Reply to Region 1 - what's going to happen with language immersion under the regional model?

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Reply to "Region 1 - what's going to happen with language immersion under the regional model?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]They need to find a way to redistribute the language immersion programs at the elementary level. Right now, a majority of these programs (and all 3 Spanish programs) are in silver spring/chevy chase and the farthest north (French) is in Rockville. Hopefully the regional model (eventually) helps with this.[/quote]

I do not disagree although isn’t there also a lot more demand downcounty?  To my understanding RCF and SCES get the most applications.  They do not make this info particularly available though.[/quote]

In addition to the programs PP described above, there are six Two-Way Immersion (TWI) programs that do half the day in Spanish and half the day in English. They are not lottery-based programs - they are for the whole school. Three are in Gaithersburg, 2 are in Silver Spring and one is in Takoma Park. This model is considered more equitable, but requires families within those catchment areas that don't want this or for whom it doesn't work to COSA into a different ES, which isn't awesome for them.

Recently, the Office of Shared Accountability did an outcomes evaluation of the TWI model, finding that the implementation of TWI in MCPS is not aligned with the model they are supposed to be following (Biliteracy Unit Framework or BUF). Some of the issues cited include lack of appropriate materials and a disconnect between the MCPS curriculum and the BUF curriculum. They also found that TWI students underperformed matched peers in literacy and math. The report offers several recommendations for improving the program but also has some statements questioning the model entirely - e.g. "The data raises serious concerns about the TWI program's effectiveness, particularly for specific student populations. Students in non-TWI schools consistently outperformed their TWI peers* across multiple measures. Although initial EOL analysis suggested potential benefits for students at ELP Levels 3 and 4 in Grade 2 literacy and math, these apparent advantages did not withstand rigorous statistical scrutiny. When controlling for additional variables, the perceived benefits disappeared entirely, calling into question the fundamental premise and effectiveness of the TWI program for these student groups. The absence of statistically significant positive outcomes, combined with the pattern of lower performance for compared to non-TWI schools, suggests a critical need to reevaluate the program's approach and implementation." 
* White TWI students outperformed their non-TWI peers in math and literacy, but all other TWI groups underperformed their matched non-TWI peers[/quote]

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