LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM

WORLD LANGUAGE IMMERSION PATHWAYS

GOALS OF IMMERSION

Areas Goals Achievements 

Linguistic

 

Students communicate fluently in the target language about topics appropriate to their age level. 

 H.S. Carnegie UnitsAP Courses 

 

 

Academic

 

Students perform as well as their non-immersion peers in all areas of the curriculum; achieve such proficiency in the target language and in English that they are able to continue their studies in both languages. 

 LEAP and iLEAP DRA EDUSOFT

 Cultural

   

 

Students acquire greater knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of cultures.

 Attitudes toward InterculturalismGlobal Competency

CHARACTERISTICS OF IMMERSION

• Additive bilingualism• Content instruction in target language at least

60% of the school day

• Teachers fully proficient in the language they use for instruction

• Strong support for the majority language in the community at large

• Clear and sustained separation of languages during instructional time

IMMERSION MODELS

• Early Immersion √

• Late immersion √

• Partial Immersion √

• Total Immersion √

• One-way immersion √

• Two-way immersion √

IMMERSION FACTS

Immersion is not a « program », a special course, or an add-on.

It is a pathway, a different way to educate students in the same content as their non-immersion peers.

“We are going to the same place, we are simply using a different route.”

IMMERSION STUDENT POPULATION

Source: the Picard Center

ACADEMIC RESULTS IN IMMERSION

Source: the Picard Center: Preliminary Results

ACADEMIC RESULTS IN IMMERSION

80%

97%92% 90% 93%

98%

69% 72%68% 66%

70% 68%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

3rd grade 4th grade 5th grade 6th grade 7th grade 8th grade

LPSS 3rd-8th Grade Students Scoring Basic and Above on iLEAP and LEAP ELA (2011-12)

LPSS Immersion Students LPSS Non-Immersion Students

Source: Picard Center: Preliminary results

World Language Immersion Pathways 2012-13

Elementary Immersion  French   French Spanish Chinese

  PrairieÉvangelin

e Myrtle S.J.M.  A.

Boucher A. BoucherA.

Bouchertotal 361 189 98 45   31 151 36

  Middle School Immersion  

  Paul Breaux Middle World Languages Academy  

  French Spanish  

total   175   22    

    High School Advanced Language Courses  

  Lafayette High School  

total

50 to 75  

                 

Current Total (French): 974 Current Total (all Languages): 1183

2016

20152014

WHERE WE ARE NOW

WHAT THE COMMUNITY THINKS

• In favor of immersion in general• Specifically in favor of immersion• Beginning in Pre-K• In a stand alone school setting• In a Pre-K through 8th grade stand alone

setting• Continuing in high school

“I’d enroll him anyway!” (anonymous)

Sources: Phone survey / Internet survey / Fall Frenzy survey

MANAGING COMPLEX CHANGE

Vision Skills Incentive Resources

Action Plan

4500 immersio

n students

in 6 yearsPre-K

through12th

grade

Research

Communication

Instructional

Administrative

Student Scores

State Certification

(Act 212)

Leader in immersion Education

Facilities

Human Resources

Transport’n

Material and

Equipment

Academics

6 year plan

1st three years:

model implementation

HOW TO GET THERE

Graphics by the Picard Center

HOW TO GET THERE

Graphics by the Picard Center

HOW TO GET THERE

Graphics by the Picard Center

HOW TO GET THERE

Graphics by the Picard Center

REZONING ISSUES

• Rezoning Myrtle Place (phase 1- Year 1): 206 students (includes 28 Special Education students)

• Rezoning Lafayette Middle (phase 2 – Year 4): 400 mid. school students mainly from Boucher & SJM

BUDGET ISSUES: FACILITIES

Phase One: Years 1 – 3

•Opening Spanish and Chinese immersion at Plantation

•Rezoning Myrtle

•Expanding at Prairie, Evangeline, and Lafayette High

BUDGET ISSUES: FACILITIES

Phase Two: Years 4 – 6 •Transforming Boucher and SJM into PreK-8 sites

•Transforming Prairie into two sites (immersion/non immersion) PreK-5th gr or PreK-8th grade

•Transforming Evangeline and Acadian into two sites (immersion/non immersion) PreK-5th gr or PreK-8th grade

•Opening new school on the south side

•Opening ULL/LPSS international high school

BUDGET ISSUES: SALARIES

Current immersion setting: 3 teachers for 2 sections

+ + = +

Consolidated and larger setting: 4 teachers for 3 sections

+ + + = + +

BUDGET ISSUES: SALARIES

• Foreign Associate Teachers (FATs) have a fixed salary between $43,000 and $45,000

• Most do not contribute into TRSL for the first two years of their stay (24.5% of a salary)

• LPSS receives $20,000 per FAT above and beyond MFP allocation (J1 and H1 B visas)

• LPSS will receive the same $20,000 for any local “Escadrille Louisiane” graduate

In many cases, 1 teacher = $23,000 yearly salary cost

BUDGET ISSUES: TRANSPORTATION

• Consolidating at Myrtle will have limited effects on transportation

• Moving middle school immersion to LMS site will make immersion more central than at current PBMS site

• Opening new sites on the south side will reduce transportation needs

PRICELESS IMPROVEMENTS

•Increased student opportunities

•Increased student exposure to the target languages

•Increased program efficiency

•Increased teacher efficacy

•Increased administrator efficacy

•Increased student achievement

•Increased visibility of the pathways

•Invaluable research

•Public satisfaction

TASKFORCE PARTICIPANTS

• Legislators

• School Board Members

• Immersion Parents

• ULL

• Picard Center

• LDOE

• French Community

• Hispanic Community

• Chinese Community

• Immersion Teachers

• Immersion Administrators

• Central Office Personnel

FRENCH AND BEYOND

LDOE & CODOFIL Campaign – Graphics by Megan Barra