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District 75 to introduce Spanish/English immersion program

The 2016-17 year will present a different experience for dozens of Mundelein Elementary District 75 kindergartners as the first participants in a two-way language immersion program.

Beginning in kindergarten and eventually through fifth grade, students enrolled in the voluntary program will spend half the day being taught in Spanish and the other half in English. Each class will have half native English-speaking and half Spanish-speaking students, with two teachers splitting duty.

District 75 already teaches Spanish-speaking students to become fluent in English, but not the other way around.

School officials say being bilingual will increase student achievement and confidence, and expand their college and career options.

"English learners do better in this type of a model. Also, there's a lot of interest from our English-first parents," said Yesenia Sanchez, bilingual director. "They see the benefit of being bilingual."

Superintendent Andy Henrikson said the school board's decision followed 18 months of study by a group of teachers and parents.

The work included research and visits to other schools in the area that already have dual-language programs.

The result, he said, are "biliterate and bilingual" children.

Studies have shown students in two-way immersion programs initially lag in vocabulary development and on standardized tests, Henrikson said. However, eventually they outperform their peers who are conversant in only one language.

Being bilingual also will make District 75 graduates more competitive in the global economy and instill positive cross-cultural attitudes and behavior, officials believe.

Longtime board President Wells Frice said the district considered an immersion program many times, but implementing it for a portion of students at three schools was difficult. It became more viable after District 75 switched to grade centers, Frice said.

The importance of learning another language and appreciating other cultures has increased as the community and country becomes more diverse and globally interconnected, Frice added.

Sanchez said two classes of 24 students each have been filled, but the goal is to fill four classes by the Feb. 29 kindergarten registration deadline.

District 75 has eight kindergarten sections each year and nearly half all incoming students are Latino, she added.

The program will expand by a grade each year through fifth grade. At Carl Sandburg Middle School, the plan is for some high-level classes to be taught in Spanish, so the dual language students don't lose their proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing in two languages.

Two-way immersion students will achieve the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy, adopted in 2014 to motivate and recognize students, when they reach Mundelein High School.

Hawthorn Elementary District 73 has had a dual-language school for years, Henrikson said, and other programs have been successful in the Woodstock, Woodland, Schaumburg, and Highland Park districts. District 75 will be among the first using the two-teacher model and 50-50 student ration, Sanchez added.

She said students learn languages at different paces and the district wants this experience to feel comfortable.

"We're hoping to take advantage of that optimal window," she said.

@dhmickzawislak

Superintendent Andy Henrikson.
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