Dist. 203 may add Spanish, Chinese classes

Starting next fall, elementary school students in Naperville Unit District 203 may have the opportunity to spend most their day learning in a foreign language.

The district is exploring two new elementary foreign language programs in Spanish and Chinese that would immerse students in the language they are studying.

"If we're serious about 21st century education, I think making sure our students are bicultural and biliterate in two languages is just the best thing we can give them and I just think that is going to be an essential skill for them," Superintendent Alan Leis said to the school board Monday. "The earlier we start it ... the more likely it's going to be to (work)."

Based on the advice of a consultant, the Spanish program would be a two-way full immersion, meaning the class would consist of native English speakers and native Spanish speakers. Starting in either kindergarten or first grade, those students would spend 80 percent of their day learning subjects in Spanish and 20 percent of the day learning in English.

Students in this program would stay together each year and the percentage of English during the day would increase with each grade level until fourth and fifth grades when half of the day would be in English and half in Spanish. These students would still take literacy in their native language.

The Spanish program would be offered at Beebe and Mill Street elementary schools and would be available to students at those two schools. The district is also considering adding a third site at one of its south side schools that would be a magnet program open to students from the remaining schools.

The Chinese program would be a two-way partial immersion. In this model, the class would consist of both native English and native Chinese speakers. Starting in kindergarten or first grade, they would spend half of the day learning subjects in English and half of the day learning in Chinese. The group would stay together throughout elementary school and would still learn literacy in their native language.

The district has not determined where this program would be held, but Scott, Ranch View, Maplebrook and Kingsley are being looked at as possibilities. It would be a magnet program so students from any school could take part.

Jodi Wirt, associate superintendent for instruction, said by teaching students core subjects like math and science in a foreign language, instead of limiting language instruction to one class period a day, students become truly literate in both languages. Students in the program would keep the same pace in terms of curriculum as their peers.

"There's over 40 years of research on the effectiveness of dual-language programs and they continually promote the idea students in these programs do not lose academic ground," Wirt said. "They remain proficient in English as well as the second language and they do become probably better problem-solvers and complex thinkers because they are thinking in both languages."

The district will now turn to parents to gauge interest and will continue to study the financial and staffing implications. Leis said he does not expect the costs to be substantial. The district will likely turn to the board for approval of a final plan in the spring.