Urbana Dual-Language Program

Urbana's school district is looking to expand its dual-language program. More information in yesterday's News-Gazette:

Urbana district's dual-language program looking to expand
The Urbana school district's dual-language program is looking at a possible dual-level expansion that could begin this fall.

The move comes after the English-Spanish program's initial class entered sixth grade this year. Since their introduction to the program in kindergarten in 2012, the students, both native Spanish speakers and native English speakers, have spent the intervening time in the same classroom, receiving instruction in both languages, and watching them progress has been "amazing," said Guadalupe Ricconi, director of the Elementary Bilingual Program...

The question facing the district is less about whether it wants to expand the Spanish program and more about how and where that will happen. Officials recently solicited input from parents and community members via an online survey where they chose from three options:

— Create a single dual-language school within the district. According to an explanatory video by Joe Wiemelt, the district's director of bilingual and multicultural programs, this would allow the district to centralize materials, resources and specialists but could create the possibility that non-dual-language students would have to be moved to another school.

— Expand the program at Dr. Williams and Leal, which could also necessitate the transfer of some staff and non-dual-language students.

— Expand the program to a third school, which would mean less transferring of staff and students but would make it difficult to collaborate among buildings and could raise "growing pains" with a new program.

"The cons in all three options are not insurmountable," Wiemelt added. "Ultimately, the most important part is the magic that happens inside the classroom in the teaching and learning."

Nearly 600 people provided feedback, with most preferring the third option. But the district's decision is still up in the air.

More at the full article here. More from the district website here.