To participate in the Bilingual Program, it is recommended that students have at least three years of university level training in Spanish or the equivalent. Apart from this, it is understood that each individual will have varying levels of confidence in their Spanish ability. While the true test of one's ability in a second language is whether or not one can get along in an authentic setting, the situation in Texas is quite supportive for students in the Bilingual Program. Many past participants have said that once they got settled into their living and school situations, they felt very comfortable using their Spanish. In school settings, most teachers are either monolingual in English or bilingual in English and Spanish.
Students range from true bilinguals to either English or Spanish dominant.
If you fill out an application form on the back of one of our brochures, we will know you are interested in the program and we will add your name to our e-mail distribution list. Once you have decided that you would like to enroll in the program, you should fill out an enrollment form which you can obtain from the bilingual program's director, Dr. Carmen Simich-Dudgeon, School of Education, Room 3012. Students who are enrolled in the Bilingual Program must clearly indicate this on their forms in order to be eligible for a placement in Texas. The core courses for the bilingual endorsement will be offered once each year. Both of these courses will be offered the summer of 1999 during the third intensive summer session as part of the Bilingual Education Summer Institute.