Vision

Shaping strong, confident, and independent lifelong learners

Mission

The Bilingual/ESL Department will ensure that every Bilingual Emergent student has equal access to quality instruction that fosters second language acquisition to achieve high academic success.

Goals

1. To provide language minority students the opportunity to develop confidence, self-assurance, and a positive identity with their cultural heritage and the community.

2. To provide language minority students with support in their native language so that they can succeed academically while learning the English language Instructional Support.

3. To provide all personnel involved in the planning, development, and delivery of services to language minority students with staff development opportunities so that they have the knowledge that will enable them to offer the appropriate curricula for language minority students.

4. To ensure that language minority parents are involved in the educational development of their children and are included in decision making processes affecting their children's education.

SISD Program Model:

Transitional bilingual/early exit is a bilingual program model in which students identified as emergent bilingual students are served in both English and the students' primary language and are prepared to meet reclassification criteria to be successful in English instruction with no second language acquisition supports not earlier than two or later than five years after the student enrolls in school. The goal of early-exit transitional bilingual education is for program participants to use their primary language as a resource while acquiring full proficiency in English. Texas Education Agency