This program serves both English and Spanish language learners and is open to students of different backgrounds and abilities from the TUSD school community. The program's goals for students are:
Bilingualism and Biliteracy
Academic Excellence
Multicultural Understanding
Families must adhere to the same enrollment process as all students in the community and must select their program once they have shown evidence that they attended a community meeting that explains the program’s long term K-12 pathway and a thorough explanation of the elements of the TWDL program design.
In Tucson Unified, Two-Way Dual Language programs are designed as 90/10 immersion programs with classroom instruction in Spanish. The program is carefully designed with set percentages of time in each language. These time frames allude to the time students receive Spanish instruction, while the second number indicates instruction in English. Spanish instruction decreases yearly as English instruction increases, until there is an equal split of instructional time spent between Spanish and English.
For high levels of literacy and academic achievement to be reached in both languages, the TUSD TWDL programs will continue through middle school, and students will enter the high school years at the highest world language pathway available.
TWDL students will be given the opportunity to meet the requisites for the Arizona Seal of Biliteracy. Students will also receive college credit as they complete Advanced Placement and Honors coursework in Spanish and English.
Grades K-2
All subjects are taught in Spanish
Kindergarten and First Grade 90% Spanish 10% English
Second Grade 80% Spanish 20% English
Grades 3-5
English Language Arts is formally introduced
By the time students reach 5th grade instructional time is evenly divided between English and Spanish
Grades 6-8
Instructional time is evenly divided between English and Spanish
The two languages are used separately during different periods of instruction with a minimum of one course being Spanish Language Arts and an additional content course
Tucson Unified School District’s pathway for the TWDL Program is pictured in the following chart:
TUSD adheres to the following principles to develop a program of excellence that ensures bilingualism, biliteracy, high academic achievement, and the development of multicultural understandings between students:
Students start second language learning at the primary level through an “early” immersion process by entering at kindergarten or first grades.
Teachers provide instruction based on additive bilingualism and language separation.
Staff works to create a positive and respectful climate for second language learning while promoting the “target language” and its speakers.
A K-12 TWDL Program pathway is established and will continue through middle school with a plan to place the TWDL students in the appropriate foreign language courses as they enter high school.
Students will take an end-of-course placement test at the end of their 8th grade year to continue to study in advanced courses at the high school level and receive their Arizona State Seal of Biliteracy on their high school diplomas.
Each school fosters home/school collaboration.
The district has a plan to attract and retain high quality program personnel that can deliver the academic and linguistic program at each grade level.
