WHOLE SCHOOL PROGRAM

In a whole school program, all classrooms in the school are implementing the dual language immersion (DlI) program model based on the grade level being taught. All students in the school are enrolled in the DLI program. All teachers in the school teach in the DLI program. The teachers that teach in the target language have their state credential/authorization to teach in the target language.

This model has implications for district policy, as students living in the site’s attendance area who do not want to participate in the DLI program would have to attend a different school.

• School currently open:
  • If the school is currently open and the intent is to shift it to a whole school DLI program, it typically starts with kindergarten and expands the program each year to the next grade level.
  • This also brings about staffing implications, as each year that the DLI program advances to a higher grade level, more DLI teachers will be needed, which means that there may be fewer positions for non-DLI teachers at the site. Transfers for these teachers may have to be worked out with Human Resources, as per the bargaining unit's contract.
• School currently closed (reopening as a full school DLI program):
  • If the school is currently closed and the intent is to reopen as a whole school DLI program, then the students living in the site's attendance boundaries will have to either enroll in the DLI program or attend another school outside the area.
  • In addition, it is recommended that the DLI on program start at a kindergarten (and, in some cases, first grade), and move up one grade level each year.
    • The question is then who will teach the grade levels that are not currently implementing the DLI program, and what students will fill those grade-level classrooms.
  • It is recommended that all staff assigned to the school have the appropriate bilingual teaching credential so that they can teach both in the English-only and the DLI program.