Implementing Two-Way Immersion Programs in Secondary Schools

ABSTRACT

Elementary two-way immersion (TWI) programs continue to proliferate throughout the United States, but the number of successfully implemented secondary TWI programs remains small. Many districts with TWI cohorts that are reaching the upper elementary grades must now make complex decisions about whether and how to extend their programs into middle school and high school. For this report, telephone interviews were conducted with project coordinators from seven schools that have secondary TWI programs. Their responses provide a preliminary sense of the key challenges confronting TWI programs operated above the elementary level along with some experience-based options for meeting these challenges. Issues addressed include program planning; language distribution, curriculum and materials; student participation and motivation; attrition and late entries; student scheduling; teams, clusters, and houses; staffing; transportation; and parent involvement. A general overview of each program is included.

INTRODUCTION

Two-way immersion (TWI) programs have been gaining popularity over the past decade, and have recently begun to proliferate at a rapid pace across the United States. In TWI programs, language minority and language majority students are integrated for all or most of the day and receive content and literacy instruction through both English and the minority language, with the goals of promoting academic achievement, bilingualism and biliteracy development, and cross-cultural competence in all students (Christian, 1994; Genesee, 1999). There are many reasons for the popularity of these programs, including opportunities for federal and state funding, interest from parents, and the publicized success that some two-way programs have had in educating both language minority and majority children. While the numbers have grown from 30 documented programs in 1987 (Lindholm, 1987) to 261 in 1999 (Loeb, 1999), the vast majority of these programs operate at the elementary school only. To date, very few programs have effectively carried on into the middle school (26) and fewer still to high school (8) (Loeb, 1999).

There are two main reasons for the small number of secondary TWI programs at this time. First, because the growth of TWI is a recent phenomenon and most TWI programs start with a single cohort of students in kindergarten, adding additional grade levels and cohorts each year, there has not been a sizeable number of TWI programs in need of expansion to the secondary level until this time (see Figure 1). Second, the structure of secondary schools often complicates the continuation of TWI programs. For example, in secondary programs, students have greater freedom of course selection than they do in elementary school, meaning that TWI course offerings must be scheduled in such a way as to not interfere with core courses or popular electives. In addition, secondary teachers tend to teach a single academic domain rather than all content areas, meaning that several bilingual teachers may need to be hired in order to perpetuate the program at the secondary level. These issues and others will be discussed in the following sections.

This preliminary report serves two purposes: 1) to present the challenges that districts face in operating their two-way programs at levels above the elementary school, and 2) to present options for meeting these challenges based on the experiences of programs that have tried to move to the secondary school level, whether successfully or not. In addition, there are a few programs that have not relied on elementary level feeder schools to populate their programs, but have started from scratch at the middle or high school level. These programs' experiences will also be considered.

While reading this document, it is important to keep in mind that the information presented here is anecdotal and self-reported. Currently, the number of secondary TWI programs in operation is minimal; subsequently, there is no existing research base on their effectiveness. At the same time, because of the growth and expansion of elementary TWI programs, there is increasing interest in the design and implementation of secondary programs. For that reason, a logical first step seemed to be to contact existing programs to find out more about what they are doing and how well it is working. The resulting document is descriptive; in the absence of any other information on the topic, we believe that it provides a useful introduction for programs that are considering expansion to the secondary level.

ASSEMBLING THE INFORMATION

This report is based on information obtained during telephone interviews with school or district personnel across the country who were involved and intimately familiar with a middle or high school two-way immersion program. In some cases, the programs were no longer in operation–because they had lost support at the school or district level, experienced a significant drop in language minority students coming to the district or school, or because the program was incorporated into the elementary school. Interviews were conducted with personnel from these programs to discover what, if any, specific obstacles or challenges led to the discontinuation of the program at the secondary level. It was felt that such information would be beneficial for schools or districts to know when planning their own programs, to help them prepare for the possibility of facing similar challenges.

In the end, representatives of seven programs were interviewed. (See Appendix 1 for the study's interview protocol.) The programs were located in urban, suburban, and rural districts, specifically, in Santa Monica, CA; Valley Center, CA; Boulder, CO; Pompano Beach, FL; Chicago, IL; Brooklyn, NY; and Arlington, VA. (See Appendix 2 for program locations and contact information.) The program in Arlington, VA, was close enough for the authors to observe the transition of its middle school program from one school to another in the district, so they were able to gather more documentation on that district's planning and implementation of secondary two-way immersion. A site visit to the Chicago program also permitted a closer look at the only program that started at the high school level rather than building on an established elementary TWI program, as other existing secondary TWI programs have done. All of the information about the other programs mentioned in this report was gathered via telephone interviews and from the Directory of Two-Way Bilingual Programs in the U.S. (Christian & Whitcher, 1995).

BENEFITS OF TWO-WAY IMMERSION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

While this report focuses on the challenges of implementing secondary TWI programs and strategies to address them, we should first note that there are many potential benefits to be derived from implementing or continuing a two-way program at the secondary level. Of course, the greatest may come from giving secondary students access to continued development of language skills and cultural knowledge that, in an increasingly global economy, will be marketable assets. Expected benefits of secondary TWI programs overlap with those that motivate the establishment of most elementary-level programs:

• Lower likelihood of tracking and other practices that might be detrimental to language minority students
• Development of bilingualism and biculturalism
• Development of positive cross-cultural attitudes
• Development of cognitive flexibility
• Provision of an efficient model for serving the second language needs of English language learners and native speakers of English

TWI programs offer additional benefits at the middle school and high school level:

• Continued development of second language skills
• Preparation to enter advanced language courses in high school or college
• Preparation for International Baccalaureate (IB) programs in high school
• Preparation for additional languages in high school or beyond
• Preparation to earn college credit through Advanced Placement language exams

CHALLENGES FACED IN SECONDARY PROGRAMS

School districts confront many challenges in attempting to extend programs to the middle or high school level. There are still more challenges if they attempt to create programs at the secondary level in the absence of elementary feeder schools. This report focuses on core issues faced by all programs:

• Planning the program
• Language distribution, curriculum, and materials
• Student participation and motivation
• Attrition and late entries
• Student scheduling
• Teams, clusters, and houses
• Staffing
• Transportation
• Parent involvement

Each of these issues is examined individually below. Each section summarizes the information provided by the program representatives consulted and features options, ideas, and suggestions that they have either implemented or would recommend based on their experience to date. The ideas and recommendations presented in this report should therefore be seen as a compilation of anecdotal reports from current practitioners in secondary TWI programs rather than as research-based findings.

Planning the Program

Existing TWI programs recommend that new programs take at least one year to plan prior to implementation. A committee or task force created to lead the planning efforts would take on some of these activities:

• Compiling information and evidence to convince the district powerbrokers of the need for or desirability of the program
• Giving a professional presentation to the school board in collaboration with teachers and students from the elementary school program
• Helping to choose an appropriate site for the program
• Making recommendations on how the program should be structured (with regard to curriculum, materials, staffing, scheduling, transportation, and continued articulation with the elementary program)

In cases where there is no initial consensus for starting a new program or expanding an existing program to the secondary level, the planning stage can entail activities that will inform and persuade both the district powerbrokers and the community. Once these two groups are open to the idea of having the program, planning for all of the other components can take place. Of course, planning the entire program and then presenting the plan to the district administrators and the community is another option. However, if there is no support for the program, the planning time might have been wasted.

Advice and Ideas

• Include teachers from all subject areas, parents, students, counselors, and administrators. The more people involved in the decision making from the start, the more buy-in there is likely to be, resulting in support to keep the program going. If there is a sense of shared ownership, there will also be more people willing to help resolve programmatic dilemmas that may arise down the line. Convene meetings regularly and well in advance of the beginning of the first year. Assign sub-committees or task forces to deal with specific issues or tasks (e.g., scheduling and content, electives and extracurricular activities, parent survey).
• Conduct a parent survey the year before implementation to find out under what conditions parents would and would not be willing to have their children continue in the TWI program. For example, location may be a deciding factor. If the school is distant and transportation is not provided, this may be a barrier to participation for otherwise enthusiastic families.
• Bring in experts. Find people at other schools who have experience with TWI programs, researchers in the field, or simply research-based information. These can help persuade those who are not yet convinced as well as offer options and advice on how to tailor the program and adapt it to local circumstances.
• Discuss and set goals and objectives. Identify what students should be able to do by the time they graduate from the school and the program. This may force some difficult choices to be made, but it will also guide decision making on issues such as how many courses to offer in each language, how many teachers to hire, and so forth.

If there is consensus for starting or continuing a program at the secondary level, the issues listed below should be dealt with next.

Language Distribution, Curriculum, and Materials

The nature of secondary TWI programs differs from that of elementary programs. At the high school level especially, but also to a great extent at the middle school level, the program typically becomes the sum of the classes offered in the non-English language only. That is, the Spanish-English TWI program is considered to be the two or three courses taught in Spanish to the participating students, since those are typically the only classes offered exclusively to TWI program students. Classes taught in English may no longer count as TWI, since they frequently include non-TWI students. Planning the TWI program, then, consists mostly of deciding which courses to offer in the non-English language and how many periods per day students will be required to attend these classes in order to be considered part of the TWI program.

While most TWI programs appear to offer the same middle and high school curricula as non-TWI programs (with the exception of language arts in the non-English language), deciding how much of the curriculum and which subjects will be taught through which languages is often a difficult decision. At the elementary level, the self-contained nature of the classroom makes it easier to adopt any of a variety of program models, such as a 50/50 model or a 90/10 model.¹ One bilingual teacher, for example, can teach any or all subject areas in Spanish, while a monolingual English teacher can teach any or all subject areas in English. Middle and high schools operate differently, however. High schools tend to be departmentalized, and teachers specialize in one or more content areas. Consequently, offering social studies, science, and math in Spanish, for instance, will most likely require the services of three bilingual teachers instead of just one. Middle schools are more flexible in their structure. Some may be very departmentalized (especially in the upper grades), while others may operate more like elementary schools (especially in sixth grade), with one teacher teaching multiple subjects or staying with the same group of students for most of the day.

According to the existing secondary TWI programs interviewed, the most critical factors for deciding which subjects to offer in which language are the availability, qualifications, and subject-matter preferences of the staff and availability of appropriate materials in the non-English language. Finding qualified bilingual content teachers to teach subjects in the non-English language can be quite challenging. Finding appropriate bilingual texts in non-English languages can also prove problematic. For example, required social studies curricula typically differ from state to state, making it difficult for educational publishers to know what to include in their non-English-language version texts. Planning to teach the same subject in two languages will also require budgeting for two textbooks instead of one, or for the creation and distribution of either commercial or teacher-created supplemental materials.

Among the secondary TWI programs interviewed, there was much variety in the allocation and distribution of languages. Programs alternated Spanish and English instruction by day (Bowen's Academy in Chicago), by unit (Valley Center, CA), or by course (i.e., the same course was offered all quarter or all year in the same language).

Advice and Ideas

• In order to continue to develop students' skills in the non-English language and to promote the status of that language, have at least two mandatory classes in the non-English language each year. Most programs offer some form of social studies and language arts.
• Try to maintain some degree of continuity in language allocation from one year to the next. Avoid multiple year gaps in teaching math in Spanish, for example. When a subject is offered in Spanish after several years of being offered in English, the students may fear they won't be able to cope with it in Spanish and choose not to enroll. For example, if math is offered in Spanish in Grades 5 and 9, but not in Grades 6, 7, and 8, students may not sign up for Spanish math in Grade 9.
• Choose subjects to teach in the non-English language for which quality textbooks are available.
• If sources of materials in the non-English language cannot be found, create your own materials to supplement or replace existing texts. It might also be possible to persuade those who determine text adoption to select texts that have versions in multiple languages. One teacher at Santa Monica High School offered to translate a math text into Spanish that the publisher was not planning on translating. The publisher and district paid for the translation (which took place over the summer), and the teacher used his students as proofreaders when they used the text in class the next year.
• Hire bilingual teachers who can teach in more than one subject area. This will allow for flexibility in course offerings and lower the number of staff required for the program, if your school or district is seeking to limit the cost.

Student Participation and Motivation

Another issue commented on by survey respondents was the motivation of students to participate in secondary TWI programs. Adolescents are pulled by many biological and social forces. On the one hand, they are developing their individuality, while on the other hand, they can be extremely susceptible to peer pressure and the fear of being perceived as different from the "in" group. If participation in the TWI program means not being able to take electives, having an extra period each day, having a longer commute, or being at a different school than their friends, even previously successful and dedicated students may balk at continuing in the program. They may determine that the sacrifice is too great.

The balance of native English speakers and native speakers of the non-English language of the program was also discussed by respondents. Consideration should be given to the effect of time on this balance. For instance, students who have been together since kindergarten may not want to continue to be together as a group in middle or high school, instead preferring to make new friends and blend with the non-TWI students. Questions of how the program will deal with attrition and late-entry students also affect the overall distribution of students by language background. These questions will be discussed in a separate section.

All of these factors could affect students' motivation for participating in the TWI program, as well as the motivation of parents to place their children in the program.

Advice and Ideas

Prior to Participation

• If graduating fifth or eighth graders are being relied on to fill program seats, poll these candidates and their parents ahead of time to get an indication of their willingness to participate and their level of interest.
• Arrange for elementary school students to visit other schools that feed into the secondary school, so they can meet their future classmates and lay the foundation for social relationships.
• Have middle or high school immersion students make a trip to the elementary or middle school to answer questions and allay possible fears of feeder school students. Arrange for a half or full day of "shadowing" of sixth graders by fifth graders or of ninth graders by eighth graders, so that they may become familiar with the school and what secondary-level immersion looks like. This will help dissipate some of their possible fears and concerns.
• Have a Two-Way Immersion Night for parents, teachers, and students to come to the middle or high school and socialize.
• If the program is just beginning its first year, have a contest to choose a logo or motto for the program.
• Create buttons that say "First Two-Way Immersion Class at <your school name>" to distribute to incoming students.

During Participation

• Create cross-program social activities for TWI students so they are not isolated in school. Students who are separated in one wing of the school or who feel that they are perceived as different may be less likely to stay motivated to continue in the program. Framing the program in terms of enrichment will allow participants to integrate with others in the school, yet pursue a somewhat more specialized path.
• Make sure that classes are those that students find challenging and worthwhile. At Santa Monica High School, for example, there are no honors TWI math classes because there are not enough students to fill a separate class; interested TWI students take regular honors math. The school is trying to find out from students what they would like to see included in the TWI program (e.g., electives). One idea they are exploring is offering a folklorico class that could replace physical education, an alternative that is appealing to many of the students.
• Create opportunities for elementary and secondary staff, parents, and students to work and socialize together (e.g., cultural celebrations, curriculum development, school board presentations, staff visits).
• Have the program featured in school and district promotional and informational literature and materials.
• Emulate methods that varsity sports teams and bands use to create status for their members.
• Present TWI students with special pins at graduation.
• Take a group picture of TWI students for the school yearbook.
• For TWI students in their final year of the program, organize a trip to a country where the non-English language of the program is spoken.
• Align the TWI program with another high status program in school (e.g., science focus or technology). At the middle school in Santa Monica, the TWI parents earn $2,000 for their program by catering the end-of-the-year dinner for the science magnet families.

Attrition and Late Entries

Over time, students will leave the program for various reasons–most often family relocations, but occasionally for other personal reasons. If the numbers get so low that they jeopardize the language balance or the actual viability of the program, schools will look for a way to re-populate the program in a manner that does not endanger the pedagogical integrity of a two-way model. Some programs will not accept new entrants to the program at the middle or high school level if there are sufficient feeder school students from which to draw their students annually. Other programs will allow late-entry students from either language background, if they can show proficiency in both languages. Still others may find a middle or high school TWI program an advantageous place for limited English proficient (LEP) students to receive content instruction in their native language while spending the rest of the day in an English as a second language environment. Though there are several options to choose from, the program would do well to set a policy before implementation for dealing with late-entry students from both language backgrounds.

In the Santa Monica-Malibu School District, for instance, native-English-speaking students who do not come from the feeder two-way program at the elementary level but wish to participate in the middle or high school TWI program must submit a Spanish writing sample and achieve a Level 5 score on the Spanish Assessment of Basic Education reading comprehension component. Late-entry native-Spanish-speaking applicants are allowed to enter if they are on grade level in their academic work, since all TWI classes at the secondary level are in Spanish.

Advice and Ideas

• Keep students motivated to continue participating in the program.
• Try to avoid scheduling conflicts between TWI courses and other popular or mandatory courses that all students want or need to take.
• Set specific criteria that late-entry candidates must meet to participate in the program.

Student Scheduling

Scheduling can make or break a secondary TWI program, particularly at the high school level. Participating students need to be able to take the required courses in the non-English language, but at the same time want to take electives and meet other non-TWI students. Since many programs require language arts classes in both English and Spanish, students usually have one fewer period for an elective of their choice, which can be a disincentive to continuing in the program. Programs need to work with those responsible for scheduling to find ways to avoid conflicts among TWI classes, allow students to take electives, and make the program a viable and preferable option for students.

Advice and Ideas

• Work with whoever is doing the master schedule to ensure that TWI courses don't compete with each other. For instance, at Santa Monica High school one year, TWI U.S. history was scheduled at the same time as TWI algebra, so students had to choose one or the other. Now the TWI staff communicates their scheduling needs to the counselors far enough in advance to avoid such conflicts. Issues such as this are also raised during TWI articulation meetings, which are held every other month.
• Include counseling staff in program plans. If possible, identify or hire a special TWI counselor. This will help greatly in avoiding scheduling difficulties. If this is not possible, brief the entire counseling staff about TWI and re-visit issues periodically after the program is underway.
• Have the students in TWI commit to an extended day program (one extra period per day for electives). This has the advantage of providing a full array of courses and electives for students in the program, and it conveys the message that the TWI program is important. The downside is that it may lead to attrition if the students feel overburdened by the extra period, or if it means they have to get up much earlier or return home much later than other students. This kind of scheduling will also require coordination with transportation services. Extending the day in this manner may not be feasible for rural schools, if there are already long bus commutes.

Teams, Clusters, and Houses

Many secondary schools, especially middle schools, have organized their students and teachers into teams, clusters, or houses. The choice of whether to have all TWI students and teachers in one team can influence how isolated the TWI students feel. A program drawing from feeder schools with students who are weary of studying with the same classmates for 5 or 6 years may want to distribute the TWI students among multiple teams. A program whose teachers want and need time to coordinate and plan together may want all TWI teachers and students in one team. Each program needs to choose a structure that works best for everyone involved. Presented below are two structuring options, along with some of the advantages and disadvantages of each. These options were considered by the program in Arlington, VA, as it planned the implementation of its middle school program at a new school in the district. The combination (TWI/Non-TWI) team option was chosen.

All TWI Team Options

Advantages

• Program identity as a team is strengthened.
• All teachers in the team are dedicated to the needs of TWI students.
• Interdisciplinary lesson planning is possible in the non-English language.

Disadvantages

• Students and teachers are separated from the rest of the school.
• Block scheduling becomes difficult, if not impossible.
• Students don't meet as many non-TWI students.

Combination (TWI/Non-TWI) Team Option

Advantages

• Students are mixed with other students in school, which may keep them motivated to participate in the program, because they will still have an opportunity to form friendships with students outside of the program.
• Non-TWI teachers on the team have more of an incentive to be involved in the program and may feel a part of it over time.
• Block scheduling is possible.
• Students feel they are part of the whole school, not isolated.
• Teachers can concentrate on teaching one subject, not multiple subjects.

Disadvantages

• It is harder to do interdisciplinary lesson planning in the non-English language.

Staffing

Most TWI programs mention quality staff as one of the most important components of a successful TWI program (second only to careful preparation). Finding and hiring qualified staff can be challenging, however, and may require extensive recruitment efforts. Teachers who meet state or district content certification requirements and who are also bilingual may be particularly hard to locate. It should be kept in mind that many of the program's curriculum choices regarding content to be taught in the non-English language may very well be conditioned upon the content knowledge, experience, and flexibility of the TWI teachers that can be found.

Advice and Ideas

• Bring secondary staff to visit the elementary level program so that they may become familiar with students, program goals and structures, curriculum, and so forth.
• Transfer an elementary TWI teacher to the secondary school to make use of his or her experience and to serve as an anchor for the secondary school program.
• Hire part-time teachers to teach the smaller courses until the number of students increases.

Transportation

As with some elementary TWI programs, the middle or high school program may not be in the neighborhood where TWI students live. This means either the school will need to provide busing or parents will have to arrange transportation for their children. If numbers of eligible students in the district are slim, and the secondary-level program is situated in what is perceived by parents as an undesirable location, the program could have difficulty maintaining or attracting students from the start. If the program needs to bus students to the school in order to keep the program viable, these costs should be taken into consideration in advance and budgeted for accordingly.

Advice and Ideas

• Poll parents ahead of time as to their preferences for a site for the program.
• Attempt to obtain district commitment to bus students to and from school as needed (including for extracurricular activities).
• Choose a site where commuting time will not be a disincentive to participation.

Parent Involvement

Parents who were the TWI program's biggest fans when their children were in elementary school can suddenly become less than supportive when the program moves to middle school and especially high school. As their children face more serious academic studies, parents may grow more concerned about having their children taught subjects like math and science in a non-English language, fearing that they will not do as well on standardized tests, such as the SAT, and that participation in the program will ultimately hinder their prospects of gaining entry into a good college or university. These concerns can influence everything from the program's language choices for the curriculum to the overall percentage of instructional time spent in each language. Parents may also have concerns about the neighborhood in which the middle or high school program is situated, transportation inconvenience, the student population at the school, the school's existing reputation, and the impact that continued participation will have on their children's education.

Advice and Ideas

• Obtain parental support from the beginning of the program and consult parents throughout the life of the program before making significant changes.
• Have a TWI Parents' Night at the school each year.
• Offer language classes for both English -and non-English speaking parents, pairing them up to facilitate peer tutoring, if possible.

PROGRAM PROFILES

Boulder, Colorado

The two-way Spanish/English immersion program at the Casey Middle School in Boulder, Colorado, is a program-within-a-school that includes 45 to 50 students per grade in Grades 6, 7, and 8. The students are evenly split between native English speakers and native Spanish speakers. Most of them have been together since the early elementary grades in a two-way program at Washington elementary.

In Grade 6, language distribution over the course of the year is close to 50/50. TWI students are together for two 1-hour blocks: science and social studies (content block), and English language arts and Spanish language arts (language block). In science and social studies, the language of instruction alternates thematically, sometimes day to day, sometimes by multi-week units. An effort is made to coordinate the work in the content block with what is learned in the language block, so that core vocabulary and core concepts are introduced in both languages concurrently. Students in the two-way program take the rest of their classes with students outside the program. Native language tutors, a Spanish-language math class, Title I reading classes, and English as a second language (ESL)/Spanish as a second language (SSL) classes are available for students who require them.

In Grade 7, the amount of Spanish class time decreases. Literature and world geography are taught in Spanish, and the TWI group is also together for English language arts. For the rest of the school day, TWI students take classes with the rest of their team. Extra supports are available in ESL and sheltered science classes.

The two-way component of Grade 8 includes English language arts, Spanish language arts, and a U.S. society class taught in English. A few students take sheltered earth science and U.S. society classes.

The program accepts four to six new students annually who come from other countries or who are looking for a challenge. These students are offered SSL or ESL to ease the transition. The whole school is considering adopting the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program, which would integrate the rest of the school further with the aims and planning of the immersion program. The program is in its sixth year; there are no plans to extend it into the high school.

Santa Monica-Malibu, California

John Adams Middle School

The two-way Spanish/English program at John Adams Middle School has grown each year since its inception in 1991. As of the 1999-2000 school year, there are 44 students in Grade 6, 51 students in Grade 7, and 50 students in Grade 8. Students come to the school from the Edison two-way immersion elementary school, which has been in operation for over a decade. This year the program also accepted several students from a neighboring district that offers a two-way program in the elementary grades but not in middle school.

The two-way curriculum is organized somewhat differently for each grade, but in all cases immersion students come to school one period earlier than their peers to accommodate extra coursework. In Grade 6, students take two classes a day in Spanish in the form of a double period of humanities, which is a combination of language arts, literature, and social studies. They also stay together for their English language arts class. For the remaining four periods of the day, TWI students are mixed with the rest of the sixth grade students. In Grade 7, students take one Spanish literature class and continue social studies in Spanish. They also have one quarter (approximately nine weeks) of Exploratorio Español, in which they use drama, writing, and other techniques to discover the creative possibilities of Spanish. In Grade 8, students add a Spanish for native speakers class to their Spanish language roster of social studies and literature. For Grades 7 and 8, the immersion students are dispersed for most of the day, remaining together only for classes taught in Spanish.

The program has grown each year, with the numbers of native English speakers and native Spanish speakers beginning to even out. Students who are bilingual and biliterate can test into the program and have traditionally done quite well. These late entries are welcomed into the class as a fresh addition to a group that has been together for many years. Most of the teachers in the program also teach subjects outside the immersion strand–at this time there is only one full-time immersion teacher–but as the program grows to include more students, more teachers will focus exclusively on immersion.

Santa Monica High School

In May of 1998, Santa Monica High School graduated its first class of 16 two-way Spanish/English immersion students. The high school program is a small part of a large high school (1% of all students are in the immersion program). Ninth through twelfth grades have from 20 to 30 students each, and the program is part of the district-wide dual language initiative that includes a strand at John Adams Middle School and the whole-school program at Edison Elementary. Most of the students in the program are native speakers of Spanish who were born in the United States.

For most of the day, two-way learners take classes in English with all of the other students at the high school. Each year, however, students must take two classes in Spanish from among the immersion offerings in math (algebra, intermediate algebra, geometry), U.S. history, world history, or anything above the third level of Spanish for Spanish speakers. In ninth grade, two-way learners take two required classes together in Spanish: health and a humanities course that deals with racism, acculturation, current events, and community involvement. Science classes in Spanish are slated to be added to the list of two-way offerings, and hiring preference is given to new teachers who are capable of teaching in Spanish. For some students, taking science and math classes in Spanish is difficult, given that these subjects are not taught in Spanish throughout the middle school years, and special efforts are regularly made to encourage and assist students in these classes. After several years of discussions, a coordinator has been hired to help facilitate the articulation process from the middle school into high school and guide the overall direction of the program. The coordinator holds monthly immersion articulation meetings, resolves scheduling conflicts, and gives feedback to middle school teachers on how their students are managing in high school. Other attempts to maintain high enthusiasm and participation levels include recruitment trips to the middle school by teachers and students, an immersion senior trip to Baja California, an immersion club, and efforts to include students in the decision-making process for electives.

In the summer of 1999, a one-week two-way immersion camp was held for all two-way students in Grades 9-12. The camp was designed to welcome the ninth grade students and give all of the students in the program a chance to spend time together. Students had a chance to arrange their fall schedules, and the camp included an explanation of high school requirements and college admission criteria, a review of summer readings, SAT preparation, and visits to several area colleges and local producers of Spanish-language media.

Valley Center, California

The Valley Center Middle School serves 250 students in Grades 6 through 8 in a rural district. Students come from a well-established Spanish/English two-way program, begun in 1982, which includes a primary and an elementary school. Status as a separate middle school has evolved over the years; initially the program included Grades 4-8, then 5-8, and now 6-8. The program has tried various approaches to language allocation and separation, varying the percentage of language use by grade and attempting to alternate the language of instruction by unit. Students in Grade 6 have a 50/50 allocation of languages each day, while students in Grade 7 and 8 have from one to four classes taught alternately in Spanish and English.

Participation in the TWI program is voluntary for all students at all grade levels. Balancing the number of native speakers of Spanish and native speakers of English at the middle school has been a challenge. Native-English-speaking students cannot enter the program after Grade 4 without a lot of support or some existing fluency in Spanish, making it difficult to compensate for attrition. Steps to promote and maintain interest in the program include bilingual program showcases, graduation awards for outstanding bilingual students, individual accommodation for late entries, and scheduling efforts to ensure that two-way courses do not compete with electives.

Difficulty finding teachers who are credentialed not only in the languages of the program but in specific content areas has meant that not all subjects have been offered in Spanish and English at all times. The district has developed second language standards based upon four levels of language acquisition development; tools to assess student attainment of these standards are being elaborated. A recent change in the organization of the school district resulted in the approval of plans to continue the two-way program into the high school. Administrators hope to offer classwork in English and Spanish to students through Grade 12, beginning in July 2000.

Chicago, Illinois

Bowen's Academy of Spanish and English (B.A.S.E.) is a stand-alone 50/50 program administered by the foreign language department at James H. Bowen High School in Chicago. The program began during the 1995-1996 school year and now includes approximately 20 students per year in Grades 9 through 12. Nearly all of the students in the program are Latino (95%), and roughly 50% are considered limited English proficient. The program is voluntary; those who participate have expressed an interest in learning a second language or maintaining their first language while in high school. All students in the program receive instruction through both languages and spend 90% of the school day together, separating only for English classes and electives. Courses such as algebra, biology, U.S. history, and world history are taught in both Spanish and English. The language of instruction is alternated by units, which range in duration from days to weeks. The texts for the program are all in English, but explanations are given in Spanish during Spanish-mediated units. After-school and summer programs are available for students who need extra assistance. The program took advantage of eight bilingual teachers within the school to teach the two-way immersion classes, and the faculty have built their program around what they call a "Family Concept," in which "BASE [is] considered as a family where every student is given the attention he/she needs."

Brooklyn, New York

Community School District 19

This urban middle school Spanish/ English program operated independently for three years before securing a Title VII comprehensive grant to create feeder programs at four elementary schools. Before the feeder school programs were in place, the school contacted the parents of possible candidates, met with students, and accepted them based on their standardized test scores. At this time, there are 30 students in Grade 6 and another 30 in Grade 7. Grade 6 is a self-contained class with a 50/50 distribution of native speakers of English and Spanish and a 50/50 division of language use. Languages are separated by subject–for instance, math is taught in Spanish and computer technology is taught in English–and students are separated for native language instruction. In Grade 7, students change classes throughout the day, but the 50/50 balance of students and language is basically maintained.

In terms of the overall organization of the school, the two-way program is part of the bilingual department, which itself is a "house." Several changes in administration at the feeder schools have caused complications, and there has been some difficulty finding textbooks. A parent literacy program was established that offers ESL, GED, citizenship, and arts training. The adult classes have been extremely successful and have attracted parents and students to the two-way immersion program. There are currently no plans for a high school; administrators want to "make it work" for one class before expanding the size of the program. They would like to see the current program become more established and this year will be re-instating a Grade 8 component, which was discontinued during a planning year between grants.

Arlington, Virginia

The two-way Spanish/English immersion program at Gunston Middle School is currently in its third year, spanning Grades 6-8. The program has been well received and supported by parents and draws a balanced group of native English speakers and native Spanish speakers from three feeder schools with established two-way programs. The school facility was chosen because it is new, had space available, and is quite close to two of the feeder schools.

In all grades, students take three courses in Spanish–social studies, Spanish language arts, and science. This represents a change from the elementary programs, in which students had their social studies classes in English. The middle school is divided into "teams." Apart from the three immersion classes, students in the immersion program take all of their classes together with the non-immersion members of their team. Developing curricula and finding appropriate materials in Spanish and content teachers who are native Spanish speakers have been ongoing issues.

Parents, teachers, and district administrators have developed a plan for articulation of the TWI program into area high schools beginning in September 2000.

CONCLUSION

Just as there are multiple variations of elementary two-way immersion programs, there is no one way to implement a secondary-level TWI program. While most have grown out of elementary school programs, there are attempts to start a secondary program without such a base, such as Bowen's Academy in Chicago. Some programs, such as Arlington's, had a choice of which school in the district to move their elementary school graduates into, while others, such as Valley Center and Santa Monica, had to continue the program in one school only or not continue at all. The program in Florida has changed schools annually for several years, searching for just the right home. The programs profiled here offer different courses in Spanish. Some offer electives in Spanish, others do not. One has an extended day program. Some hire new teachers; others use existing bilingual staff. Some have to work to keep their students motivated; others find that their students have coalesced into a tight-knit and enthusiastic group over the years.

There are similarities across programs. They all offer at least two classes in Spanish; they all have to deal with issues regarding staffing, scheduling, curriculum and materials, and parent involvement, though each does so slightly differently. Most of the programs highlighted in this report give the same advice to those just starting out: Be patient, plan well in advance, hire good teachers, and obtain buy-in from the district, the school, the teachers, the students, and the parents. As increasing numbers of elementary TWI programs grow to maturity and begin to expand to the secondary level, our knowledge base about effective implementation of secondary TWI programs will become more extensive. Possible areas for research on secondary TWI programs include the academic achievement and language development of students, the question of assessment, the professional development needs of teachers, and the implementation strategies of programs. In the meantime, specific recommendations from the few existing secondary TWI programs have been discussed in this report as a preliminary resource for programs wishing to continue at the secondary level.

NOTE

¹In the 90/10 model, the non-English language is used in the early years for nearly all instruction (usually about 90%), with the amount of English instruction increasing each year until instruction in each language is roughly equal. In the 50/50 model, the ratio of instruction delivered in each language is equal at all grade levels (Christian, Montone, Lindholm, & Carranza, 1996).

REFERENCES

Christian, D. (1994). Two-way bilingual education: Students learning through two languages (Educational Practice Rep. No. 12). Santa Cruz, CA, and Washington, DC: National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning. Available: www.ncbe.gwu.edu/miscpubs/ncrcdsll/epr12/

Christian, D., Montone, C., Lindholm, K., & Carranza, I. (1996). Profiles in two-way immersion education. McHenry, IL, and Washington, DC: Delta Systems and Center for Applied Linguistics.

Christian, D., & Whitcher, A. (1995). Directory of two-way bilingual programs in the United States, Revised. Santa Cruz, CA, and Washington, DC: National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning. Available: www.cal.org/twi/directory

Genesee, F. (Ed.). (1999). Program alternatives for linguistically diverse students (Educational Practice Rep. No. 1). Santa Cruz, CA, and Washington, DC: Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence. Available: www.cal.org/crede/pubs/edpractice/EPR1.pdf

Lindholm, K. (1987). Directory of bilingual immersion programs: Two-way bilingual education for language minority and majority students. Los Angeles: University of California, Center for Language Education and Research. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 291 241)

Loeb, M. (1999). Directory of two-way bilingual programs in the United States. 1998-1999 Supplement. Santa Cruz, CA, and Washington, DC: Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence. Available: www.cal.org/twi/directory

Appendix 1

Two-Way Articulation Study for Secondary School Programs

Telephone Interview Protocol

1. What does the program look like now?
2. Whose idea was it to start the program? Origin? Motivation?
3. How did the program at the middle/high school start? Feeder School(s)? From scratch?
4. How much time was spent planning prior to implementation?
5. What role did the district administration play in getting the program underway?

   School?

   Teachers?

   Parents?

   Students?

6. What initial challenges did the school/district face in implementing the program at this level? And how were they met?

   Language distribution/allocation

   Curriculum decisions

   Team or cluster structures

   Staffing

   Materials

   Scheduling

   Generating student motivation/interest

   Parental involvement (generating interest/cooperation)

   Transportation (Busing)

7. Were there any specific challenges the program wasn't able to meet? If so, in what way were they dealt with?
8. What specific (unforeseen) challenges arose after the program was underway? How did you meet them?
9. What are the program's costs?
10. How is the program funded?
11. Would you consider the program successful? If so, why? If not, why not?
12. What have been the program's greatest successes?
13. What difficulties has the program had that other programs could learn from?
14. How could the program be improved?
15. What could the feeder schools do better that would improve your program?
16. What are program's goals for the future?
17. What advice would you give to schools that are considering starting a program at the secondary level?
18. What program materials are available that you would be willing to share with us?

Appendix 2

Contact List

Crystal Lake Middle Magnet School for International Affairs
Jeri Thomas
Magnet Coordinator
600 SE 3rd Avenue, 4th Floor
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
magnet@browardschools.com
(954) 765-6461

Valley Center Middle School
Lucy Haines
28102 North Lake Wohlford Road
Valley Center, CA 92082
(760) 751-4295
(760) 751-4259 FAX
haines.lu@vcusd.k12.ca.us

John Adams Middle School
Solveig Villicaña
John Adams Middle School
2425 16th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 452-2326 ext.113
villicana@smmusd.org

Santa Monica High School
Julio Murcia
Santa Monica High School
601 Pico Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 395-3204 ext. 315

Gunston Middle School
Dr. Miriam Stein
Immersion Specialist
1426 Quincy Street
Arlington, VA 22207
(703) 228-6013
(703) 228-6295 FAX
mstein@pen.k12.va.us
www.arlington.k12.va.us/schools/gunston/

Casey Middle School
Lisa Wertz
Lead ESL Teacher
2410 13th Street
Boulder, CO 80304
(303) 442-5235

Bowen's Academy of Spanish and English (BASE)
Oscar Vocal
Director of BASE
James H. Bowen High School
2710 E. 89th Street
Chicago, IL 60617
(773) 535-6000
(773) 535-6034 FAX

Brooklyn CSD 19
Maria Reinertsen, Coordinator
Francis Camacho, Director
Two-Way Bilingual Program
CSD 19 Bilingual Office
557 Pennsylvania Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11207
(718) 257-6900 ext. 386
(718) 485-8407 FAX

The work reported herein and the editing and production of this report were supported under the Educational Research and Development Centers Program, Cooperative Agreement Number R306A60001-96, as administered by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. However, the contents do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the National Institute on the Education of At-Risk Students, the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, or the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

Implementing Two-Way Immersion Programs in Secondary Schools, Educational Practice Report 5.
© 2000 by the Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence, Santa Cruz, CA and Washington, DC.

©2002 Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence. All rights reserved.