|
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
relating to a pilot project in certain school districts for dual |
|
language education in English and another language. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is |
|
amended by adding Sections 28.0052, 28.0053, and 28.0054 to read as |
|
follows: |
|
Sec. 28.0052. DUAL LANGUAGE EDUCATION PILOT PROJECT. |
|
(a) The commissioner shall establish a pilot project in school |
|
districts selected by the commissioner under which the agency |
|
examines dual language education programs and the effect of those |
|
programs on a student's ability to graduate from high school. |
|
(b) In selecting school districts under Subsection (a), the |
|
commissioner shall: |
|
(1) select districts that will commit to operate a |
|
dual language education program for at least three years; and |
|
(2) give preference to a district that: |
|
(A) demonstrates the potential: |
|
(i) for expanding the program through |
|
middle school and high school; and |
|
(ii) to offer at least one language program |
|
in addition to the language other than English used in the pilot |
|
program; |
|
(B) will implement the program at the |
|
kindergarten level; and |
|
(C) demonstrates parent, teacher, and community |
|
support for the program. |
|
(c) The commissioner may select not more than 10 school |
|
districts and not more than 30 campuses to operate a dual language |
|
education program under this section. |
|
(d) The commissioner by rule shall, except as provided by |
|
Subsection (e), require a district to limit activities of the dual |
|
language education program during the first year of the program to |
|
planning activities, including: |
|
(1) hiring and training teachers and ensuring teacher |
|
certification; |
|
(2) establishing parental and community support for |
|
the program; and |
|
(3) acquiring adequate learning materials in both |
|
program languages. |
|
(e) A program that applies for the expansion or improvement |
|
of an existing dual language education program is eligible for |
|
funding under the pilot project only to the extent authorized by the |
|
commissioner in compliance with Subsection (c). An existing dual |
|
language education program is not subject to the limitations on |
|
activities imposed under Subsection (d). |
|
(f) Funding provided for a dual language education program |
|
may be used by a district for classroom materials. |
|
(g) The agency shall report to the legislature describing |
|
the agency's activities under the pilot project, the effect of the |
|
project on grade-level completion and high school graduation rates, |
|
and the recommendations arising from the project. The agency shall |
|
submit an interim report under this subsection not later than |
|
January 1, 2011, and a final report not later than January 1, 2013. |
|
(h) This section expires August 1, 2013. |
|
Sec. 28.0053. DUAL LANGUAGE EDUCATION PILOT PROJECT: |
|
COMMUNITY EDUCATIONAL PIPELINE PROGRESS TEAM. (a) Each school |
|
district or campus participating in the dual language education |
|
pilot project under Section 28.0052 shall establish a community |
|
educational pipeline progress team to assist in developing and |
|
implementing the dual language education 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 must include |
|
educators, district-level administrators, and parents of students |
|
who attend a participating campus. The team may include community |
|
leaders and any other persons identified by the board of trustees as |
|
having research-based knowledge regarding second-language |
|
learning. |
|
(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 effect on student attendance or dropout rates; |
|
(4) any effect on student enrollment in high school; |
|
(5) any effect on teacher performance or retention; |
|
(6) any improvement in communications among students, |
|
parents, teachers, and administrators; |
|
(7) any improvement in parental involvement in the |
|
education of the parent's child; |
|
(8) any effect on community involvement and support |
|
for the district or campus; and |
|
(9) any increase in student proficiency in technology |
|
that would help prepare students for becoming members of the |
|
workforce. |
|
(f) This section expires August 1, 2013. |
|
Sec. 28.0054. CONTRACT FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING SOFTWARE. (a) |
|
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 dual language education pilot project |
|
established under Section 28.0052, the commissioner shall enter |
|
into a contract to license language learning software using |
|
language immersion methods. |
|
(b) Expenditures under this section 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. A campus participating in the pilot project |
|
established under Section 28.0052 may have access to the software. |
|
(c) The commissioner may not spend more than $4 million each |
|
year to comply with this section. |
|
(d) A school district may not use the language learning |
|
software to supplant a bilingual education, English as a second |
|
language, or dual language education program. |
|
(e) Not later than January 1, 2013, the commissioner shall |
|
report to the legislature on the utilization and effectiveness of |
|
the language learning software. |
|
(f) This section expires August 1, 2013. |
|
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. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
______________________________ |
|
President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
|
|
|
I certify that H.B. No. 2814 was passed by the House on April |
|
25, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 116, Nays 22, 2 present, not |
|
voting; that the House refused to concur in Senate amendments to |
|
H.B. No. 2814 on May 25, 2007, and requested the appointment of a |
|
conference committee to consider the differences between the two |
|
houses; and that the House adopted the conference committee report |
|
on H.B. No. 2814 on May 27, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 106, |
|
Nays 34, 2 present, not voting. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
|
|
I certify that H.B. No. 2814 was passed by the Senate, with |
|
amendments, on May 22, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 28, Nays |
|
2; at the request of the House, the Senate appointed a conference |
|
committee to consider the differences between the two houses; and |
|
that the Senate adopted the conference committee report on H.B. No. |
|
2814 on May 27, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 28, Nays 2. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Secretary of the Senate |
|
APPROVED: __________________ |
|
Date |
|
|
|
__________________ |
|
Governor |