Chicago Public Schools Bilingual Education Program Analysis
This paper examines the bilingual education program models used by Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the fourth-largest school district in the United States. It provides an overview of the district's demographics, including its predominantly African-American and Hispanic student population, and describes three core instructional models: the Transitional Bilingual Education Program, the Transitional Program of Instruction, and the Dual Language Immersion Model. The paper evaluates each model's goals, participant identification, reclassification procedures, and implementation quality through the lens of Second Language Acquisition theory. It concludes with recommendations for improving instructional language distribution, alternative assessment measures for Limited English Proficient students, and culturally responsive teaching practices.
- Overview of Chicago Public Schools: District size, school types, and student demographics
- CPS Bilingual Program Models: Three bilingual instructional models explained in detail
- Program Goals and Language Outcomes: Dual language goals and biliteracy outcomes for students
- Participant Identification and Reclassification: How students enter, progress, and exit the bilingual program
- Program Effectiveness and Implementation Quality: Evaluation of staff competency, articulation, and cultural diversity
- Recommendations for Improvement: Policy and instructional recommendations for CPS language programs
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What makes this paper effective
- Grounds abstract program descriptions in concrete district data, including enrollment figures, school counts, and racial demographics, which provides a strong empirical foundation.
- Structures the analysis around three distinct instructional models, allowing for clear comparison across program types while connecting each to Second Language Acquisition theory.
- Integrates both primary source evidence (a teacher interview) and scholarly references, lending the argument both practical and academic credibility.
- Moves logically from description to evaluation to recommendation, giving the paper a clear applied purpose beyond mere summary.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates program evaluation through a multi-criteria framework, assessing each model against staff competency, curricular articulation, teacher collaboration, resource adequacy, and cultural responsiveness. This approach, drawn from De Jong (2011), shows how to apply theoretical criteria systematically to a real-world institutional context.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with district-level context and demographic data, then describes three bilingual program models in Part I. Part II evaluates program goals, participant reclassification procedures, and implementation quality, incorporating interview data and scholarly sources. Part III presents three targeted policy recommendations addressing language distribution, alternative assessment, and culturally responsive instruction. A reference list closes the paper.
Overview of Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools (CPS), also referred to as the City of Chicago School District Number 299 for the purposes of funding provisions, is the fourth-largest school district in the United States (Chicago Public Schools, 2016). CPS is a massive system consisting of primary schools, secondary schools, and disability schools restricted to the boundaries of the City of Chicago. Moreover, this enormous system is the second-largest employer in Chicago. The majority of schools within the Chicago district, regardless of school level, have attendance boundaries that confine student admission to a certain geographic area. A school may choose to enroll students beyond its attendance boundaries if there is space in its classrooms or if it operates a magnet cluster program (Chicago Public Schools, 2016).
In the most recent school year reported, Chicago Public Schools administered a total of 660 schools: 176 high schools and 484 elementary schools. Of these, 517 were district-run, 11 were contract schools, 130 were charter schools, and 2 were SAFE schools (Chicago Public Schools, 2016). The table below summarizes school governance and type across the district.
Figure 1: Schools in Chicago Public Schools by Governance and Type
CPS serves a total of 396,683 students, based on 2014–2015 enrollment figures. Of this total, 16.7% are English Language Learners (ELLs). The student racial makeup is as follows: African-American 39.3%, Hispanic 45.6%, White 9.4%, Asian 3.56%, Multi-Racial 1.1%, Native American/Alaskan 0.3%, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.2%, and other or not available 0.61%. As these figures indicate, the majority of CPS students are African-American or Hispanic; however, the range of racial backgrounds also reflects meaningful diversity across the district's enrollment.
CPS Bilingual Program Models
Chicago Public Schools uses three main bilingual education models. The first is the Transitional Bilingual Education Program, which is used in schools where there are 20 or more English Language Learners who share the same language background. English as a Second Language (ESL) is an essential component of the daily instructional program from the student's first day of enrollment. The student's first language is used as the medium of communication and instruction to support academic success in the core curriculum. During the first and second years of participation, the student is expected to meet both State and Chicago Academic Standards, which include ESL at grade level. At the start of the second year, some core curriculum subjects are introduced in English using sheltered English approaches. The proportion of instructional time in the native language versus English depends on the length of the student's participation in the Transitional Bilingual Education Program.
The second model is the Transitional Program of Instruction, which is used in schools where there are nineteen or fewer English Language Learners sharing the same language. These students receive structured English instruction from a teacher who holds ESL authorization from the State of Illinois. These classes, conducted daily, are part of a pull-out program. Students from different language backgrounds may participate together in the same ESL class, grouped according to age and English proficiency level. Whenever possible, the students' first language is used for explanation and interpretation in the classroom when helpers or volunteers who speak the students' languages are available (Chicago Public Schools, 2016).
The third model is the Dual Language Immersion Model, a voluntary education program in which students participate for at least four to six years. English-speaking students are paired with students whose first language is the school's targeted partner language. In this model, each language has designated instructional time as the medium of teaching for the core curriculum. All students are expected to make academic progress toward meeting State and Chicago Academic Standards and Frameworks, including ESL, in the same manner as other students. At the same time, all students are expected to develop age-appropriate fluency and literacy in both English and the partner language offered at the school.
Students who have been in the bilingual program for fewer than three years in CPS are exempt from taking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). However, during their third year of receiving bilingual services, students are required to take the ITBS. Scores from this test determine whether students exit the bilingual program. These scores are not used as a benchmark for grade promotion or retention. Beginning in year four of bilingual services, ITBS scores are used as one criterion for determining retention or promotion at benchmark grades 6 and 8. Students who have not been enrolled in a CPS bilingual program within the past three years are exempt from the ITBS and are instead expected to take the Illinois Measure of Academic Goals in English (IMAGE) (Gomez, 2008).
Program Goals and Language Outcomes
The goals of the Dual Language Education Program include developing high levels of proficiency in two languages, performing at or above grade level in all academic areas in both languages, and demonstrating constructive cross-cultural behaviors and attitudes (Chicago Public Schools, 2016). According to an interview conducted with one program tutor, there are notable benefits with regard to these goals. In the long run, students who complete the program tend to become fully bilingual and biliterate. The tutor observed that students who participate in the CPS dual language program generally perform better academically than monolingual students. One contributing factor is that students' skill development varies across languages in ways that mutually reinforce learning.
The benefits of the program include providing a learning environment that cultivates bilingualism, biliteracy, and cultural understanding among both English Language Learners and native English speakers. The program also offers students the opportunity to earn the State Seal of Biliteracy upon passing the required assessments and graduating (Chicago Public Schools, 2016). By participating in the CPS language program, students learn to transfer their thinking directly through the dual language, which aligns with the program's long-term goal of ensuring proficiency in both languages (De Jong, 2011).
References
Chicago Public Schools. (2016). CPS stats and facts. Retrieved 22 February 2016 from http://www.cps.edu/About_CPS/At-a-glance/Pages/Stats_and_facts.aspx
Chicago Public Schools. (2016). Language and cultural education. Retrieved 22 February 2016 from
De Jong, E. (2011). Foundations for multilingualism in education: From principles to practices. Caslon Publishing. ISBN: 978-1-934000-06-9.
Diez, V., & Karp, F. (2013). Two-way bilingual education in Boston Public Schools: Required features, guidelines and recommendations.
Garcia, O., & Baker, C. (2007). Bilingual education: An introductory reader. Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Gomez, S. (2008). Case study in a school with high numbers of bilingual students. ProQuest LLC.
Jeffrey, T. P. (2012). U.S. Department of Education: 79% of Chicago 8th graders not proficient in reading. CNSNews. Retrieved 22 February 2016 from http://cnsnews.com/news/article/us-department-education-79-chicago-8th-graders-not-proficient-reading
Samway, K., & McKeon, D. (2007). Myths and realities: Best practices for language minority students. Heinemann. ISBN: 978-0-325-00989-6.
Uriarte, M., Karp, F., Gagnon, L., Tung, R., Rustan, S., Chen, J., ... & Stazesky, P. (2011). Improving educational outcomes of English language learners in schools and programs in Boston Public Schools. Center for Collaborative Education.
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