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Dual language programs develop second language skills, cognitive skills, and help students improve their performance on standardized tests. As an administrator these are the skills you want your student to have. It will help improve test scores which will increase funding for your school. According to the article Benefits of Bilingualism and Dual Language Immersion Programs by Georgia State University there are also higher-attendance rates and lower drop-out rates at dual language schools. Both Wheeling and Elgin have successful dual language programs that we can use for support with our program. Our program receives professional development support from Illinois State University and Georgia State University.

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We plan to implement a total immersion program for our students. We believe in a progressive schooling system and will continue to adapt our school-wide curriculum to meet what is considered “best practice” at the time. We plan to implement the total immersion program in the fall of 2020. The Kindergarteners of that year will be our first class and we will continue to add the program to the higher-grade levels as needed. Our main objectives for this program are to have into flow over into the middle schools and high schools in the district so that the students can continue with the dual language program once they leave Excel. In addition we would like to bring a variety of cultures into our community using this program

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Based on research done by Sonia Soltero found in her textbook Dual Language Education the best program model for us to implement is a total immersion program because it has been shown to be the most effective. Soltero writes “ total immersion models are more effective in developing higher levels of LOTE proficiency and cross-cultural competencies” This model also encourages students to learn from each other. Language allocation will start off as a 90-10 and work its way towards a 50-50 by the fourth grade.

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Are program will be implemented in a self-contained classroom. This is the most cost effective method. There will be one bilingual teacher in each classroom that teaches both Spanish and English.

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At Excel, parent and teacher communication is a priority. We encourage teachers and parents to have open and honest communication about the program and how it is working for the students. The teachers will be expected to have weekly communication with parents in the form of e-mails, newsletters, phone calls, or however the teacher chooses. There will be a parent-student club where the parents of the dual language students have the choice to go to a monthly meeting and receive information about the program and their students' progress. We also encourage parents to take opportunities to volunteer with the program and the community, it is always helpful when a parent volunteers to be a classroom aid.

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About 50% of the students in our program speak English as their native language and the other 50% speak Spanish as their native language.
Our school community has a low mobility rate. This is important to know so that we can ensure that the program will have enough students throughout its entirety.

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Our school will bring in a NABE (National Association for Bilingual Education) consultant to give specific training on program development, implementation, and evaluation. We will also encourage staff to attend and optional on-site training with the NABE professional development program. This program includes culturally relevant learning and instruction, bi-literacy transfers, content journals, reading and writing across the curriculum, and cooperative learning. To continue professional growth our school will implement annual NABE workshops.
We will recruit qualified teachers by reaching out to veteran teachers around the area who have experience with bilingual education. We will encourage teachers to apply for our program through advertising “ a new and exciting opportunity to help create the culture of the school.” We will also go to universities and hire teaching students who are about to graduate who also have experience with English Language Learners.
We will also make sure to modify our program as needed, keeping up with the current "best practice" for dual language programs.
As administrators we should look into funding to help purchase instructional materials in both languages. Administrators should also participate in professional development and do their best to be involved with and engaged in the program as much as possible
Our staff can support each other in many ways. Dual language instructors can work with mono-lingual instructors to teach them the most effective ways to work with dual language and ESL students. In addition librarians can find resources to help in the classroom.

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At Excel Elementary School, students will learn in both English and Spanish.
During their first year, as kindergarteners, students will experience a 90-10 immersion. This means 90% of their instruction will be done in Spanish and 10% will be done in English. The students will be instructed in English during their English Language Arts lessons and the rest of the time they will be instructed in Spanish. In first grade the immersion program will be changed to an 80-20 program, 80% of instruction will be in Spanish and 20% of instruction will be in English. Mathematics will be instructed in English in addition to English Language Arts, the rest of the lessons will be taught in Spanish. In second grade students instruction in English will be 30%, and Spanish will be 70%.
Curriculum planning will be done across grade-levels and with grade-level teams. During the first three years of implementation teachers will be required to have bi-weekly meetings with their grade-level teams. After the third year this will be reduced to a weekly meeting.
Instructional materials will be available in both languages for teacher and student use.
Extra-curricular activities will be encouraged throughout the school. Teachers will be encouraged to sponsor after school activities.

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We will use multiple standards and assessments to track out students' progress.
We will use the common core state standards, the content standards (science, social studies, art/PE), the next generation science standards, and the Illinois social science standards.
We will use informal assessments through a unit to check for understanding. After each unit we will implement a formal assessment to gain an understanding of the students' understanding of the material and decide if we should go over some of the material again or move on.
In terms of standardized assessments, the ACCESS test will be given to the students to show their ELL Progression. The PARCC test will be given to all students to determine their academic content abilities. Finally, The LAS-O (Language Assessment Scales- Oral) and the LAS-R/W (Language Assessment Scales- Reading and Writing) will be given to assess the students’ Spanish abilities. This test was created by McGraw Hill.
At the end of each year we will assess our program. We will identify what worked and what didn't work and modify our program and curriculum based on our reflection.

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NABE Dual Language Professional Development. (n.d.). About the Professional Development Program. Retrieved March 6, 2019, from http://nabe-duallanguagepd.com/about-the-professional-development-program.html

Sugarman, J., Arteagoitia, I., Coburn, C., Galagher, C., Montee, M., & Schissel, J. (n.d.). Spanish-Language Assessments for Dual Language Programs. Retrieved March 11, 2019, from http://www.cal.org/twi/assessment.htm

CONTACT CCSD21. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ccsd21.org/curriculum-learning/dual-language/

Language allocation by grade level. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.u-46.org/domain/5417

Georgia State University. (n.d.). Benefits of Bilingualism and Dual Language Immersion Programs. Retrieved March 6, 2019, from https://cultr.gsu.edu/benefits-of-bilingualism/

Anonymous. (2015, November 10). Common Core and ELLs: Planning Professional Development About Academic Language (Part 2). Retrieved March 6, 2019, from http://www.colorincolorado.org/blog/common-core-and-ells-planning-professional-development-about-academic-language-part-2

Soltero’s (2016) textbook, Dual Language Education Program Design and Implementation