Dual Language Spanish Immersion

Lourdes Flores-Hanson
Multilingual/DLSI Program Administrator
651-434-8109
| lourdes.flores-hanson@isd623.org

DLSI Mission Statement

Aligned with the commitment to “Equity in All We do…”, our Dual Language Spanish Immersion (DLSI) program ensures bilingualism and biliteracy, grade-level academic achievement, and sociocultural competence (encompassing identity development, cross-cultural competence, and multicultural appreciation) for all students.

Program Description and Enrollment Information

Little Canada Elementary

Program Overview

Our Dual Language Spanish Immersion program is a part of the Little Canada Elementary School community. The program is offered as an option to any elementary student who lives within the school district or open enrolls into the school district. Students must apply to attend. For information about enrollment, click here.

We strongly believe that no student should lose a language to learn another language. Our program offers an additive bilingualism approach by utilizing both Spanish and English as a vehicle of instruction for native Spanish, native English, and simultaneous bilingual students.

Acknowledging that the Spanish language has held a lower status historically and has been forbidden in school settings, our Dual Language Spanish Immersion program is committed to providing an equitable and enriched education for Latinx students and the entire community we serve.

Students participating in the Dual Language Spanish Immersion program work toward mastery of the same Minnesota academic standards as their peers in traditional classrooms while building their proficiency in Spanish and English.

Language Allocation

The language allocation guidelines of dual language programs define what a dual language program is. A language allocation guideline answers the question, "What subject is taught in which language for how long?" The language allocation guideline is the map for students' bilingualism and biliteracy, two of the largest goal of any dual language program.

It is common to hear language allocation guidelines defined as 90-10, 80-20, or 50-50. What this means is that 90%, 80%, or 50% of instruction happens in the language other than English (LOTE) beginning in kindergarten and the other percentage is instruction in English. All programs in fifth grade have a 50-50 split of instruction in both languages.

In Roseville Area Schools, our Dual Language Spanish Immersion program has a language allocation guideline of 90-10 that gradually increases to 50-50 by 5th and 6th grades.

Enrollment Information

Students may enroll in our Dual Language Immersion Program without taking the LAS-O Spanish language assessment until January of First Grade. If a family would like to enroll their child in our Dual Language Immersion Program after January of Grade 1, the student will need to have been studying in a Spanish Immersion school, be a student arriving from a Spanish speaking country or take the LAS-O language assessment to determine enrollment eligibility.

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Roseville Area Middle School

Program Overview

Students in the Dual Language Spanish Immersion program at Roseville Area Middle School will have three classes taught in Spanish: Spanish Language Arts, science, and social studies. The other five classes will be taught in English: math, English, and elective classes. All classes are aligned with Minnesota State Academic Standards. By having classes taught in both languages, students will have the opportunity to continue to develop their academic language skills in both Spanish and English.

Course offerings in Spanish for students in the DLSI program:

7th Grade	8th Grade
Spanish Language Arts 7	Spanish Language Arts 8
Social Studies 7	Social Studies 8
Life Science	Earth Science

Enrollment Information

Students who are enrolled in the DLSI program at Little Canada Elementary will continue their dual language immersion experience at Roseville Area Middle School. In addition, students who speak Spanish at home and who have literacy skills in Spanish are also eligible to join the DLSI program at RAMS. Students new to Roseville Area Schools will be required to take an entrance assessment to determine eligibility.

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Roseville Area High School

Program Overview

The DLSI students at RAHS take three Spanish Language Arts classes during their academic experience. These courses have the goal of guiding students toward the achievement of biliteracy, bilingualism, and ultimately, being comfortable in multicultural social, academic, and professional situations. The DLSI students have the opportunity of taking the AP Spanish test and obtaining the Bilingual Seal granted by the state of Minnesota.

Our future goals for the program include a Capstone Project for students in grade 12. This provides the students with the opportunity to use the Spanish language and apply what they have learned about culture within the context of our greater Roseville community. In addition, we plan to incorporate social studies classes in Spanish to expand the students’ academic knowledge.

9th Grade	Dual Language Immersion 9
10th Grade	Dual Language Immersion 10
11th Grade	AP Spanish Language and Culture

Starting in fall 2025, an additional content course taught in Spanish will be added at each grade level.

Multilingual Seal

The Multilingual Seal is awarded to high school students who have demonstrated proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking in one or more languages in addition to English. Students in the DLSI program will be eligible to take an assessment to achieve the Seal of Biliteracy. In addition to the recognition of their achievement, college credit is awarded to students who have earned the Seal of Biliteracy.

Enrollment Information

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is busing provided?

Can I still enroll my child in the DLSI program if I don't live in the school district?

Will my child learn English even though they are using their first language?

A common worry is thinking that students will be confused while they learn two languages at the same time. Studies conducted over a period of 30 years have repeatedly shown that there is no linguistic confusion. In fact, for students learning English, using their first language is the most effective way to develop their English language proficiency. Knowledge and literacy skills acquired in the first language transfer to the second language.