Our Approach
What is Dual Language Immersion?The Dual Language Academy is proud to teach Dual Language Immersion in English and Spanish. This means our students spend time every day learning in each language. It’s a different approach than learning only words and fundamentals for each language and moving on to another subject. Students have classes where their teacher uses English and some classes where teaching is in Spanish. Each classroom has both native English and native Spanish speakers, who learn from and with each other. Students tell us they love how the school models how to embrace differences and celebrate different cultures. Our program begins as young as 3 years old with our preschool class. In preschool, we follow a 90/10 model. This means that children spend 90 percent of their day learning in Spanish and 10 percent of the day in English. Students perform classroom work and testing in both languages. Our model changes based upon grade level, with the goal of reaching 50:50 dual language instruction by fifth grade.
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Dual Language Immersion Model
| Grade | Spanish Speaking | English Speaking |
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| Preschool | 90% | 10% |
| Pre-K | 90% | 10% |
| Kindergarten | 90% | 10% |
| 1st Grade | 90% | 10% |
| 2nd Grade | 70% | 30% |
| 3rd Grade | 60% | 40% |
| 4th Grade | 60% | 40% |
| 5th Grade | 50% | 50% |
| 6th-8th Grade | Content area specific with continued Spanish Literacy |
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Star Testing
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Students take STAR standardized assessments 3 times per year: Fall, Winter & Spring
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Teachers use results to focus on student growth
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DLA students take STAR testing in both English and Spanish!
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Expectation of ExcellenceThe DLA has a house system, called CASAS, with students organized and working together from various grade levels. It helps students because they get to know other kids outside of their classroom in a meaningful and collaborative way. We have school-wide competition between the houses, as teachers nominate students from each house who exemplify these traits to receive a medal at various points during the year as one way to earn points. We utilize the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports framework (PBIS). The teachers use the matrix to actively teach the expectations. The House System increases the use of PBIS by encouraging students to display positive behavior where they will receive a CASA Coupon to put in their house. These are then counted weekly and the winning house can wear their shirt on Friday. There is also the House Challenge Day during Catholic Schools Week. We continued celebrating our CASAS MVP winners with a medal as an award each trimester for each class grades K-6. These students exemplify our school-wide learning expectations. This has become a wonderful tradition and students are excited each trimester to see who will be the winner for their class. This year each teacher announced their winner with a paragraph about the students’ qualities and read them in English and Spanish! |