Alpine School District accepted applications from parents of incoming first-graders seeking enrollment in several Dual-Language Immersion (DLI) programs. The application window for these opportunities closed on January 24, with parents receiving notification regarding lottery results following that date.
The DLI model used by Alpine School District involved students spending half of their school day learning in English and the other half immersed in a partner language, which included Spanish, Chinese, French, or Portuguese. Thirteen elementary schools hosted these programs.
Alicia DeMill, Administrator of Federal and State Programs for Alpine School District, stated that the program provided a unique opportunity for children to gain lifelong advantages in bilingualism and cultural literacy. DeMill also noted that research consistently showed DLI students performed as well as or better than their peers in core subjects such as English Language Arts, math, and science.
The overarching goal of the language programs was to achieve language proficiency levels that would enable students to compete globally and contribute to a global society. According to DeMill, participating in the DLI program allowed children to gain language skills and become more adaptable and globally aware individuals.
