Dual language immersion programs are becoming more popular in the state as more districts start their own programs.
The Apache Junction Unified School District will begin a dual immersion program for the first time in the district starting this fall at Four Peaks Elementary School.
“We want to start at the ground floor here, start it in kindergarten, like all programs do, and grow it year by year,” AJUSD Superintendent Robert Pappalardo told ABC15 in an interview in late January.
The dual language immersion program is usually done at the elementary school level. Students typically learn half their day in English and then the other half in another language. Most commonly, schools teach Spanish, but other schools teach Mandarin and other languages as well.
Once students finish at the elementary level, they don’t usually get to continue the dual immersion program. However, that will change next school year when the Phoenix Union High School District plans to have its own program at Carl Hayden High School.
“I think we're giving a chance to those students who are enrolled in a dual language program at their elementary school, for them to continue their language journey at the high school level and giving them that opportunity of earning the seal of bi-literacy on a high school diploma,” said Julio Rubio, the principal of Carl Hayden High.
The Arizona Department of Education told ABC15 they are not aware of any other high school districts that offer dual language, so PXU may be the first in the state as a high school district to have that program.
“It’s important that we promote programs that provide high-quality instruction for our students and for us,” Rubio said. “It’s an honor to lead the way in implementing dual language at the high school level.”
To start the program, there will be a total of 100 slots for students. Rubio said they’ll also have four teachers involved and instruct the students.
In both instances for AJUSD and PXU, parents and students are expressing interest in having their kids be part of the dual language program.
The very topic, though, is being debated at the state level. Superintendent Tom Horne filed a lawsuit against several school districts, accusing them of not teaching it correctly and violating a law where students whose first language isn’t English should not be taught a different language until they’re proficient in English.
ABC15 has covered the issue extensively, and at last check, the school district’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit is still in the hands of a judge. Oral arguments were heard in mid-January and the judge has 60 days to issue a decision.
Both AJUSD and Carl Hayden High say they’ll be teaching dual language immersion according to the law.
“When we teach reading, writing, and grammar, you get that in Spanish and English. During the dual language program, not one or the other. So, you get both. You get it twice a day,” Pappalardo said.
The hope for the program is to continue to teach students different languages and allow them to have skills to move forward in education and life after school.
