In the 2011-2012 school year, P.S. 9 started a Spanish-English dual language program by establishing a stand-alone kindergarten Dual Language class. As a school, we believe that a dual language program will help our students to become biliterate, bilingual and bicultural. Children who know more than one language have intellectual, educational, personal, social, and economic advantages that will continue throughout their lives.
The goals of the program are:
1. Students will develop social and academic linguistic competencies in two languages in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
2. Students will achieve academically at or above grade level in all content areas in both languages.
3. Students will develop positive cross-cultural perspectives and intersocial aptitudes.
The program began with a kindergarten class and will add a grade every year as it progresses. The P.S. 9 dual language program is designed as a stand alone model in which one teacher teaches both languages in a 50/50 configuration. It has a balanced language population that integrates Spanish dominant speakers with native English speakers. This model supports one of the essential goals of dual language education of social, academic, and cultural interactions between students from the two language backgrounds.
