Gilroy Unified highlights TK–12 Spanish dual immersion pathway as students report fluency gains

Presenter told attendees that Gilroy Unified runs a TK–12 Spanish dual immersion program and said the district is one of only “about 20 programs in the state” offering a pathway from transitional kindergarten through high school.

The program matters because it creates a continuous bilingual pathway for students, district staff said, with elementary classrooms taught 50% in English and 50% in Spanish and middle- and high-school courses offered in Spanish to build toward advanced-placement–level work.

According to the presenter, the district’s K–5 model is split 50/50 by language and uses two teachers who share responsibility for instruction. "We offer every subject in both languages," the presenter said, describing a model intended to develop academic language across subjects rather than teaching Spanish only as a separate class.

A student who spoke during the presentation said, "I would like to learn Spanish because I like to speak in it. I can understand it a little bit. I wanna be bilingual." Another student described four years of progress: "It's helped me improve my Spanish speaking skills ... you can see it is like night and day. They go from barely speaking ... to speaking a lot of Spanish and to passing, you know, the exam."

District staff emphasized continuity between levels: a staff member said the program supports language development through sixth, seventh and eighth grades to prepare students for high-school coursework. At the high-school level, the presenter said the district offers full-content Spanish courses in social studies and sciences and noted the goal is for students to pass AP exams in the subject area.

Presenters and students framed bilingualism as an academic and career asset. One student said becoming bilingual could expand future job opportunities and specifically mentioned wanting to become a detective, saying the skill would help them communicate with Spanish and English speakers.

The presenter closed by reaffirming the district’s commitment to the program and to improving it: "Kids really come out of these programs with skills that other kids don't have. And so we are very fortunate in Gilroy to have this program and to continue to foster the growth and keep improving it."