Exploring Dual Language Immersion to Advance ELS Academic Outcomes

Abstract

Within the context of a school district, Dual Language Immersion program (DLI), I wanted to have an impact on the literacy development for all students, specifically ELs in the DLI program. I identified the coherence between Spanish and English language literacy instruction as an area for improvement. I devised a plan to execute a pilot study. My focus was on increasing the pedagogical content knowledge of Spanish DLI teachers, thereby increasing the quality of literacy instructional outcomes for Seaford’s DLI and EL student population. The study included a Spanish language arts unit in each grade level for Spanish language Interactive Read Aloud (IRA) lesson plans, paired with professional development and professional learning community initiatives. These IRA lesson plans aimed to introduce consistency in literacy routines across languages, create opportunities for cross-linguistic transfer, increase collaboration between the Spanish language teachers and their English Partner Teachers, and ultimately advance student literacy achievement in both languages. I gathered evidence of how teachers were implementing the Spanish IRA lesson plans, and teacher perceptions of the benefits and challenges during lesson delivery. My study showed that coherence between English language arts curricula and Spanish language arts curricula within DLI is beneficial for both teachers and students, as it increased the frequency and rigor of evidence-based practices in Spanish language arts. Recommendations include adopting an asset-based mindset of multilingual literacy, designing professional learning and resources to support coherence across literacy curricula, and introducing a research-based assessment and data analysis plan for Spanish language arts.