Hi, R.! I cannot speak highly enough about the HEB school district or the Spanish Immersion program in which both of my daughters are involved! My husband and I were students and are now parents within the district (which was a very intentional decision) and do not believe there's a better district in TX. In fact, HEB was recently rated the # 1 school district in the state! Based on the current curriculum (which should only get better when changes occur), my daughters will graduate tri-lingual with at least 24 college credit hours because of the incredible programs that HEB offers. Starting in 7th grade, students can take Mandarin Chinese or Hindi all the way through high school. HEB is truly dedicated to making sure all of its students are as well-rounded and prepared for college and life in general as much as possible; hence, HEB offers MANY incredible programs to its students. What so many people don't understand about Spanish Immersion is that it's NOT just about teaching children Spanish. I have a friend who didn't put her children in the program because she believes that if you live in the United States you should speak English. Though I agree with that sentiment, it's very naive. That's just not realistic anymore. But here's perhaps THE key to the Spanish Immersion program: It DOES NOT MATTER that your child is learning Spanish. What matters is that your child is learning HOW TO LEARN A LANGUAGE! Which language is really insignificant. Of course, because we live in TX, knowing Spanish is a HUGE advantage. But possibly the biggest advantage to this program is that children's brains are being taught how to learn a language. My daughters will begin learning a third language in 7th grade because they'll have that many more options when they're looking at colleges and considering careers. There aren't many school districts that offer such amazing programs. Please visit the HEB ____@____.com to learn more about this awesome, extremely unique school district. As for the test grades that so many people claim are sub-par in comparison to the English-only classes, that is absolutely not true in our district. In fact, this year, my sixth-grader's Spanish Immersion class's Science MAP Test scores were BETTER than any of the other sixth-grade classes. Additionally, there are only a handful of students who have been identified as Gifted and Talented in her class of 25, so the argument can't be made that this is not a class of average students. It absolutely is! The Spanish Immersion Program is in its eighth year and, so far, the Spanish Immersion students have typically done better or at least as well as their peers in all aspects of their academic careers, including their testing abilities, social skills, etc. Perhaps the most important component in our decision to enroll our daughters in this program was the research that's been done indicating that, even though test scores may drop in the beginning, starting in or around the third grade, the Immerison students' scores on general knowledge tests were generally BETTER than their peers, who are in only English-speaking classes. These tests are all given in English. The Spanish Immersion students take the exact same tests as their peers. Furthermore, this same research indicates that learning another language at such a young age engages the brain in ways that it would not otherwise be utilized. Perhaps the biggest personal testiment I can offer to you is that we are so pleased with the program that we enrolled our younger daughter in it after our older daughter had been in the program for five years. PLEASE do not hesitate to contact me if you'd like more specific information or if there are any other questions that I can answer. I wish your family the very best of luck and HIGHLY recommend the Spanish Immersion program, as well as the school that my daughters attend.
