Spanish Immersion

In an immersion program, students learn their core curriculum in a non-English language, such as Spanish. They study the same content as their peers in the non-immersion program but they are fully immersed in the target language, learning to read, speak, and write naturally and gradually in that target language.

Students typically begin their English language arts curriculum in the second grade for 30-minutes a day. The teachers are native or near-native speakers of the target language. Students enter the immersion program in either pre-school or kindergarten.

Students usually continue in the immersion program until sixth grade. Maintenance programs are then offered in middle school and high school. Immersion programming has been in the United States for decades, and currently over 300 schools in the United States offer immersion programming.

The benefits of learning a foreign language are well documented. In fact, studying a second language offers benefits ranging from improved reading scores in childhood to better career opportunities as an adult.

An immersion program provides a unique experience that benefits students in the following ways:

• Overall Academic Achievement
  • Research has overwhelmingly proven that students in immersion programs have:
    • Achieved higher levels of academic success in most other subjects by the time they get to the fifth grade. (Swain & Lapkin, 1982)
    • Scored considerably higher on math and reading on standardized tests. (Armstrong, Learning Languages)
    • Demonstrated better scores on the ACT and SAT (Cooper, Modern Language Journal)
• Level of Proficiency in the Target Language and their First Language
  • Research and testing have shown that students
    • Are less inhibited and more likely to use the language. They are able to pick up the accent more accurately. (Stewart, Early Childhood Education Journal.)
    • Have tested into the advanced-low level of the ACTFL proficiency guidelines after the fourth grade. (Ada Vista Immersion School test results per Lilah Ambrosi, former principal.) *advanced-low is the typical benchmark for non-native language teachers
    • Have demonstrated higher reading levels in their first language. (D’ Anguilli, Siegel & Sierra, Applied Psycholinguistics)
• Future opportunities
  • Research has proven that students with a high level of proficiency in a second language have “advanced in the job market, enjoyed traveling, felt less isolated, been able to work in international markets…” (Weatherford, ERIC Digest)
  • “There isn’t a job that doesn’t call for some computer skills. Almost every industry today is diversifying linguistically…Bridging a cultural gap as well as a linguistic gap makes an individual more employable...(who) can earn from 5 to 20 percent more income than someone who speaks only English.” (E. Alba-Suh, Why Being Bilingual Can Get You the Job. Extra News)

Research has shown that children who learn a language before they reach adolescence are more likely to develop native-like pronunciation. Experts believe that this proficiency is due to physiological changes in the maturing brain as a child enters puberty. It's important to note that the more years a child can devote to learning a language, the more competent they will become.

Introducing children to different ways of expressing themselves and various cultures can broadens their perspectives and provide them with the opportunity to communicate with a wider range of people.

Many parents are initially fearful that immersion may have a negative impact on their child's English language development. However, research has consistently shown that immersion actually enhances English language development. While students in full immersion programs my temporarily lag behind in reading, word knowledge, and spelling, this discrepancy disappears after a year or two of instruction in English language arts. 

It is important for parents to understand that this lag is temporary and to be expected. Immersion students need consistent exposure to, and support for, English at home. Parents should provide their children with experiences that will enhance their English language and literacy development, such as reading to them daily and involving them in games and activities that complement their classroom learning.

Research indicates that the stronger the development of the native language, the greater the proficiency in the immersion language. Children with a strong base in English will succeed more easily in an immersion program.

Starting in the second semester of second grade, English is studied for about 30 minutes a day. As students progress through school, the time spent studying English gradually increases with each grade level. By fifth grade, studies show that students enrolled in immersion programs perform as well or better than students in non-immersion programs on English achievement tests.

Students achieve at the highest level when parent are committed to immersion programs. Teachers and program coordinators will work with parents to provide Spanish resources to support language learning at home, even if Spanish is not the primary language in the household. 

Students’ long-term engagement strengthens the program and allows them to experience all the educational opportunities available through the Spanish Immersion program at our schools.