Provo Board Gets Data Briefing on Dual Language Immersion, Seeks More Outreach and Targets Attrition
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Summary
Superintendent Wendy Dowell and DLI staff told the Provo City School Board that DLI schools have lower special‑education prevalence, the greatest attrition occurs from third to fourth grade, and roughly one‑third to 40% of students who begin DLI persist to high‑school DLI offerings; the district will expand surveys and targeted focus groups.
WENDY DOWELL, superintendent of Provo School District, presented a data‑driven update on the district’s Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program at the school board’s Dec. 9 study session, saying the presentation raised questions the district will investigate further.
District staff and DLI specialists showed that across five elementary DLI schools the special‑education (SPED) population is lower on the DLI side than in non‑DLI classes and that the largest rate of attrition occurs between third and fourth grade. ‘‘When you look at the data that Nate Mitchell has gathered…that is our year of greatest attrition,’’ Dowell said, and staff said they are still tracking where those students go after leaving DLI.
Jamie Lachey, principal at Lakeview Elementary, described local practices that have kept attrition lower at her school. She told the board: "The only requirement to participate [in DLI] is a long‑term commitment to learning a language," and urged clearer messaging to families and teacher training to avoid the perception that DLI is a gifted program.
District staff also reviewed secondary outcomes: about one‑third to 40% of students who begin DLI complete at least one advanced or bridge pathway at high school; Chinese and Portuguese programs showed the highest participation and completion rates, the presenters said. Staff flagged data gaps — notably where students who leave DLI are placed — and recommended additional qualitative outreach: follow‑up surveys to parents outside DLI, targeted focus groups in neighborhoods with differing experiences (e.g., Lakeview vs. Canyon Crest), and DLI subcommittee work to explore cost‑effective supports.
Board members asked for more precise enrollment and exit tracking, and for information on supports when students enter DLI later than kindergarten. The district said it will send a broader parent survey and convene smaller focus groups to better represent differences across schools; the DLI subcommittee will examine potential boundary adjustments and program designs that could produce fuller grade cohorts in DLI schools.