Dual-Language Immersion Schools (DLI)

The Spanish Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program is currently offered at seventeen schools, fifteen elementary, one middle school and one high school with representation in each Region. Eleven of the elementary sites are neighborhood DLI programs serving only students from the school’s attendance area. Four elementary schools, Yosemite MS, and McLane HS are choice program sites which require the completion of a transfer request application and participation in a lottery when there are more applications than space available. 

The 90:10 Spanish DLI program model strives to balance classes linguistically with 30% Spanish speakers, 30% bilingual students, and 30% native English speakers. Students in the most primary grades (PreK-1st) study all content in Spanish including Spanish literacy for 90% of the day and the remaining 10% is dedicated to English instruction via English Language Development.

Percentages of English instruction increase as students move up the grade levels until fourth through six grades when students receive 50% of their instruction in Spanish and 50% in English. Teachers leverage language transfer connections, and cross linguistic comparison and contrast opportunities to facilitate students’ metalinguistic skills and awareness development. The DLI program makes it possible for English learners and native English speakers to become biliterate in each other’s languages through a learning culture of collaboration and interdependence.

English Learner students in the DLI program typically perform as well or better than their counterparts receiving monolingual instruction as demonstrated in reclassification rates and assessment results. Program goals are high academic achievement, bilingualism, bi-literacy and global-cultural competence. The program is described as, “Preparing college and career ready students who are bilingual, bi-literate and culturally competent.”