PASADENA, Calif. (Pasadena Unified School District) – In response to community interest, the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Board of Education has approved a new Armenian Dual Language Immersion high school program for the 2020-2021 school year. The 9-12th grade program will be located at Blair School, home of the District’s International Baccalaureate (IB) secondary school programs; students will have access to IB courses. Blair serves students in middle and high school and is composed of three adjacent campuses. Registration for the Armenian Dual Language Immersion Program begins April 6, 2020, at openenrollment.info
“This is a unique opportunity to expand PUSD’s bilingual and biliteracy academic options that now include our district’s first high school Armenian Dual Language Immersion Program,” said Superintendent Brian McDonald. “The commitment that the parents and community have demonstrated by establishing a program that encourages families to remain in PUSD is remarkable, and I am pleased to welcome them to PUSD.”
PUSD currently offers Dual Language Immersion Programs in French, Mandarin, and Spanish.
To register, current PUSD students must submit an application between April 6 – 20, 2020, to enroll in the program. New-to-PUSD resident students and out-of-district students may apply online between April 6 through August 6, 2020. Additional details are posted on PUSD’s Open Enrollment website at openenrollment.info
Classes, including language immersion, will be taught by fully-credentialed bilingual teachers who have additional preparation and expertise in teaching Armenian. The program will be located at Blair School, which serves students in grades 6-12 and has vibrant International Baccalaureate programmes, an International Academy, a Health Careers Academy, and a Spanish Dual Language program.
Armenian DLIP will be open for students in grades 9-12. The model would be consistent with other DLIP high school programs in PUSD by offering one class per grade level when fully implemented at the high school level. The instructional model will follow the Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education. Staff will conduct additional planning and outreach to determine the selected program model for possible middle school and elementary school options, should the program expand in future years.
