Coppell ISD offering summer school program for emergent bilingual students
COPPELL (CBSNewsTexas.com) — The weather may feel like summertime but school isn't out for some North Texas elementary school students who are working on becoming proficient in English.
Coppell ISD is hosting a summer school program for emergent bilingual learners at Wilson Elementary School this year.
"Many of our students already have two, three native languages, so they're adding to their language repertoire with English," said Coppell ISD Director of ESL & Bilingual Programs Dr. Patricia Dawson.
There's an academic component to the curriculum, but there are also opportunities for students to learn through hands-on experiences.
"Kids want to have a break, teachers want to have a break, so let's really make something that is unique and special and interesting for the kids," said Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt.
On Tuesday, the district brought a petting zoo to the school to give the children a chance to actually practice the vocabulary they're learning in the classroom.
"Bringing in these real-world experiences, the hands-on [experience] just brings everything to light as far as the words they're using, the sentences, the conversations and the confidence," Dr. Dawson said.
Hiring staff who are certified in teaching English as a second language is a priority for the district. Coppell ISD has students from 87 countries who speak more than 64 different languages, from Spanish and Hindi to Telegu and Tamil.
"I've really seen our population shift and change and grow from a relatively small, rural suburban area to a really thriving area filled with a lot of diversity," Dr. Hunt said.
He believes Coppell draws families from around the world because the city is home to a variety of businesses, close to the DFW Airport, and is in the center of the metroplex.
"To Dallas and Fort Worth, it's kind of nestled right in between, and it makes a nice place for people to raise their family," he said. "We consider ourselves a destination school district, so people move here for the school district."
Dr. Hunt says part of what makes Coppell ISD so unique and special is the diversity. The district serves just over 13,000 students.
"We want to meet the needs of all of our kids, but we're also focusing on our students that are coming to us from different places, different states, different countries," he said.
The district hopes to honor the languages students use in their homes while helping them learn English.