Dual Language

About Huntley's Dual Language Program

Huntley District 158’s Dual Language Program is a vital part of the district’s Multilingual Services. Launched in 2017, the program has expanded steadily each year to include additional grade levels. Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, the program transitioned to the Dual Language Academy, housed at Chesak Elementary (K-2), Martin Elementary (3-5), and Marlowe Middle School (6-8). This centralized model provides key benefits such as:

• Optimizing Dual Language resources.
• Increasing opportunities for school-wide Dual Language activities.
• Promoting enhanced collaboration among Dual Language teachers.
• Strengthening connections with Dual Language families and students across grade levels.

Dual Language Model

The Dual Language Program fosters biliteracy, bilingualism, and cultural competence for both native English speakers and native Spanish speakers. By 5th grade, students are expected to:

• Read, write, and speak fluently in both English and Spanish.
• Demonstrate comfort and knowledge in multicultural settings.

Huntley 158’s Dual Language Program employs a two-way immersion (TWI) model, with classrooms consisting of approximately 50% native Spanish speakers and 50% native English speakers. These students learn together under the guidance of specially trained bilingual teachers, alternating between roles as language models and learners.

In Elementary School, the district uses a 50/50 model:

• Instruction is balanced equally, with 50% of the school day delivered in Spanish and 50% in English, beginning in kindergarten and continuing through 5th grade.

In Middle Schools, students are enrolled in a Spanish Social Studies course and receive Spanish Language Arts instruction.  

This model is research-based and effectively supports bilingualism and biliteracy while ensuring all students maintain proficiency in their first language as they acquire a second.

For native English speakers, the program is additive, meaning students acquire a second language while maintaining their first.

Curriculum

The Dual Language Program follows the same rigorous curriculum as the general education program, including Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. High academic expectations are maintained, with the only difference being that instruction is delivered in two languages.

Assessments

Students in the Dual Language Program are assessed using the same tools and benchmarks as their peers in monolingual classrooms. Additional assessments evaluate language proficiency in both English and Spanish.

For more information about the district's Dual Language program, contact Lissette Jacobson below. 

Lissette Jacobson
Director of Curriculum (Prek-12 Multilingual Services)
(847) 659-6151
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