Researched and downloaded from official McDonald International Elementary and Seattle Public Schools sources on 2026-08-22.
For districtwide English literacy, math, science, social studies, SEL, arts, PE and progress-report materials, see the Seattle Public Schools kindergarten curriculum archive.
Immersion model
McDonald divides the day approximately equally between English and either Spanish or Japanese:
| Instruction language | Kindergarten subjects |
|---|---|
| English | Reading, writing and social studies |
| Spanish or Japanese | Mathematics, science and target-language development |
Beginners do not need prior Spanish or Japanese. Teachers use visual supports, gestures, music, games, stories and strategic English when needed. Families are not expected to reteach math and science in English.
Current kindergarten structure
- Two Spanish kindergarten classes and one Japanese kindergarten class.
- School FAQ reports approximately 26 students per class.
- Half-day target-language teacher and half-day English-language arts teacher.
- Current classroom-team page lists instructional assistants with both kindergarten immersion teachers.
- Morning, lunch and afternoon recess.
- Art, music and PE reported as at least one hour per subject weekly.
- Alternating library schedule.
These staffing and schedule details can change; confirm them for 2027–28.
Core curriculum audit
| Subject | What the public sources say | Status |
|---|---|---|
| English language arts | McDonald's academics page says Collaborative Classroom; SPS adopted Emerge! for 2026–27 | Conflict/outdated page — verify current implementation |
| Mathematics | McDonald says Math in Focus plus Japanese/Spanish adaptations and additional resources; SPS district page identifies enVision | School-specific adaptation — request current map |
| Science | SPS science curriculum translated into Spanish/Japanese; current district program is Amplify Science | Current model reasonably clear |
| Social studies | Washington standards and global/international content taught in English | Current broad scope clear; request unit map |
| Target language | Daily Spanish or Japanese immersion through content instruction | Central program feature |
The school says curriculum maps are normally distributed at Curriculum Night in September or October. Those maps are not publicly posted, so request the 2026–27 Spanish and Japanese kindergarten versions directly.
Progress tracking
McDonald uses SPS trimester Elementary Progress Reports plus school and district assessments:
- DIBELS in K–2 for foundational English literacy.
- MAP ELA and math.
- Curriculum-embedded assessments.
- Teacher observation and student work.
- Flexible small-group Scottie Time.
- Target-language observation and assessment; the public site does not describe the report format.
The key unanswered question is how the school reports Spanish/Japanese proficiency separately from content mastery in math and science.
Improvement-plan summary
The 2025–26 plan reports strong mathematics performance and focuses on closing a growth gap between multilingual learners and monolingual peers. Its strategies include culturally responsive, language-rich teaching, DIBELS-informed K–2 grouping, curriculum-assessment review in professional learning communities, Scottie Time and tiered extension for Highly Capable learners.
Kindergarten has zero assigned homework under the published policy.
Downloaded files
- 2025–26 Continuous School Improvement Plan — seven-page official PDF.
- Immersion model and school vision.
- School curriculum overview — contains some older curriculum names.
- Current classroom and support teams.
- School tour, enrollment and childcare FAQ.
- SPS dual-language immersion overview.
HTML files preserve the public pages available on the download date. Licensed teacher/student curriculum and unpublished Curriculum Night maps are not reproduced.
Live official sources
- McDonald immersion model
- McDonald academics
- Classroom teams
- School tour and FAQ
- SPS dual-language immersion
- SPS McDonald profile and CSIP
Update checklist for 2027
- Obtain Spanish and Japanese kindergarten Curriculum Night maps.
- Confirm whether McDonald uses Emerge! or a school-specific literacy adaptation.
- Resolve enVision versus Math in Focus usage by target-language pathway.
- Request target-language proficiency standards and a sample progress report.
- Confirm kindergarten class count, size and instructional-assistant coverage.
- Replace the 2025–26 CSIP with the current annual update.
Change log
- 2026-08-22: Initial immersion curriculum and progress-tracking archive created.