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Joe Serna students ask Lodi Unified to recognize dual‑immersion Spanish for high‑school placement
Summary
Students from Joe Serna Junior Charter School urged the board to create a clear pathway so graduates can enter Spanish 3 as freshmen, saying their dual‑immersion program provides substantially more Spanish instruction than typical middle‑school pathways. District staff said steps are underway to align coursework and AP opportunities.
Students from Joe Serna Junior Charter School told the Lodi Unified School District board that their dual‑immersion program prepares them for higher‑level Spanish in high school and asked the district to formalize placement into Spanish 3 for incoming freshmen.
"We are asking the board to recognize the hard work and achievements of the students by giving us a clear path to higher level Spanish classes in high school," said Gislaine Garcia, president of the Joe Serna student council. Julia Lang, vice president, demonstrated skills in both Spanish and English and said Serna students complete far more Spanish instruction than a typical district middle‑school student.
The students provided numbers they said show Serna students receive roughly 3,600 hours of Spanish instruction by eighth grade compared with about 300 hours districtwide, and asked the board to "break the cycle" that places many Serna students into Spanish 1 or 2 on high‑school registration.
District staff responded that curriculum work is already in progress. "At the most recent curriculum council meeting... we've already approved two classes at the council level to assist with this situation," said a district curriculum representative, who said a proposal to "clean up the Spanish pathway" has been presented so Serna graduates can be ready for Spanish 3 and AP testing.
The staff presentation said the district aims to recognize student achievement and align pathways so students can pursue higher‑level language study and potential state seals for biliteracy. No formal policy change was voted on during the meeting; staff described the pathway revision process as "well underway." The board accepted the students’ request for clarification and thanked them for coming.
Next steps noted in the meeting: the curriculum council and district staff will continue the approval and alignment process so course placement reflects dual‑immersion instruction.
