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Duration of Program
Program participants and their families are expected to make
a minimum six year commitment to the two way immersion program.
This duration of enrollment ensures full development of both
Spanish and English language skills. English speakers may
entre at the Kindergarten or first grade levels. Spanish
speakers may enter at kinder, first or second grade.
Bilingual students may be admitted at any grade level
depending on their level of literacy in Spanish and their
oral English proficiency.
Though a six year commitment is the minimum required, TWI students at LTUSD are taking the opportunity to go further, as the school district has committed to 13 years of immersion. In the secondary level, students have a minimum of 25% of their academic day in Spanish (roughly 2 classes per year). This commitment was made by LTUSD to maintain and encourage grade level growth for our bi-literate students.
Language Separation
Spanish and English instruction are sometimes kept separate,
allowing maximized concentration of both languages.
Teachers do not use translation for comprehension. Instead,
they use a multitude of second language acquisition techniques
to make language and content understandable for all students.
Teachers exchange classes with each other at the Kindergarten,
first- and second-grade levels during the English portion of
the day. This enables students to identify one particular
teacher with Spanish and one with English.
Experiential Curriculum
Teachers establish an environment where students must use the
target language to meet real needs. This approach develops
language skills through hands-on classroom experiences.
Students more readily attach vocabulary to an activity in a
hands-on or experiential setting.
Classroom Composition
The most desirable student ratio in a two way immersion
classroom is 50% English-speakers and 50% Spanish-speakers,
but the program can operate successfully as long as neither
language group falls below 35% of the classroom population.
These ratios:
• Maintain an environment of linguistic equity,
• Facilitate cross-learning for both language groups,
• Encourage social interaction among Spanish- and English-speakers,
• Promote cultural understanding among all students.
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