Dual Language Program Models and English Language Learners: An Analysis of the Literacy Results from a 50/50 and a 90/10 Model in Two California Schools

Abstract

This paper examines the literacy results of English language learners (ELLs) in two California schools following either the 50/50 or the 90/10 dual language (DL) program model. The purpose of this paper is to provide a literature review of dual language programs with an analysis of two schools’ websites and literacy assessment data in order to determine the effectiveness of each program model in establishing strong foundational literacy skills and fostering the prolonged academic success of ELLs. California provides various options for the bilingual education of its increasing immigrant population. Under the umbrella of bilingual education, dual language programs aim to provide students with instruction in two languages which will allow them to become fully bilingual and develop biliteracy skills. The intended purpose of biliteracy is for students to demonstrate reading and writing proficiency in both instructional languages. Although California implements a variety of dual language program models, this paper provides an overview and comparison of the 50/50 and 90/10 models as they are implemented in two California schools with similar demographics. This paper provides an analysis of the English Language Arts/literacy results of ELLs under both program models as depicted on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress to determine which model is most effective in its literacy instruction of language minority students. The findings indicate that ELLs demonstrate higher levels of literacy proficiency under the 90/10 program model. These findings have implications for native language proficiency and the preservation of the mother tongue.

Dominance, Language Experience, and Increased Interaction Effects on the Development of Pragmatic Knowledge in Heritage Bilingual Children

“…These results suggest that the benefit of additional exposure to Spanish does not come at a cost to the children's English language development. Such results are consistent with previous studies on language development in dual-language immersion programs that reported that increased exposure to Spanish has a positive impact on the development of both languages (e.g., Acosta et al, 2019;Lindholm-Leary & Howard, 2008;Marian et al, 2013).…”

“…Immersive bilingual schooling has become increasingly popular in the United States, with over 2,000 dual-language immersion programs offering instruction in English and a partner language nationwide in 2017 (Steele et al, 2017). Such programs have proven to be effective in supporting language development in two languages, and have also been shown to improve bilingual students' academic performance (e.g., Acosta et al, 2019;Lindholm-Leary & Howard, 2008;Marian et al, 2013). While there is recent work on the acquisition of grammatical gender and verbal morphology by child heritage bilinguals in dual language immersion programs (Montrul & Potowski, 2007;Fernández-Dobao & Herschensohn 2020), syntactic development in children enrolled in immersion schooling remains largely unexplored.…”

On the Acquisition of Differential Object Marking in Child Heritage Spanish: Bilingual Education, Exposure, and Age Effects (In Memory of Phoebe Search)

“…The impact of DLI goes well beyond HL acquisition itself. In addition to honoring the linguistic rights of HSs (Skutnabb-Kangas 2006), DLI has been shown to benefit Hispanic students' academic performance as measured using standardized assessment scores (e.g., Lindholm-Leary and Borsato 2005;Marian et al 2013;Serafini et al 2020) and is at least as effective in fostering the acquisition of English (e.g., Acosta et al 2019;Marian et al 2013;Umansky and Reardon 2014). DLI also expedites the development of executive functioning skills (e.g., Garraffa et al 2020;Nicolay and Poncelet 2015).…”

A Study of Effective Dual Language Program Models for Non-Native Spanish Speakers

“…In this model, instruction in English helps students "develop oral language proficiency," as well as "some preliteracy" (Lindholm-Leary, 2012, as cited in Billy & Garríguez, 2019, p. 109). The 90:10 program model was originally tailored toward students who speak the partner language (e.g., Spanish, Acosta et al, 2019). Therefore, there is a heavier emphasis on Spanish in earlier grades, with a transition to equal emphasis of both English and Spanish later to fully support bilingualism and biliteracy.…”

“…3) The 50:50 model: One other common type of dual language program model is the 50:50 model. In this model, teaching and learning are equally divided between English and Spanish (Acosta et al, 2019;Billy & Garríguez, 2019;Cole, 2015). The 50:50 model generally promotes a "'simultaneous literacy' model," developing literacy in the target language and English at the same time (Dual Language Immersion Planning Guide, n.d., 50:50 Model section).…”