- Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary
- Dual Language Immersion Program
Dual Language Immersion at OAES
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Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School offers a Dual Language Immersion Program in Spanish for students in grades PK-5. Students living in the OAES attendance zone are invited to apply for the bilingual and biliteracy program prior to their pre-K year and, once accepted, continue in the program throughout elementary school. Students receive 50% of their daily instruction in Spanish and the other half in English. Nearly 40% of the current OAES student body is enrolled in the DLI program (approximately 218 students as of November 2023) with a size of 22 students per class.
Zoned students have the opportunity to continue DLI instruction in grades 6-8 at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School and, upon successful completion of the middle school program, will have earned high school Spanish I and II credits. If a student continues the DLI program throughout middle school, they may have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish earlier (second semester of ninth-grade year) earlier than the rest of their cohort, opening them up to opportunities to continue in Dual Enrollment college-level Spanish courses while in high school. Placement into an advanced high school Spanish course will be determined by the high school's world languages department.
Click on the dropdown tabs below for additional information about the DLI program. You can also scroll to the bottom of this page to view the slides from the presentation made at the parent informational meeting at OAES on Nov. 28, 2023, in English and Spanish.
***Note: The DLI application period for the 2024-25 school year begins April 11 and runs through May 15. Click HERE for the application.***
Contact Us
O'Marr Curry
OAES Principal
curryo@clarke.k12.ga.usJeanna Wheeler
DLI Instructional Coach
wheelerj@clarke.k12.ga.usNathan Reincheld
World Languages Coordinator, Clarke County School District
reincheldn@clarke.k12.ga.us
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Why Do DLI?
The benefits of Dual Language Immersion and bilingualism include the following:
- Second language skills: DLI students achieve higher proficiency in the second language than with traditional foreign language instruction.
- Cognitive skills: DLI students typically develop greater cognitive flexibility, demonstrating increased attention and memory, superior problem-solving skills, as well as an enhanced understanding of their primary language.
- Performance on standardized tests: DLI students perform as well as or better than English-only students on standardized tests in English, including students from a range of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, as well as with diverse cognitive and linguistic abilities.
- Intercultural competency: DLI students are more aware of and generally show more positive attitudes toward other cultures and an appreciation of people from different backgrounds than their own.
- Long-term benefits: DLI students are better prepared for the global community and job markets in the 21st century.
- Higher attendance/lower dropout rates: Students from DLI programs have higher attendance rates and lower dropout rates compared to regular instructional programs.
***Information courtesy of Georgia State University research into DLI programs in Georgia.
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Entry Procedures/Enrollment in the CCSD DLI Program
1. Students must be enrolled in the Clarke County School District and live within the Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School attendance zone.
2. An application for entry into the program must be submitted for consideration by May 15 of the academic year prior to a student beginning kindergarten at OAES. A lottery system will be used to determine which students may enter the DLI program for their kindergarten year. Families will be informed of their student's status by June 15 of each year.
3. For heritage Spanish speakers: If there is space in a cohort, students transferring into OAES can be tested up through fifth grade for entry into the program using a test administered by the school.
4. Please note: Once a student drops out of the DLI program at OAES or in middle school, they cannot re-enter.
