Riverbank Language Academy

Riverbank Language Academy Students will receive a high quality, bilingual and bi-literate
education to ensure excellence for all.

The origins of Riverbank Language Academy began over fifteen years ago at Rio Altura Elementary School with a group of dedicated bilingual teachers driven by the desire to address students' academic needs in the bilingual program, specifically English Learners. A community of parents and teachers and members of the Riverbank community envisioned a bilingual structured program that would develop bilingualism and bi-literacy for all students. Additionally, this group envisaged this as a program of choice, where any family wishing to build bilingualism would have the opportunity to enroll in this program. The visionary teachers, parents and community members decided to establish a charter school that would develop an exemplary program for students in the Riverbank community. Therefore, with hard work, commitment, and dedication, Riverbank Language Academy was officially established in 2007 as the community's first dual-immersion charter school.

Riverbank Language Academy (RLA) is a public dual-language immersion charter school located in the city of Riverbank. RLA currently serves 570 students in grades transitional kindergarten through eighth grade, offering a two-way Spanish immersion program. Student enrollment includes approximately 60% receiving free or reduced lunch, 45% English Language Learners, and 6% receiving special education. RLA's dual language immersion program is designed to build fluency in
both Spanish and English; native Spanish and English-speaking children have the opportunity to develop their listening, speaking, reading, writing, and academic language skills. RLA achieves academic excellence and the development of each student’s physical, emotional, and social well-being through the utilization of the 90/10 Dual Language Immersion (DLI) model, instruction in the arts and technology, and the development of school-community partnerships. RLA promotes high expectations in developing student potential where students are immersed in the language and a rigorous, interdisciplinary, high-quality academic program.

Evidence of this high-quality program in action includes:
• Eight Grade Student CAASPP scores exceeding California's state averages in English
Language Arts.
• Rapid growth in student achievement in both languages (English and Spanish)
measured by different assessment data, NWEA assessments, ELPAC, APRENDA, and
other formative and summative measures.
• University partnerships with California State University Stanislaus.
• Professional Development in Balanced Literacy Approach to teaching reading and
writing through Writer’s and Reader's Workshop for grades TK-8 (Teachers College,
Columbia University, New York, NY).
• Community partnerships and events and the coordination of the annual RLA Cultural
Festival with more than 1,000 members of the RLA community in attendance.
• Graduating 8th graders obtain the Silver Seal of Multilingual Proficiency and go directly
into Advanced Placement Spanish courses when entering high school.