3 new language immersion schools next year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The fear mongering in this thread is incredible.

My kid is at OTES and we are thrilled with the two-way immersion. We need a bigger house but we're staying for the school.

If it wasn't going well (and this happens for very, very few kids, it is by no means hit or miss) there's an alternative English-only school we could go to.

It's great that they're expanding this, actually.

MCPS has been teaching reading wrong for at least 15 years according to the current Elem ELA director. I guarantee doing in 2 languages just makes it worse for kids who only speak English. My kid has dyslexia and dysgraphia. Our Title 1 school can’t follow her IEP as it is. Making the school an immersion school just complicates the issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids are at W and W-feeder schools. They have never received adequate writing or grammar instruction. That’s not part of the MCPS curriculum really. If I had younger kids and could pick any school, it would be Oakland Terrace. For parents on here talking about adding Spanish as a special, that’s at best an hour per week in current special form and based on past years when language was offered at some schools. That does almost nothing. For the schools I suspect or hope MCPS will target for the new programs, the schools are effectively already bilingual in many cases. For those calling for the specials approach, I doubt it will be your kids’ school.

If you read the article, one of the programs is going to be in Chinese. I'm wondering if they are pivoting Potomac from the partial immersion model currently in place to a more dual immersion model. So, honestly, it might be "their" school.

MCPS sees the Asian flight to certain private schools. Hard to compete when parents work for employers that cover the cost of tuition. These private schools have admissions events at those employers for this reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many parents would love a dual immersion option at ES. Kids pick up language and intonation much more easily the younger they are. It would also align well strategically for MCPS to increase these programs as hopefully the kids continue language and stay on track to earn the seal of biliteracy.

Doesn’t matter how many languages they are fluent in if they can’t pass the reading and math tests in English. SO much reading and writing required for math which hurts a lot of kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many parents would love a dual immersion option at ES. Kids pick up language and intonation much more easily the younger they are. It would also align well strategically for MCPS to increase these programs as hopefully the kids continue language and stay on track to earn the seal of biliteracy.

Doesn’t matter how many languages they are fluent in if they can’t pass the reading and math tests in English. SO much reading and writing required for math which hurts a lot of kids.

So glad my kids don't have to go to those horrible schools in Potomac where nobody learns to read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just a matter of finding bilingual teachers. You need far more than simply the ability to speak Spanish. You have to be biliterate. It has been very difficult in our school to find teachers to fit this role as the program has expanded. And on top of that, we have lost great teachers who aren’t looking to take on the co-teaching aspect that the immersion program brings. Your student numbers double and there are many added responsibilities, with very little support and resources from MCPS.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://bethesdamagazine.com/2022/12/21/language-immersion-a-key-investment-in-newly-proposed-mcps-budget/

While this might be great news for kids that are Spanish speakers, what about the English speakers at the 3 schools McKnight decides on? Our ES can’t even teach well in ONE language and I fear for my child if they have to teach in 2 languages next year. Our school is high native Spanish speaker population and I’m really worried they will pick it to be one of these 3 schools. Will we be able to opt out? I don’t even see how this would work to just change a school like this. It’s different than building a new school specifically for this purpose and making it a “magnet” or lottery style.

This sounds amazing! So lucky to live in Moco!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good luck finding qualified teachers for 3 more schools.

Well, they just need to find bilingual teachers for one grade per school. Not a huge lift.

We were at one dual language school, and lots of teachers were mid-career professionals from PR. They had experience teaching, skills in both languages/cultures, and it was a pretty easy shift.

Yes, many of the teachers are from PR. Since hurricane Maria especially, a lot of Puerto Ricans have decided to leave for the mainland.

However, for these programs to work long term, there needs to be more training opportunities at US colleges for teaching ES in Spanish. We can’t rely solely on recruiting teachers from elsewhere.

PR is the US.

Well ok I should have said universities besides those in PR. Better? My point is that teaching reading and math in Spanish is different than teaching Spanish to high school students, and most Spanish teachers are trained for the latter. Don’t get me wrong, I think we need more immersion programs, but in order for them to expand significantly we need more teachers trained to staff them.

Hi there, DP and you clearly implied that PR is not in the US. That is not cool. Stop being do defensive and show some appreciation that this poster has hopefully prevented you from causing offense in a less anonymous setting.

It’s amazing how many people don’t know Puerto Rico is part of this country!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fear mongering in this thread is incredible.

My kid is at OTES and we are thrilled with the two-way immersion. We need a bigger house but we're staying for the school.

If it wasn't going well (and this happens for very, very few kids, it is by no means hit or miss) there's an alternative English-only school we could go to.

It's great that they're expanding this, actually.

MCPS has been teaching reading wrong for at least 15 years according to the current Elem ELA director. I guarantee doing in 2 languages just makes it worse for kids who only speak English. My kid has dyslexia and dysgraphia. Our Title 1 school can’t follow her IEP as it is. Making the school an immersion school just complicates the issue.

Those kids would be able to attend a non-immersion school.

[Anonymous]

Would you be as against it if the language was French?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good luck finding qualified teachers for 3 more schools.

Well, they just need to find bilingual teachers for one grade per school. Not a huge lift.

We were at one dual language school, and lots of teachers were mid-career professionals from PR. They had experience teaching, skills in both languages/cultures, and it was a pretty easy shift.

Yes, many of the teachers are from PR. Since hurricane Maria especially, a lot of Puerto Ricans have decided to leave for the mainland.

However, for these programs to work long term, there needs to be more training opportunities at US colleges for teaching ES in Spanish. We can’t rely solely on recruiting teachers from elsewhere.

PR is the US.

Well ok I should have said universities besides those in PR. Better? My point is that teaching reading and math in Spanish is different than teaching Spanish to high school students, and most Spanish teachers are trained for the latter. Don’t get me wrong, I think we need more immersion programs, but in order for them to expand significantly we need more teachers trained to staff them.

For some kids, it is a great opportunity, others not so much. It would make more sense to have a specials class 2-3 days a week instead. Kids can take foreign language starting in MS.

I do wish there were more opportunities for kids at non-immersion schools to get some foreign language instruction in ES. My sister and her family recently returned from an overseas posting where the kids received French lessons 3x per week at their international primary school (not a French speaking country). The oldest then entered middle school here and had a leg up in their French class. Early exposure is key to picking up a language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you be as against it if the language was French?

Not OP but the only one I’d be hesitant about is Chinese because I would not know how to help my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you be as against it if the language was French?

Only if she knew most native speakers of French in MoCo are Africans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should just offer a language class a few days a week like they so specials but more often for all kids.

This. It would make more sense to do it this way. Friends in other states start a second language in 1st grade as a ‘special’ and it works well.

+1. It’s all or nothing in MCPS.

No, that would only benefit the English-speaking kids. One of the strengths of dual immersion is that native Spanish speakers get half of their day in their native language. So everyone gets to become strong both on their native language and a second language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should just offer a language class a few days a week like they so specials but more often for all kids.

This. It would make more sense to do it this way. Friends in other states start a second language in 1st grade as a ‘special’ and it works well.

+1. It’s all or nothing in MCPS.

No, that would only benefit the English-speaking kids. One of the strengths of dual immersion is that native Spanish speakers get half of their day in their native language. So everyone gets to become strong both on their native language and a second language.

At select schools. You forgot that part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should just offer a language class a few days a week like they so specials but more often for all kids.

This. It would make more sense to do it this way. Friends in other states start a second language in 1st grade as a ‘special’ and it works well.

+1. It’s all or nothing in MCPS.

No, that would only benefit the English-speaking kids. One of the strengths of dual immersion is that native Spanish speakers get half of their day in their native language. So everyone gets to become strong both on their native language and a second language.

It’s really important for the Spanish-speaking kids with limited English to keep up in math and other subjects. It’s more accessible to them when taught in Spanish. This keeps them caught up on other subjects while their language skills catch up. For English speakers who are advanced students, it’s a good challenge to keep them engaged. I’m not sure where all those parents of advanced kids are on this thread. It’s like they disappeared with their 99% MAP scores. I do agree it can be less than ideal for English speakers who are struggling with literacy. I wonder if offering a couple mixed-grade English only classes at these schools would be an option (e.g., K-1, 2-3, and 4-5).