Voices of Osceola County
Tamara Agosto-Walker
Dual Language Resource Specialist
How many bilingual education programs you have in your district?
Answer: Our bilingual program is the Dual Language Program-Two-Way Immersion. We have Spanish Speakers and English Speakers in a 60/40 Program model. This means students will receive Instructional Time in Spanish half of the day (40 % of instructional time) , on the other half of the day their Instructional Time will be in English (60 % of instructional time).
How many students are in bilingual education programs?
Answer:
- Boggy C. (163 students)
- Chestnut (112 students)
- East L. (92 students)
- Kissimmmee (120 students)
- Thacker A. (212 students)
- Ventura (275 students)
Total of 974 students in the DL Program
What grades have bilingual education programs?
Answer: See above for information by DL Schools
Can you tell me if your bilingual education program is dual language/two way immersion? Or maintenance / developmental bilingual education?
Answer: See above (question # 1) for information.
What is a typical day like for the students in the program?
Answer: See above (question # 1) for information
How is the curriculum developed?
Answer: The program utilize appropriate grade level curriculum through content area instruction. Spanish Teachers use the District Text Adoption in a Spanish version to deliver instruction.
Are the languages for instruction used equally or in varied percentages? What percentages?
Answer: Our program is a 60/40 model (refer to question 1 for more information).
What languages do you assess students in and what assessments you use?
Answer: We assess the students on the language of instruction by the language of instruction deliver by subjects (for Science and Lectura- Spanish assessments), (Math, Reading and Social Studies in English). We use unit assessment from the texts adoption, formative & Summative assessments created by the PLC group. As a District we are using IReady assessment for Math and Reading in English, and Istation for Reading in Spanish.
What are the expectations for the teachers?
Answer: Provide integrated instruction for both Spanish and English speaking students.
Teacher will participate in professional development to enhance professional growth and constantly advance their skills and success in working with the children acquiring a second language.
Provide instructional opportunities for students to develop oral, written, and reading proficiency in both languages.
How do parents participate in the program?
Answer: Parents participate in meetings for community members to introduce the Dual Language Program, Dual Language Open House. They are part of the SAC and PTO committees, volunteers in school, and participate in Cultural Awareness activities as extra curriculum activities for DL students.
Do you have any information about your bilingual education program(s) online? Can you tell me where I can find any additional information?
Answer: In our website for the Multicultural Department we provided some websites for the parents and students to support the program at home. Osceola reads is a great resource implementing Footsteps2brilliance as District wide, this program provided opportunities to develop early reading in both languages (Spanish and English).
Can you describe the “one way” program?
Answer: We are not longer implementing the One way Dual Language Program.
Michelle MacMillan
East Lake Elementary School
How are students chosen to be in dual language classroom?
Answer: The programs are for kindergarten and first grade. Parents of both grades fill out applications. To choose who gets admitted to the program, in first grade we look at iready scores and absences. For kindergarten we take an inventory of basic letters, sounds. We choose around the average-high levels.
How are teachers trained for being in the dual language classroom?
Answer: They are trained specifically with classes from the multicultural department.
What are parents opinions/involvements in these programs? Do they participate in programs?
Answer: They are encouraged to participate in the classroom, and with night programs. There are Spanish themed program such as day of the dead (Coco) themed nights, and holidays around the world.
Has there been any interest in establishing dual language programs with a language other than Spanish?
Answer: Not at this time. The predominant language is Spanish. However, we are continuing past first grade, and adding grades of this program as years go by.
What does the typical day look like in the classroom?
Answer: There are 2 classrooms of dual language for each grade level. Half the day is reading, writing, and social studies in English. The other half is math, science and lectura in Spanish.
What language are students assessed in? What assessments are used?
Answer: Just use simple assessments through lectura, spelling, reading, inventories. Mainstream assessment in English classrooms.
How many students are in each classroom?
Answer: 18 students.
Are teachers bilingual?
Answer: Teachers don’t have to be bilingual. Students spend half the day with one teacher in English, half the day in Spanish where the teacher teaches in Spanish. Spanish teachers are bilingual.
How do students interact with rest of school/population?
Answer: They are with their grade level, they stay with kindergarten team, same times, activities, etc.
What grades is this program?
Answer: Right now, it is in grades kindergarten and first. But we plan to continue it for each grade.
How is the curriculum developed?
Answer: We basically follow same exact curriculum as mainstream classrooms. However, math and science are taught in Spanish. Lectura is an established curriculum throughout the multicultural center.
Can you tell me if your bilingual education program is dual language/two way immersion? Or maintenance / developmental bilingual education?
Answer: Two-way immersion. 50/50 native English speakers and Native Spanish speakers.
What are expectations for teachers?
Answer: Same as any other classroom, teaching at highest level, depth of standard, in English and Spanish. By the end of the year there should be continued proficiency in English and Spanish.
Keisy Campos-Ocasio
Boggy Creek Elementary ESOL Education Specialist
How are students chosen to be in a dual language classroom?
Answer: Parents complete an application form (if students are zoned for our school). We are also a choice school, so parents can complete the choice form and request an application for the Dual Language Program. Students are tested in Spanish. The classes are built 50% English Speakers and 50% Spanish Speakers.
How are teachers trained for their position as a dual language teacher?
Answer: Teachers are trained during a Summer Institute offered by the District and also during District Professional Development Day.
How are parents involved in these programs?
Answer: Parents participate in different activities through out the year.
Has there been any interest in providing a dual language program with a language other than Spanish?
Answer: Not yet.
Has there been any interest in expanding the program to more grades?
Answer: Next year we’ll be adding 4th grade and 5th grade the year after.
What does the typical day in the classroom look like?
Answer: 60% of the day is in English and 40% of the day is in Spanish
What language are students assessed in?
Answer: They are assessed in English for all subjects and in Spanish for Language Arts in Spanish
What assessments are used?
Answer: District Assessments, Common Assessments, and Teacher created assessments.
How many students are in each classroom?
Answer: 18 students
Are teachers bilingual?
Answer: Most teachers are bilinguals. We have some teachers that are monolingual. They teach the English portion (Language Arts in English and Social Studies
What grades are these programs offered in? Are they short or long term?
Answer: PK-3rd
How is the curriculum developed?
Answer: Some teachers met during the summer to create a Timeline for the Spanish.
Is your program two-way immersion, maintenance, or developmental?
Answer: Two-way immersion
What are expectations for teachers?
Answer: To effectively develop high achieving bilingual-biliterate students with positive cultural attitudes.