As part of Cityscape’s strategic academic plan, dual language instruction in English and Spanish will be the main course of study with the end goal for all students to achieve biliteracy beginning at the Pre-kindergarten level and expanding through the 12th Grade. At Cityscape Schools, all students will receive instruction through a rigorous and viable curriculum that will enable them to develop effective language, literacy, communication, cognitive and academic skills. In addition, social-emotional learning competencies will be an integral part of the vertical and horizontal instructional alignment to build a strong cross-cultural understanding that will enable them to achieve their potential and fully participate now and in the future in the social, economic, and educational opportunities of our state and nation [Texas Education Code §4.001(a)].
The purpose of the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program is as follows:
- Students will participate in a rigorous academic program that accelerates their learning.
- Students will develop a high linguistic proficiency in two languages.
- Students will develop a high academic proficiency in two languages.
- Students will develop positive cross-cultural attitudes.
- Students will develop social-emotional competencies.
- Students will graduate with world readiness competence to communicate effectively and interact with cultural understanding.
- Students will graduate with college, career and military readiness skills.
- Students will graduate with bilingual, biliterate and bicultural.
The primary goals of the DLI program model are as follows:
- The development of fluency and biliteracy in English and Spanish for all students with special attention given to ELs participating in the program
- The integration of English speaker and ELs for academic instruction in accordance with the selected program design and model. Whenever possible, 50% of the students in a program should be dominant English speakers and 50% of the students in a program should be Spanish speakers at the beginning of the program.
- The promotion of bilingualism, biliteracy, cross-cultural awareness, high academic and linguistic achievement.