School District 21 offers a Transitional Program of Instruction (TPI) for students of low incidence languages. Students receive instruction in self-contained ESL homerooms. Each TPI teacher has a partner teacher or teachers from the mainstream. Together the teachers plan curriculum implementation that ensures ESL students receive a parallel curriculum as well as integration activities for math, science and social studies when appropriate. Beyond the academic goals for integration, teachers also seek to achieve social and linguistic goals. In addition, partner classes are integrated for PE, music, art and sometimes computer writing. The TPI Program is housed at the following schools.

TPI students typically receive content area instruction using a sheltered English approach, and English language development through ESL, whole language, Language Experience Approach, literature-based reading instruction and writing process techniques. As students meet School District 21 criteria for mainstreaming, they are gradually transitioned. English Reading and Language Arts are typically the final subjects in which students transition.

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