What is the purpose of bilingual education ?
The purpose of the Bilingual Education Program is to :
 Help students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP)
master the state curriculum; and
 Teach English to all participating students.
Who does the Bilingual Education
Program serve?
 Bilingual Education Programs serve students who have
a language other than English in their homes and need
help in learning English.
 English speaking students may also participate in
Bilingual Education Programs to become proficient in
two languages.
How will the Bilingual Education
Program help my child?
The Bilingual Education Program:
 Provides access to the state curriculum;
 Teaches English to LEP students using appropriate
researched-based methods;
 Helps build knowledge and learning of academic
subjects in the first language and English; and
 Instills self-assurance, confidence and cultural pride in
students.
Will my child be taught the same subjects and
learn the same skills as students in the regular
program ?
 All students in bilingual education must receive
instruction in the Texas Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
in their native language and English.
 Language arts, reading, mathematics, science and
social studies are taught as part of the state mandated
curriculum.
 Music, physical education, health and art are also part
of a balanced curriculum.
Will my child learn English?
 The mastery of listening, speaking, reading and
writing skills in English is required in the program.
 English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction is an
integral part of the Bilingual Education Program.
 Academic instruction begins in the student’s first
language and transitions into English.
Who is responsible for teaching in a
Bilingual Education Program ?
Teachers must be specially trained to teach in a
Bilingual Education Programs and meet the special
language needs of their students.
What is the Laredo Independent
School District’s Bilingual
Program Model?
 Transitional Bilingual Early Exit
Program Model.
Definition
 The Transitional Bilingual Early Exit Program model is
a full-time program of transitional instruction. The
amount of instruction in each language (primary and
secondary) shall be appropriately designated based on
student’s language proficiency and academic potential
in both languages. Instruction in the first language is
phased out and most students are mainstreamed into
English by grade 1 and exited from the Bilingual
Program by grade 3. The goal of this model is
English proficiency.
Program Features
The Transitional Bilingual Early Exit Program
will follow “Program Features for All Bilingual
Programs” as written by the Texas Education
Agency (TEA) based on state mandates and State
Board of Education rule:
1. Pre-literacy skills and reading will be taught in
Spanish for students who are identified as LEP and
dominant in Spanish ;
2. Initial concept development for Spanish dominant
LEP students will be in the primary language until
the student reaches an English proficiency level of 4
or 5 as specified in the Oral Language Proficiency
Tests ( Pre- LAS 2000, & LAS Links);
3. Spanish language instruction for the Spanish
dominant students will continue as long as the
students remain in the Transitional Bilingual Early
Exit Program and until criteria is met to transfer them
into English. This will be achieved by providing high
levels of language development in the primary
language and in English as a Second Language.
Program Features (continuation)
4.The program maintains strict separation of the
language of instruction throughout specified
content area blocks;
5. ESL instruction MUST occur daily.
English instruction gradually increases as the students’
proficiency in English develops;
6. Daily comprehensible content area instruction in English
is taught using concepts and skills drawn from content
already taught that in Spanish;
7.Content area instruction and the language of
instruction for each content area are noted in the
teacher’s lesson plan;
8. Assessment is administered in the primary language
and/or the second language as specified by the
Language Proficiency Assessment Committee
(LPAC);
9. The classroom environment is language and content
rich and reflects a bilingual setting. There is evidence of
English and Spanish in the following: state adopted
instructional materials, instructional bulletin boards,
center labels, center materials and equipment, student
products, posted classroom and school rules, and
written communications to parents; and
10. Strong parental support and involvement are
essential to reinforce children’s native and English
language development and communicate high
expectations about academic achievement.
Laredo Independent School District
Elementary Transitional Early Exit Model Time Allocations
Percentage of Language Instruction
BEGINNER
INTERMEDIATE
ADV.
HIGH
ADV.
10%
20%
25%
80%
90%
65%
35%
40%
60%
35%
65%
90%
100%
80%
75%
20%
10%
Primary Language
English
*89.1210(b) The amount of instruction in each language within the Bilingual Education Program shall be commensurate
with the students' level of proficiency in each language and their level of academic achievement. The
students' level of language proficiency and academic achievement shall be designated by the Language
Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC).
The teacher must adjust instruction as students' language profiency progresses in the second language.
*The English Language Proficiency Standards ELPS)outline English language proficiency level descriptors and student expectations for LEP/ English
Language Learners (ELLs) in Kindergarten-Grade 12. The ELPS are cross-curricular and shall be implemented as an integral part of
each subject in the required curriculum. ELPS implementation also increases commensurate to the student's proficiency levels.
Questions
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