BILL REQ. #:  H-1624.1 

Read first time 02/15/2005.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to academic achievement for recent immigrant students; adding a new section to chapter 28A.180 RCW; creating a new section; and providing expiration dates.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 28A.180 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The legislature finds that immigrants add immeasurably to the health and vitality of our state and nation and to the quality of life for all Americans. The legislature further finds that the state's new graduation requirements will be difficult to meet for many immigrant students who do not understand or communicate well in English. The legislature intends to support a pilot program that will help immigrant students in the state's transitional bilingual program continue to pursue a high school diploma beyond the twelfth grade by enrolling in an integrated program of academic and language skills development that is offered by a community college or technical college, in cooperation with the office of the superintendent of public instruction and local school districts.
     (2) The forward start pilot program is established. The purpose of the program is to provide, in an age-appropriate setting, an integrated program of academic and English language skills development for students who both are eligible for the state's transitional bilingual program and have met all state and district graduation requirements with the exception of the acquisition of a certificate of academic achievement. Instruction may be offered either in a community college or technical college, or in a school district facility through a community college or technical college.
     (3) The program shall be designed collaboratively by the state board for community and technical colleges and the office of the superintendent of public instruction. Students in the program shall be provided with some combination of intensive English language and college preparation instruction, and the opportunity to take college level courses.
     (4) Phase one of the pilot shall occur during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 school years. During phase one, up to fifty students may be selected to participate in the pilot.
     (a) Participants in phase one may include twelfth grade students who are eligible for the state's transitional bilingual program and who have not yet met the state or school district's graduation requirements.
     (b) Participants in phase one who achieve the proficient standard in the reading, writing, and mathematics content areas of the high school Washington assessment of student learning and meet all state and school district graduation requirements shall receive a scholarship of one thousand dollars to attend a community college or technical college.
     (5) Phase two of the pilot shall occur during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years. During phase two, up to two hundred fifty students may participate in the first year, and up to a maximum of four hundred students may participate in the second year of the pilot. During phase two, participation is limited to students who are eligible for the state's transitional bilingual program and have met all state and school district graduation requirements except for the acquisition of a certificate of academic achievement.
     (6) The program design for the pilots shall include the following components:
     (a) Participating college and high school teams must establish a formal partnership;
     (b) Each student shall have an individual student learning plan developed jointly by the participating college and the partner high school in which the participant is coenrolled;
     (c) Each participating student and the student's family must have all options explained by school district staff;
     (d) Each participating student in phase one may be enrolled in the program for a maximum of two years or until the student graduates from high school, whichever occurs first;
     (e) Each participating student in phase two may be enrolled for a maximum of two years or until the student achieves the proficient level in the reading, writing, and mathematics content areas of the high school Washington assessment of student learning, whichever occurs first;
     (f) Funding for each student shall be calculated and distributed based on the funding formula for running start students, under RCW 28A.600.310(2); and
     (g) Each student shall be given an opportunity, at no cost to the student, to take the Washington assessment of student learning twice a year in any content area in which the student was previously unsuccessful.
     (7) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall track the progress of participants and, in collaboration with the state board for community and technical colleges, shall evaluate the results of the pilot program. By October 31, 2009, the office shall provide a final report on the pilot program to the governor, the house of representatives and senate education and fiscal committees, and other interested parties. The report shall include an evaluation of student success and recommendations on whether the program should be continued, modified, or eliminated.
     (8) This section expires July 1, 2010.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) The joint select committee on immigrant education is created. The committee shall consist of one member of each major caucus of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate; one member of each major caucus of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; and a representative of the governor. Members of the joint select committee shall be appointed by April 22, 2005.
     (2) The committee shall develop strategies and recommendations to improve educational opportunities and attainment for recent immigrant students from diverse backgrounds and nations for whom English is a second language. The committee shall address:
     (a) The incorporation of international distance learning programs into the state's transitional bilingual program, including but not limited to the conevyt-portal of the government of Mexico, so students may better maintain progress in subject areas while developing English language proficiency;
     (b) The availability of distance learning international high school degree programs and the feasibility of incorporating those programs into the state's graduation pathways;
     (c) Strategies to increase the number of teachers who are culturally and linguistically prepared to teach students from diverse backgrounds for whom English may be a second language. The strategies to be considered shall include, but need not be limited to, alternative certification opportunities for:
     (i) Paraprofessionals with cultural and linguistic competence;
     (ii) Immigrants who have educational credentials from their native countries but whose credentials are not recognized by the state; and
     (iii) Refugees who left their country of origin without the necessary documentation of their qualifications and work experience;
     (d) Recommendations on ways to infuse cultural awareness and understanding into preparation programs for educators and educational administrators; and
     (e) Strategies to increase the consultation of and involvement with community-based organizations, including faith-based organizations, in the design of professional development programs intended to improve the cultural competence of educators, administrators, and school staff when the organizations represent the ethnicity and national origin of the immigrant students in the school or school district.
     (3) The joint select committee may form one or more advisory committees that may include, but need not be limited to, representation from the Washington state commissions on African-American affairs, Asian Pacific American affairs, and Hispanic affairs.
     (4) The joint select committee shall report its findings and recommendations, by December 15, 2005, to the governor, the house of representatives and senate fiscal and education committees, the superintendent of public instruction, the state board of education, the professional educator standards board, and the higher education coordinating board.
     (5) The joint select committee shall receive staffing support from Senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research.
     (6) Legislative members of the joint select committee shall receive per diem and travel as provided in RCW 44.04.120.
     (7) This section expires April 1, 2006.