Anaheim Elementary School District will begin offering Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs at all 23 school sites at the start of the 2019-2020 school year this August. The district already offers award-winning Spanish DLI programs at eight schools, and it was recently announced that AESD will be the first elementary school district in Orange County to offer a Korean DLI program, which has already garnered much interest from families in Anaheim and throughout Southern California.
The expansion to provide the popular DLI program at all 23 schools is a natural next step for the district. There are a high number of interested families from Anaheim and beyond who exceed the district’s current available seats in the DLI program. In the past, because of the high demand and limited space, the district was not able to enroll all interested families in this program. By expanding the opportunity to families at all 23 school sites, AESD is staying true to its core values of providing engaging and equitable learning opportunities for all students.
“The research to support the benefits of DLI is extensive. We know that students who become biliterate and bilingual are globally competitive in the 21st century. Our program uniquely integrates GATE strategies which have proven extremely successful in yielding high academic performance for our participating students. So the effort to extend this opportunity to every one of our schools is truly our moral imperative,” said AESD Superintendent Christopher Downing.
Earlier this month, AESD held an informational meeting for families interested in enrolling their children in a Dual Language Immersion program, and attendance was standing room only, with over 230 families signing an interest form.
“I am incredibly proud that our district will offer Dual Language Immersion to students in all 23 of our schools sites,” said Dr. J. Paolo Magcalas, School Board Clerk.
AESD has been a regional leader in DLI, with over 13 years of experience and numerous awards and recognitions. The district’s first DLI program began in 2006 at Adelaide Price Elementary School with 26 students, and interest soon spread throughout the region.
“We are doing our job and really preparing students. In the global climate we live in, being bilingual and biliterate is a must. I am ecstatic to see the roll out of DLI at all of our school sites so that every student has an opportunity to be educated both in English and Spanish or Korean, or whatever other languages we will add in the future,” stated AESD Board President Ryan Ruelas.
Although second language classes are traditionally available as electives in secondary school districts and some elementary schools, the unique Dual Language Immersion model helps develop bilingualism and biliteracy in English and a second language by immersing students in the target language beginning as early as Transitional Kindergarten. Through a strong and collaborative partnership between the Anaheim Elementary School District and the Anaheim Union High School District, as the program grew, the two districts worked together to ensure that students that begin DLI instruction at an AESD school can continue their DLI studies in junior high all the way through 12th grade at AUHSD schools.
“Knowing that all parents at any of our 23 sites within the Anaheim Elementary School District will soon be afforded the opportunity to raise their child in a bilingual and culturally rich setting brings me a huge sense of pride and joy. As a parent of an emerging bilingual, I have seen first-hand how an education rich in cultural experiences through language, art and academic discourse plays a vital role in building a well-rounded, culturally responsive and engaged child,” said Juan Gabriel Álvarez, AESD Board member.
Students that participated in AESD’s DLI program and continue in DLI classes at AUHSD have the unique distinction of graduating with 13 years of instruction in DLI, a California State Seal of Biliteracy on their diploma, and equipped to navigate their future in two languages. The AESD students that pioneered DLI at Price Elementary in 2006 graduated from Anaheim High School last year, and 100% of the students that continued on the DLI path now attend a four year university.
