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RESEARCH
RESEARCH
For research on the effectiveness of Dual Language Immersion (DLI), we have compiled what is considered valid and reliable research studies below and HERE. In summary, the DLI field has proven research showing that English Learners enrolled in well-implemented DLI programs reclassify sooner AND perform better academically than their non-DLI, English learner peers. While DLI is considered one type of bilingual program, it is DIFFERENT from other bilingual/ESL program models and needs to considered as such when comparing results.
In other words, we need to focus on research specific to DLI instead of on older bilingual education models for our AZ context. Since SB1014 amended Proposition 203 language reducing the 4 hour required SEI time to 2 hours daily, English Learners in AZ have been able to participate in the 50-50 DLI model starting only in 2020. As a result, AZ does not have consistent and reliable data on how English Learners do in DLI, mostly because they just started in kinder and 1st grade in 2020. It will take a few years to have reliable data so for now, we need to look at what other states and organizations have found. Additionally, AZ only defines DLI as a 50-50 model with no further guidance or program model assurances in place - which results in different interpretations and implementation approaches. This is not conducive to making conclusive statements about DLI in AZ.
We also want to stress that during the structured English immersion time of the day in a DLI program, English Learners are taught 100% in English following the Integrated and Targeted time that all SEI AZ models follow. Please help clear up the misconceptions out there about English Learners in Dual Language Immersion.
Our top choices for large scale research publications
Our top choices for large scale research publications
National Library of Medicine (Sep 5, 2025) "Bilingual Two-Way Programs Benefit Academic Achievement"
A Comparison of Demographics and RISE Proficiency for DLI and Non-DLI Students in SY 2023 and 2024 combined.pdfStatewide Analysis - Utah DLI
Demographics and RISE Proficiency (Academic Assessment Data) Comparison for SY 2023 and SY 2024 in UTAH
Published 12/20/2024
LINK to Analysis
9 out of 10 U.S. employers rely on employees with language skills other than English.
56% say their language demand will increase in the next 5 years.
47% state a need for language skills exclusively for the domestic market.
1 in 3 language-dependent U.S. employers report a language skills gap.
1 in 4 U.S. employers lost business due to a lack of language skills.
View the Executive Summary PDF: Report highlights, an infographic of key findings, and the employer recommendations.
View the Full Report PDF: The complete Executive Summary, plus detailed findings, charts, and more.
Visit the Media Kit: Download graphics illustrating key figures for use on a variety of digital platforms.
MakingLanguagesOurBusiness_FullReport (1).pdfAn article from UT related to English Learners in DLI programs
An article from UT related to English Learners in DLI programs
"On math and language arts proficiency tests in 2012, about 20 percent more English language learners who’d been enrolled in two-way immersion for three years at Heber Valley achieved proficient scores when compared with English language learners statewide not enrolled in two-way immersion. English-speaking students in two-way immersion programs tended to do better as a group on average than their counterparts in the school district and in the state overall."
ONIstoryNo%2013UtahV2-2.pdf
An article from The Century Foundation
Contains citations to multiple research studies supporting the findings that English Language Learners do better in Dual Language programs than in English-Only programs.
Another article written by Connor Williams from the Century Foundation on how models for English Learners are shifting to dual language immersion in California after decades of dismal data from from the English Only approaches
ACTFL is an internationally recognized professional organization for world language educators. It is the organization that has developed the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can Do Statements as well as assessments for measuring language proficiency from elementary through professional adults through Language Testing International. Click HERE for their page with research highlights for students learning languages.
ResearchBrief-UT Student Performance Under Dual Language Immersion Scale-Up.pdfStudent Performance Under Dual Language Immersion Scale-Up in Utah
Student Performance Under Dual Language Immersion Scale-Up in Utah
Consistent with other studies, this study finds that students enrolled in dual language immersion programs in Utah have markedly outperformed their same-school counterparts on standardized tests in language arts, mathematics, and science, all of which are tested in English. This is true for native English speakers, with cross-grade descriptive estimates of up to 30% of a standard deviation, and it is true for English learners, whose cross-grade descriptive estimates reach 23% of a standard deviation.
American Education Research Association
American Education Research Association
This article investigates the differences in academic achievement trajectories from elementary through middle school among English Learner (EL) students in four different instructional programs: English Immersion (EI), Transitional Bilingual (TB), Developmental Bilingual (DB), and Dual Immersion (DI). Comparing students with the same parental preferences but who attend different programs, we find that the English Language Arts (ELA) test scores of ELs in all bilingual programs grow at least as fast as, if not faster than, those in EI. The same is generally true of math, with the exception of DB programs, where average student scores grow more slowly than those of students in EI. Furthermore, Latino ELs perform better longitudinally in both subjects when in bilingual programs than their Chinese EL counterparts. We find no differences in program effectiveness by ELs’ initial English proficiency.
Reclassification Research by umansky-reardon-2014.pdfReclassification Patterns Among Latino English Learner Students in Bilingual, Dual Immersion, and English Immersion Classrooms
Reclassification Patterns Among Latino English Learner Students in Bilingual, Dual Immersion, and English Immersion Classrooms
Schools are under increasing pressure to reclassify their English learner (EL) students to ‘‘fluent English proficient’’ status as quickly as possible. This arti- cle examines timing to reclassification among Latino ELs in four distinct lin- guistic instructional environments: English immersion, transitional bilin- gual, maintenance bilingual, and dual immersion. Using hazard analysis and 12 years of data from a large school district, the study investigates whether reclassification timing, patterns, or barriers differ by linguistic pro- gram. We find that Latino EL students enrolled in two-language programs are reclassified at a slower pace in elementary school but have higher overall reclassification, English proficiency, and academic threshold passage by the end of high school. We discuss the implications of these findings for account- ability policies and educational opportunities in EL programs.
Dual Language Education and Student Achievement.pdfDual Language Education and Student Achievement - University of Anchorage, AK 2020
Article: The Century Foundation - Why We Need to Cultivate America's Multilingual Assets
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