The Effectiveness of the Dual Language Program in North Grade Elementary

8/2/2019 The Effectiveness of the Dual Language Program in North Grade Elementary

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By: Maria Sumner

THE EFFECTIVENESS

OF THE DUA

LANGUAG

PROGRAM IN

NORTHGRAD

ELEMENTARY

4/30/2012 An outcome baseevaluatio

This is an evaluation geared for

practitioners, researchers and families


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The Effectiveness of the Dual Language Program in NorthGrade Elementary

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who would like to understand more about

the effects of the Dual Language Program.

Through this project evaluation, I hope to

be able to show the importance and the

need for bilingual education.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction to the Dual Language Program and North Grade

Elementary...2

NorthGrade and the Choice

Program........3

Non negotiable in the Dual Language

Program.........4

Research says.........5

Purpose of the

evaluation.....5


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Indicators to measure the effectiveness of the Dual Language

Program......6

Student outcome and

observations.....11

Recommendations...27

Conclusion...30

Appendix...31

References..38

The Effectiveness of the

Dual Language Program in

NorthGrade ElementaryA N O U T C O M E B A S E D E V A L U A T I O N


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NTRODUCTION TO THE DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAMA dual language program is a bilingual education where half of the students are

Native English speakers while the other half is students who are Native Spanish

speakers. In this program, the English and the Spanish are integrated into the daily

curriculum. This is called a two way immersion program. In 1963, Coral Way

Elementary was the first school to implement a bilingual program. Today, the school

is called Coral Way Bilingual K-8 Center. This school is world renowned for its two

way dual language bilingual education. Today, there are numerous schools following

the steps of Coral Way Bilingual K-8 Center. In Palm Beach County alone, twenty two

schools offer the Dual Language Program. NorthGrade Elementary is one of these

schools. Located in Lake Worth, Florida, NorthGrade Elementary is considered a

choice school. The Palm Beach County School District believes in offering students

resources in order for students to maximize their talents and interests and this is the

reason why the district opened up the choice program. The choice program allows

students and parents to pick a school of their choice based on the students strengths


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and interests. Many families interested in the bilingual education bring their children

to NorthGrade Elementary because of the Dual Language Program. The ultimate goal

of all Dual Language Program is for students to ultimately become biliterate and

bicultural. According to the book Dual Language Instruction: A Handbook for

Enriched Education Dual Language is referred to as an Enriched Education. The book

states that Enrich Education is any educational programs that emphasize challenging

standards in the core curriculum domains while enriching students development in

both their first and a second language. These programs aim for full proficiency in

two languages, an understanding and appreciation of the cultures associated with

those languages and high levels of achievement in all core academic domains.

NorthGrade Elementary makes an effort to create an authentic dual language

program. Due to the area where NorthGrade is located, the students who live in the

zone are predominantly Spanish. The enrollment is made up of 52% of the students

are of Hispanic origin, 16% African American, 26% Caucasian, and 6% other. This

makes it difficult to get the balance that the Dual Language Program requires which is


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50% English speakers and 50% Spanish speakers. This is a fact that the school is

aware of and is trying to get resolved for the school years to come.

NORTHGRADE AND THE CHOICE PROGRAM

Palm Beach County School District offers the choice program where families can chose

the schools that best fit their childrens interest. The opportunity for students to

venture into different fields based on their interest is a wonderful way for students to

broaden the different career paths for their future. NorthGrade Elementary is one of

the choice schools which specializes in the dual language program. Numerous

students who attend NorthGrade do not live in the schools zone but instead they

applied to the school through the choice and career options. In order to show the

number of students taking advantage of this program, refer to figure 1.1. Students

from all over the country apply to NorthGrade starting in the spring. From there, a

lottery will find out which students will attend their school choice or their assigned

school. It is obvious that the parents who choose NorthGrade Elementary are very


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much involved in their childrens academic careers. A huge part of the Dual Language

parents make up the PTO organization and the SAC committee.

Figure 1.1

Students enrolled in NorthGrade Elementary through

Choice School Program and Student ReassignmentGrade Level DLE DLS Regular

Kindergarten 12 out of 42students

(29% of the

students)

9 out of 42students

(21% of the

students)

0 out of 24students

1st Grade 12 out of 46

students

(26% of the

students)

17 out of 49

students

(35% of the

students)

0 out of 21

students

2nd Grade 10 out of 31

students

(32% of the

students)

9 out of 46

students

(20% of the

students)

2 out of 31

students

(6% of the students)

3rd Grade 11 out of 46

students

(24% of the

students)

6 out of 28

students

(21% of the

students)

1 out of 47

students



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4th Grade 16 out of 33

students

(48% of the

students)

5 out of 18

students

(28% of the

students)

1 out of 29

students


NON NEGOTIABLES IN THE DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAMIn Palm Beach County, the Multicultural Department takes pride in the Dual Language

Program. They consistently monitor the schools that implement the program to make

sure that the program is being used with fidelity. As the Multicultural Department

Team walks through the schools and performs their regular meetings with the Dual

Language teachers, they give feedback to questions and concerns that teachers may

or have experienced. In these meetings, the Multicultural Department Team keeps

the teachers on up to date studies, articles and research on the program. The team

also makes an effort to view and observe the classroom setting. Some of the non

negotiable that the team looks for are: 1) students are receiving 50% of the

instruction in Spanish and 50% of the instruction in English. This is called the 50:50

model. In the 50:50 model, language arts need to be taught in both languages. 2)


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Both the English and the Spanish are taught separately. A Spanish classroom may not

have any English writings, books, or language spoken at all times. English classrooms

may not have any Spanish writings, books, or language. This non negotiable may be

different for all students especially the English Language Learners (ELL) since the

teachers need to follow the students ELL plans and strategies. 3) Students need to

meet grade level expectations in all their subject areas and 4) Formative and

summative assessments are necessary in both languages in order to assess the

students progress.

RESEARCH SAYSStudents sense of self-awareness is enhanced through the exposure to cross-

cultural perspectives.

Research performed by Cummins, Lambert, Genesse, Holobow & Chartrand stated

that students who gained proficiency in a second language usually experience

cognitive and linguistic languages when compared to students who did not acquire a

second language. Lambert performed observed a study in Montreal where English


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speaking students were practically taught all their instructions from Kindergarten to

6th Grade in French. He noticed that these students outperformed the control

students in all-English schools in a variety of English language tests-reading, writing,

listening, etc. .

PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION

According to research, the students enrolled in the Dual Language Program shows

more academic success than the students who are not enrolled in the program. This

evaluation will show the effectiveness of the dual language program for the students

academically and socially. Through the information gathered from this paper, the

readers could get insight on the importance of the dual language program when

creating bilingual, bicultural students. The implementation of the program also

results in good classroom teaching evidences.


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INDICATORS TO MEASURE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAMThe Fountas and Pinnell Reading Running Records, The FCAT math and reading

results, the reading and math diagnostics results and the EDW behavior results for

attendance and behavior are the indicators that were used in this program evaluation

to find the effectiveness of the dual language program.

Fountas and Pinnell Reading Running Record

Fountas and Pinnell is a supplementary instructional system that is used by Palm

Beach County School District to help reduce the reading gaps of all students from

Kindergarten through 5th Grade. In NorthGrade Elementary, the Reading Running

Records is required for students in grades K-2. Since the school uses the FAIR test,

students in Grades 3-5 are not required to use the Reading Running Record unless

they feel the need. The reading program designed by Irene Fountas and Gay Su

Pinnell starts outs with the Reading Running Record. The Reading Running Record is

a continuous assessment designed to track the development of the students

foundational skills in reading. The foundational skills included in this program


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evaluation are oral language, early literacy, and letter recognition in lower case and

upper case, initial sounds, phonic blends and phonic segmenting (figure 1.2). High

frequency words, phonological assessments, word writing, instant retelling are some

other foundational skills that are included in the assessment but were not included in

this program evaluation data. When the students literacy assessment is completed,

the teacher would then be able to refer to the continuum model which shows the

teacher the skills to target and the behaviors necessary to master these skills.

Figure 1.2

Foundational Skill Total Possible Points Mastery (80%)

Early Literacy 10 8

Letter Recognition (uppercase)

26 20.8

Letter Recognition (lower 26 20.8


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case)

Beginning Sound Recognition 19 15.2

Phonic Blend 10 8

Phonic Segmenting 10 8

FCAT (Grades 3-5)

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is an assessment given to all public

school students in grades 3-12. This is a criterion referenced assessment that was

developed in 1998 in order to raise the standards in Florida schools. FCAT tests four

subjects which are Reading, Math, Science and Writing. All students take the Reading

and the Math, Science is taken by students in 5th, 8th and 11th grade. Writing is taken

by students in 4th, 8th and 10th grade. This program evaluation only focuses on the

NorthGrade reading and math scores since writing and science are not tested on a

yearly basis. FCAT scores in reading and math are presented using levels where

level 1 being the lowest and level 5 being the highest score. The levels are


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determined based on the developmental scale scores or DSS scores as seen on figure

2.1 and 2.2.

Figure 2.1

FCAT Reading Developmental Scale Scores

Grade Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Leve

3 86 - 1045 1046 - 1197 1198 - 1488 1489 - 1865 1866 -

4 295 - 1314 1315 - 1455 1456 - 1689 1690 - 1964 1965 -

5 474 - 1341 1342 - 1509 1510 - 1761 1762 - 2058 2059 -

Retrieved from: http://fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/fcAchievementLevels.pdf

Figure 2.2

FCAT Mathematics Developmental Scale Scores

Grade Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Leve

3 375 - 1078 1079 - 1268 1269 - 1508 1509 - 1749 1750 -

4 581 - 1276 1277 - 1443 1444 - 1657 1658 - 1862 1863 -

5 569 - 1451 1452 - 1631 1632 - 1768 1769 - 1956 1957 -

Retrieved from: http://fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/fcAchievementLevels.pdf

Diagnostics

Diagnostics is the School Districts assessment tool. The Diagnostics is given to

students in 2nd through 5th Grade. This assessment is given twice a year usually in

the fall and in the winter to monitor growth and to strategize instruction. The

diagnostic covers reading, math, and science. Diagnostic scores are translated in
http://fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/fcAchievementLevels.pdfhttp://fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/fcAchievementLevels.pdfhttp://fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/fcAchievementLevels.pdfhttp://fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/fcAchievementLevels.pdfhttp://fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/fcAchievementLevels.pdfhttp://fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/fcAchievementLevels.pdf


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Item Response Theory or IRT. IRT scores focuses on the students ability rather than

the number of right or wrong answers. This type of scoring shows the difference

between the students that answered the questions correctly and incorrectly. The first

digit predicts the students FCAT level then the next 3 digits would be the IRT score.

For the purpose of this program evaluation, only 3rd through 5th grade data was used.

Figure 3.1


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Retrieved from

http://palmbeachschools.org/dre/documents/A_and_S_February_8_2011_final.pdf

EDW Results for behavior records (referrals, suspensions)

The Educational Data Warehouse is a data storage that allows administrators and

teachers to pull reports of numerous sorts depending on the purpose of the report.
http://palmbeachschools.org/dre/documents/A_and_S_February_8_2011_final.pdfhttp://palmbeachschools.org/dre/documents/A_and_S_February_8_2011_final.pdfhttp://palmbeachschools.org/dre/documents/A_and_S_February_8_2011_final.pdf


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Some of the reports that administrators and teachers may access are assessment

results in Early Literacy, Diagnostic Reports, FCAT scores, students demographics

even Scholastic Reading Inventory. For the purpose of this program evaluation, the

EDW was used in order to access the absences, referrals and suspensions in

Kindergarten through 5th Grade.

Best Practices teachers are using through the Marzano Teacher Evaluation

The Marzano teacher evaluation is the newest teacher evaluation that started in the

2011-2012 school year. The School District of Palm Beach County only focuses on

Domain one for its first year in to the system. Domain one focuses on classroom

strategies and behaviors. Under domain one, there are three lesson segments. The

three lesson segments are 1) involving routine events, 2) addressing content, and 3)

enacted on the spot. Involving routine events have two design questions:

communicating learning goals and feedback and establishing rules and procedures.

Addressing content has three design questions which are: helping students interact


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with new knowledge, helping students practice and deepen new knowledge, and

helping students generate and test hypotheses. The last lesson segment which is

enacted on the spot has four design questions: engaging students, recognizing

adherence to rules and procedures, establishing and maintaining effective

relationships with students, and communicating high expectations for all students.

This evaluation system focuses on the 41 elements that Dr. Robert Marzano feels

makes up an effective teacher.

STUDENT OUTCOMES AND OBSERVATIONS (DATA)Data was collected in order to show the difference between the regular classrooms

compared to the dual language classrooms in the areas of reading, math, attendance,


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behaviors, and teacher effectiveness. The following data is a brief overview of what

performances look like in the classrooms. There could have been much more

components added to this observation but due to the amount of time the evaluation

was performed, this brief overview is just a glimpse of the whole program. Program

evaluations that take several years to complete would be a better indicator of the

difference between the regular classrooms compared to the dual language classroom.

Nonetheless, this program evaluation is still informative and hopefully a useful tool.

Fountas and Pinnell Reading Running Records for Kindergarten-2nd Grade Students

Kindergarten:

Dual Language English and

Spanish classrooms

combined average

Regular classrooms

combined average

Early literacy : 8.9 7.2

Upper case 23.6 21.5

Lower case 22.8 19.9

Initial sounds 15 11.6


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Blending 4.1 3.4

Segmenting 3.3 .65

According to the data of the Reading Running Records data, the students in the Dual

Language Program in both English and Spanish scored much higher than the students

in the regular classrooms in all the foundational skills necessary to become a fluent

reader.

1st Grade:


Spanish classrooms

combined average

Regular classrooms

combined average

Early literacy : 9.6 10

Upper case 25.6 25.8

Lower case 25.7 25.8

Initial sounds 18.7 11.7

Blending 9.4 8.1

Segmenting 8.7 8.5


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The first grade results were interesting since the students in the regular classrooms

scored higher on the early literacy, upper case and lower case recognition. When the

students are performing actual sounding of letters and reading words, the students in

the dual language classrooms achieved a higher score. The students in the dual

language programs show that they can take the basic skills and quickly transfer these

skills to the next level of reading.

2nd Grade:


Spanish classrooms

combined average

Regular classrooms

combined average

Early literacy : 9.8 8.4


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Upper case 25 25.8

Lower case 25 25

Initial sounds 18.5 18.1

Blending 9.5 9.4

Segmenting 9.4 8.9

The second grade results show similar data with the first grade data. The basic skills

are mastered more by the regular classroom students but when its time to use the

basic skills and start putting sounds together in order to read, the dual language

students shows higher results.


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Figure 4.1


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FCAT results from spring 2011

It is evident in the FCAT spring 2011 results that the students in the dual language

program scored higher in both reading and math. Due to the time constraints of this

project evaluation, the FCAT spring 2012 results will not be available to make

comparisons. Once the FCAT 2012 spring results comes in, it would be very

interesting to find out how the students scored in a two year time frame. The

developmental scale score (DSS) will show us the growth that the students would have

had.

In third grade, there were no retainees in the dual language program so there were no

comparisons to be made in the in the DSS scores. In fourth grade, the average DSS

score in reading in the dual language program was1467 compared to 1273 from that

of the regular classrooms. The math scores in the dual language program were 1532

compared to 1356, which is the average of the regular classrooms. In fifth grade

reading, the average score of the dual language classrooms were 1580. The regular

classrooms scored an average of 1573. The math showed an even greater difference.


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Dual language classrooms scored a 1665 and the regular classrooms averaged a 1553

DSS score.

figure 4.2


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Diagnostics from fall 2011 and winter 2012

3rd Grade data:


Spanish classrooms

combined IRT average

Regular classrooms


Fall Diagnostics Reading 3147 2381

Fall Diagnostics Math 3125 2307

Winter Diagnostics Reading 3369 2423

Winter Diagnostics Math 3015 2204

4th Grade data:


Spanish classrooms


Regular classrooms



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5th Grade data:


Spanish classrooms


Regular classrooms







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The charts show that the average scores in all of the diagnostics test results. The data

shows that the students in the dual language program exceed the scores of the

students in the regular classrooms in all grade levels, in all the tests. The impressive

results in the diagnostics clearly shows that the dual language classrooms are

performing at a higher level than the regular classrooms since the diagnostics test

assesses a majority of moderate and higher level complexity questions.

Figure 4.3


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EDW results on attendance

Attendance is a crucial part of every students academic success. According towww.greatschools.org

Attendance contributes to a students long term success as well. A 2008 study

conducted by the Rodel Community Scholars at Arizona State University that tracked

students from kindergarten through high school found that dropout patterns were

linked with poor attendance, beginning in kindergarten. Gregory Hickman, director of

the Rodel Community Scholars program and former director of the Arizona Dropout

Initiative, notes they discovered that as early as kindergarten, behavioral differences

are apparent between those who go on to graduate and those who drop out, with

dropouts missing an average of 124 days by eighth grade.

The EDW results show that except in Kindergarten and 5th Grade, the students in the

dual language program show less absences than the students in the regular

classrooms.

Attendance:
http://www.greatschools.org/http://www.greatschools.org/http://www.greatschools.org/


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Average days missed by

students in the Dual

Language Program

Average days missed by

students in the regular

classroom

Kindergarten 7.5 5.6

1st Grade 4.6 6

2nd Grade 4.8 7.5

3rd Grade 4.1 6.1

4th Grade 4.7 7.5

5th Grade 4.5 4.3


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EDW results on in school and out of school suspensions

NorthGrade Elementary has a very positive school climate, and it is evident once one

visits the campus. The school has guidelines for success that all students value and

live by. Students are safe, responsible and respectful. Unfortunately, there are times

when students veer away from the guidelines and as a result receive in school or out

of school suspension.

Combined incident

numbers of In School and

Out of School Suspensions

in the Dual language

English and Spanishclasses

Combined incidents

numbers of in school and

out of school suspension

in the dual language e

Kindergarten 1 1

1st Grade 0 1

2nd Grade 0 0

3rd Grade 9 31

4th Grade 1 2


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5th Grade 2 11

Teacher observations

Teacher observations are a great to get to see how the classrooms are run and it

especially shows how the teachers respond to the needs of their students. According

to Marzano research, Marzano (2009) has noted that a teacher who is classified as

most effective (i.e., at the 98th percentile in terms of his or her pedagogical skill)

will be expected to produce student achievement that is 54 percentile points higher

than the achievement produced by a teacher who is classified as least effective (i.e.,


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at the 2nd percentile in terms of his or her pedagogical skill).

(www.marzanoresearch.com)

Kindergarten Observation:

The Kindergarten observation consisted of a DLE and a DLS. Both Groups showed

Kindergarteners in small groups (centers) during literacy block. Classrooms had

established classroom routines, the physical layout of the classroom for learning was

effective, and the students were organized in groups to process the new information.

The students were also engaged due to the academic games that were available for

them. There was a lively pace and high intensity and enthusiasm in the classrooms.

In one of the regular classrooms, the classroom routines were not evident. There

were students that knew the routines but chose not to follow them. The students

were organized in groups for cognitively complex tasts.
http://www.marzanoresearch.com/http://www.marzanoresearch.com/http://www.marzanoresearch.com/http://www.marzanoresearch.com/


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1st Grade Observation:

In the first grade classrooms, I observed the DLE and the regular classrooms which

consistently used shared reading, technology and manipulative. The students were

engaged in both classrooms and the students had established classroom routines.

The layout of the classrooms were very organized and the students were placed in

groups to process new information. These first graders practiced their skills,

strategies and processes. They were provided resource and guidance when

necessary. The students were using academic games and the pace was lively. The

teacher demonstrated intensity and enthusiasm. It was also evident that the teachers

used verbal and nonverbal behaviors that indicate affection for the students.


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2nd Grade Observation:

The second grade observations showed very structured classrooms in the dual

language classes. The students were provided their learning goals and their

successes were definitely celebrated. The physical layout of the classroom was

conducive to the student learning. The students were able to use the new knowledge

and interact with the new knowledge though the use of technology and hands on

activities. The lessons were also chunked in digestible bites. This is something that I

did not see in the regular classroom. I heard levels of questioning in moderate and

high complexities in the dual language classrooms compared to the regular

classrooms. The physical layout and the physical movement were conducive to the

students learning in both dual language and regular classroom.

3rd Grade Observation:


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In this grade level, the dual language classroom showed greater classroom routines.

The dual language classrooms demonstrated high intensity and enthusiasm. The

students were provided the opportunities for students to talk about themselves and

they used academic games. The third grade classrooms I observed provided the clear

learning goals and scales to the students which helped the students comprehend how

the lessons previously learned fits the new lessons. I did not get to observe the

students in the regular classrooms to organize the students into groups so they may

practice and deepen the knowledge that they have learned. There was impressive

evidence in a regular classroom where the teacher elaborated on the new information

by using their own experiences. I would have loved to have seen this element in the

dual language classroom.

4th Grade Observation:


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In this grade level, I observed the DLS and a regular classroom. The teacher

approaches were very different but both very effective. The DLS classroom and the

regular classroom had established classroom routines. A student was used to model

the information and the classroom was very well organized for the learning. The

teacher identified the critical information and chunked the lesson into digestible

bites. The teacher elaborated on the new information and examined similarities and

differences. The classroom was engaged, it had a lively pace and the teacher

demonstrated withitness. In the regular classroom, the teacher was working on

vocabulary words for science. The students were recording and representing their

knowledge and they were examining similarities and differences.

5th Grade Observation:

The classrooms that were observed in the dual language program were very different.

One of the classrooms had an established classroom routine structured, chunked the

information into digestible bites and were effective in consistently checking for


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comprehension. The classrooms also showed the students working in small groups.

Although the regular classroom had similar features, the regular classroom allowed

for more humor in the classroom. I did notice that the regular classroom had a more

effective system in grouping students. In the regular classroom, the students had

just taken apart owl pellets and the students were so engaged in trying to figure out

what the owls had eaten. The students were organized to practice and deepen their

new knowledge. They were examining similarities and differences and they were

organized to work in the cognitively complex tasks. The students and teacher were

demonstrating intensity and enthusiasm but still acknowledged adherence to rules

and procedures. The other dual language classroom showed more of teacher directed

instruction, very little evidence of classroom routines and the students were not

grouped accordingly. The students needed to be exposed to higher level questioning.

.


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Within the Dual Language classrooms, I used the Dual Language Observation Sheet (

figure ) to see how the teachers were staying true to the dual language program. The

teachers in the dual language program pretty much stayed true to the non negotiable

that the district has suggested. The two categories that needed more reinforcements

were the features of the program and assessments. For the features of the

program, I did notice that English was spoken more than Spanish. I also noticed that

in the assessment category, the students could become more exposed to

assessments that are much more suited for the dual language students.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendation #1

Professional Development for teachers and support staff

The dual language teachers and students would benefit from up to date news and


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research on the dual language program. This could be a learning team meeting at

least once a month or every other month to keep the teachers and the support staff

up to date on the new ideas and strategies that would be beneficial in the field. This

would also give the dual language teachers a chance to collaborate and plan to

enhance the dual language program. The strategies that the teachers could learn

from each other could be effective. A lesson study in the dual language area would

help this collaboration.

Recommendation #2


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More resources for DLS classrooms

I noticed that the teachers are doing the best they can with the resources that they

have but there just isnt enough variety for students to broaden their knowledge in

different subject areas. http://www.sepiensa.org.mx/sepiensa2009/nyn.htmlis a

great resource for students to read and play in Spanish. In this website, the students

are able to read what other students have to say about different areas in their lives

such as their community, their roles and traditions. The students would enjoy

reading and learning about other kids lives all around the world. There is also a need

for much more Spanish books in all subject areas. Language lizard is also a helpful

tool which categorizes hundereds of books in different languages based on the

students reading level. There are even support articles in there with FAQs for dual

language teachers. American Reading Company also has thematic books categorized

by grade levels for Science. The company even offers SchoolPace which allows the

school to monitor the students progress through the web. It is an achievement

dashboard that allows educators to find strengths and weaknesses of the students in
http://www.sepiensa.org.mx/sepiensa2009/nyn.htmlhttp://www.sepiensa.org.mx/sepiensa2009/nyn.htmlhttp://www.sepiensa.org.mx/sepiensa2009/nyn.html


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the dual language program.

Recommendation #3

Community involvement

Since NorthGrade Elementary is located in a predominantly Hispanic area, it would be

beneficial to have business partners with the local Spanish organizations. There are

supermarkets, Spanish salseros and latin dance groups, the cafeterias and local

government where the students could visit and learn more about the different roles,

traditions, contributions, etc that these local businesses do for the community. The


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students in the dual language program would understand the importance of the

program and how the dual language program can affect the community, the country

and the world. The community involvement would also hopefully bring some of these

business partners to support the dual language program financially for the resources

needed.

Recommendation #4

Develop stronger oral language skills for the students

NorthGrade presently uses SUBE to strengthen the students oral language skills.

Even though the SUBE is effective, it is not enough to develop the students dual

language. I noticed that the English speakers can very well understand Spanish but

they speak very little of it. The Spanish speakers are developing the English language

pretty quickly. Enhanced shared reading, enhanced vocabulary instructions and

fluency checkups would be some good strategies to start as a dual language team


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school wide.

ConclusionNorthGrades dual language program is raising bi literate, bilingual, and bicultural

students. Its an effective program as seen through the data presented in this

program evaluation. The students enrolled in the Dual Language English and the Dual

Language Spanish programs are being challenged and have the opportunity to learn

about the world around them through the literatures and background knowledge that

the students are consistently sharing with their class. It is a program that allows

students to think outside the box and broaden their knowledge and understanding.

Every dual language program is different and NorthGrade as a school supports the

program and is very proud of the strides that the program contributes. Although the

program is effective, as always, there is still room for improvement. These students

are working with very dedicated, hard working educators. They are passionate for


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what they do on an everyday basis. With the combinations of great parental support,

wonderful teachers, and enthusiastic students, the data can exceed expectations

beyond the norm. These changes can take years to accomplish but every little step

helps the students grow academically, culturally and personally. The dual language is

a program that should not be seen in some districtsit should be in all districts. This

country we live in is so culturally diverse and the more we know about each other, the

more we are aware of each other, the better this world can become. NorthGrade is

starting early. The school is molding children who will go out into the workforce and

succeed. The students love diversity, they respect other cultures and they see the

importance to the program. NorthGrade understands that the best place to start is

with our children.

Appendix A


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Critical Features of Effective Enriched EducationFeatures #1 #2 #3 #4

Parent Involvement is

Integral to program

success

Effective Programs have

high standards

Strong leadership is

critical for effective

programs

Effective instruction isstudent centered

Language instruction is

integrated with

challenging academic

instruction

Teachers in effective

Enriched Education are


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reflective

Effective Enriched

Education programs areintegrated with other

school programs and

schools

Effective Enriched

Education programs aim

for additive bilingualism

(1)-Applies to NorthGrade Elementary

(2)-Moderately applies to NorthGrade Elementary

(3)-Does not apply to North Grade Elementary

Appendix BTEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE

1.Please list the effectiveness of the Dual Language Program.__________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________


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___________________________________________________________________

2.If you could change some things about the Dual Language Program,what might they be and why?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

3.Additional comments and recommendations for the Dual LanguageProgram.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________


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Appendix C

NORTHGRADE ELEMENTARYDUAL LANGUAGE OBSERVATION SHEET

Teachers Name: ___________________ Grade: ________ Room: (circle one) DLE/DLS

Features of the programThe student receives 50% of instruction inSpanish and 50% of instruction in English

circle one:

No Evidence/Limited Evidence/Some

Evidence/Evident/NA

The teacher uses SUBE to assess thestudents oral language skills

circle one:


Evidence/Evident/NAOrganization of the ClassroomGrade level standards are clear and visibleand is written in the language taught

circle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Lesson plans are evident and includessubject and language objectives

circle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Standards are explained to the studentscircle one:


Classroom policies and procedures arewritten in English or Spanishcircle one:



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Evidence/Evident/NA Evidence/Evident/NA

Culturally relevant motivational posterscircle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Print Rich Classroomcircle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Anchor Charts/papers are displayed inthe appropriate language

circle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Materials selected support the languagecircle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Interactions and ConnectionsStudents prior knowledge is activated

circle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Hands on activities are used to achievemastery in the subject area and todevelop the language skills

circle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Teacher refers to DLE/DLS word wallwhen necessary

circle one:No Evidence/Limited Evidence/Some

Evidence/Evident/NA

Use of technology is integrated with thesubject being taught and in the languageof the classroom

circle one:No Evidence/Limited Evidence/Some

Evidence/Evident/NA

New information is introduced in Modeling is used consistently by the


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sequential ordercircle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

teachercircle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Increase wait timecircle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Variety of questioning techniques (low,moderate, high complexity questions)

circle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Teacher stops frequently forcomprehension checks

circle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Teacher makes the lesson relevant to thestudents

circle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Differentiated instruction is used by ESLlevel

circle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Students are given the opportunity toclarify concepts in their home language

circle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

AssessmentsRubrics are used

circle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Teachers allow for self/peer assessmentscircle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Assessment for content are is authenticand is designed to test contentknowledge NOT English/Spanish skill

circle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA

Teacher frequently checks for studentengagement and uses this information tore teach/challenge

circle one:


Evidence/Evident/NA


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Additional Comments:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Appendix D


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REFERENCESAmerican Reading Company. Retrieved fromhttp://www.americanreading.com/products/schoolpace/

Cloud,N. Genesee,F. Hamayan,E. Dual Language Instruction: A handbook for enriched

education(2000)Heinle & Heinle

Florida Department of Education Website. Bureau of K-12 Assessment. Retrieved from

http://fcat.fldoe.org/fcatpub3.asp.

Genesee, F. Early Dual Language Learning. (2008) Retrieved fromhttp://main.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/29-1_Genesee.pdf

Official website of Language Lizard.

http://www.languagelizard.com/v/vspfiles/teachers.htm.

School Attendance: Issues to consider. Retrieved from

http://www.greatschools.org/parenting/behavior-discipline/644-school-attendance-

issues.gs.

Schooling, P. Toth, M. Marzano, R. Creating an Aligned System: to develop great

teachers within the federal race to the top initiative. Retrieved from

http://www.marzanoresearch.com/documents/RacetotheTopWhitepaper_Marzano.pdf

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School District of Palm Beach County staff development. Retrieved from

http://www.palmbeachschools.org/staffdev/documents/LessonSegmentsShortForms-

RoutineEvents-AddressingContent-EnactedontheSpot.pdf.

The School District of Palm Beach County Website. Educational Data Warehouse.

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