BILL REQ. #:  S-4117.1 

Read first time 01/16/08.   Referred to Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.

     AN ACT Relating to instruction in Spanish and Chinese languages; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A majority of students in Washington do not have the opportunity to study any language other than English until they are in middle school, or more often, in high school. Educational systems of other nations, some of which are much less economically developed than the United States, begin second language study in the early elementary grades. Washington's economy is tied to world marketplace. In order to develop a greater sense of the world's culture and geography, ways for students at all levels to be provided the opportunity to develop fluency in a second language should be explored.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) A task force is created to conduct an inventory of Spanish and Chinese language programs, curricula, supplementary materials, and professional development initiatives currently used in Washington. The task force shall make recommendations to establish the system to support Chinese and Spanish language learners in Washington. At a minimum, the task force shall identify strategies to address the following three critical needs:
     (a) Creating a supply of qualified language teachers;
     (b) Increasing the number and quality of school programs; and
     (c) Developing appropriate curriculum, materials, and assessments, including technology-based delivery systems.
     (2) Members of the task force shall include representatives from the office of the superintendent of public instruction, professional educator standards board, higher education, the Washington state school directors' association, the Washington education association, and world language nonprofit organizations.
     (3) The task force shall report its findings to appropriate committees of the legislature by January 1, 2010.