KCKPS reports dual-language program meeting fidelity; board asks for comparative achievement data

Kansas City Kansas Public Schools officials told the Board of Education on April 22 that the district's two-way dual-language program is operating as intended and showing early positive signals, and the board asked staff to provide comparative achievement and attendance data before making further policy or budget decisions.

Doctor Rodriguez, the district's dual-language lead, said the program is built on a 50/50 model (aiming for about half Spanish-speaking students and half English speakers in each cohort) and that staff are using the Center for Applied Linguistics dual-language framework to monitor program fidelity. "We're focused on biliteracy as well as bilingualism, ensuring that our kids are able to not just speak multiple languages, but they're also able to write and read in those," Rodriguez told the board.

Rodriguez described instructional materials and assessments in use: English-language arts uses Amplify with a Spanish partner curriculum (Amplify El Camino), math is delivered in Spanish using i-Ready, and supplemental Spanish supports include Imagine Learning and other language tools. He said the program currently serves two school sites, kindergarten enrollment for the cohort is 147 students, and staff expect high interest in the June lottery for additional seats.

Report highlights Rodriguez presented: - Program fidelity: staff report that the two active sites are meeting the model's structural expectations, with planned coaching and classroom visits by a dual-language coordinator and instructional coaches. - Early outcomes: dual-language cohorts showed closed gaps in early literacy that commonly appear for English-language learners under a traditional track; staff reported better attendance for dual-language students at the kindergarten level and no evidence of language "slippage" over the summer for the cohort studied. - Staffing and enrollment: the program is fully staffed for the next school year, and candidate interest exceeded open positions.

Board members welcomed the progress but asked for more detailed, comparable data. Wanda Brownlee Page asked for "some data, their scores, their actual scores, and then compare that to the other kids who didn't have it as well as what are the numbers on attendance," saying comparative numbers would strengthen the district's case when advocating for program funding. Rodriguez cautioned that direct comparisons are limited because dual-language students sometimes take Spanish-language screeners and assessments that are not identical to assessments taken by traditional-track students. "I do wanna caution with that. Our dual language students don't take all of the same assessments as our traditional track students," Rodriguez said. He committed to producing comparable metrics where valid and noted that staff are preparing more detailed academic findings for forthcoming reports.

Vice President Rachel Russell and other board members asked about enrollment mechanics and whether the district would consider dual-language preschool pathways; Rodriguez said enrollment is currently limited to district students, seats are being held for neighborhood students, and staff will examine pre-K alignment in future planning. Board members also asked for demographic breakdowns of who is enrolled (to show the diversity of the cohorts) and for longitudinal outcomes as the cohort progresses.

The board did not take formal action on the program. Members asked staff to return with the comparative achievement and attendance data requested, noting that data will help answer critics and inform budget and expansion decisions.