Prince William County Public Schools
Dual Language Immersion Program
¡Felicidades! Congratulations!
What is Dual Language Immersion?
Dual Language Immersion is a program where students study academic content in two languages. Students work on the four domains of language learning (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) in both languages throughout each year in the program.
Goals of Dual Language Immersion
According to the Center for Applied Linguistics, the long-term goals of dual language education programs (often referred to as the three pillars) are:
Goal 1: Bilingualism and Biliteracy
- Students can speak and understand each of the two program languages
- Students can also read, write, translate, and use each of the two program languages to support the continued growth of the other
Goal 2: High Academic Achievement
- Students can achieve grade level expectations in core content areas in both program languages
Goal 3: Sociocultural Competence
- Everyone working to ensure the understanding and advocating for the culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomic diverse needs of all
- Sociocultural competence also includes the use of multiethnic curriculum resources and valuing families' home languages and dialects
PWCS' Dual Language Immersion Model
All PWCS Dual Language Immersion sites will be using an 80/20 model, which means kindergarten students enrolled in the program will receive 80% of their core instruction in the target language, while 20% is taught in English. This helps to build a strong foundation in that target language and sets students up for success in later years. As students progress through the program, each year, the amount of English-language instruction increases until it is 50% in 3rd through 5th grade.
| Grade | Percentage of Instruction in Spanish | Percentage of Instruction in English |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 80% | 20% |
| First | 70% | 30% |
| Second | 60% | 40% |
| Third-Fifth | 50% | 50% |
Benefits of Dual Language Immersion
Some of the benefits of a dual language immersion education are, but not limited to:
- Students who are exposed to two languages at an early age, on average, outperform their monolingual peers in traditional classrooms – particularly in reading.
- Heightened sense of social understanding and cultural awareness
- Beneficial for English-learning students since it encourages the development of English, but not at the cost of losing their native language
- The ability to learn additional languages more easily
- Minimizing the achievement gap between English learners and native English speakers that often arises in traditional classrooms
- Improved memory, as well as higher problem-solving skills and executive function
Overview of Dual Language Immersion in PWCS
Descripción General del Programa de Inmersión en PWCS
Program Locations
For the 2025-26 school year, Spanish immersion programs will be in the following PWCS elementary schools:
Bel Air Elementary School
14151 Ferndale Rd.
Woodbridge, VA 22193
Chris Yung Elementary School
12612 Fog Light Way
Bristow, VA 20136
Featherstone Elementary School
14805 Blackburn Rd.
Woodbridge, VA 22191
Minnieville Elementary School
13639 Greenwood Dr.
Woodbridge, VA 22193
How to Enroll
All parents/guardians who enroll their student for kindergarten at one of the four schools that offer dual language immersion will automatically be entered for a chance to be randomly selected for the program (unless the family opts out). Families will be notified in the summer if their student is selected. Since these are not specialty programs, families must live in the neighborhood boundary of the school – transferring solely for the purpose of enrolling in immersion is not an option.
Depending on class sizes, students who enroll any other time of the school year in kindergarten or 1st grade may be considered for the dual language immersion program if the family chooses.
Students who are enrolling in 2nd grade and above, unless coming from another dual language immersion program, must pass a language proficiency test to ensure they have sufficient language proficiency to be successful in the program.
Resources For Families
- Colorín Colorado Bilingual Website for Families
- “Dual Language Immersion Guide” – Virginia Department of Education
- “Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education – Third Edition” – Center for Applied Linguistics
- Virginia Department of Education - World Languages Website
- “What Does Research Show About the Benefits of Language Learning?” – American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
Contact Information
Betsy Campagna
Supervisor - World Languages and Dual Language Immersion
[email protected]
Richard Pardo, Ed.D.
Coordinator - Dual Language Immersion
[email protected]
Clara Pérez
Specialist - DLI and World Languages
[email protected]
Karen Fulton
Administrative Assistant
[email protected]
703-791-8706