S-1144.1  _______________________________________________

 

                         SENATE BILL 5640

          _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1995 Regular Session

 

By Senators Prince, Fairley, Wood, Fraser, Hale, Kohl, Johnson, Franklin, Prentice and Sheldon

 

Read first time 01/30/95.  Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

 

Requiring competency in a foreign language in order to receive a baccalaureate degree from a public institution of higher education.



    AN ACT Relating to international education; adding a new section to chapter 28B.10 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 28B.80 RCW.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 28B.10 RCW to read as follows:

    The governing boards of the state universities, regional universities, and state college, each as defined in RCW 28B.10.016, shall adopt a requirement that after May 1, 1999, before receiving a baccalaureate degree from the institution, a student shall demonstrate competency in at least one world language in addition to English.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 28B.80 RCW to read as follows:

    In cooperation with the institutions of higher education and the state board for community and technical colleges, the board shall initiate a system to track the progress of world language instruction in public colleges and universities.  The system shall monitor the number of courses taught at each institution in each world language, the number of courses taught in a language used by one of the countries listed as one of our fifteen key target markets for international trade, the number of students who have demonstrated competency in a world language other than English, and the numbers and percentages of those students who have demonstrated competency in a language used by one of the countries listed by the department of community, trade, and economic development as one of our fifteen key target markets for international trade.

 


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