Over the past five years, the ELL department has significantly expanded the district’s dual-language programs it offers with the addition of three two-way immersion programs and one early-exit transitional program. In addition, the district offers two one-way immersion programs—Adams Spanish Immersion and L’Étoile du Nord French Immersion. One-way immersion programs are not ELL programs per se; rather ELL students enrolled in these programs receive ELL support just like ELL students enrolled in other schools in SPPS.

All two and one-way immersion programs are fully articulated programs through 12^th grade.  Upon completing a K-6 immersion program, in either Spanish or French,  students are able to continue their language studies in immersion programs at junior and senior high school programs.

One-Way Immersion Programs

Adams Spanish Immersion and L’Étoile du Nord French Immersion are one-way immersion programs. One-way immersion programs were established for language majority students wishing to learn another language.  English literacy instruction is begun in second grade and continued through sixth grade.  In addition to English Language Arts, Spanish Language Arts is also taught. Academic content such as math, science, social studies and specialist courses such as art, computer science, and physical education are also taught in Spanish. In recent years an increasing number of ELL students have chosen to enroll in either of these two programs therefore the ELL department provided the appropriate services for these students.

Two-Way Immersion Programs

The programs at Riverview (K-5), Bruce Vento (K-3), and Paul & Sheila Wellstone (K-6), are two-way immersion programs (TWI).  All TWI programs will eventually expand to include grades K-6.  TWI programs serve both language minority and language majority students in the same classroom and use each group of students’ first language for academic instruction at certain points during the program. The aim is for all students to become bilingual, biliterate and culturally proficient in both the majority and partner cultures. The cognitive, academic, and linguistic benefits of these programs fully appear after 5th or 6th grade.

A Hmong dual language program, believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, is offered at Jackson Preparatory. Students are taught academic content in Hmong while also learning to read and write in Hmong and English. Children in this program are taught by a licensed Hmong bilingual teacher, and spend the majority of their school day reading, writing, and thinking in Hmong. A portion of each day is dedicated to English language development. The Hmong dual immersion program will serve students in grades pre-K–4 during 2009-2010.

Transitional Bilingual Programs

The programs at Roosevelt (K-1) and Cherokee Heights (preK-2) are early-exit transitional programs, and as such will not expand beyond second grade.  In transitional programs, Spanish-speaking students initially learn academic content in their first language while developing proficiency in English. ESL instruction is an essential component of transitional programs.  The main purpose of these programs is to prepare students to transition into an all-English program of instruction as soon as possible—Spanish is used as a tool to help speed English language and content development.