Dual Language Immersion
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Union County Public Schools is committed to providing immersion students with a K-12 pathway. As students transition from elementary to middle school, the focus of language acquisition begins to shift from content-based instruction to language-based instruction. For information about our K-5 immersion programs, please visit our page entitled, What is Language Immersion? The middle school dual language immersion pathways listed below are for students who have completed an elementary dual language immersion sequence, or those who qualify to enter at the middle school level based on strong literacy skills in the language other than English. Students can enter DLI classes at middle school if they pass a Late Entry Assessment. Additional information in admission guidelines.
UCPS has created flyers that outline potential pathway options for rising 9th grade students. Please note that courses are always subject to student and school schedules as well as availability each year.
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Middle School Immersion Continuation
View the recording of the meeting for rising 6th grade DLI parents, held in December 2024. The slides from the presentation can be viewed here.
Students who choose the Dual Language Immersion elective in middle school will specialize in this course and will have it alongside physical education class. The chart below shows the progression of classes from middle to high school.
Typically, in middle school, sixth grade students participate in a 6-week rotation through various classes such as art, music, drama, computer skills, etc. In seventh grade, typically students stay in the same class for a semester, and in 8th grade, students get to choose a year-long course. All middle school students participate in physical education classes in grades 6-8, in addition to the electives mentioned above. Students who choose band only have band and physical education each year during middle school.
Middle School DLI Pathway
- 6th Grade: Dual & Heritage Level IA*
- 7th Grade: Dual & Heritage Level IB*
- 8th Grade: Dual & Heritage Level II**
* Students who successfully complete Levels IA and IB in 6th and 7th grade will receive one high school World Language credit.
** Students who successfully complete Level II in 8th grade will receive one high school World Language credit.Middle School Dual and Heritage Language courses address culture and language within content-based instruction about global competencies, cultural knowledge and the Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations. Vocabulary development and grammatical accuracy are embedded in course content. Literacy skills continue in listening, reading, speaking and writing. Instruction is conducted in the target language. The AAPPL (ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages) assessment is used to measure students’ proficiency at the end of 8th Grade. Dual Language Immersion proficiency expectations are provided by the NC Department of Public Instruction. Participate Learning has created videos for UCPS to orient parents to the global content curricula.
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High School Immersion Continuation
View the recording of the meeting for rising 9th grade DLI parents, held in December 2024. The slides from the presentation can be viewed here.
There are various pathways students can take in high school, depending on their proficiency levels when exiting 8th grade. Students will take the AAPPL assessment near the end of 8th grade as well as a UCPS placement test. Results from these assessments will be taken into consideration for a student's placement level when entering 9th grade. High school registration takes place before these assessments have been given. The recommendation is for all students to register for level 3, and then adjustments can be made for individual students once results from the AAPPL and UCPS placement test are received.
The images below represent sample pathways that students can take, but individual student schedules will vary based on availability of courses and other potential schedule conflicts based on what students choose.
Sample DLI HS Pathways (Mandarin)
View a visual representation of these pathways.
- Pathway A
- 9th Grade: Mandarin Chinese II*
- 10th Grade: Mandarin Chinese III
- 11th Grade: Mandarin Chinese IV
- 12th Grade: Mandarin Chinese V + AP Chinese Language and Culture
- Pathway B
- 9th Grade: Mandarin Chinese II OR Mandarin Chinese III
- 10th Grade: Mandarin Chinese III OR Mandarin Chinese IV
- 11th Grade: IB Chinese Language B (SL)
- 12th Grade: IB Chinese Language B (SL)
- Pathway C
- 9th Grade: Mandarin Chinese III and Mandarin Chinese IV
- 10th Grade: Mandarin Chinese V + AP Chinese Language & Culture
- 11th Grade: IB Chinese Language A (SL) **
- 12th Grade: IB Chinese Language A (SL) **
* Potential options for students who exited the DLI program prior to 8th Grade
** Students who complete IB Chinese Language A SL and other Diploma Programme coursework could be eligible for the bilingual IB Diploma.For additional information about the IB language courses, please view the course descriptions provided by the IB Organization.
Sample DLI High School Pathways (Spanish)
View a visual representation of these pathways.
- Pathway A
- 9th Grade: Spanish II*
- 10th Grade: Spanish III
- 11th Grade: Spanish IV
- 12th Grade: Spanish V + AP Spanish Language & Culture
- Pathway B
- 9th Grade: Spanish II* and III
- 10th Grade: Spanish IV
- 11th Grade: Spanish V + AP Spanish Language & Culture
- 12th Grade: Semester 1 & 2 Community Spanish Interpreter Certificate Program (CCP)
- Pathway C
- 9th Grade: Spanish III
- 10th Grade: Spanish IV
- 11th Grade: Spanish V + AP Spanish Language & Culture
- 12th Grade: Semester 1 & 2 Community Spanish Interpreter Certificate Program (CCP)
- Pathway D
- 9th Grade: Spanish III and/or Spanish IV
- 10th Grade: Spanish V + AP Spanish Language & Culture
- 11th Grade: Semester 1 & 2 Spanish Interpreter Certificate Program (CCP)
- 12th Grade: Semester 3 Community Spanish Interpreter Certificate Program (CCP)
* Potential option for students who exited the DLI program prior to 8th Grade
- Pathway A
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Community Spanish Interpreter Certificate Program
Community Spanish Interpreter Certificate Program
UCPS is proud to partner with South Piedmont Community College (SPCC) to offer the Community Spanish Interpreter Certificate program. This is an 18-credit hour program offered through South Piedmont Community College that is available to students who have completed SPA 212 at the community college level or who have scored a 5 on the AP Spanish Language exam. Other interested students can contact SPCC to take a language placement exam. The Spanish Interpreter Certificate program takes 3 high school semesters to complete. Students who are not able to complete all 3 semesters during high school can enroll independently with SPCC to finish the program. Tuition is paid for students only while they are in high school.
South Piedmont Community College has created a short video to help families understand this program.
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Parent Information
Each winter or spring, informational webinars are held for rising 6th and 9th grade DLI parents. Information about logistics for these webinars is shared through DLI teachers at elementary and middle schools. Links are provided below to view recordings of past parent information sessions.
- Recording of rising 6th grade parent information session, December 16, 2024; Slides from presentation
- Recording of rising 9th grade parent information session, December 16, 2024; Slides from presentation
North Carolina Global Languages Diploma Endorsement
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(North Carolina's Seal of Biliteracy)
Students have the opportunity to earn a Global Languages Endorsement on their high school diploma.
Students must meet the following requirements in order to earn the Global Languages Endorsement diploma seal:
- Complete 4 years of high school English with an unweighted GPA of 2.5 or higher.
- Demonstrate competence in a world language through one of the following ways:
- Successfully complete level 4 of a world language with an unweighted GPA of 2.5 or higher
- Pass the Credit by Demonstrated Mastery process for level IV of a world language
- Demonstrate competency via an external exam taken in high school or for placement in a high school world language course.
For additional information regarding this process, including a list of the state-approved external exams, please visit NCDPI's Global Languages Endorsement page.
