Instructional Practices to Support Spanish Reading Development

Dual language programs have emerged in great numbers across the United States. Research conducted by the United States Department of Education shows that 39 states and the District of Columbia offered dual language education programs, with the majority being Spanish immersion programs (Boyle, August, Tabaku, Cole, & Simpson-Baird, 2015). In California alone, 271 immersion programs have Spanish as the partner language of instruction (CAL Dual Language Program Directory,2016). One model of a dual language program is the Two-Way Immersion program, where instruction is provided in two languages and brings together students who are native English speakers and students who are native speakers in another partner language (Center for Applied Linguistics, 2019). Two-Way Immersion programs are either 50:50, where instruction is divided evenly in both languages, or 90:10 where instruction starts off 90% in the target language and 10% in English. The ratio shifts, with a decrease of instruction in target language by 10% yearly, so that by fourth and fifth grade, the ratio is 50:50 instruction in both languages (Center for Applied Linguistics, 2019). Learning to read and write is a key component of a Two-Way Immersion program because the goal of such programs includes biliteracy in the two languages.