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Mukilteo School District expands dual-language pilot, plans second-grade rollout
Summary
Director of multilingual education Dr. Kelly told the Mukilteo School Board the dual-language pilot (launched fall 2024) has strong family interest, grant funding and a plan to add second grade next year; kindergarten classes report high percentages of multilingual learners and the district is refining selection criteria to achieve a more balanced two-way model.
Dr. Kelly, the district's director of multilingual education and student support, told the Mukilteo School Board that the district's dual-language pilot, launched in fall 2024, is meeting early targets and will expand a grade level next year.
The presentation said the district is using a 90/10 model (90% instruction in Spanish and 10% in English at the start, increasing each year to a ~50/50 split by fourth grade) and asks families to commit K'12 for best outcomes. Dr. Kelly said the program is guided by three pillars ' sociocultural competence, academic rigor and bilingualism ' and that families are central through an advisory board required by state law (at least 50% parents of current or former multilingual learners).
Dr. Kelly said the district has received roughly $172,000 in grant funding to support the program; this year the presentation cited an initial $10,000 award plus a later $5,000 allocation. She said the pilot launched with one classroom per grade and the district has a wait list each year: "we had 30 applicants our first year, 32 our second year," she said, and staff expect similar interest this year. Enrollment data presented showed kindergarten classes with high concentrations of multilingual learners (reported as 18 of 22 in one kindergarten class; first grade cited 16 of 19). The district said it is adjusting selection criteria so it can reach roughly a 60% multilingual-learner / 40% non-multilingual balance that supports a two-way instructional model.
Board members asked about outcomes and the research base. "From the research over the last 30 years, dual-language students may be slightly behind English-only peers in the earliest grades but catch up by about third grade and then exceed peers on some measures by fourth to sixth grade," Dr. Kelly said, summarizing long-term studies and local observations. She told the board the district provides supports so students in special education and other specialized programs can participate.
Dr. Kelly described multilingual program languages currently represented as English, Spanish, Marshallese and Khmer (Cambodian), and said the district piloted an ARC literacy curriculum, provided professional learning on translanguaging strategies and is building a legacy project of student-made orientation videos to help young dual-language students navigate common school spaces.
The presentation listed next steps: continue recruitment and community outreach, finalize hiring and curriculum choices, pilot a dual-language curriculum rollout for additional grades and continue task-force and advisory-board work. Dr. Kelly said the district will monitor composition of classrooms and adjust selection practices to preserve the two-way model.
The board did not take a formal vote on expansion at the meeting; Dr. Kelly concluded by opening the floor for questions and discussion about the program's next steps and enrollment management.
