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4125 P2 Enrollment in District Instructional Programs with Limited Student Access: Elementary School Dual Language Immersion Enrollment and Selection of Students for School Based District Programs

Download 4125 P2 Enrollment in District Instructional Programs with Limited Student Access: Elementary School Dual Language Immersion Enrollment and Selection of Students for School Based District Programs

Definitions

School Based District Programs

The following Dual Language Immersion programs are considered to be “School Based District Programs”:

Wasatch Elementary School: Chinese Dual Language Immersion
Canyon Crest Elementary School: Spanish Dual Language Immersion
Timpanogos Elementary School: Spanish Dual Language Immersion
Edgemont Elementary School: French Dual Language Immersion
Lakeview Elementary School: Portuguese Dual Language Immersion

Dual Language Immersion Class

Students in these programs are instructed 50 percent in English and 50 percent instruction in another language.

English Class

In a school hosting dual language immersion that school will also have classes available for students that are 100 percent instructed in English.

Native Language Speaker

A native language speaker is someone who has spoken the immersion language as their primary language from earliest childhood.

Heritage Language Speaker

A heritage language speaker will also be considered as a native language speaker. A heritage speaker is someone who was raised in a home where the immersion language was spoken, who speaks or at least understand the language, and who is to some degree bilingual in that language and in English. Heritage speakers have a family cultural connection to the immersion language. A child that was born to a native speaker parent is considered a heritage speaker. A child who has been adopted from a setting where the immersion language is spoken is considered to be a heritage speaker. A native speaker is not a child of two native English speakers, even if one or both parents has spent considerable time acquiring the immersion language. A native language speaker is also not a child who has learned the language through a classroom or similar learning environment.

In-Boundary Student

A student is considered “in-boundary” if they currently live either in the neighborhood boundaries of the school or if they were accepted as a choice student in a prior year and have attended that school for at least the spring semester of the previous school year.

Out-of-Boundary Student

A student who lives in the Provo City School District boundaries and resides in a neighborhood other than the school they’re applying to attend. They may also be out-of-boundary if they live outside the boundary and are attending the school of choice but have not met the minimum previous year spring semester attendance requirement.

Non-District Resident Student

A student who lives outside the boundaries of the Provo City School District. They may also be non-district resident students if they live out-ofdistrict and are attending the school of choice but have not met the minimum previous year spring semester attendance requirement.

In-District Sibling

A student is considered to be a sibling if he/she is a brother or sister of another student who currently is attending the school that the sibling is seeking to attend. Priority will only be given to the sibling if the brother or sister has attended the choice school for at least the spring semester of the previous school year.

Out-of-District Siblings

A student is considered an Out-of-District sibling if he/she is a brother or sister of another student who currently is attending the school that the sibling is seeking to attend and the families residence is outside of the school district boundaries. The priority status for these students will end after the students enrolled in first grade during the 2017/2018 school year leave the elementary at the end of 6th grade. After this time, all additional siblings will be considered Out-of-District students. If an Out-of-District student enters a Dual Immersion Language program in the first grade during the 2018/2019 school year and thereafter, siblings of these students will not be given a priority status.

Early Open Enrollment Window

Applications for Dual Language Immersion programs are available and accepted in the Student Services Office beginning on December 1. For early consideration the applications must be submitted to the Student Services Office no later than the third Friday in February.

Late Enrollment Window

Applications for Dual Language Immersion programs that are turned in after the 3rd Friday in February will be considered only after students in the Early Open Enrollment Window are placed and as space becomes available in any given school.

Dual Language Immersion Application Process and Timelines

A district level Dual Language Immersion program meeting will be held in the month of November of each school year to inform parents of the types of programs being offered, the enrollment processes, and the commitment expected of students and parents who choose this educational option. Notice of this meeting will be directly sent home to every family who has a kindergarten child enrolled in the Provo City School District and will be advertised on the district website.

All Applications for admission to a Dual Language Immersion program are accepted in the Student Services office beginning on December 1 or the first school day after this date when December 1 falls on a weekend. Please note that applications are no longer offered or accepted at the individual school level and must be obtained and returned to the Student Services Office. For the best chance of acceptance into a Dual Language Immersion program the application must be received no later than the third Friday of February. This is known as the “early open enrollment window”. Applications after this time will be accepted but students from the “early open enrollment window” will have already been placed into programs and open spaces will be very limited for most programs.

Student and Staff Rations in Grade 1 Dual Language Immersion Classrooms

Dual Language Immersion classrooms tend to have fewer students remain in program as school years progress. This is due to students moving or leaving the school district and in some cases students have specific reasons why they want to leave the program and return to English classes.

Due to this fluctuation of numbers the following student and staffing ratios are expected for:

Dual Language Immersion Grade 1: 30 students to 1 teacher
English Class Grade 1: 22 students to 1 teacher

Exceptions to these student numbers must be approved by the Deputy Superintendent of Human Resources and the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education.

The Human Resources Department in cooperation with the principal will look at other possible supports as needed based on enrollment throughout the beginning of the school year and beyond.

It is also expected that schools will have an equal number of 1st grade Dual Language Immersion Classrooms and English Classrooms. Exceptions must be approved by the Deputy Superintendent of Human Resources and the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education.

Selection of Students for Dual Immersion (Grade 1)

Students who applied during the Early Open Enrollment Window will have the first opportunity to be selected into a Dual Language Immersion program. Lotteries, when necessary, will be held to determine placement based on priority status. All Early Open Enrollment Window priority qualified students will be placed into a Dual Language Immersion program before moving on to the next priority status. The priority status categories are as follows:

Siblings (In-District Sibling)
- Applicant students who are siblings of students who are currently enrolled in the school of choice, and live in the Provo City School District boundaries, will have 1st priority status to enter a Dual Language Immersion program.
Native Language Speakers
- Applicant students who are Native Language Speakers will have 2nd priority status to enter a Dual Language Immersion program.
Siblings (Out-of-District Sibling)
- Applicant students who are siblings of students who are currently enrolled in the school of choice, and live outside of the Provo City School District boundaries will have 3rd priority status to enter a Dual Language Immersion program.
Children of Teachers in the Dual Language Immersion Program
- Children of teachers who teach in the Dual Language Immersion program (English or Immersion Language) will have the 4th priority status to enter a Dual Language Immersion program.
In-Boundary Special Education students and In-Boundary ELL students
- who apply for Dual Language Immersion will be given special consideration for program placement based on their specific educational needs. This consideration will be monitored by the school principal and the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education.
In-Boundary Students
- The percentage of In-Boundary students selected for Dual Language Immersion will be determined on a yearly basis by the school principal and the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education. Determining factors will include the number of priority students placed into the program. In general the formula will be 75 percent of the slots remaining after priority acceptance.
Out-of-Boundary Students
- The percentage of Out-of-Boundary students selected for Dual Language Immersion programs will be determined on a yearly basis by the school principal and the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education. In general the formula will be 25% of the available slots remaining after priority acceptance.
Non-District Resident Students
- Non-District Resident Students will not be allowed to enroll in Dual Language Immersion programs unless space exists after all priority category students, InBoundary Students and Out-of-Boundary Students have been placed. Non-District Resident Students may be placed in English classrooms if space is available.
Late Enrollment Window
- Students applying after the Early Open Enrollment Window deadlines will not be given any priority status advantages. (Exceptions may be granted by the Assistant Superintendent of Student Services or the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education.) These students will be given In-Boundary and Out-of Boundary status if openings occur after the placement of selected Early Open Enrollment Window students.

After first grade, students may only be accepted into the Dual Language Immersion program if they have experience in the native language. An assessment may be required to determine the child’s proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing in the immersion language.

The Student Services Office will notify families of Early Enrollment acceptance or nonacceptance into DLI programs no later than the last working day in March.

Parent Appeal Process

Parents may write a letter of appeal after the announcement of Early Enrollment acceptances and non-acceptances. The letter is to be based on two areas of appeal. The first area of appeal is that the parent believes a procedural error was made by the school district. The procedural error should be described in detail. The second area of appeal is that the parent believes a “special circumstance” concerning their child exists that the school district should be made aware of and understand. Again, this special circumstance should be described in detail. Letters of Appeal must be submitted to the Student Services Office no later than the second Monday of April for Early Enrollment. Parent appeal letters for the Early Enrollment acceptance and non-acceptance period will be answered by the school district no later than the last working day of April. Letters of appeal that come in for Late Enrollment consideration will be answered within two weeks of submission.

Multiple Dual Language Immersion Applications

A parent may choose to apply for more than one Dual Language Immersion program. If a student is selected into a program the parent may decline the offering if they have a stronger interest for a different program. Once they deny a program offering they will lose that spot at that school’s Dual Language Immersion program.

Approved

October 10, 2016

Revised: October 30, 2017

Policy and Procedures

Policy No. 4125 Enrollment in District Instructional Programs with Limited Student Access

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