AMHERST — Kindergarten students enrolled in the dual-language Caminantes program at Fort River School will focus on their Spanish language skills beginning this fall, marking a shift for the 5-year-old program in which classroom instruction has been divided equally between Spanish and English.

The move to a so-called 90-10 model from the current 50-50 model for Caminantes, the dual-language initiative that began in fall 2019, should build a stronger foundation for Spanish speaking and writing skills, Katie Richardson, the district’s multilingual education administrator, told the Amherst School Committee at its May 21 meeting.

“We’re hoping with a little more time to develop the language, that we’ll be able to boost that aspect of the productive language,” Richardson said.

While half the kindergarten students will have English as their primary language and half the students will have Spanish as their primary language, all of the subjects would be taught in Spanish to begin with, except for the 10% set aside for English language arts.

The 90-10 model will then remain as the students move into first grade in fall 2025, with an 80-20 model the following year in second grade, and then the current 50-50 model starting when the students are third graders.

Richardson said staff has been pleased with outcomes in the 50-50 model, even though Spanish speaking and writing skills are lower than Spanish listening and reading skills.

The adjustment doesn’t change the vision for Caminantes, but only the approach to getting to the end results, Richardson said, observing that the three pillars continue to include bilingualism and biliteracy, grade level academic achievement and sociocultural competence.

The decision to make the change comes after a team of teachers, administrators and interventionists was created that met five times, a listening session with staff and consultation and research support with a postdoctoral fellow from the Western Massachusetts Bilingual Hub at the University of Massachusetts, as well as input from the Multistate Association for Bilingual Education

Richardson said Caminantes has always tried to elevate Spanish, since most of the community and supports outside the school setting are in English. The changes allows more time for practice in one language and deeper engagement with the content of that language.

Though it may seem counterintuitive, Richardson said the quicker acquisition of Spanish should also help these children to acquire English skills faster, too. “We wouldn’t do this if it didn’t make sense for all kids,” Richardson said.

The changes also means that kindergarten, first and second grades would drop from two teachers to one, as the students won’t divide their days between teachers and subjects in both languages. The same level of staff will work throughout the Caminantes program.

Richardson said she doesn’t expect that enrollment will be impacted by the change to a 90-10 model, with a wait list already for the English speaking students seeking to participate, with about three-quarters of the Spanish speaking students slots taken. Up to 40 students can be enrolled in each grade. Caminantes currently goes up to grade 4, as one grade level has been added each year.

Caminantes has been funded by grants from the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, covering the costs of materials, texts, supplies, subscriptions and training of staff.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.