Dual‑language immersion committee reports steady proficiency, enrollment shifts and recommends magnet/feeder changes; transportation funding not recommended

District staff and a committee of parents, teachers and administrators presented a multi‑part report on the district’s Dual‑Language Immersion (DLI) program, covering enrollment trends, retention, Apple language proficiency, AP pass rates, bridge (concurrent enrollment) participation, teacher retention and a committee recommendation for secondary feeder patterns and transportation.

Enrollment and retention: Committee members reported roughly 210 students on average per year enroll in DLI cohorts; about 23% of early cohorts were out‑of‑boundary students by design in earlier years. Cohort‑by‑cohort retention varies; presenters said some grades show higher retention while others reflect typical attrition and student mobility.

Assessment and AP/bridge: The committee presented Apple language proficiency results (third through ninth grade) and compared DLI and non‑DLI performance on state ELA, math and science tests; presenters said the data do not show a negative impact on content proficiency for students taking content courses in another language. The district tracks AP language exam pass rates (3 or higher) and bridge (concurrent enrollment) participation; staff noted AP pass rates vary by language and that "Mandarin is a much harder language" by international language difficulty standards, making AP success rates for Chinese lower and explaining some of the differences in bridge enrollment.

Teacher retention and staffing: The committee reviewed teacher retention data, noting use of international guest teachers on J‑1 visas (typically three‑year terms with possible extension up to five years) and local hires; guest‑teacher turnover and visa rules affect staffing continuity.

Magnet, access and transportation recommendation: The committee examined transportation options to improve access to magnet schools and concluded that district‑provided transportation to make magnet schools accessible districtwide was not feasible at reasonable cost. Estimates presented included an $880,000 figure for a thoroughfare system, and bus options ranging up to roughly $572,000 for three years per bus if new buses must be purchased. Given the cost and routing complications, the committee declined to recommend district transportation as a solution.

Secondary schools and feeder recommendation: To improve equity and access, committee members proposed feeder patterns that would place DLI pathways into specific middle/high school tracks so families would have a defined secondary pathway. For Spanish, the committee’s preferred option (unanimous) was to feed magnet elementary into South Cache and then Mountain Crest for high school with a three‑year transition option for Ridgeline students; committee members also proposed specific feeder schools for Portuguese, French and Chinese so all large areas of the district would have program access. The recommendation is contingent on Utah State University (USU) confirming partnership details for concurrent enrollment during any transition period.

Next steps: Staff and the committee will seek USU confirmation on concurrent enrollment and return to the board with implementation steps and monitoring metrics; the committee also proposed more outreach to families, and continued monitoring of AP/bridge enrollment and teacher retention.