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Dual Language Immersion

RDLS student

Overview

Dual language immersion is not the same as a Spanish immersion program, where all instruction is delivered solely in Spanish. Our Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program provides both native English speakers and native Spanish speakers with academic instruction in two languages from pre-kindergarten through graduation.

The DLI program starts in elementary school at Richfield Dual Language School (RDLS) and continues through Richfield Middle School and Richfield High School. It is also possible for students who did not start at RDLS or another Spanish immersion school to enroll in our DLI program at a later grade. They will need to take an assessment to show their Spanish reading and writing skills, and if they pass, they will be added to DLI. Many students do this every year and some of them have never attended school in Spanish before.

Benefits of Dual Language Immersion

DLI programs foster enhanced awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity.
Students learn both languages simultaneously from one another, both socially and academically.

In the News

Dual-Language Immersion Programs Boost Student Success (National Education Association, 11/2018)
Dual-Language Immersion Programs Raise Student Achievement in English (Rand Corporation Research Brief, 2017)
Dual Language Immersion Will Change Achievement in American Public Schools (American Councils for International Education, July 2017)

Elementary School

Dual Language Immersion at Richfield Dual Language School (RDLS)

We offer a dual-language Spanish program for students in pre-kindergarten through grade 5.
Students become bilingual and bicultural while mastering both Spanish and English.
We use research-based best practices to teach languages at a high level while delivering academic content.
Spanish is spoken 90% of the instructional day in pre-k, kindergarten and first-grade classrooms.
Our highly-qualified and fully bilingual staff have diverse cultural and language backgrounds.
No previous background in Spanish or English is required upon a student’s enrollment.

Middle School

Dual Language Immersion at Richfield Middle School

Students take two classes per day taught in Spanish: Social Studies and Spanish Language Arts. The remaining five classes per day are taught in English.
The DLI social studies course meets all of the state standards and mirrors the RMS social studies requirements.
All 6th-grade students study Minnesota history.
All 7th-grade students study U.S. history.
All 8th-grade students study world geography.
The DLI Language Arts course pushes students to analyze multiple genres of text through reading, discussions and higher-level writing prompts. A strong focus is placed on the production of Spanish both in speaking and writing to maintain skills gained at Richfield Dual Language School and propel students forward.
DLI fosters a strong and safe learning community where students feel comfortable using their Spanish skills in discussions each day. Students display heightened critical thinking skills, resourcefulness and an excitement for learning.
DLI students have access to all other programs and activities available at RMS, like Gifted & Talented, art, band, music, physical education, technology, etc.
DLI language arts courses at the middle school and high school are aligned with the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) standards. The high school course is also aligned with Minnesota state standards for English Language Arts.

High School

Dual Language Immersion at Richfield High School

DLI students in grades 9 and 10 take Spanish Language Arts and at least one other course in Spanish as part of the DLI program. Additional course offerings in Spanish are available in social studies and math for students in grades 9 and 10.
Students receive honors-level credit for courses taken in Spanish. These courses are all rigorous academic courses that build upon students’ Spanish literacy skills gained at Richfield Middle School and earn credit toward graduation.
Spanish Language Arts for grades 9 and 10 are aligned to the Minnesota state standards for English Language Arts, meaning students receive ELA credit towards graduation for taking these courses. However, if a student chooses to take English Language Arts as well, the Spanish Language Arts classes count as a world language elective credit.
Students in grade 11 are required to take AP Spanish Language and Culture to remain in the DLI program but are highly encouraged to take more than one.
Also in grade 11, students will take the AP Spanish Language and Culture assessment for an opportunity to earn a Seal of Biliteracy for their diploma.
There are no requirements for DLI in grade 12. However, students are highly encouraged to take AP Spanish Literature, especially if they are considering continuing studies in Spanish at the university level.
DLI language arts courses at the middle school and high school are aligned with the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) standards. The high school course is also aligned with Minnesota state standards for English Language Arts.
Students in DLI have special opportunities to attend field trips locally and go on trips abroad, as well as hosting international students.

DLI Course Changes for Grades 9-12 (starting in 2022-23)

Things to Know
Pathway Changes

Things to Know

Things to Know

Students will now need to take both English Language Arts and Spanish Language Arts. In the past, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) allowed our Spanish Language Arts class to count for English Language Arts credit if we aligned our courses to the standards. With changes at the state level, MDE has removed this as an option. Because students must earn four years of English Language Arts credit, students will now have to take both courses. We will adapt the Spanish Language Arts curriculum at the high school level to focus more on language production by aligning to the American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages standards. These are national standards that teachers utilize for supporting students in learning additional languages.
We removed the Spanish math courses from RHS because Spanish math is not currently at the middle school and we want courses that are vertically aligned from sixth grade through 12th grade to help build on academic language skills. Additionally, we want to focus on strengthening our current 6-12 Spanish Language Arts and Social Studies offerings.
The Spanish World History course is no longer designated as an AP Spanish World History course because AP World History has a very aggressive scope and sequence in terms of content, which makes it difficult to embed academic language skills into the curriculum. We want the focus of Spanish World History to be both on mastering the state standards in this course as well as continuing to develop students’ biliteracy. The course will cover much of what is on the AP exam, and students can still take the AP test at the end of the year. The instructor will designate which standards/content will need independent study to be successful on the exam.
We removed Spanish Language Arts 10 and replaced it with AP Spanish and Language. Our data shows that the content in the AP Spanish and Language course is more appropriate for earlier grades to better match students’ language development and proficiency.
We added the course History and Culture of Spain and Latin America. This course will give students a foundation to be successful in the AP Spanish Literature course.

Pathway Changes

	Current DLI Pathway (2021-22)	New DLI Pathway (2022-23 and Beyond)
Sixth Grade	Spanish Language Arts 6 Spanish Social Studies	Spanish Language Arts 6 Spanish Social Studies
Seventh Grade	Spanish Language Arts 7 Spanish Social Studies	Spanish Language Arts 7 Spanish Social Studies
Eighth Grade	Spanish Language Arts 8 Spanish Social Studies	Spanish Language Arts 8 Spanish Social Studies
Ninth Grade	Spanish Language Arts 9 Spanish Math	Spanish Language Arts 9 Spanish AP Human Geography
10th Grade	Spanish Language Arts 10 Spanish Math AP Spanish World History	AP Spanish Language and Culture Spanish World History
11th Grade	AP Spanish Language	AP Spanish Language and Culture (2022-23 only) History and Culture of Spain and Latin America (beginning 2023-24)
12th Grade	AP Spanish Literature	AP Spanish Literature

Dual Language Immersion in Richfield Public Schools

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