Vietnamese Dual Immersion Program

In the 2017-2018 school year, GGUSD launched the district’s first-ever Vietnamese Dual Language Immersion Program at Murdy Elementary. The 2024-2025 school year marks the last year of the VDLI program expansion and the completion of a comprehensive TK-6th program. GGUSD is only the second district in Orange County and fourth in the nation to offer a Vietnamese Dual Language program. It’s a natural fit at Murdy Elementary which is located in the heart of Little Saigon and serves a student population that is 70% Vietnamese.

The program fully develops English reading and writing while also helping students to learn the Vietnamese language. During English instruction, students learn the standards-based instruction used in all elementary classrooms across the district. Students also learn Vietnamese letters and develop their oral language through authentic Vietnamese literature and math in preparation for reading and writing.

Students enter the program in transitional kindergarten/kindergarten and commit to the program through sixth grade. The program is a trusted 50/50 model where students learn in Vietnamese 50% of the day and English 50% of the day. The dual immersion program is taught by highly-qualified teachers who possess a BCLAD (Bilingual, Cross-Cultural, Language Academic Development) certification. Teachers foster safe and nurturing classrooms where students are invited to express themselves in their second language. Teachers also collaborate to plan instruction to ensure students have a variety of opportunities of engaging learning experiences.

Benefits of Dual Language Immersion

Research shows that developing more than one language leads to higher critical thinking, creativity and academic proficiency.
Dual-language students outperform their peers in English-only programs and native English speakers in dual immersion programs outperform students in English-only schools on reading, writing and listening tests.
Students in dual immersion programs were found to have high levels of self-esteem, academic competence and motivation.

In 2024, Murdy Elementary's Vietnamese Dual Language Immersion Program was awarded the prestigious California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE) Seal of Excellence School Award. Our award-winning VDLI Program is effective and successful due to its cohesive school-wide shared vision of biliteracy and clearly defined goals towards educational excellence for all students. With the commitment from all stakeholders and a focus on curriculum and instruction, students have been able to meet the goals of bilingualism and biliteracy, high academic achievement, and sociocultural competence in the VDLI Program.