Bilingual Program: Academic Content in Two Languages (Transcript)

Alison: The students who learn their own language in depth in middle school do better in high school. We note it in graduation. We get their math grades as freshmen and we can see it there.

Our students here are really diverse. We have thirteen countries represented and twelve language backgrounds. It’s about forty-five percent of our students who are coming from the Spanish language background here learning English.

Lori: There are many challenges with bringing together different elements of our community in the sense of academic preparation, social differences, language differences.

Alison: One of the main things that helps us with bringing kids together is our bilingual program, where students who are native Spanish speakers get native language instruction, alongside of students who are native English speakers, who are wanting to learn Spanish.

Student: [speaking Spanish]

Lori: The goal is that they develop and progress where they’re at right now in two languages, and go forward.

Janet: I want to speak the language and I don’t want to just be there like speak it and not know how to write it. So that’s why I take the bilingual program.

Alison: Students who are native Spanish speakers really have to get solid in their own language. And once they’re solid in their own language, they can build on their English, and I think learning the language art skills and the parts of speech, how the language works, makes a huge difference for their education.

Student: [speaking Spanish]

Lori: Well, in sixth grade, they have their core classes in English, math, social studies, science, English language arts. And after those four core classes, they would have three electives. Two of those electives actually would be for the bilingual program, the reading in Spanish and language arts in Spanish. In seventh grade we let them learn geography and Spanish and then they take a Spanish language arts class. When we study world geography, we learn about another culture, so they’re using their vocabulary in Spanish to understand the world better. To have two different languages strengthens your cognitive processing ability, your analysis ability. You can go to the skills that you have in the other language to support and increase the skills in the second language.

Alison: [speaking Spanish]

Alison: By eighth grade we offer one class in Spanish and it’s more advanced Spanish language arts. So they might learn one type of part of speech in Spanish language arts class and they’re learning the same thing in their English language arts. So the bilingual program is designed to have those kids work together. Students who are learning English are tutoring the students who are learning Spanish in the Spanish classes. In the other classes, the native English speakers are assisting the native Spanish speakers with comprehension on things and working together as peers. That’s probably the biggest thing we do to make the culture work. It’s considered around here a real prize to be able to graduate from this program and be bilingual in three years. Families really value it in terms of not just the language, but also really being able to communicate cross culturally, which is, we think, a tremendous skill for the future for all kids.

Schools That Work

Casey Middle School