Bilingual / ESL

Missions & Goals

Our mission is to enhance and accelerate students' language acquisition to ensure bilingualism and biliteracy. We will maximize students' cognitive and affective development through culturally responsive teaching. As a result, our emergent bilinguals will acquire essential skills for lifelong learning, ensuring they become productive, responsible global citizens.

Program Goals

Nurture the primary language in order for emergent bilinguals to become bi-literate.
Create cross-linguistic connections between English and Spanish to acquire academic concepts.
Use sheltered instruction to acquire the target language.
Value the students' culture to create an optimal and inclusive learning environment.
Foster the linguistic, academic, and emotional needs of emergent bilinguals by creating meaningful partnerships with parents, families and the community.

Department Contact

Erika Del Rio M.ED
District Bilingual/ESL/LOTE Coordinator
936-890-1488
edelrio@willisisd.org

More to Explore

Bilingual Program

Program Overview

Dual Language Immersion/One-Way

Dual language immersion/One-way is a bilingual/biliteracy program model in which students identified as English learners are served in both English and another language and are prepared to meet reclassification criteria in order to be successful in English-only instruction not earlier than six or later than seven years after the student enrolls in school. Instruction provided in a language other than English in this program model is delivered by a teacher appropriately certified in bilingual education under TEC, §29.061. Instruction provided in English in this program model may be delivered either by a teacher appropriately certified in bilingual education or by a different teacher certified in ESL in accordance with TEC, §29.061. The goal of one-way dual language immersion is for program participants to attain full proficiency in another language as well as English.

This model provides ongoing instruction in literacy and academic content in the students' primary language as well as English, with at least half of the instruction delivered in the students' primary language for the duration of the program.

Bilingual Resources

Access Bilingual Staff Resources (Requires Login)

Access Walk-Through Form (One-Way Dual Language Program)

ESL Program

Program Overview

ESL/Pull-Out

An ESL/pull-out program model is an English acquisition program that serves students identified as English learners through English instruction provided by an appropriately certified ESL teacher under the TEC, §29.061(c), through English language arts and reading. The goal of ESL pull-out is for English learners to attain full proficiency in English in order to participate equitable in school. This model targets English language development through academic content instruction that is linguistically and culturally responsive in English language arts and reading. Instruction shall be provided by ESL teacher in a pull-out or inclusionary delivery model.