Program bilingual

The program was begun four years ago and has added a grade each year, having reached third grade this year. Students with higher English language assessment scores upon initial entry are placed in mainstream classrooms and can be pulled out of class for English as a second language ESL support in grades two through five. In grades four and five students can receive pull-out native language support or support from bilingual educational assistants within the mainstream classrooms.

Until recently, Oregon did not require that bilingual teachers obtain a bilingual endorsement; nevertheless, five teachers from Heritage Elementary School are currently working toward one.

Of the total staff, 35 percent speak Spanish and 19 percent speak Russian. Of the classified staff, 50 percent speak Spanish and 29 percent speak Russian. Of the three native language classrooms observed one Russian and two Spanish , all three teachers and one aide were fluent in the respective language. Heritage Elementary School has drawn on the research of prominent bilingual educators in designing and evaluating its program.

Before starting the program four years ago, the staff read the literature and visited schools with exemplary practices in Oregon and around the country. They then decided to implement a late-exit model.

Last year, they asked a research team to the school to assess the program and provide the staff with suggestions for improvement. The school has both a Spanish-English bilingual and a Russian-English bilingual program. In addition, for English proficient students, it offers Spanish and Russian as a foreign language for an average of 90 minutes per week.

The design of the bilingual program specifies the amount of time devoted to each of the three components: an ESL component called English language development, instruction in the native language, and sheltered English techniques.

Initial reading instruction is provided in the native language, with English literacy usually delayed until third grade. The content areas are provided initially in the native language with a carefully planned introduction into each grade of specified subjects using sheltered English techniques. From the beginning of the program at the kindergarten level, students spend a portion of each day with English speakers.

Russian and Spanish speakers are also grouped together for English language development. The staff reported that this accelerated their English acquisition because both kinds of students were forced to use English to communicate with each other.

Students remain in the program through at least the fifth grade. IDRA researchers noted that all the instruction is uniformly of high quality and reflects best practices recommended for mainstream and second language-learners. Students often work in cooperative, heterogeneous groups or with partners.

Student-to-student and teacher-to-student interactions are frequent, meaningful and focused on instructional tasks. Activities are hands-on, and teachers use a large variety of materials: bilingual books of many genres and types as well as visual, audiovisual and art materials.

Many students were observed receiving individual or small group assistance from additional teachers, bilingual educational assistants and parents. This extra help is provided inside their classrooms or in quiet, cozy corners in the halls outside. All students, English-learners and native English-speakers, are integrated in one of the morning and afternoon homerooms. This gives everyone an opportunity to mix with each other as a group and begin and end each day together.

The first and last periods of the day, students are with the same teacher and their mainstream class. This gives students a feeling of being more integrated into the entire school. Language capability is assessed by administering a home language survey. The ETP coordinator makes the appropriate assessment to determine the particular English learning level of each child.

Additionally, kindergarten and first grade students are given the Brigance Screen to measure basic language skills, and teachers use various classroom assessment methods to determine how students are progressing during the year.

Although the school is moving toward a late-exit program, presently only those in kindergarten through second grade are in such a program.

Third, fourth and fifth graders are in an early-exit program, having made the transition into English. Other students are identified as mainstream English, and some students are placed in literacy centers. Sheltered English techniques are used to help students who have not mastered English by the end of fifth grade.

The school also has an English Plus program, through which parents can opt to have their children continue to learn their native language. The kids are very interested in speaking to their grandparents, so they are motivated to learn.

The children are not embarrassed to speak Russian in school, because they use it at home and in their neighborhood. Although the state of Oregon requires that by third grade students are transitioned to English, the school continues to create avenues for supporting the students in their native language while they learn English.

Heritage Elementary School exhibits three of the most important elements of successful bilingual education practices: 1 a dedication to providing the most successful learning and development programs to the students; 2 teachers and staff who truly care about the students and are passionate about teaching, and 3 parents who become involved and volunteer in educational activities.

Josie Danini Cortez, M. About UWSP. Website feedback. Publication Home. Academic Programs. General Education. Course Descriptions. College and School Hierarchy. Degree Types. Academic Policies. Archived Catalogs. Grade-related Policies. This certificate can be completed in one academic year. Courses include work in multiculturalism, bilingualism, and practices in teaching students across the content areas using the home and new languages. Partially online. Designed for all initial certificates.

Partnership with Speech and Language Pathology. This program consists of 36 credits and provides teachers with the background and skills in working with a diversity of emergent bilingual students in urban settings. Applicants who do not possess certification must complete an additional 18 credits before starting the M.