Multilingual Services Department

In Aldine ISD, we believe…

• in biliteracy development and sheltered instruction practices when teaching all content areas.  All students are explicitly taught through an additive value lens that capitalizes in the use of metacognitive and metalinguistic strategies.  Linguistic development of native and second language begins in early childhood with an emphasis on oracy and vocabulary development; as students progress, language continues to be developed through explicit instruction that includes cross-linguistic connections to help bridge native and second languages, with an emphasis on academic vocabulary.  We understand that receptive and expressive language deserve equal attention and are mutually beneficial to each other. As such, our goal for language development is to provide authentic experiences for students that build their linguistic repertoire allowing them opportunities to showcase their knowledge and communicate their experiences to and within diverse audiences.  Lastly, biliteracy requires students to take ownership of their linguistic development.  We will be intentional in building each student’s metalinguistic capacity including helping them take control of their individual language goals and the self-monitoring of progress.
• in educational opportunities that are equitable and representative of the diversity of the district. As a culturally and linguistically diverse district, the instruction provided  promotes the acquisition of language and knowledge through instruction that allows students to assign meaning to the world we live in through cooperative learning structures.  To do so, high quality instructional materials, differentiated instructional methods and varied learning opportunities are utilized to methodically expand students’ knowledge and vocabulary through enriching lessons that share cognitive and conceptual foundations in order to facilitate the acquisition and use of more than one language in all instructional subjects.
• that our students’ diverse backgrounds and experiences are valuable.  The affective needs of students are met through culturally responsive practices and supplemental supports. These practices center around students’ personal strengths, which are identified and nurtured to promote student achievement and a sense of well-being about their unique identity and cultural place in the world.  District staff continually reflect on their practices to ensure biases are checked, acknowledged, and discarded in order to appreciate and welcome other identities, cultures and languages.