learn in English and Spanish at the same time, Webb said.
Students receive math, social studies and reading language arts in English, while science and reading language arts is taught in Spanish, according to Multilingual Programs Director Brenda Arteaga.
“[The students] are amazing. If you go in their classrooms, I can talk to them in Spanish; they can understand everything that I’m saying. They can have a conversation with me, they can read to me, their writing is great, and it’s both English and Spanish students,” Arteaga said.
The program began in the 2019-20 school year with kindergarteners at Rosehill Elementary School. The program continued with each kindergarten class after that leading to three total groups and a fourth group slated to start in the 2022-23 school year, according to the presentation.
The first group—which just finished second grade—is independently reading in the second language at 97% for Spanish-speaking students and 100% for English-speaking students, according to Arteaga. Both of these groups were below 90% at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year.
The second group of dual language students finished first grade with independent reading levels of 92% for Spanish-speaking students and 99% for English-speaking students, Arteaga said. Each group was below 85% at the start of the school year.
The most recent group of kindergarteners who started the dual language program this past school year are independently reading at 93% and 89% for English-speaking and Spanish-speaking students, respectively, Arteaga said. These students were below 70% when the school year started.
Webb said for students to reach maximum potential and the program to fully work, students need five to seven years of instruction in both languages.
