Educators at the school say the progress reflects a collective commitment among teachers, literacy staff, and instructional support teams to strengthen early reading skills for dual language learners during the most critical years of language development.
The program was introduced in 2024 through the efforts of the school’s literacy coach Claudia Barba, who said the need for stronger literacy interventions became increasingly evident following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After COVID and reviewing different Spanish literacy supplemental curriculums, I kept thinking to myself, ‘There has to be a better way,’” Barba said.
Using the Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists (LCSET) Grant strategically, Barba helped bring the program to Tracy Elementary with the goal of improving literacy instruction through a structured, research-based approach aligned with the science of reading.
Now, Barba says the results are visible throughout classrooms across the campus.
““I’m proud of the growth we’ve seen since implementing these two structured Spanish literacy programs grounded in the Science of Reading,” Barba said. “Teachers are more confident in their ability to teach reading in Spanish, students are building stronger vocabulary skills, and we are seeing students become more successful readers in Spanish.”
Educators say the success of the program has also come from teachers working together consistently to reinforce reading strategies, phonics instruction, pronunciation, and vocabulary development across grade levels.
“Camino al Éxito” introduces students to one letter and sound at a time before gradually grouping sounds into syllables together in ways that make pronunciation and fluency easier to develop. Teachers say the structured and sequential approach has helped students build confidence while becoming stronger readers in Spanish.
First-grade teacher Edith Ramos said the difference has been noticeable both in the classroom and through student assessment data.
“Students are able to blend letters and sounds better than before,” Ramos said. “They are no longer intimidated to try harder words in Spanish or more difficult sounds, like rolling Rs.”
Average core phonics proficiency in Ms. Ramos’ first-grade dual language classroom increased from approximately 51% at the beginning of the year to nearly 95% by the end of the year, representing an overall growth of about 44 percent.
Ramos added that the growth is also reflected in students’ Accelerated Reader assessments, which are administered in Spanish.
Kindergarten teacher Nancy Mendez, who is in her 21st year teaching dual language education, said the collaborative nature of the school’s instructional efforts has helped students steadily build literacy skills day by day.
“We build on something every day, and it’s evident when I have a kindergarten student reading books at a second-grade level and able to recognize upwards of 200 unique words,” Mendez said.
Kindergarten students demonstrated significant literacy growth, with average core phonics proficiency increasing from approximately 39% at the beginning of the year to nearly 89% by the middle of the year — an increase of about 50 percent.
A longtime advocate for dual language education in Baldwin Park Unified School District, Mendez said the program also holds personal meaning for her, as her own children attended BPUSD schools and completed the District’s dual language program.
“It’s really special here,” Mendez said. “It builds confidence, it’s tailored, and our programs here truly prepare our learners.”
In addition to academic instruction, Baldwin Park Unified’s Dual Language program provides students with unique opportunities to participate in school events, projects, field trips, and cultural learning experiences that celebrate bilingualism and Spanish language development.
Students who continue through the program into high school also have the opportunity to earn a bilingual literacy certification upon graduation from BPUSD high schools, along with a special graduation cord recognizing their achievement and commitment to multilingual learning.
Photos
Tracy Dual Language 1st Grade, Ms. Edith Ramos Class
Tracy Dual Language 1st Grader Reads Book
Tracy Dual Language Kindergarten Ms. Nancy Mendez' Cass