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An immersion program in a public elementary school in Montgomery County, Maryland, uses French as the medium of instruction in academic subjects. The program is based on the theory that language is learned best when there is a need to understand and communicate in that language. All students are eligible for enrollment in the multi-age classes. The Montgomery County curriculum is followed, using French materials. The major aims of the program are for the children to master their school subjects and to acquire substantive fluency in French. Standardized test results show the immersion students to be comparable in ability and achievement to their peers in English-speaking American classes and in French immersion classes in Canada. Immersion in general requires a great deal of planning and extra effort on the part of the teachers. Parents, other adults, and high school students work in the classroom to assist the teachers and to learn French. The program's only added cost to the school system is for foreign language materials. (Author/NCR)