Our Mission:

 

In partnership with the parents and community, students in the Wapato School District Dual Language Program will attain high levels of academic achievement, while becoming bilingual, biliterate and multicultural lifelong learners with skills that allow them to compete in a global economy.

When and Where

The District is excited about the continuation of it Dual Language Program in the 2024-2025 school year.  The District will be offering the program at the Transitional Kindergarten (TK), Kindergarten and 1st Grade levels in the 2024-2025 school year.  If you reference the graph below you will see how the District plans to roll the Dual Language Program up through the grade levels over the next several years.

School Year	Grade Levels
2023-24	TK and Kindergarten
2024-25	1st Grade
2025-26	2nd Grade
2026-27	3rd Grade
2027-28	4th Grade
2028-29	5th Grade
2029-30	Middle School

 

Who Can Participate

 

The Spanish Dual Language program is a choice program for both English and Spanish speakers which is open to Wapato students based on their Home Language Survey. There will be equal numbers of Spanish only speakers, speakers of both languages, and English only speakers. While Spanish only speakers and speakers of both languages will have priority, English only speakers will be selected through a lottery. This will apply to students in TK, Kindergarten, and First grade. Students in higher grades will be accepted into the program based on their individual Spanish levels. 

Teaching

The Spanish Dual Language program has bilingual staff dedicated to the success of our students. Dual Language Learners experience instruction in TK, Kindergarten and 1st in a 90/10 model where 90% other their instruction is in Spanish and 10% is in English. Each year, more instruction is English is added until a 50:50 balance is reached by 5th grade. This model helps immerse English speaking students in Spanish. The early focus will be on oral language, listening and speaking in Spanish and English. Students will first learn to read in Spanish. By 2nd grade they will be learning to read in English (see graph below). Students in this model have been shown by research to exceed their peers in academic achievement.

Wapato Spanish Dual Language Program 90/10 Model
Grade	Spanish Time	Spanish Content	English Time	English Content
TK & Kindergarten	90%	Spanish literacy, oral language, science/social studies, math, SEL	10%	Listening to English stories read aloud, oral language development, phonemic awareness, specialists
1st Grade	90%	Spanish literacy, oral language, science/social studies, math, SEL	10%	Increased amount of English literacy instruction, specialists
2nd  Grade	80%	Spanish literacy, oral language, science/social studies, math, SEL	20%	Reading, writing, English literacy instructions, specialists
3rd Grade	70%	Spanish literacy, oral language, science/social studies, math, SEL	30%	Reading, writing, English literacy instructions, math, specialists
4th Grade	60%	Spanish literacy, oral language, science/social studies, math, SEL	40%	Reading, writing, English literacy instructions, math, specialists
5th Grade	50%	Spanish literacy, oral language, science/social studies, math, SEL	50%	Reading, writing, English literacy instructions, math, specialists

 

Family Commitment

The Dual Language Program is a long-term commitment.  Research shows it takes 5-7 years to become fluent in another language.  Students should continue to enroll in the program in order to achieve the academic, bilingual and biliteracy success.  Parents are expected to attend an informational meeting prior to their child’s acceptance into the program.  Parents are also invited to serve on the Dual Language Advisory Board to provide input for program decisions.

 

Seal of Biliteracy:

Students who have continued in the program and successfully completed the requirements will graduate from Wapato High School with a Seal of Biliteracy on their diploma. Earning this achievement opens doors for future careers and educational opportunities.

 

Enrollment:

Wapato families interested in enrolling their Transitional Kindergarten (TK) or Kindergarten student in the District’s Dual Language Program are REQUIRED to attend one of our Dual Language Information Meetings.  Click here for the meeting schedule: REQUIRED DUAL LANGUAGE PARENT MEETING

 

If you have questions contact:

Marilyn Bergevin, Special Programs Director 509877-4181 ext. 4311 or email [email protected]