The Tomball ISD Two-Way Dual Language Academy is a biliteracy program model that integrates native English speakers and native Spanish speakers. Students will receive instruction in both languages through the core content areas of Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies.
The goal of the Dual Language Program is to help students become bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural while promoting high academic achievement.
VISION
Tomball ISD will serve as a premier district of choice expanding student opportunities to develop a bilingual and biliterate foundation in elementary school.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Tomball ISD Dual Language Immersion Program is for all students to reach high levels of academic achievement, develop biliteracy and bilingualism, and cultivate global competence in order to succeed in a multicultural society and global economy.
ACADEMY BELIEFS
Culturally responsive learning environments are essential to effective communication in a global society and will impact our community in a positive way.
Bilingualism and multilingualism create leadership opportunities and a pipeline to college and career success in a global society.
Biliteracy and bilingualism at an early age align with the development of languages and will provide more opportunities and a competitive advantage for our students in the future.
Developing cultural awareness through learning multiple languages will promote acceptance and tolerance amongst well-rounded scholars.
AVAILABLE TO?
This program is available to incoming kindergarten students across Tomball ISD
(must be 5 yrs old on or before Sept. 1 of the current year).
WHERE WILL PROGRAM BE LOCATED?
Rosehill Elementary
17950 Waller Tomball Rd.
Tomball, TX 77377
**The Two-Way Dual Language Academy will be available to incoming kindergarten students living outside the Tomball ISD boundaries, upon application approval.
INTERESTED?
Parents of incoming Kindergarten students must attend one of the parent informational meetings before applying for the Tomball Two-Way Dual Language Academy. Applications will be available through the TISD Link Application beginning March 3 for the 2023-2024 school year and will be due by 5:30 p.m. on March 24, 2023 (Tier I Status Applicants).
Parent meetings will be held at Rosehill Elementary on the following dates:
Parents of incoming Kindergarten students interested in applying for a spot in the Two Way Dual Language Academy are asked to attend one of the Parent Information Sessions offered in the early Spring. The application window will open after the last session and will remain open until Friday, March 24th (Tier I Status Applicants). There will then be a review of the applicants to ensure all are eligible. If applications exceed the number of available spots, a selection lottery will take place. Families will be notified of their application status.
After notification, families will need to confirm acceptance and agree to Parent Commitments. The Two Way Dual Language Academy will schedule a date and time to complete a language screener. This screener is not meant to be used to exclude any applicants but will provide the campus with additional information that will help build balanced classrooms.
Emergent Bilingual (EB) Students
Students identified as Emergent Bilingual (EB) students per TEA guidelines will be considered as native Spanish speakers. EB students must attend the dual language program where they are zoned. Currently, identified EB students on the north side of the district are zoned to Rosehill Elementary, and identified EB students on the south side of the district are zoned to Canyon Pointe Elementary.
Exceptions
Exceptions to the entry point of Kindergarten will be considered if students have participated in a dual-language program elsewhere and if space permits. Documentation of participation in a dual-language program must be provided including enrollment records, report cards, and progress reports. These documents will need to be submitted with the application.
Hiring & Teacher Certifications
All classroom teachers in the Tomball TWDL program must have a bilingual Texas teacher certification. Although one of the teachers is indicated as the “English” teacher, they are still required to implement strategies and teaching practices that require them to be bilingual.
Language Allocation Plan
As of the 2021-2022 school year, the TWDL program implements the following language allocation plan. The allocation plan is subject to change and revisions based on data and student outcomes. This allocation plan indicates the language that teachers will use during the initial delivery of instruction in the content area and does not account for instructional strategies that may be implemented.
Tomball ISD Language Allocation Plan 21-22 *Subject to change
Spanish
Minutes
English
Minutes
Kinder
SLAR
Science
105 minutes
45 minutes
150 minutes
Math
ELAR
Social Studies
75 minutes
45 minutes
30 minutes
150 minutes
1st
SLAR
Science
105 minutes
45 minutes
150 minutes
Math
ELAR
Social Studies
75 minutes
45 minutes
30 minutes
150 minutes
2nd
SLAR
Science
105 minutes
45 minutes
150 minutes
Math
ELAR
Social Studies
75 minutes
45 minutes
30 minutes
150 minutes
Late Applicants
Any applications received after the submission deadline will be added to the waitlist in the order in which it was received.
Limited Open Enrollment
Tomball ISD allows out-of-district students to apply for the program; however, all Tomball ISD students who applied and qualified for the program are granted a spot FIRST. After ALL Tomball ISD students that qualified for the program and are placed, the district will then begin to place any out-of-district students who qualified for the program.
Lottery
The lottery selection process will take place if there are more applicants than available spots in the program. Students with current siblings participating in the program will carry additional weight. Students who reside in the Tomball ISD attendance zone will be considered next. All Tomball ISD students carry the same weight, and students zoned to Rosehill Elementary do not carry any additional weight. Finally, students outside of the Tomball ISD attendance zone will be considered if there is a need to fill any open seats. The lottery selection process takes place at the district level and notification of results will be communicated to families. Those who are not selected in the initial lottery will go on the program waitlist by the order in which they were selected in the lottery.
Parent Commitments & Consent
Participating families are asked to commit to long-term participation, attendance, and punctuality. Families are asked to commit to the program from Kindergarten through 4th grade, comply with the TISD attendance policy, maintain a consistent record, and arrive at school and be picked up after school on time. Parents are also asked to support their students by participating in school activities that support the campus, reading daily with their child (in the language the parent is proficient in), and attending scheduled Two-Way Dual Language sessions throughout the school year.
Pillars of Dual Language
Bilingualism & Biliteracy
High Levels of Academic Achievement
Sociocultural Competence
Point of Entry
The only initial entry point for the TWDL program in Tomball ISD for Spanish learners is Kindergarten.
Program Description
The Tomball Two-Way Dual Language (TWDL) program uses a 50/50 model from the start. This means that 50% of the instructional minutes each day are in English and 50% of the instructional minutes are in Spanish. Non-instructional minutes (transitions, lunch, recess, etc.) are not included in the count of instructional minutes nor is time in Specials (PE, Art, and Music). Teachers are tasked with staying in the language of instruction during instructional delivery; however, students are encouraged but not required to. Strategies to shelter language and ensure access to academics in the student’s second language are embedded into daily routines and practices including, but not limited to: cross-linguistic connections, metalinguistic analysis, and bridges, preview/view/review, total physical response, etc. The classroom makeup is as close to a 50/50 balance of native English-speakers and Spanish-speakers as possible in every class.
Screener
There will be a date scheduled for students to go to the campus and be given a language screener (this has previously been iStation). This screener is not meant to be used to exclude any applicants but will provide the campus with additional information that will help build balanced Kindergarten classrooms.
Siblings
Siblings of participating students will be given additional weight in the lottery system. Older siblings who are not participating in the dual language program can apply for a sibling transfer. Transfers will be considered on a case-by-case basis and if space permits.
Transportation
Transportation services will only be provided for students who live in the Rosehill attendance zone. Students living outside the Rosehill Elementary attendance zone will need to provide their own transportation. There is before and after school care provided at the campus.
Twins
Twins will be submitted to the selection lottery under one application. Both twins will either get a seat or both will be put on the waitlist together. Parents of twin siblings who are selected during the lottery process will have the choice of whether to put students in the same or different homerooms.
Vision of the TWDL Program
Tomball ISD will serve as a premier district of choice expanding student opportunities to develop a bilingual and biliterate foundation in elementary school.
Waitlist
Students who are not selected in the initial lottery will be placed on a waitlist based on their lottery number. Applications received after the application deadline will be added to the waitlist in the order in which they were received. The district will continue to monitor the waitlist and move students into open seats up to Thanksgiving break in the fall semester.
