Multilingual and Two-Way Immersion Programs

PAISD Leads Texas in Multilingual and Two-Way Immersion Programs

"Connecting People and Cultures for a Better World "

PAISD Two-Way Immersion Program Brochure

Dr. Bertha Garza, Multilingual Program Coordinator

Mrs. Tatiana Morales, Multilingual Program Facilitator

Mrs. Smirna Avendano, Multilingual Program Secretary

(409) 989-6255

Goals: 

• Expand the programs at Houston and Tyrrell until PAISD has full programs in Grades PreK-5.
• Offer English speaking students an opportunity to learn Spanish as a second language.
• Accelerate English acquisition for our ELLs. TWI programs, if followed by program teachers, will guarantee that students get instruction in English at least 50 percent of the instructional time.

State Requirements for Bilingual Education: 

• There are several Bilingual Ed. Models. The State requires the Transitional Bilingual Education Model in which a self-contained teacher instructs Spanish Language Arts and content areas are instructed in English.
• The TWI Program model consists of two or more teachers teaming to instruct in two or more languages. In the PAISD two teachers team to teach Spanish and English in a 50/50 language model. PAISD implemented TWI Programs in 2001.

Two-way Immersion Program (TWI) Grades PreK-5:  

• TWI Programs in three schools – Tyrrell, Travis, Houston
• Travis has a full TWI program Grades PreK-5
• Houston has a TWI in grades PreK-3. Next year the TWI will be extended to Grade 4
• Tyrell has a TWI in grades PreK-K. Next year the TWI will be extended to Grade 1

Bilingual Program Grades PreK-5 (Model required by the State): 

• DeQueen School has a Transitional Bilingual Program in Grades K-5.

Highlights and Successes for 2008:

•  89% of the 3rd Grade bilingual students at Sam Houston Elementary passed TAKS reading the first time.

• 75% of the 3rd Grade bilingual students at DeQueen and Travis Elementary Schools passed TAKS reading the first time.

• 5th Grade bilingual students showed improvement over the previous group of 5th grade students on the first administration of TAKS Math.

• Overall, bilingual students have shown improvement on the first administration of TAKS reading and mathematics tests.

Data for 2007 (AEIS Report --TAKS Spanish--Percent Passing or Meeting Standards):

Teacher Information and Resources may be found on the Instructional Resources webpage.

Updated 05/12/2008