Elmhurst D205 Bilingual Program Set For Review

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst School District 205 plans to review the bilingual program that it started in 2018.

The program – officially called the Dual Language Two-Way Immersion Program – is housed at Fischer Elementary School

Since its start, the program has moved up one grade each year. Next school year, it is set to expand to fifth grade. After that, it is expected to begin in Churchville Middle School.

In 2016, the district said it determined it needed to address an achievement gap among English language learners in the district. Officials said the bilingual program at the time was not meeting students' needs.

At last week's school board meeting, Associate Superintendent Scott Grens said the district typically conducts a review in a program's fifth or sixth year.

"We've done this for everything from our mobile one-on-one learning initiative on down the line," he said.

The review, which is planned next semester, will be done with the district's service provider, TaJu Educational Solutions, according to a memo.

"We continue to closely analyze and review our programs and how those programs are supporting the needs of students and where there are opportunities," Superintendent Keisha Campbell told the board.