How do I Apply for Two-Way Language Immersion?

We welcome students from all over the district who are interested in a bilingual education.

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Kindergarten Lottery

The 2022-2023 Kindergarten Lottery application opens January 2022. Apply at the Welcome Center or through kindergarten registration at RPS 205 early childhood sites.

The deadline to apply for the fall 2022 lottery is March 11, 2022. See below for eligibility details. 

The interest form below is for students CURRENTLY in grades K-6 interested in the Two-Way Language Immersion program.

 

Eligibility

TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE TWO-WAY LANGUAGE IMMERSION KINDERGARTEN LOTTERY AT BARBOUR YOU MUST COMPLETE BOTH OF THE FOLLOWING:

1. Complete an application at the RPS 205 Welcome Center (501 7th Street, Rockford, IL 61104, 1st floor) by Friday, March 11, 2022
2. Parent/Guardian must attend one mandatory orientation.

 
Mandatory Orientation Dates for Kindergarten Lottery (must attend ONE)

Thursday, February 24 at 10:00 a.m.

Wednesday, March 2 at 2:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 9 at 2:30 p.m.

Monday, March 14 at 6:00 p.m. 

Tuesday, March 15 at 2:30 p.m.

 

How Seats are Filled

A lottery will be used for selection of students in kindergarten. The lottery list is maintained for one year or until all open seats are filled with lottery students according to language ratios, at which time students on the interest list will be assessed for placement.

Waitlist

Students not selected in Kindergarten will be placed on a waitlist. First through 8th grade open seats will be filled from the waitlist. A lottery waitlist is created and each student is assigned a number. 

2020-2021 Lottery Waitlist

Sibling Preference

Preference is given to siblings of current Barbour students or students entering the district with documented prior Dual Language School experience. ​Sibling preference does not apply to applicants for the upcoming year whose only sibling is currently enrolled in 8th grade.​

Kindergarten testing

Kindergarten testing will take place at the student's home school site, at Barbour or at the Welcome Center by appointment. Students will be given an oral assessment to demonstrate proficiency in English or Spanish. Classes are composed of half English and half Spanish speakers.

Non-Lottery Application

Interest Forms can be completed by contacting the school or the welcome center, for students entering grades 1-7. 

Interest List

Students on the list are assigned numbers to enable families to confidentially view their child's placement on the list. This number stays with the student as long as they remain on the interest list. Students are assigned to their zone school while on the interest list. As seats are available, students on the interest list are contacted to make an appointment for a language evaluation. Based on the language assessment, students are offered seats or kept on the interest list according to language ratios for the program.

If a seat becomes available, based on seats available within the language allocation guidelines, families are contacted to schedule an assessment appointment. Students off the interest list are tested as follows:

• 1st semester Kindergarten only test in native language.
• 2nd semester Kindergarten through 1st grade will be tested in Spanish only.
• 2nd grade through 8th grade test in both languages if students transfer into the district from another bilingual program or parents indicate the student is bilingual.  

Students interested in Barbour who are in grade 3 or higher, whose parent or guardian indicate they are monolingual English or Spanish speakers, will not be screened or eligible to enter Barbour.

Once school has begun, the principal will schedule parent orientation meetings for new parents/guardians, and for families of students who are offered seats from the waitlist which must be attended before the student is eligible to register. The interest list will be consulted the last week of every month, with orientation appointments to be scheduled the first week of every month for students interested in open seats.

Families of students on the interest list or waitlist remain there until the family contacts the Welcome Center to remove the student, or until a seat becomes available, at which time the Welcome Center will contact the family to accept or decline the seat. If the seat is declined, the student is then removed from the list. ​

 

2020-2021 Interest List