Spotlight On Total Immersion Program
Prince George's County Public Schools, Capitol Heights, Maryland

Overview

The French total immersion program in the Prince George's County Schools began in the 1986-87 school year. It is designed for students in kindergarten through grade 8 and is offered as a magnet program at two elementary schools. A continuity program is offered at two middle schools and one high school for students who wish to continue their immersion experience.

There are 181 schools in the Prince George's County Public Schools district, which is located on the urban fringe of Washington, D.C. Of the approximately 125,200 students in the district, 70 percent are African American, 20 percent are Caucasian, 5 percent are Hispanic American, and 4 percent are Asian American.

Admission to the immersion program is through magnet school registration on a space-available basis in accordance with the county's desegregation guidelines. Students eligible to begin kindergarten may apply. Enrollment from outside the regular attendance area of the schools is generally limited to 30 kindergarten students at each school, with a balance of 20 percent African-American and 80 percent non-African-American students; waiting lists and a lottery method are used to determine which students may enroll.

The immersion program currently enrolls approximately 900 students, approximately 700 of whom are in kindergarten through grade 7 and approximately 200 of whom are in grades 8 through 11. There is a high retention rate at the elementary school level, with 95 to 96 percent of the students staying in the K-6 program from year to year.

Program Goals

There are two primary objectives of the immersion program, the first of which is set by the school system and the second by the foreign language program:

	Students will be taught the regular school curriculum through the French language according to objectives for each curriculum content area, and they will achieve high academic standards.
	Students will become bilingual in French and English. Their language skills and abilities will approximate those of native French speakers at their respective age and grade levels as they progress through the program. At the end of grade 6, students' French language proficiency will approximate that of native French speakers of the same age.

Program Features

In kindergarten through grade 6, all academic subjects (mathematics, science, social studies, and French language arts) are taught in French except English language arts (reading and spelling), which is introduced in grade 2. As in all other elementary schools, the focus is on learning the subject matter of the regular curriculum; the difference is that it is taught in French, providing an opportunity for students to learn the regular curriculum while becoming fluent in another language.

Kindergarten students participate in a full-day program. Students in grade 1 learn to read in French before reading in English. In grades 2 through 6, students have one class period of English language arts, and the rest of the subjects are taught in French. After completion of grade 6, students have a strong academic background and are bilingual in French and English. One teacher commented, "Children as early as second grade possess the language in a way they wouldn't if they waited until high school to study French. They can speak on the phone, make jokes. . . . French is their language."

In grades 7 and 8, the middle school immersion program includes two consecutive periods per day in French (French language arts and world studies) with the rest of the instruction in English. In addition to their immersion coursework, students in grade 7 have a one-semester foreign language exploratory course that provides two to four weeks of instruction in several languages and cultures, plus a one-semester introduction to one particular language. The languages and cultures offered for study vary slightly from school to school and include German, Japanese, Latin, Senegalese culture, Spanish, and Swahili, plus a one-semester introduction to Japanese or Russian. Students in grade 8 complete a one-year Level I language course in German, Japanese, Latin, Russian, or Spanish in addition to their French immersion courses.

At the high school level, immersion students may take two consecutive immersion classes--French language and civilization and French language and literature--that are part of a pre-International Baccalaureate program. They may also opt to take just one of these classes and continue the third or fourth language that they began at the middle school level. They may also take International Baccalaureate preparation courses for English, history, science, chemistry, and calculus.

Two important features of the program are coordination and communication at the district and school levels. In addition to a foreign language supervisor at the district level who monitors the program and works closely with the school principals to determine future directions, foreign language coordinators at each of the participating schools coordinate day-to-day operation of the program. Additionally, a team of immersion teachers and the foreign language supervisor work together to ensure a strong academic curriculum, translating and adapting the regular school curriculum into French. Cooperation and communication among the supervisor, coordinators, and teachers ensure a well-run, well-articulated, successful program.

Staff diversity, as well as the diversity of students in the program, helps children to develop global attitudes as they are exposed to many different cultures and have opportunities to interact with native French speakers. Teachers in the immersion program come from a variety of French-speaking countries, including Belgium, Canada, Egypt, France, Guadeloupe, the Ivory Coast, Martinique, Morocco, and Senegal. In addition, parents and students represent a broad spectrum of diverse cultures.

Strong teaching skills and a high level of teacher proficiency in the foreign language are extremely important to the success of the program. All of the foreign language teachers work full-time. They are bilingual and highly proficient in French. In fact, the majority (77 percent) of immersion teachers in Prince George's County consider themselves native French speakers. Most are either certified for teaching in Maryland or are working toward certification. Those without certification have been hired provisionally because of their extensive teaching experience and excellent language skills; they are required to complete six credits toward the certification process during their first year to continue teaching in the program.

As is true of other successful foreign language programs, the total immersion program in Prince George's County enjoys a high degree of support and commitment from parents, teachers, staff, and administrators.

Student Outcomes

A variety of tests and assessments are used to measure student progress in French and English. Although students complete tests at each grade level, test score data are collected only for grades 3, 5, and 6. The results listed below are from 35 immersion students in grade 6 at Rogers Heights Elementary School for the 1996-97 school year.

Scores on Maryland state exams show that immersion students are performing as well as or better than non-immersion students in English and mathematics throughout the state. On the Maryland Functional Reading Test, 30 of 35 students (85 percent) scored above the passing level (a score of 340 or higher), 3 scored between 300 and 339, 1 scored lower than 300, and 1 student was absent on the day of the test.On the Maryland Functional Math Test, 6 students (17 percent) scored above the passing level (340), 23 students (66 percent) scored at the passing level, and 6 students (17 percent) scored below the passing level.

On the Maryland School Performance Assessment Test, which measures hands-on problem solving in reading, writing, language usage, mathematics, science, and social studies, immersion students performed at or above average for their grade level during the 1996-97 academic year. Eighty-two percent of the students scored at the satisfactory or excellent level in mathematics, 71 percent in science, 62 percent in reading, 52 percent in writing, 59 percent in language usage, and 59 percent in social studies.

On the Prince George's County criterion-referenced test of content knowledge in English language arts, 13 of the 35 French immersion students (37 percent) performed above grade level, 14 students (40 percent) performed at grade level, and 8 students (23 percent) performed slightly below grade level. In mathematics, 14 students (40 percent) performed above grade level, 17 students (48.5 percent) performed at grade level, and 4 students (11 percent) performed below grade level.

To measure immersion students' abilities in French, a criterion-referenced test developed by the district is used, as well as quarterly tests that are part of the assessment package for the French reading series used by the program. Results of the criterion-referenced French test show that French immersion students are approximating native speakers of the same age in various classroom tasks, including mastering similar tenses, readings, and writings. Of the 35 grade 6 students tested, 8 students (23 percent) performed above grade level, 22 students (63 percent) performed at grade level, and 5 students (14 percent) performed below grade level.

Contact Information Pat Barr-Harrison Supervisor of Foreign Language Prince George's County Public Schools Foreign Language Office 9201 East Hampton Drive Capitol Heights, MD 20743-3812 Phone: 301-808-8265 Fax: 301-808-8291

References

Information for this program description was gleaned from interviews with the contact person and from the following resource:

Barfield, S., and E. Lorenz. 1997. Formative Evaluation Study of the French Immersion Magnet Program of Prince George's County, MD. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.

San Jose Unified School District, San Jose, California (River Glen Elementary School)

Overview

The two-way Spanish immersion program in the San Jose Unified School District began in 1986 as a magnet program at River Glen Elementary School. All two-way immersion students (both native English and native Spanish speakers) in kindergarten through grade 7 are learning in English and Spanish. The program provides an immersion model for the native English speakers and a maintenance bilingual model for the native Spanish speakers.

The San Jose Unified School District is an urban district located in Santa Clara County. River Glen Elementary is in the center of San Jose and acts as a magnet program to assist with desegregation. The district has 42 schools and 32,000 students. Of these students, 49 percent are Hispanic American, 32 percent are Caucasian, 13 percent are Asian American, 3 percent are African American, and 2 percent are Native American. At River Glen Elementary, there are 470 students in kindergarten through grade 7; 66 percent are Hispanic American, 30 percent are Caucasian, 3 percent are Asian American, and 1 percent are African American. The average class size is 20 in kindergarten through grade 3 and 27 in grades 4 through 7.

Students who participate in the two-way program, along with other bilingual students, may continue the two-way immersion program on the River Glen campus in grades 6 and 7. By the 1998-99 school year, students in grade 8 (who currently must leave River Glen to continue their study of Spanish literature at John Muir Middle School) will be able to complete the two-way immersion program at River Glen Elementary. At the high school level, most former River Glen students test out of fourth-year Spanish and must wait until college to continue more advanced study of Spanish.

Approximately half of the students in the program are native English speakers and approximately half are native Spanish speakers. Most of the native Spanish speakers enter the program with limited English proficiency. Grouping native-English-speaking and native-Spanish-speaking students together provides meaningful opportunities for them to interact and learn from one another.

There are no special criteria for enrollment in kindergarten and grade 1. However, there is a long waiting list each year. Native-English-speaking students can enroll only in kindergarten and grade 1 unless they are transferring from another immersion or bilingual program. Participation in the two-way program is entirely voluntary.

Program Goals

The program outlines three major goals:

	Students will become bilingual and biliterate (in Spanish and English) by the end of seven years in the program.
	Students will experience academic success as demonstrated by achievement at or above grade level in all subject areas.
	Students will acquire an appreciation and understanding of other cultures while developing positive attitudes toward themselves and their academic abilities.

Program Features

The River Glen program follows the 90/10 two-way immersion model: kindergarten and grade 1 students spend 90 percent of the instructional day learning regular subjects in Spanish and 10 percent in English. In kindergarten, English is used only for English oral language development. Beginning in grade 1, English is also used to teach other subject areas. In grades 2 and 3, 80 to 85 percent of the day's instruction is in Spanish and 15 to 20 percent is in English. By grades 4 and 5, the ratio is 60 percent instruction in Spanish to 40 percent in English. At grade 6, the ratio is 50 percent instruction in Spanish to 50 percent in English.

Students who begin the program at the elementary school level may continue it in grades 7 and 8. Although some students want to continue learning subject matter in Spanish at the high school level, there are currently no opportunities for them to do so. Some students decide to begin studying another language, such as French. It is hoped that an advanced credit course will be available in the near future for high school students who were in the two-way immersion program.

Coordination and teamwork are important components of the River Glen program. The program has grown and flourished because of excellent teaching, strong program design, and teacher and parental commitment.

Teachers in the program are highly trained and proficient in both Spanish and English. Most are either bilingual teachers from California, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, or Cuba or are bilingually credentialed teachers with native-like fluency in Spanish. Two-way immersion teachers work full-time, and the majority have California certification in bilingual education with a K-8 (elementary) credential. Some also have a bilingual cross-cultural credential that allows them to teach in grades K-12.

As a magnet program, River Glen is supported by families in the neighborhood and throughout the school district. Parents are very involved through an advisory committee; school visits; classroom assistance; and a nonprofit booster club that organizes fund-raising events to buy computers, books, music, and other materials. The school board is also very supportive of the program and views the school as one of the few that meets the desegregation goals of being truly integrated and providing an environment where all students can learn and achieve academic success.

A Title VII Academic Excellence grant awarded in 1995 allows the school to disseminate information about the two-way program and to provide technical assistance and training to other interested schools.

Student Outcomes

Students' proficiency in Spanish and English is measured using the Student Oral Language Observation Matrix (SOLOM) and the Language Assessment Scales (LAS). At the end of the 1994-95 school year, Spanish SOLOM scores were very high for native Spanish speakers across grade levels. The Spanish scores for native English speakers generally increased from one grade level to the next. At least half of the English speakers were rated fluent in Spanish by grade 1; almost all of them were rated fluent by grade 4. Among native Spanish speakers, the percentage designated as fluent in English (as demonstrated on the LAS) increased from 50 percent in grade 1 to 74 percent in grade 2, 95 percent in grade 3, and 100 percent in grades 4 through 6.

Students' academic achievement was measured in Spanish on La Prueba Riverside de Realizacion en Espanol. At all grade levels, students performed at or above average in reading, writing, mathematics, social studies, and science. Academic achievement in English was measured on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills. Average percentiles for all students increased from grades 3 through 7 in reading and language--¹from the 34th to the 51st percentile in reading and from the 27th to the 52nd percentile in language. Mathematics achievement in English increased from the 47th percentile in grade 3 to the 63rd in grade 7.

River Glen's resource teacher, Linda Luporini-Hakmi, expressed student outcomes this way: When the teacher is using Spanish exclusively and the native-English-speaking and native-Spanish-speaking students are grouped together, a little miracle occurs. For the Spanish speakers, their self-esteem goes up because they know the language of instruction and start translating new information into English for the English speakers. This creates a meaningful need for the Spanish speakers to learn English, and for both native Spanish and native English speakers to share each others' language.

Contact Information Linda Luporini-Hakmi Resource Teacher River Glen Elementary School San Jose Unified School District 1610 Bird Avenue San Jose, CA 95125 Phone: 408-535-6240 Fax: 408-298-8377 Web: http://www.sjusd.k12.ca.us/sites/elem/RiverGlen

Cecilia Barrie Principal River Glen Elementary School San Jose Unified School District 1610 Bird Avenue San Jose, CA 95125 Phone: 408-535-6240 Fax: 408-298-8366 Web: http://www.sjusd.k12.ca.us/sites/elem/RiverGlen

References

Information for this program description was gleaned from interviews with the contact persons and from the following resources:

Christian, D., C. L. Montone, K. J. Lindholm, and I. Carranza. 1997. Profiles in Two-Way Immersion Education.Washington, DC, and Chicago, IL: Center for Applied Linguistics and Delta Systems.

Directory of Two-Way Bilingual Programs. http://www.cal.org/org/db/2way/

Montone, C., and D. Christian. 1997. Directory of Two-Way Bilingual Programs in the United States. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.

Notes

¹ Students did not begin reading instruction in English until grade 3.

Spotlight on FLES and FLEX

Go to the ERIC Systemwide site

Starting a Foreign Language Program