Springfield City School District will launch a dual language program for the next school year.
The bilingual education pilot year will kick off with a kindergarten and first grade class, consisting of a balance of native Spanish speakers and native English speakers, according to the school district.
Half of the students’ day will be taught in English, and the other half will be taught in Spanish.
The first year of the program will be housed at Perrin Woods Elementary.
The school district said the program is part of a larger 13-year plan, with the goal to eventually have students achieving the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy in high school. The seal recognizes graduating seniors who can demonstrate high levels of proficiency in English and at least one other language.
The school district has recently experienced an exponential increase in non-native English speaking students. Among the most common languages spoken in the district outside of English are Spanish, Haitian Creole and French.
Studies have found that students enrolled in a dual language immersion program outperform traditional students in English-only or transitional bilingual programs. The school district also reported that over 75% of residents surveyed said a dual language program would be beneficial and nearly 65% said they would be interested in enrolling their children in such a program.
The district is currently hiring teachers for the program.
