STUDENT READING ACHIEVEMENT IN DUAL LANGUAGE AND TRANSITIONAL BILINGUAL PROGRAMS: AN EVALUATIVE STUDY

With increasing demands imposed by state standards for students to show proficiency at high levels in reading and writing, instruction for the English language learner is critical. Dual language programs address English proficiency through instruction that first helps the ELL become proficient in a native language while simultaneously teaching English. Leaders responsible for supporting instructional programs that best achieve this goal will find it imperative to understand how and if dual language programs can be effective. This study examined three years of 5th grade reading TAKS results between the years 2009-2011 to compare the performance of students in a dual language program to students in a transitional bilingual program. Results showed that dual language students performed better than those in the transitional program. The study aimed to provide leaders with data to continue dialogue about how to improve the performance of a critical demographic group in schools today.