Dual Language Immersion Program
The Dual Language Immersion Program integrates native Spanish-speaking students and native English-speaking students, and academic instruction is provided in both Spanish and English.
The overarching goals of our Dual Language Immersion Program follow the three pillars of Dual Language Education:
- Bilingualism and biliteracy.
- High academic achievement.
- Socio-cultural competency.
Program Model at Los Altos
Our program offers a 50/50 Dual Language Immersion Program model. In the 50/50 model, the target language (Spanish) is used for 50% of the instructional time and English is used for the other 50% of the time in TK through 6th grade.
Parent Commitment
When parents enroll their children in our Dual Language program, they commit to enrolling their child in the program for their elementary school career. Every parent attends a Dual Language orientation to ensure understanding of the program model. Parents also understand the long-term commitment made when entering a Dual Language program as well as be familiar with expectations for both languages.
Benefits of Bilingualism
Dual Language Education serves as a linguistic and cultural bridge for all and prepares our future citizens with the necessary academic and linguistic competencies to be highly qualified and competitive in a global society
Advantages of bilingualism include:
- Positive Effects on the brain
- For example, bilinguals have a better attention span and ability to multitask
- An Educational Advantage
- Research shows the bilinguals outperform monolinguals academically
- An Economic Edge
- For example, increased job opportunities
- Health Benefits
- Delayed onset of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease
Additionally, bilinguals develop an open-minded outlook, social adeptness, and a facility for learning even more languages.
Community Engagement Events
Our school engages families of our Dual Language students by planning the following community engagement events:
- Informational Meeting
- One school-wide cross-cultural event each year.
For more information regarding this program, please visit the district Dual Language Immersion Program page.
District Information