BILL REQ. #:  S-5306.3 

Read first time 02/20/2006.   Referred to Committee on Early Learning, K-12 & Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to instruction in Spanish and Chinese; amending RCW 28A.410.025; adding a new section to chapter 28A.320 RCW; and creating a new section.

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 chance to study any language other than English until they are in middle school, or more often, high school. Education systems of other nations, some of them much less economically developed than the United States, begin second language study in the early elementary grades. Washington's economy is tied to world trade. To enable Washington citizens to more effectively compete in the world marketplace and develop a greater sense of the world's culture and geography, our students, at all levels, must be provided the opportunity to develop fluency in a second language.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.320 RCW to read as follows:
     Beginning with the 2006-07 school year:
     (1) Each school district shall provide a sequentially, articulated world language program from elementary through secondary levels that provides instruction in Spanish and a Chinese language. The program shall be offered in grades kindergarten through twelve.
     (2) Each student may participate in the district program established under subsection (1) of this section and receive instruction in Spanish or a Chinese language.
     (3) Second class school districts may seek a one-year waiver from the state board of education to delay implementation of the requirement to provide the program in subsection (1) of this section. The waiver may be renewed up to three times.

Sec. 3   RCW 28A.410.025 and 1969 ex.s. c 223 s 28A.67.010 are each amended to read as follows:
     No person shall be accounted as a qualified teacher within the meaning of the school law who is not the holder of a valid teacher's certificate or permit issued by lawful authority of this state, except that a school district may use noncertificated staff or school volunteers to provide the language instruction in the programs or classes taught in accordance with section 2 of this act. However, the noncertificated staff providing the language instruction must: (1) Be able to speak and write the language fluently; and (2) speak English.