By Nicole Dungca, The Oregonian
Portland Public Schools could see new dual language immersion programs in Mandarin, Vietnamese and Spanish in the fall of 2014, according to the latest update from the district’s language immersion officials.
Yin Shen, a teacher at Woodstock Elementary, helps a kindergartener with his Chinese characters in this 2005 file photo. Portland Public Schools is planning to expand its language immersion programs in the fall of 2014. (Benjamin Brink/The Oregonian)
By the end of October, the district hopes to have specific recommendations for dual language immersion expansion for the fall of 2014, Debbie Armendariz, the interim director of dual language immersion, told the board on Monday.
Dual language immersion teaches students core content in both English and Spanish in an attempt to foster fluency. The district helped launch some of the state’s first language immersion programs two decades ago.
Portland Public Schools, which has more than 4,000 students in its dual language programs, is currently in a study with RAND Corporation looking at the effects of dual language immersion on student achievement.
Monday’s update to the board included early possibilities of new sites:
Spanish: One recommendation includes starting a new program at a Roosevelt High cluster school in North Portland, which could affect James John or Sitton. Another option could expand the Cesar Chavez program to the entire school.
Another recommendation, which the memo called less feasible, would begin Spanish language programs in the Franklin cluster.
Vietnamese: The district could start a Vietnamese program in outer Southeast in the Madison or Franklin clusters, either at Woodmere or Lee.
Mandarin: The district is considering adding one program for the outer Southeast portions of the Madison or Franklin high school clusters, which could place a program at Harrison Park K-8 or expanding Woodstock’s program to become an all-school immersion program. Another recommendation could hit the Jefferson High School cluster, which would add a program at King K-8 or another school in the cluster.
Multiple languages: The district could open a K-5 dual language immersion program at Kellogg for Vietnamese and Mandarin, while possibly moving the Russian language program from Kelly to Kellogg.
Read the full article by Nicole Dungca of the Oregonian.
