Seven Essential Steps
7 Essential Steps to Start a Dual Language Immersion Program
Discover the steps to consider when starting or enhancing a Dual Language Immersion program to positively impact student outcomes in your district.
Build Advocacy and Knowledge
Gain support and understanding of DLI programming from district & campus leadership, teachers, and parents.
Understand District and Community Demographics
Conduct a needs assessment related to students to be served (e.g., achievement patterns, SES, mobility, student background), district resources, and community interests.
Create a Stakeholder Group
Gain support and understanding of DLI programming from district & campus leadership, teachers, and parents.
Develop a Mission and Vision Statement
Collaboratively write clear vision & mission statements with a set of guiding principles based on dual language literature, research, and policy.
Design or Adopt a DLI Program Model
A DLI program model should fit student and community needs and have consensus among all stakeholders with the goal of biliteracy.
Align Curriculum and Resources to DLI Program
Revise curriculum and procure linguistically sustaining resources that align to the DLI program model and language allocation plan.
Establish a Staff Development Plan & Evaluation
Design a long-term PD plan for all stakeholders, (district, campus administrators, teachers, board members, and parents) that ensures deep understanding of DLI program implementation (related to their participation) and continuous PD support, as well as systematic DLI program assessments and/or formal evaluations.
Build Advocacy and Knowledge:
Gain support and understanding of DLI programming from district & campus leadership, teachers, and parents.
- Hold parent and community meetings to talk about the academic and economic impact of students participating in DLI education
- Bring data to the conversations to support long-term impact
- Have campus, district, and family & community pláticas
- Have an asset-based approach for the richness of the varied languages and backgrounds of the families and their students
- Welcome the student and families’ funds of knowledge
- Build strong relationships with families and communities
- Implement TEA’s Emergent Bilingual Family Empowerment Tool Kit (coming soon)
Understand District and Community Demographics:
Conduct a needs assessment related to students to be served (e.g., achievement patterns, SES, mobility, and background attributes), district resources, and community interests
- Know your students and be ready to present a high-level overview on demographics
- Understand relevant data points which include the varied languages and backgrounds of the community
- Present data elements that demonstrate student performance over time
- Be prepared to provide evidence-based research aligned to policy and practice
Create a Stakeholder Group:
Secure comprehensive understanding, long-term commitment and involvement at all levels
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Develop a redesign committee of varied stakeholders.
- District Leaders
- Bilingual Department
- Bilingual Educators
- Other Educators: ESL, General ED, Special Education
- Emergent bilingual student families
- Institution of Higher Education representatives
- Community Leaders
- High School Students - Senior Group
Develop a Mission and Vision Statement:
Collaboratively write a clear vision & mission statements with a set of guiding principles based on dual language literature, research, and policy
- Clearly defined and communicate expectations for achieving student outcomes
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Embed the goals of DLI.
- Bilingualism and Biliteracy in both languages
- High academic achievement in both languages
- Develop global awareness
- All stakeholders will know how to share the intended outcomes
Design or Adopt a DLI Program Model:
A DLI program model should fit student and community needs and have consensus among all stakeholders with the goal of biliteracy achievement
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The DLI program model:
- supports student and community demographics
- continues without interruption through elementary grades and secondary when applicable
- clearly defines the language allocation plan and follows DLI requirements of at minimum of 50% of content areas taught in the partner language
- ensures and supports a biliteracy development goal through sequential or simultaneous biliteracy strategies
- has the same number of resources in both languages
TAC Ch. 89.1210, 89.1227, 89.1228
Align Curriculum and Resources to DLI Program:
Revise curriculum and produce linguistically sustaining resources that align to the DLI program model and language allocation plan
- Provides authentic and a balanced number of resources in the partner language and English to develop biliteracy skills aligned to the DLI program model
- Requires HQIM that afford access to age and grade level TEKS in all content areas TAC 89.1227(a) in both languages
- Promotes collaboration of all district content directors and special population leaders
- Curriculum and resources ensure that students learn at grade-level and above
- Curriculum is aligned to TEKS and engages all students at grade-level or above literacy development skills
- Fosters biliterate assessments aligned to program goals (formative and summative)
Establish a Staff Development Plan & Evaluation:
Design a long-term PD plan for all stakeholders, (district, campus administrators, teachers, board members, and parents) that ensures deep understanding of DLI program implementation (related to their participation) and continuous PD support, as well as systematic DLI program assessments and/or formal evaluations.
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Develop a continuous professional development plan for:
- DLI Teachers
- DLI Campus Administrators
- DLI District Leaders
- Provide professional development that targets biliteracy development: metalinguistic and metacognitive skills
- Provides ongoing opportunities to develop biliterate curriculum and design biliterate assessments to track biliteracy trajectories