| So for those in a non feeder who want to lottery in later - does that mean your kids are in an immersion program somewhere? Will it be language test-in? |
No immersion at DCI. For students that lottery in, they start with beginner spanish/chinese/french (depending on which track they lotttery in to) or prove they belong at a more advanced level via a test. |
While the PP indicated that DCI is non-immersion, our kids do attend a DCPS dual-language school. While our kids are in Pk4 and K, hopefully MacFarland will be an option. |
I know several families in SP considering this who have kids at various DCI feeders. Don't have a kid at any feeders, but happy to see things getting going at Walter Reed. Congrats to DCI. |
If DCI is not language immersion, why does it tout itself as a language immersion school all over its website? Is that false? |
They don't use the word "immersion." Where do you see that? "Immersion" means something very specific. |
FAQ: What education program/models will be featured at DCI? The DCI will offer the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme for grades 6-10, and offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for grades 11-12. Students will leave school having earned one or more of the following options: DCI Diploma, an IB Diploma, the International Baccalaureate Career Certification, course-specific IB certificates, and/or the IB Bilingual Diploma. The DCI will offer students the opportunity to continue their immersion experience by taking up to 50 percent of classes in their target immersion language (Chinese, French, or Spanish). Speaking of foreign language, do students have to continue in the same language per their elementary experience? Yes. The purpose of the feeder pattern is for students to continue their language immersion journey towards adult bilingualism and biliteracy. Students are encouraged to add additional languages through beginning language classes. Students who come to DCI without a language study background will have to commit to a language track which they will pursue throughout their time at DCI. |
This is on their homepage: "DCI offers advanced Spanish, Chinese and French language immersion in a technology-rich learning environment. DCI is an authorized International Baccalaureate World School, offering the world-renowned IB Middle Years Program to DC public school students" Also throughout their website, they refer to students having an immersion experience. Is this not true? This is confusing. |
| And most students don't get anywhere near 50% instruction at this point. Maybe language class plus an elective. Not much more than kids taking a language at other schools get. |
This sounds discouraging. You can get that type of instruction at a regular MS. |
| Yes. We are at DCI and disappointed with this. Leaving our elementary feeder, I was expecting many more classes being taught in the second language. That is what they hyped to us, but have yet to deliver. |
| At a minimum, they ought to get rid of the language on their website about being an immersion school. It's very misleading if that is not the case. |
What track are you in? What classes does your child get in the second language? |
| Spanish. Just the language class, plus one other |
not many MS options in DC |