The term Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) refers to any program that provides literacy and content instruction to all students through two languages and that promotes bilingualism and biliteracy, grade-level academic achievement, and sociocultural competence (a term encompassing identity development, cross-cultural competence, and multicultural appreciation) for all students.

DLBE can be either One-Way or Two-Way depending on the student population:

• Two-Way Immersion (TWI) programs include approximately equal numbers of students who are monolingual or dominant in English at the time of enrollment and students who are monolingual or dominant in the partner language at the time of enrollment. There may also be students who have proficiency in both languages at the time of enrollment. A general rule of thumb is that to be considered a Two-Way DLBE program, no less than one third and no more than two thirds of the student population should be monolingual or dominant in either English or the partner language at the time of enrollment.
  
• One-Way Immersion (OWI) programs serve more linguistically homogeneous groups of students. One-Way DLBE programs in which all students are proficient in the partner language but not in English at the time of enrollment are typically called developmental bilingual programs. They use both languages to teach content, and they help students develop proficiency in English while maintaining and continuing to develop their skills in their home language. One-Way DLBE whose students are all monolingual or dominant in English at the time of enrollment are generally known as foreign or world language immersion.

Language allocation – the ratio of the use of English to the use of the partner language for instruction – is an important consideration in DLBE. To help considering, committing, or committed programs align their instruction models with their program mission, we encourage you to explore our Consulting Services. 

Source: Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education - 3rd edition (E. Howard, K. J. Lindholm-Leary, D. Rogers, N. Olague, J. Medina, D. Kennedy, J. Sugarman, & D. Christian) 2018

More Info: DLE Facts and Tools, Research and Resources, MABE 2024