Oyster Campus
Academic Program
Teaching in two languages! The cornerstone of Oyster-Adams Bilingual School is its Dual Language Program, the longest bilingual program in Washington, D.C. We teach rigorous academic content in a second and third (and for some students, a fourth) language. To accomplish this within the scope of the school day, we develop efficient schedules to help students achieve at the highest levels while maximizing human capital and resources. The basis of our instructional model is to provide bilingual instruction to every tiger every day through academic content.
Dual Language Program
Every tiger learns receive instruction that is delivered 50% in Spanish and the other 50% of the instruction is facilitated in English every day. Math and Spanish Language Arts are taught in Spanish. English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies (Humanities) are taught in English.
These are the four pillars of bilingual education that we practice in our school community:
- Bilingualism and Biliteracy
- Critical Consciousness
- Academic Excellence
- Sociocultural Competence
How We Teach
PreK 4 and Kindergarten
We promote bilingualism by providing the 90:10 model. Students in PreK and Kindergarten receive 90% of their instruction in Spanish (Spanish, Math, Science, Social Studies, PE, and Music) and 10% in English (Art and Library). Students are taught by a lead teacher and a teacher partner. Students remain in the homeroom classroom.Grades 1-3
Each child has two different classrooms (a Spanish and an English classroom). Students change from one language classroom to the other midway through the school day. Students receive 50% of their instruction in Spanish (Spanish, Math, PE, and Music) and 50% in English (English, Science, Social Studies, Art, and Library). Students are taught by a lead teacher and a teacher partner.Language Division for PK 4 - 3rd Grade
The division of subject areas per language during the whole school year is distributed as follows:
Grade level: Pre-K and Kindergarten
Academic Content: Math, Science, Spanish, Social Studies, PE, and Music
Language: Spanish
Grade level: Pre-K and Kindergarten
Academic Content: Art and Library
Language: English
Grade level: 1st – 3rd grade
Academic Content: Math, Spanish, PE, and Music
Language: Spanish
Grade level: 1st – 3rd grade
Academic Content: English, Science, Social Studies, Art, and Library
Language: English
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)
The MTSS is a framework that uses data to help us understand academic and social-emotional growth and what instructional resources are needed to support each and every student’s needs. Every educator ensures that the majority of students are responding to core instruction (Tier 1). The goal is to narrow any academic or/and social-emotional opportunity gaps and to ensure that every tiger is a successful bilingual learner.
The MTSS Tiers are:
- Tier 1: Universal instruction (high-quality instruction that all students receive).
- Tier 2: Targeted interventions (15% of students in a classroom).
- Tier 3: Intensive individualized interventions (5% of students in a classroom).
High Impact Tutoring (HIT)
We provide students with intensive supports as needed. High Impact Tutoring is a proven, effective strategy for increasing student outcomes, with a strong research base (Fryer, 2016). Most students are identified for HIT as part of their MTSS Success Plan (Champion Plan), developed through a Tier 2 or Tier 3 MTSS meeting. Please note that PreK 4 students should not participate in HIT; they should receive developmentally appropriate Tier 2 or Tier 3 supports as needed. School-based staff members (teachers, coaches, teacher partners, counselors, social workers, behavior tech, etc.) are Oyster-Adams tutors to promote consistency in relationships and approach.
The content covered in HIT will likely address skill gaps that require strategic instruction with skills and standards from previous grade levels that are key to accessing current grade level content. For more information, contact AP Berrocal-Phillips at [email protected]
