DLI
Dual Language Immersion (DLI)
VISION
The Metropolitan School District of Washington Township Schools’ Dual Language students will develop proficiency in English and Spanish by participating in a rigorous academic program that promotes bilingualism, biliteracy, and multiculturalism. Students will be successful graduates ready for college, career, and life in a growing global economy.
GOALS
The goals of the program are focused on:
- Bilingualism - Students will speak and understand in Spanish and English with fluency.
- Biliteracy - Students will read and write in Spanish and English at or above grade level in all academic areas.
- Multiculturalism - Students will understand and appreciate different cultures at a deeper level and develop relationships with students from other cultures.
PROGRAM MODEL
Washington Township Schools has a two-way dual language immersion program, with the target languages of Spanish and English. In a two-way program, a balanced number of students are from English speaking homes and Spanish or bilingual speaking homes. Primary benefits of a two-way program include:
- inclusion of model speakers in both languages; and
- inclusion of students from two or more cultural backgrounds, which increases cross-cultural understanding.
Benefits of Dual Language Immersion:
- Young children learn a second language more naturally at a young age.
- Biliterate skills give students the options for careers requiring multilingual skills in the 21st century global society.
- The study of a second language helps develop strong thinking and reasoning skills useful for problem-solving.
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Dual Language Immersion (DLI) is a unique educational program that develops student bilingualism and biliteracy in English and in Spanish. Students continue to learn standards-based content while they become fluent in two languages; linguistically and academically.
Grade Level Spanish Percentage of Instruction
(Content)English Percentage of Instruction
(Content)K-1 80%
(Spanish language arts, math, science, social studies)
20%
(English language arts)
2 70%
(Spanish language arts, math, science, social studies)
30%
(English language arts)
3 60%
(Spanish language arts, math, science, social studies)
40%
(English language arts)
4 50%
(Spanish language arts, math, science)
50%
(English language arts, social studies)
5 50%
(Spanish language arts, math, science)
50%
(English language arts, social studies)
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For enrollment information, contact the front office at:
(317) 280-3701Enroll through the district website:
MSDWT Enroll NowContact Willow Lake Elementary to express interest in the DLI Program.
DLI Interest Form (PDF) -
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Q: What is a Two-Way Dual Language Immersion Program?
A: A Two-Way Dual Language Immersion Program brings native English and native Spanish speakers together in a classroom where, side by side, they will learn in both English and Spanish. In the primary grades, the majority of instruction will be in Spanish to compensate for the dominant power of English outside the school context. Each year, the percentage of instruction in English increases until students receive equal instructional time in both languages. Whether instruction is delivered in English or Spanish, the academic content is derived from the Indiana Academic Standards. The students are purposely mixed in the same educational environment to provide communication and academic language development through an interactive and cross-cultural setting.
Q: Why should I enroll my child in the Dual Language Immersion Program?
A: Becoming bilingual and biliterate gives students the skills and knowledge to succeed in a growing global society. Studies consistently show that students in a Dual Language Program academically, cognitively, and socially outperform their monolingual peers.
Recent research shows that students who participate in a Two-Way Dual Language Program, demonstrate strong self- esteem, feel academically competent, and hold very positive attitudes toward other languages, speakers of other languages, and people they perceive as different from themselves. In addition, most students also believe that being bilingual has made them smarter, increased their level of performance in school, improved their thinking ability, and will someday help them get a better job (Lindholm and Molina, 2006).
Both native English and native Spanish speakers in Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Programs maintain their native language, add a second language to their knowledge base, and achieve well above the 50th percentile in all subject areas on norm-referenced tests in English. The achievement of students educated in these programs equals or outperforms their comparison groups being schooled in only one language, on all measures (Collier and Thomas, 2001).Q: How will learning in another language affect my child’s English language and literacy development?
A: Research consistently shows that the immersion experience actually enhances English language development since the cognitive processes that come from the ability to read, such as understanding the relationship between the spoken language and the written word, transfer from one language to another (Cloud, Genesee, & Hamayan, 2000).
Q: How can I support my child if I do not speak one of the languages?
A: Parents of DLI students often feel some anxiety about having their child educated in a language which they themselves do not speak. DLI teachers know the students often come from monolingual homes and consider this when assigning homework. It’s expected for DLI students to experience some level of frustration, especially at the beginning. The calm support of parents is imperative to help their children adjust to a new language and learning environment. Reading together, talking together, and answering your child’s questions are some of the most effective ways that a parent can prepare their child to succeed in school. Research clearly demonstrates that second language acquisition is dependent upon first language development. When you strengthen your child’s native language, he/she becomes more successful in learning the second language.