BILITERACY CAMPUS WILL OPEN IN 2001.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Parents Liz Kajiwara and Gail Battle rave about having their children in the Palmdale School District's biliteracy program, where students are taught in both English and Spanish starting from kindergarten.

The moms talk about how acquiring a second language affects brain development, about giving their children a competitive edge in a global economy, and exposing them to other cultures.

``I want them to be able to embrace somebody else's culture as well as their own,'' said Battle, whose two daughters attend Tamarisk School. ``With so many jobs, they are looking for biliterate people. I want them to be able to compete right along with everyone else.''

In the third year of the program, 550 students are learning to read, write, listen and speak in two languages at Buena Vista, Manzanita and Tamarisk schools.

The district is now seeking to consolidate the program at the temporary campus of Buena Vista School at 37th Street East and Avenue S.

The board last week approved the formation of a biliterate school of choice that will open in July 2001.

Having a single site will help maintain the program's quality and integrity, said Roger Gallizzi, biliteracy programs director.

``From a philosophical and vision perspective, we want everybody at the school to believe in the same thing and do the program correctly,'' Gallizzi said. ``It's very difficult to manage a program at three different schools.''

Battle and Kajiwara, who both served on a task force that explored the feasibility of a biliteracy school, said a single school site will help.

``I think it's fantastic. Teachers will now have support from each other rather than being an island unto themselves at the school they are in,'' said Kajiwara, whose two sons attend Buena Vista. ``With other kids having the same focus and on the same track, the administration will focus on the needs of these kids.''

To avoid splitting up siblings, the kindergarten through eighth-grade school will provide instruction at all grade levels, with the older students receiving foreign-language instruction. Transportation will be provided to and from the school.

Students in the program have shown impressive scores on standardized tests taken in both languages, Gallizzi said.

``It shows very consistently that it is possible to give children a quality education in two languages and produce children who are literate and fluent in two languages beginning at an early age,'' Gallizzi said.

Students who are native speakers of English in the program scored higher than the district average in reading and math, a district report said.

Program students learning English scored higher in reading and math when compared to other bilingual students who are not in the program, and the district average, the report said.

``Our English-speaking children who are learning Spanish scored significantly well on the Spanish standardized test. They outperformed some native (Spanish) speakers,'' Gallizzi said.

The program has received a federal grant of $140,000 each year for the past two years, which pays for materials, Gallizzi said.

The district has applied for a five-year, $1.5 million grant designed specifically for biliteracy schools. The number of biliteracy schools in the country has grown from fewer than 50 in 1971 to 449 in 2000, the district report said.