United ISD Recognizes November as “Bilingual Education Awareness Month”
Written by admin, Nov 17, 2013, Comments Off
Courtesy Veronica Cantu,
(Laredo, Tx)- With the theme “We are thankful to know two languages” or “Estamos Agradecidos de saber Dos Idiomas,” the United Independent School District has designated the month of November as “Bilingual Education Awareness Month.” To commemorate this occasion, the District’s Bilingual Department has encouraged campuses to conduct awareness sessions to help parents understand how the District’s bilingual programs work to prepare students for a successful future and to highlight successes of all bilingual students.
“UISD provides excellent programs and plans that greatly serve our bilingual population,” said Bilingual, ESL, Dual Language, and Foreign Language Director Carmen Pompa. “Our approach helps students gain a strong foundation as they learn in their native language and English. This builds self assurance and confidence and instills the importance of cultural pride in our students.”
The Bilingual Department works on a daily basis with district and campus administrators, teachers, students, and parents to improve “best practices” in bilingual education. There are Language Proficiency Assessment Committees at every campus and the District also plays a major role in providing the finest instructional decisions for students.
“Our goal is to enhance the development of our students. We want them to be bilingual, bicultural and biliterate especially in this ever-changing and global society,” Pompa emphasized.
The UISD Bilingual Department offers the following programs to UISD students:
Bilingual Education Program-involves teaching students academic content in two languages, (native language and secondary language) with varying amounts of each language used in accordance with the program model.
English as a Second Language (ESL) Program-provides a small and comfortable environment for students to learn a different language. ESL program teachers are bilingual and assist students to develop their speaking, listening, writing and reading as they help understand the English language.
Foreign Language Program- offers students’ access to new literature, music, and art in a foreign language.
Dual Program- is a language enrichment model that integrates English Language Learners and English speaking students together to provide content area instruction and language development in the two languages.
The State of Texas requires that every student who is indentified as “Limited English Proficient” be afforded a full opportunity to participate in a bilingual/ESL program. Pompa’s goal is to inform as many parents as possible about the various programs available to students in the District.
For more information, contact Pompa or a member of her staff at (956) 473-2113.
