- West Contra Costa Unified School District
- Dual Language Immersion Programs
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Frequently Asked Questions about Dual Language Immersion
En Espanol
Why should I consider enrolling my child in an immersion program?
Immersion programs are the fastest growing and most effective type of foreign language program currently available in U.S. schools. Most immersion students can be expected to reach higher levels of second language proficiency than students in other school-based language programs. Becoming bilingual opens the door to communication with more people in more places, and many parents want to provide their children with skills to interact competently in an increasingly interdependent world community.
How will being in an immersion program affect my child’s progress in reading and writing in the English language?
There is a large body of research that shows that children in immersion programs do as well or better in English reading and writing than do children who spend their entire school day in English.
If my children learn regular content such as math and science in another language, how will this affect their scores on standardized tests compared to students who learn in English only?
Research nationally has consistently shown that children in immersion programs perform as well or better than non-immersion students on standardized tests in all areas. It also suggests that they develop better reasoning and thinking skills.
Will parents be able to participate in their children’s education if they don’t know the immersion language their children are learning?
Every effort is made to keep parents involved and able to help their children at home. For example, homework in the immersion language has an English explanation for parents, and may include ideas and suggestions for how they can help their children.
Will students still receive English language instruction if they are in an immersion program?
In the Dual Language Immersion model, students spend part of their day with an English-speaking teacher and the remaining time with a native or near-native speaker of the immersion language who is also a trained elementary school teacher.