Media Release – December 5, 2016
Courtesy of Cave Creek Unified School District
The AZ Dual Language Immersion 40+ Educators Tour Chinese & Spanish Immersion Programs in Cave Creek Schools
December 5, 2016 9:00-11:00
Horseshoe Trails Elementary School
5405 E Pinnacle Vista Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85054
On December 5, over forty educators from other AZ language immersion schools participated in a Chinese and Spanish Immersion observation day (9:00-11:00) in Cave Creek Unified School District. Cave Creek School District is the only school district in the state that has three world language immersion programs (Spanish, Chinese, French) which makes them a well-known leader in this field of international language programming. Visitors came from all corners of Phoenix areas such as Buckeye, Chandler, Paradise Valley, Scottsdale and from as far as Tucson. All attending hoped to deepen their understanding of how young children acquire academic content and a new language by observing classrooms in action.
At the first school on the tour, Horseshoe Trails Elementary, the educators visited kinder to watch students do their Math instruction in Mandarin Chinese. In 1st-2nd grade, students spend 50% of the day learning in Mandarin. Participants also saw an 8th grade Spanish immersion class where students that have been in the program since 1st grade have achieved levels of Spanish proficiency equivalent to final year of high school Spanish. Research has consistently shown that students that learn in this bilingual format outscore their monolingual peers.
The group named, The AZ Dual Language Immersion Partner Schools Network, has primarily Spanish Immersion programs but is seeing a growing number of Chinese Immersion programs opening up.
Best,
Julia Scotto
Executive Assistant to
Dr. Debbi Burdick, Superintendent & Governing Board
Cave Creek Unified School District
(480)575-2016 Phone/(480)575-2092 Fax
jscotto@ccusd93.org
“You are what you do, not what you say.” – C.G. Jung
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