¶ … Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is also referred to as the City of Chicago School District Number 299, for the purposes of funding provisions. In particular, this is the 4th biggest school district in the United States (Chicago Public Schools, 2016). Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is a massive system that consists of primary schools, secondary schools and disability schools restricted to the boundaries of Chicago City. Moreover, this enormous system is the second biggest employer in Chicago. Majority of the schools within the Chicago district, irrespective of what school level it is, have attendance borders confining student admission to within a certain area. A school may possibly choose to enroll students beyond its attendance borders, if there is space in its classrooms or if it has a magnet cluster program (Chicago Public Schools, 2016). In the past school year, Chicago Public Schools' report indicated that its administration included a total of 660 schools. 176 of them were high schools, while the rest, 484 schools, were elementary. From the total number of schools, a whooping 517 were district-run, 11 contract schools, 130 charter schools and the remaining 2 SAFE schools (Chicago Public Schools, 2016). Governance and Type

ES

HS

Total

District-run

95

Traditional

87

Options

4

4

Specialty

4

4

8

Early Childhood Center

3

3

Charter

60

70

Traditional

60

47

Options

23

23

Contract

2

9

11

Traditional

2

2

4

Options

7

7

SAFE

2

2

Options

2

2

Grand Total

Figure 1: Information about schools in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS)

Chicago Public Schools serves a total of 396,683 students, according to the figures during the 2014-2015-year enrollment. Out of this figure, 16.7% of the total students are English Language Learners (ELLs). The following table and charts gives a description of the student demographics in CPS.

Student Racial Makeup

African-American

39.3%

Asian

3.56%

Asian/Pacific Islander (retired)

0.01%

Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

0.2%

Hispanic

45.6%

Multi-Racial

1.1%

Native American/Alaskan

0.3%

White

9.4%

Not available

0.6%

Figure 2: Student Racial Makeup in Chicago Public Schools

As indicated in the diagram above, majority of the students who make up the CPS are largely African-American and Hispanic. However, the different array in numbers also indicates that there is diversity in its enrollment with students from several different racial backgrounds.

Description of the Chicago Public Schools Program Model

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) uses three main bilingual education models. For starters, there is Transitional Bilingual Educational Program, which is employed where there are 20 or more English Language Learners (ELLs) who have a similar language background and in the similar school. English as a Second Language (ESL) is an imperative element of the day-to-day program of instruction, right from the initial day of enrollment. Nonetheless, the first language of the student is employed as the medium of communication and teaching to link educational success in the core curriculum of Chicago Public Schools. In the course of the first and second years of participation, the student is anticipated to meet the State and Chicago Academic Standards, which encompass ESL at grade level. At the start of the second year, a number of subjects in the core curriculum are introduced in English by making use of sheltered English approaches. The time period that is employed for instruction in the native language and English language in this particular model is dependent on the length of the student in the Transitional Bilingual Education Program.

Secondly, there is the Transitional Program of Instruction. This particular model is employed in schools where there are nineteen or less English Language Learners of a similar language. These students receive structured English teaching from a teacher who has been granted English as a Second Language (ESL) authorization from the State of Illinois. These classes that are undertaken on a day-to-day basis are part of a pull-out program. Students emanating from dissimilar language groups are also permitted to take part together in the same ESL class, in accordance to their age as well as their level of English language. At whatever time possible, the first language of the students is used for explanation and interpretation in the classroom when helpers or volunteers who speak the languages of the students are available (Chicago Public Schools, 2016).

The third model is the Dual Language Immersion Model. This is a noncompulsory or voluntary education...

In particular, students who are English-speaking are teamed up with students whose first language is the other targeted language of the school. In the Dual Language Immersion Model, there are separate distinctive times for each of the languages to be employed as the medium of teaching of the core curriculum. The students are anticipated to make some academic advancement in meeting the State and Chicago Academic Standards and Frameworks, which include ESL, similar to all the other students. At the same time, all of the students are anticipated to cultivate fluency and literacy that is age fitting in both English as well as the other language that is offered at the school. The students who are in this particular bilingual program less than 3 years in the Chicago Public Schools are exempted from undertaking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). Nevertheless, in the course of their third year of obtaining bilingual services, these students are obliged to take the ITBS. The scores attained from this test are employed to ascertain if they are to be withdrawn from the bilingual program or not. However, the scores are not employed as a benchmark for elevation or preservation. Subsequent to year four of attaining bilingual services, these ITBS scores are employed as part of the principles to make a determination for retention or promotion in the benchmark grades 6 and 8. At this point, the students who have not been in a bilingual program in Chicago Public Schools in the past three years are exempted from undertaking the ITBS. Instead, these students are expected to undertake the Illinois Measure Academic Goals in English (IMAGE) (Gomez, 2008).
Part II

This section discusses the pros and cons of the program model for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) based on research and knowledge of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theories and program models. This will be undertaken in the following key aspects:

Program goals and language outcomes

The goals of the Dual Language Education Program include developing high levels of proficiency in the two different languages. The other objective is to perform at or beyond grade level in all of the academic areas on both of the languages. There is also the goal of demonstrating constructive cross-cultural behaviors as well as attitudes (Chicago Public Schools, 2016). According to an interview conducted with Alina Rodriquez, one of the tutors, there are benefits and pros with regard to the goals of the program. In particular, in the long run, the students end up becoming completely bilingual and completely biliterate. Mrs. Rodriguez was keen to point out that subsequent to students participating in the CPS dual language program, they generally end up having greater and better performances academically in comparison to students who are monolingual. One of the aspects that enables this, is that the skill development of the students normally varies in any language. The benefits of the program include the provision of a learning environment and setting that cultivates and develops bilingualism, biliteracy and cultural understanding amidst English Language Learners and native English speakers. In addition, the program offers distinctive prospects for students who are involved to develop two languages. In addition, the CPS language program model offers its participating students a way in which they can attain the State Seal of Biliteracy once they pass the tests and graduate (Chicago Public Schools, 2016). By participating in the CPS language program, the students are taught how to directly transfer their thinking through the dual language. In the end, this goes in tandem with the long-term objective of the program, which is to ensure that the students are proficient in both languages (De Jong, 2011).

Identification and reclassification of participants in the program

According to Chicago Public schools (2016) and Gomez (2008), the CPS offers the students and participants in the program up to a period of five years to finish the bilingual program. Once the students finish their third years, they are expected to undertake a standardized examination. Passing this examination by scoring at grade level, the students are exited out of the program. However, if the student fails to pass this standardized examination, he or she is offered extra services and also handed two more additional years in the bilingual program. The main advantage towards this aspect of the CPS language program is that it continues to maintain high expectations. In particular, the program does not employ limited proficiency in English as a justification for lowering the standards set. This therefore sets an optimal learning setting for bilingual learners in the schools within the city of Chicago (De Jong, 2011).

The way to assess the effectiveness of the program and Quality of program implementation

According to De Jong (2011), at the program level, the quality of program execution or enactment plays a vital and significant role. Despite the fact that the selection of the program model is a significant step in organizing a bilingual curriculum, its effectiveness is directly related to the quality of the actual practices that take place at each grade level. The Chicago Public School Program model can be considered to be one that is effective…