Robbinsdale Area Schools has been a pioneer in
offering language immersion learning opportunities to students for over 30
years. Our district was the second
district in Minnesota to offer the opportunity for students to be immersed in a second language. Since welcoming our first immersion kindergarten class in
1986, Robbinsdale has remained a leader in language immersion education
offering students a comprehensive program to support students' academic and
language development from Kindergarten through grade 12. In our programs, students learn the same
rigorous Robbinsdale Area Schools curriculum while gaining advanced levels of
proficiency in both Spanish and English.
Program Goals:
The goals for all students in our Spanish Dual
Language Immersion programs are:
1.
To become
bilingual and biliterate: Have the
ability to read, write, listen and speak at high levels in both Spanish and
English.
2.
To achieve at or
above grade level in all academic areas.
3.
To be bicultural
and culturally competent demonstrating positive cross-cultural attitudes and
behaviors.
Program Structure:
Elementary
Students in Robbinsdale
Dual Language Immersion programs begin receiving 90% of their instruction in
Spanish and 10% in English and are taught by qualified bilingual teachers. As
the program progresses students receive progressively more instruction in
English as they approach 5th grade. The programs include native speakers of
English, Spanish, and many other languages.
Research has proven this model to be the most effective for long-term
language and academic development.
Middle School
In middle school students receive 3 of
7 academic courses in Spanish (Spanish Language Arts, Social Studies and
Science)
High School
In high school students prepare to
take advanced coursework in Spanish and are prepared to take AP and IB exams
that can earn university credit as well as the Minnesota State Seal ofBiliteracy.
Spanish Dual Language Immersion Program Options
Robbinsdale Area Schools offers a variety of program options to meet the needs and interests of students across the district.
One-Way Spanish Immersion Magnet
Program:
- Open to all students via application and lottery at RobbinsdaleSpanish Immersion Elementary
- School-wide program
- Focus on acquisition of Spanish as a second language
- All students receive transportation
Two-Way Spanish Dual Language
Focus Program:
- Open to students at Northport Elementary
- Families complete a program preference form and will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis
- Classrooms balanced between native speakers of English and native Speakers of Spanish
o Students support each other as both models and learners of language
- Two Spanish Dual Language classrooms per grade level
o Kindergarten 2019-2020
o Additional grades will be added each year
- Students will be integrated with peers for specialists (Music, PE, Art, etc)
- Transportation provided to students within the Northport attendance area
Program Pathways:
|
One Way Spanish Immersion
|
Two-Way Spanish Dual Language
|
Elementary
|
Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion
|
Northport Elementary
Open to Kindergarten for Fall 2019
|
Middle School
|
Plymouth Middle School
|
Under Development*
First Cohort Enters Middle School in 2025
|
High School
|
Armstrong High School
or
Cooper High School
|
Under Development*
First Cohort Enters High School in 2028
|