Vista del Valle Dual Language Academy
Preventing the Development of Long Term English Learners through the use of Bi-Literacy, Project-Based Learning, and Technology
Meeting the Diverse Needs of our Students
Our team wrote the proposal for the UCLA TIIP grant in the fall of 2010, our school’s inaugural year of operation. We are one of the newer schools in ESC North with a dedicated staff from varied teaching experiences. For the TIIP team and most of the staff, we were drawn to the school’s mission of approaching our educational practices in a different way. Written into our school proposal and our Single Plan for Student Achievement is that our school would be organized around four key instructional approaches: a Dual-Language Program, a Project and Inquiry Based Learning Approach to Instruction, a Technology-Infused Standards-Based Curriculum and a Problem Solving Process. While we believe this is a tall order, we firmly believe that these instructional approaches can provide a pathway for our English learners to access to the core curriculum. In essence, we are striving to meet the diverse language needs of our students and intend to act as agents of change to prevent the development of Long Term English Learners.
Vista Del Valle Dual Language Academy
Vista del Valle Dual Language Academy is a Public School Choice school under the Los Angeles Unified School District in the northeast section of the San Fernando Valley in Sylmar. The Public School Choice motion was born out of the need for quality schools with a focus on innovation and creativity. There was a sense of urgency to “do things in a different manner.” It was and currently is a long and arduous process to become a Public School Choice school. Educational Service Center, North (formally Local District 2) submitted an application along with other vying private charters to operate as a public school. There were important stakeholder voices heard in the process; those of the parents, families, charter schools, the community’s and teachers. In the spring of 2010, the proposal from Los Angeles Unified was chosen to operate our school. We are now going into our 3rd year of operation.
Learn More about our TIIP Activities
Team Biographies
Our team was brought together by a shared vision, to not only meet the needs of our diverse learners but to prevent Long Term English Learners. The question we asked ourselves was, how are we going to do this? The TIIP Grant gave us the opportunity to seek professional development that our school district was unable to provide. To learn more about us and what we have been busy doing, please visit our team biographies page.
