CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

 

          ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2025

 

 

                    Chapter 6, Laws of 2001

 

 

                        57th Legislature

             2001 First Special Legislative Session

 

 

LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT STUDENTS

 

 

 

                    EFFECTIVE DATE:  8/23/01

Passed by the House May 24, 2001

  Yeas 95   Nays 0

 

 

              FRANK CHOPP

Speaker of the House of Representatives

     

 

 

             CLYDE BALLARD

Speaker of the House of Representatives

 

 

 

Passed by the Senate May 23, 2001

  Yeas 40   Nays 1

             CERTIFICATE

 

We, Timothy A. Martin and Cynthia Zehnder, Co-Chief Clerks of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2025  as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.

 

 

 

          TIMOTHY A. MARTIN

                          Chief Clerk

 

 

           CYNTHIA ZEHNDER

                          Chief Clerk

               BRAD OWEN

President of the Senate

 

 

 

Approved June 11, 2001 Place Style On Codes above, and Style Off Codes below.                  

                                FILED                

 

            June 11, 2001 - 3:06 p.m.

 

              GARY LOCKE

Governor of the State of Washington

                 Secretary of State

                 State of Washington


          _______________________________________________

 

            ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2025

          _______________________________________________

 

                     AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE

 

          Passed Legislature - 2001 First Special Session

 

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

 

By House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Santos, Talcott, Quall, Keiser, Ogden, Tokuda, Schual‑Berke and Kenney)

 

Read first time 03/08/2001.  Referred to Committee on .

Changing transitional bilingual instruction program provisions.     


    AN ACT Relating to students whose primary language is other than English; amending RCW 28A.180.030 and 28A.180.040; adding a new section to chapter 28A.180 RCW; and creating new sections.

 

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

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  (1) The superintendent of public instruction shall review:

    (a) The criteria used to determine the point at which limited English proficient students are required to take the Washington assessment of student learning.  The review shall be used to determine if the criteria are developmentally appropriate and in the best interest of the students.

    (b) The criteria used to determine the point at which the results of the Washington assessment of student learning for students receiving instructional services in the state transitional bilingual instruction program should be included in a school district's and school's assessment results.

    (2) In conducting the review, the superintendent shall consult with parents, teachers, principals, classroom instructional staff, recognized experts in second-language instruction, and statewide ethnic organizations that represent second-language learners.

    (3) Preliminary results of the review shall be reported to the education and fiscal committees of the legislature by December 1, 2001.  Final results of the review shall be reported to the education and fiscal committees of the legislature by December 1, 2002.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.180 RCW to read as follows:

    The superintendent of public instruction shall develop an evaluation system designed to measure increases in the English and academic proficiency of eligible pupils.  When developing the system, the superintendent shall:

    (1) Require school districts to assess potentially eligible pupils within ten days of registration using an English proficiency assessment or assessments as specified by the superintendent of public instruction.  Results of these assessments shall be made available to both the superintendent of public instruction and the school district;

    (2) Require school districts to annually assess all eligible pupils at the end of the school year using an English proficiency assessment or assessments as specified by the superintendent of public instruction.  Results of these assessments shall be made available to both the superintendent of public instruction and the school district;

    (3) Develop a system to evaluate increases in the English and academic proficiency of students who are, or were, eligible pupils.  This evaluation shall include students when they are in the program and after they exit the program until they finish their K-12 career or transfer from the school district.  The purpose of the evaluation system is to inform schools, school districts, parents, and the state of the effectiveness of the transitional bilingual programs in school and school districts in teaching these students English and other content areas, such as mathematics and writing; and

    (4) Report to the education and fiscal committees of the legislature by November 1, 2002, regarding the development of the systems described in this section and a timeline for the full implementation of those systems.  The legislature shall approve and provide funding for the evaluation system in subsection (3) of this section before any implementation of the system developed under subsection (3) of this section may occur.

 

    Sec. 3.  RCW 28A.180.030 and 1990 c 33 s 164 are each amended to read as follows:

    As used ((in RCW 28A.180.010 through 28A.180.080)) throughout this chapter, unless the context ((thereof)) clearly indicates ((to the contrary)) otherwise:

    (1) "Transitional bilingual instruction" means:

    (a) A system of instruction which uses two languages, one of which is English, as a means of instruction to build upon and expand language skills to enable the pupil to achieve competency in English.  Concepts and information are introduced in the primary language and reinforced in the second language:  PROVIDED, That the program shall include testing in the subject matter in English; or

    (b) In those cases in which the use of two languages is not practicable as established by the superintendent of public instruction and unless otherwise prohibited by law, an alternative system of instruction which may include English as a second language and is designed to enable the pupil to achieve competency in English.

    (2) "Primary language" means the language most often used by the student for communication in his/her home.

    (3) "Eligible pupil" means any enrollee of the school district whose primary language is other than English and whose English language skills are sufficiently deficient or absent to impair learning.

 

    Sec. 4.  RCW 28A.180.040 and 1984 c 124 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

    Every school district board of directors shall:

    (1) Make available to each eligible pupil transitional bilingual instruction to achieve competency in English, in accord with rules of the superintendent of public instruction.

    (2) Wherever feasible, ensure that communications to parents emanating from the schools shall be appropriately bilingual for those parents of pupils in the bilingual instruction program.

    (3) Determine, by administration of an English test approved by the superintendent of public instruction the number of eligible pupils enrolled in the school district at the beginning of a school year and thereafter during the year as necessary in individual cases.  ((If, however, a preliminary interview indicates little or no English speaking ability, eligibility testing shall not be necessary.))

    (4) Before the conclusion of each school year, measure each eligible pupil's improvement in learning the English language by means of a test approved by the superintendent of public instruction.

    (5) Provide in-service training for teachers, counselors, and other staff, who are involved in the district's transitional bilingual program.  Such training shall include appropriate instructional strategies for children of culturally different backgrounds, use of curriculum materials, and program models.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5.  If specific funding for the purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not provided by June 30, 2001, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act is null and void.


    Passed the House May 24, 2001.

    Passed the Senate May 23, 2001.

Approved by the Governor June 11, 2001.

    Filed in Office of Secretary of State June 11, 2001.