-
Is Dual Language Right for Us?
Research on the benefits of the dual language program shows that all students benefit!
Scholars such as Thomas & Collier, Beeman & Urow, and others, have published the benefits of dual language programs across race, language, and socio-economic categories. Here are some of the benefits, as cited on the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction website.
- Higher academic performance compared to students in non-dual language programs- Greater mental flexibility and creativity
- Positive cross-cultural attitudes
- Potential to receive the Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript upon graduation of high school
- Enhanced career opportunities later in life
-
Meet Alec
A CHHS graduate, and Spanish Dual Language alumni, Alec is a student at London School of Economics and Political Science and is majoring in International Relations and History."Learning Spanish early gave me access to the invaluable experiences of immersive travel and integration into communities vastly different from my own. Thanks to Dual Language, learning languages has become a passion of mine.”
-
Applications
Applications for the 2023-2024 academic year will be accepted from February 15, 2023 until 5:00 p.m. on April 15, 2023.
The application process for the dual language program is part of the general enrollment process for the school district. General enrollment begins online and includes a section that is dedicated to dual language. Please ensure that this section is complete and accurate. Families will then need to visit the district’s enrollment office to submit the required paperwork. Please click here for enrollment instructions.
All interested families, including those with preference (see below), should ensure that their enrollment in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is complete by the 5:00 p.m. on April 15, 2023. Applications received after this time will not be entered in the lottery and will be placed on the waiting list in chronological order.
The kindergarten lottery will be held on May 16, 2023 and notifications will be made by the Office of Student Enrollment beginning the week of May 23, 2023.
Preference
There are two kinds of “preference”-- sibling preference and Pre-K preference. Preference only applies for rising kindergarten lottery applicants.
- Sibling preference: Rising kindergarten students who apply have preference if they have an older sibling in the K-5 program during the upcoming school year.
- Pre-K Preference: Rising Kindergarten students who apply to the Spanish program will have preference if they are currently in the CHCCS PreK Spanish Dual Language program.
Preference seats are guaranteed insofar as we have space. If preference applications exceed the available space, a lottery will determine placement among applicants with preference. Preference will only be considered for students who apply during the dual language lottery application window.
Notification
All kindergarten lottery applicants will receive notification by email, of acceptance or waitlist status. As seats become available, parents will be contacted by the office of the Dual Language Coordinator to determine if they are still interested in placement. Parents have two weeks from the date of notification to confirm acceptance. After that period, the applicant will remain on the waitlist, and the next student on the waitlist will be contacted.
Placement
Students accepted in the CHCCS Spanish Dual Language program will be placed at either Carrboro Elementary or FPG Dual Language Magnet School, depending on their place of residence. Families who would like to know their school assignment may enter their address in the interactive student assignment map on the enrollment department’s website.
Transportation
Applicant transportation preferences are submitted to the transportation department, who sets bus routes. Bus routes cannot be changed during the school year. Applicants who enter the program later should work with the transportation department on a potential transportation plan. Transportation is not guaranteed after routes are set.
-
Applications
First grade students who are new to the district should complete a general enrollment form, available at the district office or online at the district’s Enrollment page. Parents should ensure that the dual language section of the registration is accurate and complete. Current CHCCS first grade students may also apply, using the application form.
Applications for first grade are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Once applications are processed, students are placed in the program, depending on the number of seats available. The remaining students will be placed on the waitlist. As seats become available, parents will be contacted by the office of the CHCCS Dual Language Coordinator to determine if they are still interested in placement. Parents have one week from the date of notification to confirm acceptance. After that period, the applicant will remain on the waitlist, and the family of the next student on the waitlist will be contacted.
Transportation
Applicant transportation preferences are submitted to the transportation department, who sets bus routes. Bus routes cannot be changed during the school year. Applicants who enter the program later in the year should work with the transportation department on a potential transportation plan. Transportation is not guaranteed after routes are set.
-
Applications
Applications for second grade through eight grade are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants should use the English or Spanish application form.
Students entering the CHCCS Dual Language program in grades two through eight are typically native speakers of the partner language. Native English speakers may also apply, provided that they have academic background in the language in a similar program or have studied in a country in which the target language is the language of instruction.
Applicants for grades two through eight must take a language/literacy assessment to qualify for placement. The assessment evaluates speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills to determine whether students have sufficient language skills to access Science, Math, or Social Studies content taught in the target language. Once general enrollment is completed, the dual language office coordinates the scheduling of assessments. Assessments are only administered to students who are enrolled with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools at the time of the assessment. Following the assessment, parents will be notified of the assessment results by the office of the dual language coordinator.
Students who qualify are placed in the program. Should there be more qualified applicants than seats, the remaining qualified students will be placed on the waitlist, and will receive a notification letter, which includes information about waitlist status. As seats become available, parents will be contacted by the office of the CHCCS Dual Language coordinator to determine if they are still interested in placement. Parents have one week from the date of notification to confirm acceptance. After that period, the applicant will remain on the waitlist, and the family of the next student on the waitlist will be contacted.
Transportation
Applicant transportation preferences are submitted to the transportation department, who sets bus routes. Bus routes cannot be changed during the school year. Applicants who enter the program later in the year should work with the transportation department on a potential transportation plan. Transportation is not guaranteed after routes are set.
-
The CHCCS Spanish-English Dual Language program has varying program models. In one model, the instructional day is organized with at least half of the instructional time in Spanish. This is called the 50-50 model and is implemented at Carrboro Elementary School and Frank Porter Graham Bilingüe. At Frank Porter Graham Bilingüe, there are also immersion classrooms. Immersion classrooms have most of the instructional day in Spanish and are currently offered from Kindergarten through second grade.
Language Allocation
In our Spanish program, students in grades K-2 study social studies and ,ath in Spanish. Other subjects, including science are taught in English. Students in grades 3-5 study science in Spanish and other subjects in English. In the immersion classes at Frank Porter Graham Bilingüe, math, social studies, and science are taught in Spanish in kindergarten through grade 2. Literacy is taught in both languages.
Instructional Design
The dual language program in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools implements research-based and evidence-based approaches in instructional design that help students to learn and grow in content knowledge and skills as well as Literacy and Language proficiency.
Instructional Standards
As in all CHCCS classrooms, our curriculum is based on the Common Core State Standards for language arts and math and the North Carolina Essential State Standards for social studies, science, and electives. Content and literacy are integrated in each unit of instruction. All instructional units include standards, transfer goals, enduring understandings, essential questions, as well as details about what students will be able to know and do by the end of the unit.Instructional Practices
Lessons in both languages are organized into arcs that last several days. Arcs integrate content and literacy skills and are designed to build students’ oracy and background knowledge, reading comprehension skills, writing skills, and word study. Each lesson includes high-yield strategies, including higher order thinking skills, summarizing, vocabulary instruction, advance organizers, and non-verbal representations.
The Bridge & Language Transfer
Each unit includes a bridge, which takes place close to the end of the unit. The bridge is the instructional space in which the teacher explicitly engages students in comparing and contrasting both languages to help deepen their understanding and provide an opportunity to transfer their new knowledge and skills from one language to the other.Assessment
All instructional units include assignments, quizzes, tests, as well as other kinds of assessments. Many units also include performance tasks that require real-world application of concepts and skills taught. Assessments are normally in the language of instruction (Spanish, Mandarin, or English), with some exception for End of Grade tests and other tests sent by the Department of Public Instruction. Standards-based student report cards reflect student learning and progress in both languages.
