By Howard                                       H.B. No. 3273

      75R4492 ESH-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to certain bilingual education programs in public schools.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 29.053(d), Education Code, is amended to

 1-5     read as follows:

 1-6           (d)  Each district that is required to offer bilingual

 1-7     education and special language programs under this section shall

 1-8     offer the following for students of limited English proficiency:

 1-9                 (1)  [bilingual education in kindergarten through the

1-10     elementary grades;]

1-11                 [(2)]  bilingual education or[,] instruction in English

1-12     as a second language[, or other transitional language instruction

1-13     approved by the agency] in kindergarten [post-elementary grades]

1-14     through grade 8; and

1-15                 (2) [(3)]  instruction in English as a second language

1-16     in grades 9 through 12.

1-17           SECTION 2.  Section 29.055(a), Education Code, is amended to

1-18     read as follows:

1-19           (a)  A bilingual education program established by a school

1-20     district may [shall] be a full-time program of dual-language

1-21     instruction that provides for learning basic skills in the primary

1-22     language of the students enrolled in the program and for carefully

1-23     structured and sequenced mastery of English language skills, an

1-24     English immersion program, or another program of transitional

 2-1     language instruction.  A program of instruction in English as a

 2-2     second language established by a school district shall be a program

 2-3     of intensive instruction in English from teachers trained in

 2-4     recognizing and dealing with language differences.

 2-5           SECTION 3.  Section 29.054, Education Code, is repealed.

 2-6           SECTION 4.  This Act applies beginning with the 1997-1998

 2-7     school year.

 2-8           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-9     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-10     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-11     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-12     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-13     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-14     passage, and it is so enacted.