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Amend CSHB 2814 as follows:
(1) Strike all below the enacting clause and substitute the following:
SECTION 1. Chapter 29, Education Code, is amended by adding
Subchapter J to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER J. LANGUAGE IMMERSION PILOT PROJECT
Sec. 29.351. ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROJECT. The
commissioner shall establish a pilot project under which the agency
examines language immersion programs and the effect of those
programs on a student's ability to advance to high school, graduate
from high school, or prepare for college coursework or
postgraduation employment. The commissioner shall select to
participate in the pilot project established under this subchapter:
(1) school districts; and
(2) campuses for which a charter is granted under
Subchapter C, Chapter 12.
Sec. 29.352. PILOT PROJECT ADMINISTRATION. (a) The
commissioner shall establish a procedure and adopt criteria for the
agency to administer the pilot project.
(b) In adopting criteria under this section, the
commissioner shall require the agency to select only school
districts or campuses that:
(1) demonstrate parent, teacher, and community
support for a language immersion program;
(2) will commit to a language immersion program in
English and a language other than English as selected by the
district for a minimum of three years in elementary grades;
(3) will offer in secondary grades at least one
language program in addition to the language other than English
used in the language immersion program provided under Subdivision
(2); and
(4) demonstrate the potential for expanding the
programs provided under Subdivisions (2) and (3) across primary and
secondary grades, including:
(A) incorporating the program provided under
Subdivision (2) in kindergarten; and
(B) offering the program provided under
Subdivision (3) for four years in high school.
(c) The agency shall require a school district or campus
selected under this subchapter to provide annual self-evaluations
of progress toward language immersion program goals.
Sec. 29.353. PILOT PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION. (a) The
commissioner by rule shall require a school district or campus to
limit activities of the language immersion program during the first
year of the program to:
(1) planning activities, including:
(A) hiring and training teachers and other
professional development activities as determined by the
commissioner; and
(B) acquiring adequate instructional and
technological materials in each program language, including
software; and
(2) expanding or improving existing language
immersion programs.
(b) The commissioner by rule shall develop procedures to
assign a technical assistance team that includes university faculty
with expertise in language learning to assist participating school
districts and campuses in program development, implementation, and
assessment.
Sec. 29.354. SCHOOL DISTRICT OR CAMPUS SELECTION. (a) The
agency shall select school districts and campuses to participate in
the pilot project using the criteria provided by Section 29.352(b)
and based on the readiness of the district or campus to incorporate
language immersion programs into classrooms as demonstrated by the
past performance of the district or campus relating to language
instruction.
(b) In selecting participants, the agency shall consider
geographic diversity.
(c) The agency shall select not more than 10 school
districts and not more than 30 campuses to participate in the pilot
project.
(d) A school district or campus that applies for the
expansion of an existing language immersion program is eligible for
a grant under this subchapter.
Sec. 29.355. PILOT PROJECT FUNDING. (a) To implement the
pilot project, the agency may use only undedicated and unobligated
money from the general revenue fund for purposes of the pilot
project.
(b) The agency may not spend an amount more than $5 million
per year for the language immersion pilot project under this
subchapter. The spending limitation imposed by this subsection
does not apply to an expenditure made by the commissioner under
Section 29.356(c).
(c) To supplement the funding for the pilot project, the
agency may use any gift, grant, or donation given for the pilot
project. The agency may solicit and accept a gift, grant, or
donation of any kind from any source, including from a foundation,
private entity, governmental entity, or institution of higher
education, for the implementation of the pilot project.
(d) Funds for the pilot project may not be used for the
construction of a building or other facility.
(e) The agency shall use funds under this subchapter for:
(1) teacher training in implementing the language
immersion programs;
(2) hiring technical support staff for school
districts or campuses participating in the pilot project; and
(3) purchasing technology-based instructional
materials and resources.
Sec. 29.356. PILOT PROJECT GRANTS. (a) From amounts
appropriated to the agency, including foundation school program
funds, the commissioner shall award grants to school districts and
campuses that participate in the program. A grant under this
section must be in an amount sufficient to pay the costs to the
district or campus of participating in the program, as determined
by the commissioner. A determination of the commissioner under
this subsection is final and may not be appealed.
(b) During the 2007-2008 school year, the commissioner may
award grants to school districts and campuses under this section
only for the purpose of planning activities described by Section
29.355(e) in an amount not to exceed five percent of the total
amount required to fully implement the pilot program for the
2008-2009 school year.
(c) To expand language learning opportunities for all
public school students and school district or campus employees,
including students and employees in school districts or campuses
not participating in the pilot project, the commissioner shall
enter into a contract to license language-learning software using
language immersion methods. Expenditures under this subsection
must be sufficient to support language learning opportunities for a
maximum of one million public school students and employees for a
maximum of three years. The commissioner shall make the software
available online to public school students and employees across the
state not later than January 1, 2008. The commissioner may not
spend more than $4 million each year to comply with this subsection.
Sec. 29.357. COMMUNITY EDUCATIONAL PIPELINE PROGRESS
TEAM. (a) Each participating school district or campus shall
establish a community educational pipeline progress team to assist
in developing and implementing the language immersion pilot
project.
(b) The board of trustees of a participating school district
or of a school district in which a participating campus is located
shall appoint individuals to the team. The team may be composed of:
(1) educators;
(2) district-level administrators;
(3) community leaders;
(4) parents of students who attend a participating
campus; and
(5) any other individual the board finds appropriate.
(c) The team shall develop an academic improvement plan that
describes the manner in which the pilot project should be
implemented in the participating school district or campus. In
developing the academic improvement plan, the team shall consider:
(1) the educational problems in the district or at the
campus that could be mitigated through the implementation of the
pilot project; and
(2) the technological and nontechnological resources
that are necessary to ensure successful implementation of the pilot
project.
(d) The team shall recommend to the board of trustees the
manner in which the pilot project funds should be used to implement
the academic improvement plan developed under Subsection (c).
Annually, the team may recommend to the board any necessary changes
in the academic improvement plan. The agency must approve the
academic improvement plan or any changes to the plan before
disbursing pilot project funds to the board.
(e) The board of trustees of each district participating in
the pilot project shall provide an annual progress report to the
agency not later than August 1 of each year that the district or
campus is participating in the pilot project. The report must state
in detail the type of plan used in the district or at the campus and
the effect of the pilot project on the district or campus,
including:
(1) any effect on the academic progress of students
who are participating in a pilot project, as measured by
performance on assessment instruments, including assessment
instruments administered under Section 39.023;
(2) if applicable, a comparison of student progress at
a campus or in a classroom in a school district or campus that is
participating in the pilot project as compared to student progress
at a campus or in a classroom in that same district or campus that is
not participating in the pilot project;
(3) any elements of the pilot project that contribute
to improved student performance on assessment instruments
administered under Section 39.023 or any other assessment
instrument required by the agency;
(4) any cost savings or improved efficiency relating
to school personnel or the maintenance of school facilities;
(5) any effect on student attendance or dropout rates;
(6) any effect on student enrollment in high school;
(7) any effect on teacher performance or retention;
(8) any improvement in communications among students,
parents, teachers, and administrators;
(9) any improvement in parental involvement in the
education of the parent's child;
(10) any effect on community involvement and support
for the district or campus; and
(11) any increase in student proficiency in technology
that would help prepare students for becoming members of the
workforce.
Sec. 29.358. PARENT OPTION. The parent of a student may
prevent the student from participating in a language immersion
program under this subchapter.
Sec. 29.359. PILOT PROJECT EVALUATION. (a) The agency
shall perform an annual review of the language immersion pilot
project based on the reports the agency receives from the board of
trustees of participating school districts or campuses. The agency
shall include a summary of the review of the pilot project in the
comprehensive annual report required under Section 39.182.
(b) During the 2010-2011 school year, the agency shall
contract with one or more educational research centers to evaluate
the efficacy of the pilot project to determine whether the pilot
project should be continued. The cost of the evaluation may not
exceed $250,000.
Sec. 29.360. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF CHARTER CAMPUS
GOVERNING BODY. For purposes of this subchapter, the governing
body of a campus for which a charter is granted under Subchapter C,
Chapter 12, has the duties and responsibilities assigned to the
board of trustees of a school district under Sections 29.357 and
29.359.
Sec. 29.361. EXPIRATION. This subchapter expires September
1, 2011.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2007.
(2) Strike all above the enacting clause and substitute the
following:
relating to a pilot project for language immersion in English and
another language in certain school districts.