Spotlight Program

Paseo Pointe School — Dual Language Immersion

Paseo Pointe School offers a dual language immersion program in Spanish.

The program was originally offered to students in kindergarten and first grade beginning in the 2016-2017 school year. The program will add a grade each year, so it will eventually be available K-8. In 2021-22 DLI will be provided to all students in Grades Preschool – 4th.

What is Dual Language Immersion?

Dual Language Immersion means that students will receive instruction in two languages. Paseo follows a 50/50 model in which participating students spend half of their day in a classroom where teaching and learning are done in English, while the other half of the day is done in Spanish. Research shows students who develop two or more languages have certain cognitive advantages. They do as well or better than their peers in English-only programs.

What are the benefits of Dual Language Immersion?

The program prepares students for success in the global community by promoting:
• Bilingualism – proficiency in speaking two languages
• Biliteracy – proficiency in reading and writing in two languages
• Biculturalism – understanding of and appreciation for diverse cultural values and customs
• Cognitive flexibility – enhanced attention control, memory, and problem solving skills
• Students develop oral, reading, and writing proficiency in two languages.
• Students typically meet or exceed the academic performance of students in monolingual English classrooms.
• Students are better prepared to engage in a global society that values cultural and linguistic diversity.

Is my child required to participate in Dual Language Immersion?

For the 2021-2022 school year all students enrolled in Grades Preschool – 4th at Paseo Pointe will participate in the DLI program. As the program adds a grade each year, it will eventually be required in all grade levels.