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Bilingual programs represent a more intensive way to acquire a new language within the school context. According to Wolff & Sudhoff (2015: 9), bilingual teaching can generally be defined as a methodological concept in which learning school content is carried out in a language that does not correspond to the school language (usually the majority language). Of the 15,409 elementary schools in Germany, more than 2% are currently offering a bilingual program, corresponding to more than 330 elementary schools. In these schools at least one content subject (e.g., science, music, physical education, math) is taught in the new language. The target language in German elementary schools is usually English or French (FMKS, 2014).

The general aim of bilingual programs is to foster both FL learning and content learning (e.g., Coyle, Hood & Marsh, 2010). The Eurydice report (2006: 22) points to four additional objectives. Following Elsner & Keßler (2013), these include socio-economic objectives (to prepare students for life in a more internationalized society and to offer them better job prospects on the labor market); socio-cultural objectives (to teach students values of tolerance and respect vis-a-vis other cultures through the use of the target language); linguistic objectives (to enable students to develop language skills which emphasize effective communication and to motivate them to learn languages by using them for real practical purposes); and finally educational objectives (i.e., subject-related knowledge and learning ability, to stimulate the assimilation of subject matter by means of a different and innovative approach).

Next, chapters 2.3.1-2.3.4 describe general characteristics of bilingual programs, and chapters 2.3.5-2.3.8 summarize curricular baselines for bilingual education, teacher education, supply of materials and various aspects of assessment in bilingual programs in Germany. Finally, the results of empirical studies on reading and writing skills in bilingual programs in Germany are provided in chapters 2.3.9-2.3.12.