Lexington County elementary school launches Spanish-English immersion program, a first in the district
WEST COLUMBIA — At first glance, nothing in Alma Mayborg's kindergarten classroom looks out of the ordinary.
Letters of the alphabet and student artwork hang on the walls of her room at Riverbank Elementary, and the kids' nooks are packed with toys and books.
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But when you listen to Mayborg speak, you'll hear what sets this classroom apart from most in Lexington County: Mayborg is speaking Spanish.
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The elementary school in West Columbia is piloting a two-way dual language immersion program this fall. Two kindergarten classes at Riverbank are receiving instruction in both English and Spanish for the 2024-25 school year.
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Between the two classes, there are around 40 students, with half coming from Spanish-speaking households and the other coming from English-speaking ones.
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Riverbank Elementary is part of Lexington School District Two, which is home to a number of Spanish-speaking families. This is the district's first dual language program.
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As the students move up in school, they will continue to be taught in both languages.
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The Hispanic/Latino population has more than tripled in South Carolina since 2000, going from around 96,000 in the year 2000 to just under 353,000 in 2020, according to a 2022 research brief from the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs.
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In Lexington County, the Hispanic/Latino population increased from 14,529 to 21,797 between 2010 and 2020.
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What is dual immersion learning?
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Students participating in the program have half of their day taught in Spanish by Mayborg and the other half in English by O’Neta Poovey. The key to dual-language instruction is to only speak and interact with the students in one language.
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Mayborg doesn't use English with her students. When they respond to her in English, she affirms their answers but guides them in how to say it in Spanish.
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“Kids are literally sponges,” Mayborg told The Post and Courier. “ A lot of them, they know their shapes, they know their colors. It’s just about bridging and making the connections.”
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Poovey and Mayborg are in constant communication to ensure the material is being reinforced in both languages. Mayborg teaches math, science and Spanish literacy, while Poovey teaches English and language arts and social studies.
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“There is no student that cannot be successful in an immersion-style education,” said Denise Quickel, director of bilingual services and multilingual education for the Lexington Two school district.
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Because students are learning skills such as reading, writing and comprehension for the first time, adding in a new language does not take away from traditional instruction.
Students are assessed in both languages, and teachers determine what areas may need reinforcement — in either language.
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There are macro and micro skills when it comes to language, said Eurydice Bauer, professor of language and literacy in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina.
Macro skills can cross any language and include speaking, writing, listening and reading. Micro skills would be rules that can be tied up to a specific language and its structure.
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"It's not so much that the skills are the same — there's things that are similar and there are things that are dissimilar," Bauer said. "But kids come to learn very quickly, very early on, that some things about language are arbitrary; they're not inherent.”
Dual immersion programs have proven positive outcomes such as higher test scores and increased high school graduation and college attendance rates. They also tend to have more positive attitudes toward other cultures and languages.
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Though it will take a few years for students to be completely bilingual, they will still reap the benefits of an immersive education, Quickel said. The program also increases leadership skills among students.
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“The goal of our program is for our students to be biliterate,” Quickel said. “Not only will they be able to speak a second language, but we want them to be able to also read and write in that second language.”