Dual Immersion Program - Gilroy Unified School District 2022

Dual Immersion Program - Gilroy Unified School District 2022
Gilroy Unified School District
Excellence: it takes everyone!
GILROY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
DUAL IMMERSION PROGRAM
The Gilroy Unified School District is one of only 19 school districts in California
that offers a comprehensive Dual Immersion program for students from
preschool through 12th grade.
This premier educational program provides students with an equitable educational experience that instills confidence, promotes teamwork and community, and challenges them to achieve to their maximum ability, all while becoming biliterate and gaining global competence by expanding their worldview and perspectives.
Dual Immersion (DI) is a dual-language education program in which native English speakers and native Spanish speakers are integrated for academic content instruction through both English and Spanish. Instruction is at least 50% in Spanish. Students begin the program in transitional kindergarten in elementary school and can continue through 12th grade.
Registration opens January 4, 2026 and closes at 4 p.m. March 6, 2026.
Incoming TK and kinder families must attend a mandatory orientation meeting, either in-person or via Zoom, to apply for the DI program.
Students are welcomed into the program through a placement process, and begin the program in transitional kindergarten or kindergarten. Families with children in higher grades who wish to join the program will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and will be admitted if space is available.
Students who enroll in the DI program will attend school at either Glen View Elementary (TK-1st grades) Las Animas Elementary (2nd through 5th grades) or Rod Kelley Elementary (kindergarten through 5th grades). South Valley Middle School and Gilroy High School offer secondary DI programs. Students who complete the program often receive the Seal of Biliteracy designation upon graduation from high school.
To apply for the GUSD Dual Immersion Program TK or Kindergarten
DI Orientation Meetings for incoming TK/ Kindergarten Students
Student Placement Process
Seal of Biliteracy
Frequently Asked Questions
Application process:
Incoming TK/kindergarten families interested in DI must apply as they enroll their student in kindergarten. Use this checklist to request admission into DI for TK/kindergarten students.
Note: Current DI TK families must attend a DI orientation meeting to meet the requirements for enrollment into DI for kindergarten.
Required:
Attendance at a DI orientation
(Glen View/Rod Kelley/Las Animas), verified by DI orientation's attendance records. In-person orientations do not require pre-registration.
Orientations are for both incoming TK and kindergarten students.
Submit the current GUSD DI application
to indicate your school of preference.
DI applications will only be emailed to families after DI orientation meetings.
Complete the
GUSD TK or kindergarten registration form
and indicate your interest in the DI Program
Families should apply to their neighborhood school.
(Current TK students enrolled in GUSD are not required to submit a registration form but must submit a DI application by the spring deadline.)
** TK and kinder registration packets must have accurate proof of residency (three items) and birth verification for acceptance into the DI placement process.
** Immunizations must be complete and submitted by deadline.
** Families of incoming TK students may apply for DI in the spring before they start TK.
It is required for a parent or legal guardian to attend an orientation for a child to be eligible for DI. This meeting is for prospective DI families.
Prospective students should not attend. All orientation meetings will be conducted in English and Spanish.
Virtual:
Wednesday, January 28, 6:30 p.m., via Zoom (registration is
required
).
Registration is closed.
In-person:
Tuesday, February 12, 6:30 p.m. at Glen View Elementary (600 W. Eighth St.)
Wednesday, February 25, 6:30 p.m. at Rod Kelley Elementary (8755 Kern Ave.)
Admission into DI will be alloted to students by a system that also accounts for a balanced program of English speakers, Spanish speakers and bilingual students.  Placement letters will be sent to parents by the end of May notifying of student placement into the program or placement on the waiting list.  Placement priority will be given to DI site attendance area candidates, siblings of current DI students and children of GUSD employees. However, these priorities do not guarantee placement in DI . Students who are not placed in DI will be assigned to a waiting list, according to the guidelines of the GUSD balanced dual immersion program.
** Current GUSD TK students can apply directly to DI. Parents do not need to complete the entire enrollment process for admission into the DI program or kindergarten.**
NOTE:
DI program completion does not automatically qualify a student for the Seal of Biliteracy.
The
State Seal of Biliteracy
, marked by a gold seal on the diploma or transcript, recognizes high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing one or more languages in addition to English.
Eligibility criteria for a Student Whose Primary Language is English
Each of three academic requirements shall be fulfilled:
Students complete ELA requirements for graduation with GPA of 2.0 or above.
Students pass the CAASPP in ELA at or above “standard met.”
Students demonstrate proficiency in one or more languages other than English through one of these methods:
Pass a foreign language Advanced Placement (AP) exam, including American Sign Language, with a score of three or higher.
Pass an International Baccalaureate (IB) examination with a score of four or higher.
Successfully complete a four-year course of study in a foreign language with an overall GPA of 3.0 or above, and demonstrate oral proficiency in the language comparable to that required to pass an AP or IB examination.
Pass the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) II foreign language exam with a score of 600 or higher.
If the primary language of a pupil is other than English, the student shall also meet the following academic requirements: attain the level demonstrating English language proficiency on the ELPAC; and meet the academic requirements 1, 2, and 3 as stated above.
When can we apply for DI for kindergarten?
The TK/kindergarten registration window opens January 4, 2026.
How do I get a DI application?
Parents must attend one of the required DI orientation meetings to receive a DI application.
How many students are accepted and placed in TK/kinder DI each year?
Glen View and Rod Kelley elementary schools each have DI TK and kindergarten classes, for a total of approximately 100 students placed in DI each year.
When will families be notified of placement in the kinder DI program?
Families will be notified around the first week of June of DI placement.
How long does the program last?
DI at Rod Kelley, Glen View and Las Animas elementary schools are a TK-5th grade program. For the 2025-26 school year: Las Animas Elementary offers DI instruction for grades 1-5; Glen View Elementary offers DI instruction for grades TK-K; and Rod Kelley Elementary offers DI instruction for grades TK-5.
For the 2026-27 school year: Las Animas Elementary offers DI instruction for grades 2-5; Glen View Elementary offers DI instruction for grades TK-1; and Rod Kelley Elementary offers DI instruction for grades TK-5.
Families who enroll their children in DI are strongly encouraged to make a commitment to participate through all grades.
Students who leave DI after being accepted may be required to return to their neighborhood school, based on space available in the non-DI classes.
What if my child is currently in TK (transitional kindergarten)?
TK students are already enrolled in GUSD, so parents only need to attend a DI orientation and submit a DI application to complete the process. Current TK students who are NOT in the DI TK program can apply to begin DI instruction in kindergarten.
How do I apply for DI for an older student who is not entering kindergarten?
If the student is not currently attending one of the DI schools, parents should contact the District Office to fill out an intradistrict transfer request. If space is not available, the student will be added to the waitlist for that grade level.
Where do we turn in our applications?
Parents must complete a registration for TK/kindergarten at their attendance area school.
The DI TK/ kinder applications will be submitted electronically.
Both of these steps
must
be completed by the DI deadline.
How does the waitlist work?
Each spring, DI schools evaluate the number of spaces available for the next year and contact families on the waitlist to offer available spaces.
How do I know where we are on the waitlist?
Students are admitted from the waitlist based on maintaining the balance in the DI programs with English, Spanish and bilingual students.
If my child is on the waitlist and doesn't speak Spanish, will he/she be able to join DI in a later grade?
Generally students are not placed in DI after 1st grade if the student does not have some familiarity with Spanish.
Can I transfer my child to an other DI school after starting the DI program?
Once a student starts the DI program at one school, there are no transfers to a different DI school, unless the family moves into that attendance area, and based on space availability.
Do we need to attend an orientation meeting if we already have a child in DI?
Yes
– every family
must
attend one of the orientation meetings
each
time a child is enrolling for the DI kinder program.
Dual Immersion Schools
GUSD DI Preschool
Glen View Elementary
Las Animas Elementary
Rod Kelley Elementary
South Valley Middle
Gilroy High School
Enroll in GUSD schools
JOIN US
Incoming TK and kinder families who wish to enroll their child in the DI program must complete these steps:
Attend
required
DI orientation meeting
Complete the
DI program application
(emailed to families after to orientation attendance)
Complete the
GUSD enrollment application
for their neighborhood school.
QUESTIONS?
Dorien Koene
Assessment and Data Specialist
(669) 205-4032
dorien.koene@gilroyunified.org
Leticia Zepeda
Office Coordinator, Glen View
(669) 205-4400
leticia.zepeda@gilroyunified.org
Veronica Valdez
Office Coordinator, Rod Kelley
(669) 205-4700
veronica.valdez@gilroyunified.org