Discussion #5: Immersion Schools and Special Education Services

[Meredith Blunda]

Throughout this course, we have learned about a number of different
exceptionalities in students and strategies for differentiation and
inclusion in the classroom. I have consistently thought back to how
this applies to the school that I work in and how these things apply
in my life. I work in a Chinese immersion charter school, where
students switch every other day between either a full day of English
instruction or a full day of Chinese instruction. This presents a
challenge when it comes to the provision of special education
services, because no English can be spoken in the Chinese classrooms.
We follow an inclusion model and currently do not have any Special
Educators who speak Chinese, so students only receive services every
other day when they are in the English classroom. While they generally
receive the hours they are supposed to, I worry about the consistency
in their lives – it’s an all or nothing situation when it comes to
support. I always wonder and worry whether this is an appropriate
setting for some students.

For students receiving services in an immersion setting where they
cannot get such support consistently every day, what would you
recommend? What strategies would you use to help a student keep
consistency when they are in the other language without direct
support? Should they stay in an immersion school in order to continue
to gain the benefits of a second language? Do you think it is a
teacher’s responsibility to talk to parents to encourage them to seek
another setting if you believe they are not in the best situation?