Spanish language immersion. MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone tried to enter the language immersion programs in 1st grade rather than in K? If so, was the transition difficult.
Also, are the kids in the partial immersion programs learning the language?
TIA

[Anonymous]

I think that the partial immersion spanish is full immersion in K. So if you are transferring from that it shouldn't be too hard, but I know that at the open house for the full immersion the principal was against people applying for 1st (though it's allowed).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that the partial immersion spanish is full immersion in K. So if you are transferring from that it shouldn't be too hard, but I know that at the open house for the full immersion the principal was against people applying for 1st (though it's allowed).

Do you mean that they do the K year totally in Spanish (all day) then switch to half day in 1st grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that the partial immersion spanish is full immersion in K. So if you are transferring from that it shouldn't be too hard, but I know that at the open house for the full immersion the principal was against people applying for 1st (though it's allowed).

Do you mean that they do the K year totally in Spanish (all day) then switch to half day in 1st grade?

Yes, that is what it says on the Rolling Terrace website (don't know about other schools).

[Anonymous]

Rock Creek Forest is full immersion until 4th grade. You can apply for 1st and 2nd (I believe 2nd is the last grade you can enter), but they will test the child to make sure he/she is proficient in Spanish. I don't think they take children past K who don't have the language skills already.

[Anonymous]

Our kid entered in first grade. DC was challenged at first, no doubt about it. But they learn so fast at that age that by January DC was comfortable, and the teacher said DC and some others who also entered in first grade were indistinguishable from the other kids. I think the first few months of 1st grade may be repeating a lot of what went on in kindergarten anyway. Also it's not like they did the subjunctive in kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

I talked to staff at Rock Creek Forest as well as at Sligo Creek (French immersion). My understanding is that both schools take kids through 1st grade with no prior language experience (provided they're selected via the lottery), but at 2nd grade there is a test to determine proficiency. If the child doesn't meet a certain Spanish / French skill level for grade 2 entry, they won't be admitted. I believe the same is true for admissions above 2nd grade.

[Anonymous]

How difficult is it to get in at the 1st grade level?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to get in at the 1st grade level?

10:31 again. I think it varies from year to year. Sligo Creek told me that for this year (the school year starting Fall 2008, so this was the lottery held a year ago) there had been no openings for 1st grade French immersion. There's no expansion of the classroom from K to 1st grade. Any slots that come up are from children leaving the program. I think that for both Sligo Creek and RCF (and probably the others, although I didn't call them), 1st grade openings are unpredictable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to get in at the 1st grade level?

10:31 again. I think it varies from year to year. Sligo Creek told me that for this year (the school year starting Fall 2008, so this was the lottery held a year ago) there had been no openings for 1st grade French immersion. There's no expansion of the classroom from K to 1st grade. Any slots that come up are from children leaving the program. I think that for both Sligo Creek and RCF (and probably the others, although I didn't call them), 1st grade openings are unpredictable.

Actually, at RCF, they do expand from K to 1st. The class max for K is 25 and for 1st it's 26. And there are two sections so I guess 2 extra kids can get in and there could be other spaces that open if someone moves.