| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to public school bilingual education programs, dual |
|
|
language immersion programs, and special language programs. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter J, Chapter 21, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 21.4572 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 21.4572. TRAINING FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS: |
|
|
BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND DUAL LANGUAGE IMMERSION. The commissioner, |
|
|
in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, shall develop and make |
|
|
available training materials and other training resources to |
|
|
increase school administrators' understanding of and improve |
|
|
student outcomes for: |
|
|
(1) bilingual education programs offered under |
|
|
Section 29.053; and |
|
|
(2) dual language immersion programs described by |
|
|
Section 28.0051. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 29.066(a), Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(a) A school district that is required to offer bilingual |
|
|
education or special language programs shall include the following |
|
|
information in the district's Public Education Information |
|
|
Management System (PEIMS) report: |
|
|
(1) demographic information, as determined by the |
|
|
commissioner, on students enrolled in district bilingual education |
|
|
or special language programs; |
|
|
(2) the number and percentage of students enrolled in |
|
|
each instructional model of a bilingual education or special |
|
|
language program offered by the district; [and] |
|
|
(3) the number and percentage of students identified |
|
|
as emergent bilingual students who do not receive specialized |
|
|
instruction; and |
|
|
(4) any other information required by the agency under |
|
|
Section 29.068(b). |
|
|
SECTION 3. Subchapter B, Chapter 29, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 29.068 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 29.068. AGENCY MONITORING. (a) The agency shall adopt |
|
|
rules providing for robust monitoring of bilingual education and |
|
|
special language programs. The rules must require the agency to: |
|
|
(1) review bilingual education and special language |
|
|
program requirements to ensure those requirements prioritize |
|
|
meeting student needs and closing learning gaps for emergent |
|
|
bilingual students; and |
|
|
(2) engage directly with school districts offering |
|
|
bilingual education or special language programs to improve |
|
|
outcomes for emergent bilingual students, including by identifying |
|
|
districts offering programs with deficiencies and providing |
|
|
technical assistance to those districts. |
|
|
(b) Rules adopted under Subsection (a) may include |
|
|
requiring school districts that offer bilingual education or |
|
|
special language programs to provide additional information |
|
|
relevant to the programs through the Public Education Information |
|
|
Management System (PEIMS) under Section 29.066. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |