Frequently Asked Questions on TWBI at WGE

Is it possible that neighborhood students would be bumped from the school in order to fill English- or Spanish-speaking slots in the TWBI program?

It is not likely because we will have the neighborhood students who want to participate.

What is the current neighborhood enrollment in kindergarten and specifically in the ALA kindergarten class?

There is no enrollment for ALA; those students are in the total numbers. In the fall, we present a waiver for parents to sign if they want ALA.

What is the neighborhood kindergarten enrollment for next year to date?

We have had the largest number of families on the kinder tours ever. As of April 22, we have 33 signed up for WGE kinder. We will get the first "official" list from student assignment in the second week of May.

How many neighborhood English- and Spanish-speaking students have expressed interest in the bilingual program to date?

We have 30 plus neighborhood families interested. We have two who are not neighborhood.

Would teachers be forced to leave the school in order to hire TWBI teachers?

We will be losing our two probationary teachers.

How many kindergarten teachers would have to move to another grade level next year?

Two.

How many teachers overall would have to leave WGE next year and in future years?

I cannot say for sure. Next year there will be at least three retiring teachers, and no one will need to leave. The next year at least one other teacher will retire and no one will need to leave. In the next year there may be no retirements, but there will be one somewhere in year three or four. We have 10 teachers with the credentials to teach immersion. Numbers displaced will depend on who will want to apply.

How is the energy of evaluating this program going to impact our PI status? WGE barely met NCLB requirements last year and our test scores WENT DOWN for Hispanic students, low SEC students, and white students, and only went up by 2 API points for ELL students. We are in danger of failing NCLB this year - our energies should be focused on our overall academic achievement, not an extra program for a small number of students at the school.

Most of our energies are doing fine. The Ad Hoc Committee has helped give order to things. We are proceeding with our regular programs. Yes, it does have an impact on our energies. As educators we believe strongly in this program because the research states that the EL students in this program will supersede scores they would have earned transitioning out of our current ALA program. So in the long run our energies are well spent because we are investigating options for three of our subgroups that could be impacted by this superior program: ELs, Hispanic & Low SES. Also, the EO students in this program tend to have stronger scores as well over time!

I still would like to know what the plan is for fitting 35-40 TWBI strand students into 30 students-per-classroom in 3rd grade? The suggestion to move some of them to Gardner or River Glen is not feasible; the suggestion to use extra categorical funds to leave the TWBI students in smaller classrooms while English language students are in larger classrooms is not acceptable.

We do not have an answer for this. We have discussed some ideas, but that is one of those challenges that we will need to continue to explore.

Why not open up another Spanish immersion magnet?

District Superintendent Don Iglesias has stated that a magnet school is not what the District wants (March 13, 2008, meeting at WGE). In addition, the District does not have the facilities or resources to open up another school at this time.

How do other strand schools implement a TWBI program?

Teachers collaborate and work together – TWBI teachers share and meet with SEI teachers just as WGE ALA teachers currently meet with SEI teachers to share information, strategies, and ideas. The curriculum is the same throughout all classes in each grade level. The difference is in the language and techniques the teacher uses to instruct the children.
Members of the WGE Ad Hoc Committee observed several grade levels at Gardner Academy (SJUSD) which has a TWBI strand. Ad Hoc Committee members observed that classrooms were following the District pacing calendar and were teaching appropriate curriculum at grade level. Members also had the opportunity to discuss process and implementation of the TWBI program with Gardner staff.
For more information about the implementation of dual immersion at other schools, visit the following sites:

Center for Applied Linguistics
http://www.cal.org/twi/

California Department of Education
http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/ip/

California Association for Bilingual Education
http://www.bilingualeducation.org/

Why not grow the Gardner strand rather than offering strands everywhere?

Gardner Academy’s TWBI program is a strand and the school is a neighborhood school – they do not actively recruit families from outside their attendance boundary lines. Gardner is actively recruiting EO families within their attendance boundary lines for the TWBI program. Gardner’s demographics are different than those at WGE – they have 87.7% Latino students and 4.8% White students.

SJUSD is not offering strands at all elementary schools – the District carefully researched elementary school demographics to find where a possible TWBI might be offered. Currently offers have been made at Bachrodt and WGE.

WGE was approached by the District because the school already has the linguistic composition to implement the kindergarten TWBI program.

Ad Hoc Committee Timeline/Calendar

April 21
Ad Hoc Committee Meeting

April 23
Principal’s Coffee to discuss TWBI Impact on Test Scores and Docent Programs

April 25
Flag Salute meeting with representatives from SJUSD to discuss the District’s long-term commitment of finances and resources to the TWBI program at WGE

April 28
Ad Hoc Committee Meeting

April 29
Town Hall Meeting

May 9
Recommendation due from Ad Hoc Committee to SJUSD Assistant Superintendent Rosa Molina

May 15
Decision of Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent presented to the SJUSD Board of Education

Enrollment

What is the current kindergarten enrollment process?

Kindergarten enrollment (as well as other grade level enrollment) takes place at the District enrollment centers.

If the TWBI program is implemented at WGE in Fall 2008, entering kindergarten families will be invited to attend an orientation meeting where they may formally request the program; WGE would then place those children in TWBI classes. It is possible that WGE parents of incoming kindergarten students who are interested in the TWBI option may have also requested enrollment in River Glen. If families who requested River Glen get into River Glen, they will have the option of accepting the River Glen program. If they do not get into River Glen they are placed on a River Glen waiting list and will attend their neighborhood school.

Enrollment in the TWBI is a choice. No students will be forced into a TWBI classroom.

Enrollment in the TWBI program (if implemented) and placement in the kindergarten classrooms will be managed by WGE, not the District or the District enrollment center.

Who can enroll for the WGE TWBI?

The students who would be enrolled in the program for kindergarten would be from the WGE attendance area only.

Would siblings of students in the TWBI program receive priority acceptance into the TWBI program?

This would be a site (WGE) decision.

What if there are not enough students (either EL or EO) who sign up for the program?

The school site will need to re-evaluate the ideal ratio of 50% EL students and 50% EO students. The TWBI recommendation is that one group of students (EL or EO) make up no less than 1/3 of the class.

Will the TWBI increase our enrollment?

No. The TWBI program would be for students residing within WGE’s attendance area. There would be no additional, outside students – either EL or EO – recruited for the program. WGE already has the linguistic composition to implement the kindergarten TWBI program. The same number of kindergarten openings are available for 2008/2009 as there were for 2007/2008.

Will neighborhood kids be bumped?

No, the school is for neighborhood students only. However, historically, if WGE does not fill up with neighborhood children, children from outside the attendance boundary have been able to transfer in.

Is there a possibility that the success of TWBI will “overtake” the school? Will the capacity of WGE be increased?

No. The overall student population of the school will not increase.

The TWBI program is a strand program only. There will be a fixed number of 40 spots for TWBI students available per grade level (20 for English Learners and 20 for Spanish Learners), for kindergarten through fifth grade. If more than 40 families are interested, there may be a wait list for openings in the TWBI program.

Additionally, WGE does not have enough Spanish-speaking students to increase this program and maintain the linguistic balance necessary for successful implementation.

Is the mobility rate (number of new students who enter during a school year) high at WGE?

Bob Gonzales, Director of Student Assignment for SJUSD has informed the Ad Hoc Committee that WGE mobility is average. The following information was provided by SJUSD:

What happens if spaces in the TWBI program are empty?

This scenario is unlikely as the project EL enrollment is expected to remain steady at approximately 25-35 families per year, and there is a list of 30 EO families interested in TWBI.

What are the criteria for late enrollment?

Students enrolling in the TWBI in later grades would need to be assessed. The EL Program Coordinator would assess students to see if they have the academic and linguistic abilities to qualify for the TWBI program.

Can teachers be ready to implement in September?

10 teachers at WGE are certified to teach bilingual classes. Five of these are currently teaching ALA classes.

One WGE ALA teacher shared an example from when she worked at another school:
This teacher was told in May that she would be teaching TWBI the following September. She was able to receive training during the summer and work with other grade-level teachers to plan. She said that teachers are always ready to plan for the following year once they know what they will teach. Again, the curriculum will not change, just the language of instruction – although special training is required for those who teach TWBI classes.

Communication

Why isn’t there more time to get all the questions answered?

Since January, several public forums have been held to provide information and gather questions and concerns from teachers, parents and community members pertaining to the TWBI program and its implementation. The Committee is now meeting on a regular basis to answer the questions, provide answers as they are researched, and schedule opportunities to discuss the most frequently asked questions (please refer to the above information on the timeline).

In fact, the Committee has scheduled a town hall meeting to address unanswered questions and concerns in a public forum. The date of that meeting is Tuesday, April 29, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. and it will be hosted by the TWBI Ad Hoc Committee.

However, the larger purpose of the Ad Hoc Committee is to research the program to see if it is right for our students. The reason the Ad Hoc Committee was formed is because the TWBI program, if implemented, would require academic changes at the school. One of the outcomes is that we have had many questions and comments from school staff, parents and community members which we are using to guide our research.

In a nutshell, the Committee is answering the questions as a means of assessing this educational program for our students.

Who is consolidating TWBI questions from the community?

The TWBI Ad Hoc Committee. Questions may be sent to the group, care of Principal Dayle D’Anna, via the WGE website at http://www.sjusd.org/school/willow_glen_elementary.

When will we be able to ask more questions?

Anyone who has questions regarding the TWBI program can email questions to Principal Dayle D’Anna via the WGE website. Also, there will be a town hall meeting to answer questions and concerns on Tuesday, April 29, as well as other opportunities to discuss some of the most frequently asked questions (see timeline above).

Why is there no time for consensus building in the community?

The Committee understands the concerns of the community regarding the nature of the process as it first began and the feelings that the program is being imposed on the school.

Our goal is to provide the best information we can to answer the many questions and concerns.

Our final recommendation to the District will be based on input from the community and the consensus of the Committee. We are using many of the questions posed by the community to guide us in our research. The Committee will make the recommendation based on our four guiding principals:
• Will it bring our community together (ALA families w/SEI families)?
• Is it best for all children (both EL and EO)?
• Is it going to have a positive long term effect on both groups of children for academic success and integration?
• Is it an educational program that works for students, parents and teachers?
In other words, the responsibility of the Committee is to determine if this is a beneficial program for Willow Glen Elementary students.

Consensus building is a process that happens over time and comes with knowledge and experience; consensus does not happen at the beginning of a process, rather at the end. Once questions and concerns from teachers, parents and community members are answered, the Ad Hoc Committee is hopeful that the WGE community will be supportive of the recommendation.

We first heard about the TWBI program in January and a decision will be made in 4 weeks. This time period is too short to make a well-informed decision.

Based on the past experiences of schools that have introduced a TWBI strand, and the fact that there is already an ALA program in place at WGE, the District did not anticipate the strong feelings and issues arising in the WGE community.

Initial actions were based on processes used with other schools. The District then realized that they needed to change the process to address the questions and concerns that are unique to the WGE community.

Article 19000 of the SJTA/SJUSD contract requires that an Ad Hoc Committee be formed if a school is considering a change in their academic programs. In past similar circumstances, leadership teams were in place to fill this role. But this time, the formal committee, as defined in the contract, was implemented. The charge of the Committee is to investigate the program and make a recommendation to the District.

The initial timeline was extended to allow the formation of the Committee and additional time was allowed for the Committee to research the impact of the proposed program on WGE. The Ad Hoc Committee will submit a final recommendation in early May.

Why is this being pushed through so fast without thinking about current school atmosphere and impact on what we’ve done at WGE?

The job of the Ad Hoc Committee is to assess the impact of a potential TWBI program on WGE, including all of the educational and enrichment programs provided by teachers, staff and parents that make WGE so special and successful.

A community survey, which polled families with children who will enter kindergarten next fall, was conducted by SJUSD. The District found that there are many families who are interested in attending WGE because of the strong educational opportunities available at the school. Some of these families would also like to participate in a TWBI program if it is made available. The development of a TWBI program at WGE could be seen as an additional asset for the school, on top of the other programs, that are already being offered.

Why wasn’t the Ad Hoc Committee developed last year?

The Ad Hoc Committee was established to be compliant with Article 19000 of the San Jose teachers’ contract after the WGE staff was informed at a January 15, 2008, staff meeting that the school met the criteria of linguistic balance necessary to implement a TWBI program. Community Surveys were conducted to see if there were enough parents of incoming kindergartners interested in the program. These community survey meetings took place after a presentation to the PTA and SSC was made in January. A small group of teachers interested in exploring TWBI met with the principal a few times before the formal Ad Hoc Instructional Committee was established.

Will the TWBI program require additional space/classrooms at the school?

The WGE school facility has the ability to accommodate its existing enrollment as well as the projected enrollment as the TWBI program builds through fifth grade.

What happens when there are two TWBI classes at grades K-2 (20 to 1) and then in third grade, it goes to 30 to 1?

The school staff will have to review the enrollment at that time and come up with a reasonable plan. Most likely, it will involve combination classes, which are not new to WGE. Of course, the first year of third grade TWBI, there will not be a fourth grade class to have a combination with, so for that one year, there is a good chance that the classes will remain at 20:1. However, mobility may affect the number of students enrolled in the program – there may be a natural attrition from 40 students in kindergarten to 30 students by third grade.

Will Kindergarten be extended to full-day?

The TWBI programs at River Glen and Gardner have full-day kindergarten to allow for additional time spent on language arts. If the TWBI program is implemented at WGE, the kindergarten teachers would need to vote on whether they want an extended day for kindergarten. Per the SJTA contract, 60% of the kindergarten teachers must vote in favor of changing the length of the kindergarten day. A memorandum of understanding is then created with the teachers’ association.

Middle School

River Glen has grades K-8; what happens to our TWBI students after fifth grade?

Currently, a plan is being put into place to accommodate TWBI students from the Gardner strand at Hoover Middle School in Fall 2008.

In order to extend the proposed WGE program, the District would need to look at middle and high school attendance patterns and work with the schools that enroll WGE students. This could be a good opportunity to build strong ties between WGE and Willow Glen Middle School and Willow Glen High School. If TWBI is implemented at WGE, there would be six years to put a plan in place before the first group of bilingual fifth graders graduate from WGE.

School Culture

Will the implementation of a TWBI program change the school culture?

Students, parents, staff and others who are involved at the school are the ones who create the atmosphere on campus – and who will redefine and enhance the culture as school starts in Fall 2008, with or without the TWBI program.

How can we ensure unity with all programs?

The staff and parents at WGE have worked hard to make a variety of educational and enrichment programs available to all students – in ALA and SEI classes – such as music, art and hands-on science. The Ad Hoc Committee is responsible for considering the possible impact TWBI might have on these programs. The Committee has spent time observing programs at both Gardner and River Glen and feels that it is important maintain consistent programs – both academic and enrichment – across grade levels, so that the same opportunities are available to both EL and EO students.

Spanish as a Second Language (SSL) Opportunities

Will the students in the English Only classrooms have opportunities to learn Spanish?

In the past, we have offered Spanish as an after school program. This and other options can be explored.

Will the school lose climate that has been built?

The TWBI program will allow for EL students to be integrated with EO students, which can develop and strengthen relationships among students and their families (see question on school culture, above.)

Here is an example of an elementary school that has successfully implemented a TWBI program. Click on the “Program” button at the top, and then “Dual Language Program” for more information.

http://powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/pusdves/

Resources

How will funds be allocated? Will the school need to spend more money to support instruction in a second language?

The Ad Hoc Committee is currently researching the long-term financial impact of the program. Some additional costs would be incurred, including:
• training for teachers (all grade level-teachers, not just the TWBI teachers)
• additional instructional materials in Spanish for the TWBI classrooms (the school already has 20 sets of all materials for the current ALA classes)
• books, videos and other materials in Spanish for the library/media center
The Ad Hoc Committee will include this fiscal information as part of the final recommendation.

A meeting to discuss District support of this program, including financial support and other resources, is scheduled for Friday, April 25, after the Flag Salute ceremony in the courtyard.

Program Questions

Can the program start as a K/1?

The initial year and the kindergarten curriculum are too important – and beginning in first grade is simply not an option.

If the TWBI program is not implemented, does the ALA program stay?

Yes. SJUSD falls under a desegregation program that requires schools offer a Spanish language program.

If TWBI is implemented, it will gradually replace the ALA program. So, if TWBI begins in the fall, there will be no ALA in kindergarten, but ALA will still be available in grades 1-5. As TWBI moves on into first grade, there will be no ALA in first grade, etc.

Is enrollment in the ALA program diminishing?

No, although the overall WGE EL population has decreased somewhat, the school continues to have, on average, approximately 30 EL students enroll in kindergarten each year. Below is a chart that shows historic EL enrollment at WGE for the entire school.

The chart below illustrates the WGE kindergarten enrollment from 2000-2007.

What will parent participation be like for the TWBI program?

If implemented, families who enroll in the TWBI program would attend an orientation to learn about the specialized language instruction that will take place in the classroom. At this time, parents will also learn about the ways they can participate in the classroom.

Current docent programs will continue in all classes. As in the past, parent docents will work with the teacher to schedule lessons at a time that is convenient for the classroom schedule. Depending on the language spoken by the parent docent, these lesson will be part of the Spanish or English portion of the day. By working closely together, the teacher and docent can make sure that language and vocabulary used during the lesson reinforce what is being taught in class.

There are many other ways that parents can help their teachers. Most teachers let parents know their preferences at Back to School Night in the Fall, or through a classroom newsletter or flier. This is on a case-by-case basis as each teacher will have different needs.

A meeting to discuss the TWBI impact on WGE’s volunteer docent programs is scheduled for Wednesday, April 23, at the Principal’s Coffee.

What happens to existing teachers who do not qualify to teach in a TWBI classroom?

There are 10 BCLAD (certified to teach in Spanish) teachers at WGE already. Many of these teachers may express interest in teaching a TWBI class. If, however, there is an open position for a teacher in a TWBI classroom, then WGE would advertise and conduct interviews for the job.

If implemented, the TWBI program would start with kindergarten in Fall 2008, requiring two BCLAD teachers. As the program expands each year through grade 5, additional TWBI teachers will be required, and there will be fewer English Only classrooms. This implementation will happen slowly, over a six-year period. There may also be some natural movement among teachers who retire or decide to change schools or grade levels.

QUESTIONS POSTED PREVIOUSLY:

1. Why WGE?

Due to the popularity and success of the District’s Two Way Bilingual Programs, the District conducted a feasibility study last year to identify which elementary sites have the demographics and linguistic balance among Spanish speaking and English speaking kindergarten students to begin a program. Willow Glen was one of the sites that met this criteria having at least 20-30 Spanish-speaking English Learners at kindergarten every year and approximately 72 English-speaking students.

There has been parent interest in TWBI from the Willow Glen school community.
The largest numbers of students attending River Glen for the TWBI program are from the WGE boundary indicating that there are WGE parents interested in the program for their children.

2. How are Two Way Bilingual Immersion Programs started?

School districts survey the community to ensure there is enough interest in the program. You begin the program with a minimum of two kindergarten classes. Each class is made up of 50% Native English speakers and 50% Native Spanish speakers. Participating students’ parents make a 6-year commitment to the program understanding it takes 5-7 years to acquire a second language at a high level of academic literacy. Families choose the program. The parents of English Learner students must request the program as well.

3. Will our test scores go down if students are spending so much time in Spanish in the primary grades?

The data for Two Bilingual Immersion (Collier & Thomas, Lindholm and others) programs show excellent results for all students participating in these programs. Research shows that English Only students acquire grade level proficiency by grade 5. SJUSD data shows that both English Only and English Learner students at River Glen have excellent test scores at grade 3 and higher.  The use of Spanish does not hinder academic language development and in fact, supports the cognitive development that accelerates English Language mastery and academic achievement.

Schools go into Program Improvement when their English Learner and Socioeconomic Disadvantaged students do not meet State targets on the California Standards Test. English Learner students can benefit greatly from more interaction with their native English speaking peers accelerating their English language development.

4. Will this program create more segregation among the programs? How do we avoid divisiveness between the English Only strand and the TWBI strand in the school?

There are 201 self-reported TWBI programs in California. Most of these programs are strands in a school. The school climate at these schools value diversity and bilingualism as an asset. Because two groups of language learners are involved in language study, it allows for cross-cultural and understanding and a deep appreciation of each other’s backgrounds.

It is strongly encouraged that teachers from both English Only and Two Way Bilingual Immersion classrooms plan and work together to avoid isolation and segregation.

5. How will this program be funded? Will it dilute resources the school already has?

The textbooks and instructional materials used in TWBI are the same as for the ALA and English Only program. ALA and TWBI classrooms use the same Spanish language materials. The District will provide any additional textbooks or materials (for second classroom in Kinder).  The school receives State and Federal funds for English Learners, which will continue to support EL students in both the TWBI and English Only classrooms.

6. How will the Docent program address the TWBI program?

The Docent program is a wonderful way to enhance the TWBI program.  Because part of the students’ instructional day is in English, the parent Docents can teach lessons during the English portion of the day. This is a great way to have students access to such an enriched program using a hands-on approach to learning, which is the best way to learn a second language!

7. What happens if the school does not get enough students for the TWBI program? Will students be allowed to come in from other sites?

The proposed TWBI program is for WGE neighborhood students. Demographic data shows that that the number of Spanish speaking students has been constant for the past 7 years. There does not appear to be a problem with English-speaking student enrollment at this time. WGE already has the students it needs to implement a program.

8. Who makes the decision?

The TWBI program already exists in SJUSD and schools choosing to implement the program will submit a recommendation and be reviewed. An Ad Hoc Instructional Committee will study the idea and make a recommendation to the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction. The Superintendent and the Assistant Superintendent make all educational decisions affecting instructional program and prepare a briefing to the Board of Education.

9. By starting with two Kinder classes, will this eventually lead to combos in the upper grades?

It would be optimal to begin with three kinder classes in TWBI to avoid combination classes in the upper grades. With two TWBI classes moving from second to third grade, district funding may be used to offset the costs of a teacher in order to avoid a combo.  Spanish speaking EL students who enroll at WGE can go into the TWBI program if their parents request the program and meet the set criteria for late enrollment.

A combo class with TWBI and English Only students would never be created.
Combo classes are always a possibility in any program as a result of the enrollment at each grade level.

10. Does the program require an Extended Day Kinder?

Extended Day Kindergarten offers students more time for language practice and enrichment. The Extended Day Kinder would need to be voted upon by the kinder teachers and would require a Memorandum of Understanding with the Teachers’ Association.