AN ACT Relating to the transitional bilingual instruction program; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

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

(2) The legislature finds over ten percent of public school students are English learners. These students come from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds, and are sometimes new to Washington or to the United States. As a category, English learners have some of the lowest proficiency rates on federally required state assessments and some of the lowest graduation rates. Unfortunately, these needy students are frequently taught by the least qualified school staff, including paraeducators and classroom teachers with little training on working with English learners.

(3) The legislature recognizes that it enacted legislation in 2016 that requires all classroom teachers assigned using funds for the transitional bilingual instruction program to provide supplemental instruction for eligible pupils to hold an endorsement in bilingual education or English language learner, or both, by the 2019-20 school year. The legislature intends to determine the qualifications of school staff currently providing supplemental instruction to English learners, the number of vacant positions for school staff with training on working with English learners, and whether programs and processes are in place to prepare enough qualified staff to meet the 2019-20 school year deadline.

(2)(a) The following transitional bilingual instruction program data from the 2017-18 school year must be collected at the school level:

(i) The number of eligible pupils;

(ii) The number of full-time equivalent classroom teachers with and without an endorsement in bilingual education or English language learner, or both;

(iii) The number of full-time equivalent paraeducators;

(iv) The number of paraeducators who have received training or professional development related to English learners;

(v) The number of classroom teacher applicants with an endorsement in bilingual education or English language learner, or both;

(vi) The number of vacant full-time equivalent positions for classroom teachers with an endorsement in bilingual education or English language learner, or both;

(vii) The number of vacant full-time equivalent paraeducator positions for English learner paraeducators; and

(viii) The barriers to hiring classroom teachers with an endorsement in bilingual education or English language learner, or both.

(b) The data collected and reported under this subsection (2) must also be calculated as ratios of staff to students, where applicable.

(3) The following data about the preparation of classroom teachers and paraeducators with specialties in bilingual education or English language learner, or both, from the 2017-18 academic year must be collected from each community and technical college, and each teacher preparation program approved by the professional educator standards board:

(a) The number of students in the pipeline to become English learner paraeducators by the 2019-20 school year;

(b) The number of students in the pipeline to become classroom teachers with an endorsement in bilingual education or English language learner, or both, by the 2019-20 school year; and

(c) If a college or program does not have any students in either pipeline, the barriers to developing a pipeline for preparation of classroom teachers or paraeducators with specialties in bilingual education or English language learner, or both.

(4) The public schools, the community and technical colleges, and the teacher preparation programs approved by the professional educator standards board must cooperate with the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the professional educator standards board to collect and submit the data required under this section.

(5) This section expires August 1, 2019.

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