Reply to Language Immersion Schools and Reading Levels

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My DS attends a DCPS language immersion school.  He’s in K, and he tested at a first-grade reading level, in both English and Spanish.  I have often heard that there is a delay in reading/writing skills for kids in immersion programs.  It makes me think that DS might be further ahead in reading if he attended an English-only school; especially because his PK year was completely in Spanish.  I’m curious to hear from others who have children in language immersion schools (DCPS or charters).  If your kids had above-grade level reading skills in K, did they stay ahead in later grades (4th and above)?  Did you do anything at home to help them improve their reading, especially in English?    
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My son is not in an immersion program but DH and I have spoken to him only in our respective languages since birth. We've also read and taught letters in our respective languages. He's not quite 4.5 and already reads in my language fairly well, reads OK in English and is beginning to read in DH's language. I think the reading/writing delay for bilingual kids is bollocks, as evidenced by my highly scientific sample size of one.

What I've learned from my son's experience is that reading and writing skills seem to be both transferable AND unconnected to any specific language.  We've never spoken, taught or read any English at home. Yet he began to read in English (they teach English ABC and reading in his preschool) pretty much independently, and that tells me that he figured out that there are such things as letters, and these letters get together to form words, and this applies in any language.

Basically, I wouldn't worry about any built-in delays with bilingualism or immersion. [/quote]

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