How about if they even have a Spanish elective at Graham for the huge number of kids that don't already speak it but want to learn? My son wanted to take Spanish last year and this year but it wasn't offered either year. Crittenden offers Spanish so why not Graham?

@Graham Mom

Many of us GrahAM Moms and Dads have been wondering that for the last decade! You are not alone. What will Trustee Gutierrez do? His kids, "almost' academically bilingual at Mistral (not quite "proficient" under the UC/CSU Gateways definition) will suffer if they have to take a Spanish class in MVLA HS district, to get an official 'seal of bi-literacy".

The past MVLA Superintendent asked me - in my first month in office 5 years ago - 'when is MVWSD gong to offer foreign language starter classes?".

It seems, that three track math (since abandoned by LASD because of 'holes in understanding' that it left) will Rule the Day in the middle school academic restructuring. When did the Board vote or direct "one elective - two math - full steam ahead with 3 Math TRACKS'?

THE THIRTY OR SO HISPANIC FAMILY KIDS that will graduate per year will, IMO, suffer the indignity and the Academic Misfortune to have invested in Academic Spanish (see the Graham teacher's remarks) and yet not fully reaped (UC/CSU cognition) that they are indeed and Certifiably bilingual in their families native language.

Parents of Mistral, and DI past families and graduates - YOU NEED TO APPLY PRESSURE TO THE BOARD NOW (ASAP). Otherwise - you and Spanish literate families will again continue to suffer. As a Board Member - I was never able to get a majority of the Board (2013-16) to support bilingual instruction and "Spanish certification" through the official MVWSD academic curriculum offerings in middle school.

ELACs at Mistral and Crittenden and Graham - WHERE ARE YOU? You Do Not Have to rubber-stamp 'approve' school site plans that totally ignore academic Spanish. Step up, speak up,and VOTE your peace (we all can understand Spanish through translation).

SN is a retired Trustee of MVWSD,

like the majority of past Crittenten math teachers, he hates railroading via math tracking 6-7-8th

Ellen Wheeler should realize that LCFF legislation and state BOE mandates that TARGET Students get 'proportionally' more money for their academic struggles. THERE ARE RESOURCES ELLEN. You need to turn your personally thinking around. ALLOCATE THE MONEY to MAKE THIS SO. Change the Policy on middle school academics! There is to be 20% proportionally higher spending - on TARGET kids, like Hispanic Economically Disadvantaged - to help them through the academics of school.

Trustee Ellen Wheeler (and others), the math is simple, the dual-language middle school classes can, and should BE SMALLER. This is slightly more expensive, but that is what the ENHANCEMENT GRANT portion of the MVWSD's LCFF spending authorization is from the State of California. Spend this darn $$$ on the kids who need the most help in eventually going to college. ENHANCE their chance of actually going to college by giving them "a certifiable" seal of bi-literacy by the time they leave MVWSD at the end of 8th grade (SEAL program is doing this in Oak Grove - the one great part of that program for MVWSD to emulate).

best always Ellen,

SN

It wasn't stated in the article, but Mr Gomez also noted in his comments at the meeting that he is one of two Latino teachers at Graham and increasing the numbers of bilingual teachers at the middle school level not only benefits the bilingual kids who come out of Mistral, but provides a role model for the hundreds of other Latino students. The district would be well served on many levels by hiring more bilingual teachers at the middle school level. The fact that foreign language isn't an option is a crime, the fact that there are so few options for the Mistral graduates (as well as other bilingual students) to continue bilingual education squanders a valuable resource. The district should be ashamed of itself for not providing these opportunities to our middle school students. There are many Latino students who do not go to Mistral who would benefit from taking a Spanish class in middle school that could prepare them for advanced high school Spanish. There are also many monolingual students that would love to get a head start on the high school foreign language requirements if they had the opportunity. Our students go on to MVHS and LAHS where they are mixed with graduates of the Los Altos schools have had the opportunity not only to take Spanish, but also French and Mandarin. Our district might not be able to match that offering, but simply offering a variety of Spanish classes for all our kids would be a step in the right direction. We can and should be better than this!

I agree with previous posts and I love this idea, but I would venture to say that children who would enroll in a Social Studies class taught primarily in Spanish are not just kids coming from Mistral. My children are bilingual in Spanish and English even though they don't attend Mistral. They are still little so we've been focusing on primarily speaking for them, but since Spanish is so phonetic, once you speak it, it's not terribly difficult to learn to read and write, especially with proper support from fluent, educated parents. Many of these kids could benefit also from a class that pushed their language skills further than a basic class would. Some assessment would of course be required as no one would benefit from putting kids in a class like this without the proper preparation, but I assure you, Mistral students are not the only students who would be prepared for and interested in a class like this.

I also strongly agree that all our Middle School students should be offered the opportunity to learn a second language, so both middle schools should be offering at least Spanish. Hopefully at some point, with more funding, expanding into other languages as well.

"I also strongly agree that all our Middle School students should be offered the opportunity to learn a second language, so both middle schools should be offering at least Spanish."

We have lost so much :-(

For earlier generations of children in our school districts, foreign language classes were not only offered, they were _mandatory_ in middle school and high school, and there was a choice of at least two different languages.

Wouldn't it be possible to start a special program in one of the two schools that continues dual immersion through middle school? It could be a choice program in that all Mistral students (or any students who are bilingual/biliterate) would have the option of attending... Many dual immersion programs in other cities run K-8. We would love to see a full dual immersion program through 8th grade.

It's a shame that the school day is so short that students can take only one elective.

MV Voice, have you considered contacting some Dual Immersion alumni? There are at least a few, if not more, students who graduated from MVHS and spent summers abroad doing service projects in Latin and South American countries. Should they contact the Voice, so you can find out how they kept their Spanish language skills during the foreign language void of middle school?

Our daughter was in one of the first dual immersion at Castro. The lack of a continuation option in middle school has been as issue (and raised with the school board) since the beginning of the program. We wound up sending her to The Girls Middle School primarily so she could continue to use her Spanish academically. She was placed with grade peers who were native speakers and she held her own. In fact, her spelling was much better than most of her classmates because she was not only a Spanish speaker but literate in Spanish. Biliteracy is an important benefit of the dual immersion program for all students, whether they start out as English or Spanish speakers at home.

By eighth grade our daughter was writing novels in Spanish. She took both French and AP Spanish in high school, majored in Hispanic Studies in college (including studying in Chile), and got three of her first four jobs after college in part because of her fluency. I don't think this all would have been possible if she had gone to Graham and stopped using her Spanish in 6th grade.

Obviously, private middle school isn't a realistic option for many kids, which is all the more reason why our public schools need to find a way to support the students and families who have invested 6 years in becoming bilingual/biliterate. Offering social studies or another core class in Spanish (or in a bilingual format) would be a great start.

It's a shame that no foreign languages are offered at Graham. When I went to middle school (in a neighboring district), there were 5 different language options starting in 7th grade. Local private schools start foreign languages in K. It's really unfortunate that our kids are missing out.

@reader The Voice would love to hear from alumni of Dual Immersion about their experiences after fifth grade. Contact reporter Kevin Forestieri at kforestieri@mv-voice.com.

I understand that the district feels that there are only 30 students that could benefit from a continuing spanish program at Graham and only 30 students that could benefit at Crittenden, but 30 kids every year for 20 years, which is how long this program has been around with no stable middle school spanish offered on a continual basis, shows no planning, no consistency, no thought! We have an elementary school, if providing continuation in spanish at middle school can't happen, why not let the school go k-8th? In the US there is no requirement that we speak english, the spanish language is not going away! Let's do something rather than try to ignore this.

I've often thought that it's a real waste that the district invests in a D/I program for 6 years only to say, "Great job, you're on your own" when the kids graduate.

I have a child at Mistral and it is hard work to learn a second language while becoming proficient in your first at the same time. It's stressful, and the school is very rigorous. Students who succeed and graduate with a level of fluency should be able to reap the benefits of biliteracy going forward. So should students who have learned Spanish at home or through other means.

I would strongly support a k-8 option or a significant and meaningful way to build on language proficiency in middle school.

I really have to laugh when reading these comments when it has become plainly apparent that the new superintendent does not support the Dual Immersion Program one bit. In fact, it is quite apparent that he would like to see the program fail and appears to be doing everything in his power to make that happen. After that, the question of continuing Dual Immersion at the Middle Schools will be a moot point.

I agree that it would benefit all students in our district if there were more language offerings in the middle schools. For many students, it is the time for a first introduction to language before they hit high school. MVWSD is in a very affluent and culturally diverse area, and that language opportunities are not consistently available at both middle schools is a shame. Not addressed in this article is how English-language learners could also be helped by providing a core curriculum course in Spanish. Many English learners fall behind in content because they are unable to follow age appropriate content in English, making learning slower and having students fall behind their potential. Offering a course in Spanish would allow Spanish speaking students to better learn the content, while continuing to improve English in other classes. I really hope that second-language acquisition becomes a priority, that more offerings are available at both middle schools, and that there is a push to find appropriately certified teachers from our local universities.

@Mona why do you say that? I have not heard this previously and am curious about what he has done that's not supportive. I think the program is great and don't understand why the supe would want it to fail.

It's becoming abundantly clear over the past few years that the superintendent does not support the DI program and seems to be doing all he can to ensure it fails. It's sad to see our school fall into such a sad state while the superintendent shrugs his shoulders and says "not my problem" when parents express their concern.

@ Steven Nelson

I hope you are not suggesting that this is an issue of math vs. language instruction. Because if it were, the school district would be foolish to support adding electives at the expense of math. It has been amply demonstrated that American students consistently underperform in math and science, and as a result are at a competitive disadvantage in many careers.

Having said that, I believe that the school district can continue to excel in math while expanding its language offerings. It is shocking that Graham doesn't offer Spanish. Does Graham have any language classes? It should.

It comes down to how you choose to spend your money. I continue to be disgusted that the district (with the support of the community) spends tens of millions of dollars on new buildings while shortchanging what really counts: teachers, teachers, teachers.

I'd rather have my kids take great classes from experienced teachers in a canvas tent than what they have now: an ever-changing rota of rookie teachers in pristine classrooms filled with the latest technology.

Dear Nora S., I'm only commenting that what has become a 'mandatory" 2nd math period (at times odd and not well thought out or coordinated with the actually math teaching staff. Not just TTO!) has not shown any progress in MVWSD math performance. (6-7-8th standards). It has become a middle school hurry-up-and-get-ahead of LASD kid race. Wheeler greatly supports this, I do not. Where are the other serving Trustees on this? 3 tracks of math, each using 2 periods takes Tremendous Resources and $$$. Yet - as you note Nora S. we continue to loose the math professionals who teach math in middle schools (1st 13 lost total teachers at Crittenden in one year, then last year 4 in Just Math according to Graham School Site Council).

There were some remarks that the Superintendent made during the TTO: Math fiasco that I have to agree with - though many Wealthy SEC (South of El Camino) parents don't want to hear: 3 track math - to get the gold ring of GEOMETRY for your student by 8th, is hurting many kids. They can't get a 2nd elective, and they cant's get Spanish are the more glaring to me.

I'd agree with the several posters, and former MVLA Superintendent Barry Groves - it is a damn shame that MVWSD IN THE PAST has not supported at least one foreign language in a continuing and intelligent manner through middle school.

The future, is what you make it. You have at least a bit of control over that, if you organize and act.

viva La Raza
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As a student went through the dual immersion program at Castro, I think that the issue goes far beyond supporting dual immersion students, especially those who are already privileged to have learned Spanish as a second language. The true beauty of the dual immersion program at Castro is that it offers students who are new to the country, or who speak Spanish at home, an opportunity to excel academicly despite a language barrier.

As a native English speaker who enjoyed the dual immersion program at Castro, and is now preparing to spend my fourth year of university studying at a Chilean school, I am qualified to be speaking about continuing language education after Castro. Once I was at Graham, I took art as my elective instead of a rudimentary Spanish class. My spanish skills weakened dramatically during those three years. Once I was in high school I was able to take higher Spanish classes which filled my graduation requirements. I then took Spanish Literature AP with Campbell, which ended up helping towards my university get classes. I am now enrolled in a university spanish literature class which is counting towards my literature requirement. Throughout the past few years I have been traveling throughout Latin America independently, and have had no trouble with my spanish skills when finding my way around and making friends. I have also begun the process of studying abroad, for twelve months, in a Chilean school. My university has deemed that my spanish skills are adequate to be taking university level classes completely in spanish. So would I say that my lack of spanish education at Graham has hurt my ability to be perfectly fluent in spanish? Absolutely not. Do I believe that Graham and Crittenden need to offer core classes in spanish? Absolutey.

I was a student at Castro before pact was merged in, and classrooms never had more than three native English speakers in them. I was able to notice something really spectacular taking place. Every day the students from my class would have an hour or so of English class with the students from the english only track. From this side by side comparison it was obvious that students from the dual immersion program did vastly better in social studies classes taught in english. I attributed this phenomenon to the fact that native spanish speakers in dual immersion were not falling behind in school because their developing english skills were not hindering their ability to learn other subjects. Dual immersion allows students to develop english language, writing, mathematics, and social studies skills, ect. In tandem. This is something that ceases to be the case in our school district after fifth grade. We have students in our schools who are still learning english and subsequently falling behind in other classes. Offering core classes will give all students the opportunity to thrive without hindering the learning of any students.