The Snyder ISD bilingual education program cultivates bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural environments, and offers robust support to emerging language learners to further develop proficiencies as critical thinkers and leaders, which fosters the capacity for being significant contributors within our diverse, competitive, and globally connected world.

Emerging English and Spanish proficient students will develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing proficiency in English and Spanish at high linguistic and academic proficiency. Culturally proficient students will develop an understanding of how languages, cultures, and people impact our global society.

Guiding principles
Being proficient in the first and second language produces higher academic achievement. Language proficiency means having both basic interpersonal communications skills and cognitive academic language skills. Academic proficiency in the first language forms the basis for academic proficiency in the second language. And a second language is learned best through exposures to comprehensible input in a supportive environment. We believe when students feel good about themselves, their achievement cannot help but experience greater improvements.

Instructional practice
Bilingual teachers use small group instruction and other strategies that may include peer-tutoring, use of integrated technology, and cooperative learning. Students may be homogeneously or heterogeneously grouped by ability and/or proficiency levels, individual needs, a random distribution, and/or according to assignments or projects. Bilingual teachers also work with individual groups (e.g., guided reading, etc.) while other students may undertake individual assignments.

English for speakers of other languages
Snyder High School offers English for Speakers of Other Language (ESOL) programming. These ESOL environments are academic enrichment classes that are available to assist students in content area classes. Freshmen ESOL students take the ESOL 1 in addition to English 1 and Sophomore ESOL students take ESOL 2 in addition to English 2.

RESOURCES

The following resources are designed to facilitate greater understanding of the multilingual education programming for parent(s)/guardian(s) of emerging language learners who are Limited English Proficient (LEP) students within Snyder ISD. Included are several Texas Education Agency (TEA) resources.

• Supporting English Learners in Texas (TEA)

• Parent and Families of English Language Learners (TXEL)

• Process for identifying students for English as a Second Language (Guide)

• Tips for Families with English Learners (Guide) (En Español)