You can hear author Diane August, a managing researcher and director of the Center for English Language Learners at the American Institutes for Research, discuss the report in a short introductory video below.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. But if you, like me, can think of no better pleasure then spending a Sunday afternoon reading a 125 page U.S. Department of Education report on how states around the country are organizing their dual-language (that’s immersion to parents) programs, here’s your chance.

The report, Dual Language Education Programs: Current State Polices and Practices, is available here. It was published last month and I became aware of it through one of my beloved language immersion administrator friends.

The highlights:

• Dual language (i.e. immersion) programs are increasingly popular nationwide.
• It’s hard to even study them because there’s no single name they go by nationally.
• States are all over the map in terms of defining what dual language education looks like and what models to use.
• Most states don’t prescribe a particular model, leaving program design up to school districts and often schools.
• State “Seals of Biliteracy” are increasingly common as a way for states to recognize high school students who have attained proficiency in two languages (i.e. English and one other.) Eleven states and the District of Columbia have such programs.
• However there’s still no overall consensus on what “proficiency” means by the end of high school.
• The ACTFL standards seem to be the most commonly adopted as benchmarks for where students are in their language ability. However what level they have to attain isn’t uniform across states or even within states.
• Only three states have used the ACTFL proficiency standards to set grade-level targets: North Carolina, Ohio and Utah.
• Only five states requires states to assess students’ progress in their “partner language” (in our case Mandarin) at least once a year: Delaware, Kentucky, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah.
• Finding quality teachers remains a challenge for dual-language programs.

The good news is that the Department of Education is beginning to study dual language programs. The bad news is that there’s far too little information out there yet about what they do and how they do it – even less about what they should be doing.

by LOUISE R. SHAW

May 19, 2016 | 461 views | 0  | 24  |  | 

BECKY WRIGHT invites her daughter, Vivian, to speak the Chinese words she has learned from her older siblings, at a board meeting last month.

FARMINGTON—Dual immersion programs at elementary schools in Davis School District have become a major point of debate during public comment periods at meetings of the Davis School District Board of Education.

Board members instituted a public comment period last year and in the past several months, the majority who speak are either strongly in favor or strongly opposed to dual immersion in elementary schools.

The programs, which offer studies of a second language beginning as early as kindergarten, are now established in 11 of the district’s 60 elementary schools. That will grow to 12 of 62 when Canyon Creek in Farmington opens with a Spanish program in the fall.

During public hearings on boundary changes for the new elementary schools last December, a large contingent of parents complained that children who were not enrolled in language programs were being treated as second-class citizens and score lower on standardized tests.

In subsequent meetings, parents – and in one case, a student – have stood to either support or oppose the program.

Read more:  The Davis Clipper – Immersion program pros cons shared with school board

I don’t have any first-hand experience with this particular program, but some families have asked me about programs for high school students, so I thought I’d post this as they seem to be good.  As always, having language classes at the appropriate proficiency level for students coming out of immersion programs is sometimes a problem. It sounds as if theirs is small enough that they could accommodate a student whose Chinese was relatively high level.

Beth

If your parent group just happens to have some extra money laying around at the end of the year and is looking for something to fund for your teachers…

You can check out the website for the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition here.

Register now for your summer institute!Join the more than 5,000 language teachers who have participated in this internationally known program. Linking research and theory with practical applications for the classroom, each institute includes discussion, theory-building, hands-on activities, and plenty of networking opportunities. Hurry-the early-bird registration deadline is May 29! Summer Institutes for Language Teachers CARLA offers a range of institutes targeted at foreign language and ESL teachers from a variety of teaching levels and contexts: Using the Web for Communicative Language Learning and Professional Development-online course  July 11-August 14, 2016 Using Technology in Second Language Teaching July 11-15, 2016 Creativity in the Classroom: Fostering Student Learning Through Creative Language Experiences July 11-15, 2016 Teaching Language Through the Lens of Social Justice–NEW and almost full! July 11-15, 2016 Developing Assessments for the Second Language Classroom July 18-22, 2016 Improving Language Learning: Styles- and Strategies-Based Instruction July 18-22, 2016 Focusing on Learner Language: Second Language Acquisition Basics for Teachers July 18-22, 2016 Culture as the Core in the Second Language Classroom July 25-29, 2016 Content-Based Language Instruction and Curriculum Development  July 25-29, 2016 Developing Materials for Language Teaching July 25-29, 2016 Teaching Heritage Languages and Learners–NEW! July 25-29, 2016 Special Opportunity! CARLAtech: Transitioning to Teaching Language Online (TTLO) June 13-July 3, 2016 (3-week online course)

Check out this great infographic on the topic.