Elementary school students in the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) will now have the option of enrolling in a Spanish dual language program.
The new program will be rolled out at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year at Horace Mann and El Rodeo Elementary Schools.
The idea for what will be called the Dual Language Academy (DLA) was brought to the BHUSD Board by Board Member Sigalie Sabag in May. The board supported the idea, and administrators, including Assistant Superintendent, Education Services Dr. Dustin Seemann, worked quickly to bring the idea to fruition.
“What began as a vision I had for implementing a foreign language opportunity for our youngest learners has now become a transformative program that will benefit generations of BHUSD students,” Sabag said in a statement to the Courier.
Over the summer, district personnel vetted curriculum and recruited teachers while simultaneously enrolling students to ensure there was enough interest to justify onboarding those new educators.
According to Seemann, many families were eager to sign up.
“We didn’t want to hire if there wasn’t a lot of interest, and so in June, we opened up registration for the program,” he said. “We were able to then recruit enough students … in total, we have over 80 students that are enrolled in the Dual Language Academy through this 25-26 school year.”
The program will launch with one kindergarten class and two first grade classes at El Rodeo, and one kindergarten class and one first-grade class at Horace Mann.
Students enrolled in the program will be taught the same state-approved curriculum as those in English-only classes. Those in the DLA will receive 90% of their core subject instruction in Spanish and 10% in English.
“They’re not on a separate track from their grade,” Seemann said. “All kids in kinder [and first] are still held to the same state standards.”
The goal, said Seemann, is to grow the program through high school, adding dual language teachers as the cohort progresses. By the time they graduate, he said, “They’re going to be nearly fluent, if not completely fluent.”
To train teachers and administrators, BHUSD has partnered with TNTP, a nonprofit whose educational consultants help districts launch programs such as the DLA.
BHUSD has also hired several educators with backgrounds in dual language programs. Adrienne Kim, a new assistant principal at Horace Mann, coordinated Mandarin and Spanish dual immersion programs in the Montebello Unified School District.
“It’s been really exciting for all of us to grow,” said Seemann. “Every day, I continually am learning and seeing new things. And our team’s really strong.”
BHUSD Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss said in a statement to the Courier that the DLA is emblematic of the district’s potential.
“This moment represents the very best of BHUSD,” he said. “The Dual Language Academy is a shining example of what is possible when vision meets action. Thanks to the incredible work of our teachers, our Board of Education, and our district leadership, we are creating opportunities that will last a lifetime for our students.”
Members of the current Board of Education have repeatedly stated their desire for BHUSD schools to be recognized by the National Blue-Ribbon Schools Program, which identifies schools across the country that have achieved overall academic excellence.
Sabag believes the DLA is a step toward that goal.
“As we work toward the National Blue-Ribbon recognition, we’ve focused on the key elements that define exceptional schools; early language access is one of them,” she said in her statement. “The Dual Language Academy is not only aligned with that vision, it’s a powerful example of what we can accomplish when we lead with purpose and put students first.”
Seemann said the idea of a dual language immersion program had been discussed by the district in the past, but it never gained traction. He noted that the current moment lent itself to the creation of the program, as Cherniss has launched similar programming elsewhere, and board members were in support of the effort.
“It was the perfect timing,” Seemann said.
Parents who are interested in enrolling their children should contact the district. As of press time, spots are available in some classes; however others are full.
