Educational Principles & Program Goals

The International School has created an experience for children based on the following educational principles: 
  • Young children learn a second language very much as they learn their first. Therefore, language learning should be started early. The second language must be used for normal, everyday situations as well as for subject content learning.

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  • There is a direct correlation between the amount of time spent using the second language and the level of fluency attained. Studies show that students in partial immersion programs who spend half the day in English do not obtain the same fluency in the second language as full immersion students.

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  • For language learning to be successful, children must see that the language can be used immediately in meaningful situations to convey wants, thoughts, feelings, and information.

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  • Being immersed in a second language with native speakers provides new and exciting opportunities for children to gain deeper insights into themselves and into other ways of thinking.

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  • Full immersion language learning works in concert with a child’s English language skills. For example, when a child understands the concept of reading in a second language, she can easily transfer that knowledge to her native tongue. Research has consistently shown that immersion students score equal to or better than their non-immersion peers on tests of English reading and math skills
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    Program Goals
    The International School program follows defined educational principles such that by the end of fifth grade, children are able to:

    • Communicate (understand, speak, read, and write) in their second language about age-appropriate topics with native-like ability.
    • Perform as well as or better than non-immersion peers on standardized achievement tests administered in English.
    • Recognize contributions made by representatives of foreign language communities past and present.
    • Understand and appreciate diverse cultural groups while developing their own cultural identity.
    • Gain deeper insights into themselves and into other ways of thinking and expression.