50/50 Our WayFlexibility in a Dual Immersion Model

Loretta Booker and Jessica GonzalesSalazar Elementary

Santa Fe, NM

Our students…2011-2012

Total Students 364

African American 2

Caucasian (non-Hispanic) 43

Hispanic 300

Asian 6

Native American 13

ELL 184 (51%)

Economically Disadvantaged 364

Special Education(excluding gifted)

50

Attendance Rate 94.71%

Mobility Index 22.3%

Salazar Elementary Business/community

partnerships Communities in Schools New

Mexico United Church of Santa Fe:

volunteers work with students (1997 – present)

RIF Book DistributionVisual and Performing Arts FACT K-6 Art NDI (4th grade) Band PASS SF Chamber Music Art Works

Health programs Part-time Educator from La

Familia Health Clinic Counseling – 5 days per week Social worker – 2 days per

week Full-time nurseSpecial programs that extend

curriculum LANL /Inquiry Science

Education Consortium (ISEC) kits

Science Lab Cooking with Kids Science Fair Full time Garden Instructor

After school programs

21st Century, City of Santa Fe, After School Program

Girls on the RunAspen SF Ballet-

Baile Folklorico

Parent InvolvementMonthly parent

workshops with La Familia

Adult ESL Program in collaboration w/SFCC

PTOFamily Dialogue

Nights w/Parent Advocate

Once upon a time there was a school…It was a great school that had children and teachers with good intentions. However, there was an ugly, evil force that was slowly taking over the peace and destroying the children’s chance for a successful future.

The face of our previous bilingual program…

Salazar “Bilingual” ProgramPrior to 2006:Previous bilingual program was not consistent

among classes or grade levels, poorly regulated.

ELL population was high and qualified staff was limited.

Only 1 “bilingual” class was available per grade level.

Overflow of ELL students placed in English-only classes-

Sink or Swim!!!!

In order to defeat this evil presence, a very small group of brave teachers and a valiant leader decided they were going to save the children. But they didn’t quite know how.

So the journey began…

Year One2006-2007 50/50 Two-Way Dual Immersion program was

implemented in Kindergarten to begin satisfying the needs of a growing population.

Two classes of 20 children were created in order to double the amount of children being served.

Two partner teachers: 1 Bilingual endorsed/1 TESOL endorsed

One day-100% of day was taught in English/Spanish; students switched daily.

Plan being that the cohort of students would move up in grade-level until they reached 6th grade. By then, an established DL program would be offered K-6.

For two years the new program brought learning and happiness to all that were involved but…

Evil was lurking

What was the evil? A. No English-only choice for parents. B. Not enough English speaking models.C. Staff was divided- Dual Language vs.

Mainstream English OnlyD. All the ELL students left the school.E. All of the above.

Make a prediction and share with a partner.

Challenges in our program:First two years did not offer English-only choice for

incoming Kindergarten students. When choice was offered in 1st, parents were opting out

of the program therefore depleting English-speaking models.

Teachers not involved in DL were resentful due to the following:

Not adequately informedFelt left out Responsible for teaching combination classes with

“larger” class sizes. SpEd population increased in English-only classes.

•The third year of our program (2008-2009) brought MANY new changes to Salazar.A new principal and an influx of student enrollment supported a third Kindergarten class that allowed for an English-only option.

The program was progressing as planned until…

THE NMSBA!!!! NEW CHALLENGES…First year of testing for

1st cohort. *Did students learn “enough”

English/Spanish to pass?

*Time: “½ the time, 2x as many”*Gaps in instruction*Newly adopted curriculum*Staffing (new staff members,

veteran staff being misinformed)

“Will the Dual Language Program at Salazar survive to make it to 6th grade?

What are some possible solutions to these challenges in the Dual Language program?

The Salazar team knew at this point things could not stay the same anymore in the program. The teachers were confused, frustrated and scared as to what was about to transpire in regards to testing.

The teachers were worried that their feelings would have a negative impact on their students.

1st DL Cohort, 3rd Grade

English-Only, 3rd Grade

1st DL Cohort, 4th Grade

English-Only, 4th Grade

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SBA Reading Scores 2009-10 & 2010-11Salazar Elementary

Cohort Average ScoreMinimum Proficient Score

1st DL Cohort, 3rd Grade

English-Only, 3rd Grade

1st DL Cohort, 4th Grade

English-Only, 4th Grade

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200

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700SBA Math Scores 2009-10 & 2010-11

Salazar Elementary

Cohort Average ScoreMinimum Proficient Score

The Need for Flexibility

Schedule:50/50 program instructional time for language-

modified by each grade level Self-contained K/12nd grade switch daily/weekly3rd and 4th grade teams switch weekly5th/6th grade team-currently departmentalized

“Specials” schedule-not flexibleCommon planning timeProgram Classification:Not classified strictly as a one-way or two-way

program. Changes at each grade level due to student

enrollment and mobility.

Curriculum:Teachers and teams required to teach district adopted

materials with FIDELITY.CCSS Implementation Content and Language flexibility. PD in sheltering instruction Example: GLAD; AIM4S3Planning for transferSupport Systems:Changes in leadership: Different requirements while maintaining DL non-

negotiables. PD support

*Active involvement with Dual Language Education of New Mexico *Flexible CAP development

The Importance of Collaboration

Whole school involvement-planning & implementation.

Clear expectation and vision for program development and outcomes.

Grade-level teams-consistency in following DL non-negotiables.

Vertical planning (CAP).Supportive school leadership- PD

opportunities; creation of common staff planning time; inclusive meetings, etc.

Clear and open communication with all stakeholders, including students and their families.

Each new year has brought many new challenges to the school and the program. However, teachers continue to work tirelessly to prevent the evil forces from taking over. They unite together with strength, determination and love for their students so that one day, their futures will be met with success.

Loretta BookerKindergarten Dual Language Teacherlbooker@sfps.info

Jessica Gonzales2nd Grade Dual Language Teacherjegonzales@sfps.info

Salazar Elementary Santa Fe, NM