BILL REQ. #:  H-2170.1 

Read first time 02/19/2007.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to the creation of a future bilingual teacher mentoring and training program; adding new sections to chapter 28A.300 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that the students in Washington's schools have continuously become more diverse, with a significant increase in the number of immigrant students arriving in the state without the ability to proficiently speak or understand English. These students represent Washington's integral linkage with the global economy and provide an opportunity to invest in Washington state's future role in that international economy.
     Further, the legislature finds that there is a shortage of bilingual teachers and, therefore, a shortage of teachers who can speak to English language learners and their parents in their native languages and serve as role models. Students served in the state's bilingual education program increased by two hundred six percent between 1990 and 2004. However, there has not been a corresponding increase in the number of trained bilingual educators.
     The office of the superintendent of public instruction reports that only one-fifth of teachers serving the state's eighty-seven thousand bilingual students have a bilingual teaching endorsement. Research shows that students learn the English language more quickly when provided the benefit of trained bilingual teachers.
     The legislature recognizes that until students who are English language learners become proficient in English, test scores on state assessments will remain low in comparison to students who are native English speakers.
     To address the communications and learning gap of English language learners, the legislature intends to promote a grow-your-own approach to developing an adequate supply of bilingual teachers. The most effective method to develop an adequate supply of bilingual teachers is to motivate, train, and invest in students in Washington who already possess the resource of two languages and who are college bound.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) A bilingual teacher mentoring and training program is created, as a pilot project conducted by the Latino/a educational achievement project (LEAP) in partnership with the superintendent of public instruction. Participating students will be recruited in their junior year and assigned a teacher/mentor. Students selected to participate in the program must be fluent in English and another language, including but not limited to Spanish. Students fluent in Washington state trade partner languages shall be given preference in the selection process. Teachers/mentors shall work with parents and students using a teacher mentoring and training curriculum that is developed for the specific purpose of mentoring and training future bilingual teachers. Pilot programs shall be conducted in eastern and western Washington, serving fifty students in the 2007-2009 biennium. The pilot programs shall be chosen from LEAP school district educational partners through a process designed by LEAP.
     (2) The teacher mentoring and training program shall be a two-year program, with students participating in their junior and senior years of high school. Students who successfully complete the program shall qualify for the future teachers conditional scholarship and loan repayment program as defined in chapter 28B.102 RCW. To qualify, a student must:
     (a) Show satisfactory progress toward high school graduation and be taking college preparatory classes at the time of entry into the teacher mentoring and training program;
     (b) Graduate with at least a "C" average from a public high school or an approved private high school under chapter 28A.195 RCW in Washington;
     (c) Have no felony convictions;
     (d) Be a Washington resident student as defined in RCW 28B.15.012; and
     (e) Devote one hundred hours during each of his or her junior and senior years of high school to teacher mentoring and training program activities.
     (3) For a student attending a two or four-year institution of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016, the future teacher scholarship award:
     (a) May not exceed the difference between the student's tuition, fees, books, and materials, less the value of any state grant or scholarship aid the student receives for tuition, fees, books, and materials;
     (b) May not exceed one hundred eighty quarter credits, or the semester equivalent; and
     (c) Must be used within five years of receipt.
     (4) The first conditional scholarships shall be awarded to students graduating high school in 2009.
     (5) The teacher mentoring and training program mentor shall be all of the following:
     (a) An active or retired school district teacher who meets state guidelines required of teachers to work with students;
     (b) Bilingual and have bicultural skills and knowledge;
     (c) Knowledgeable of secondary and postsecondary educational systems, with the ability to advise students on preparing to enter four-year degree-granting universities; and
     (d) The same gender as the students for whom he or she agrees to mentor.
     (6) At minimum, the teacher mentoring and training program mentor shall:
     (a) Serve as a mentor to two students and receive a one thousand dollar stipend each year;
     (b) Devote a minimum of forty hours each year to approved teacher mentoring and training program activities;
     (c) Meet with students weekly for a minimum of fifteen minutes;
     (d) Keep a monthly documentation log with the time, date, and purpose of meetings with students and parents or guardians;
     (e) Receive and review student attendance regularly, and share the information with parents or guardians at least quarterly;
     (f) Monitor students' progress toward high school graduation;
     (g) Confer with students and their parents or guardians and counseling staff on college search, application processes, college preparatory courses, financial aid, and any other college-related issues;
     (h) Assist students in appropriate course selection to ensure students can eventually meet four-year college entrance requirements;
     (i) Guide students on the registration requirements for necessary tests such as the SAT and ACT; and
     (j) Carry out other responsibilities as identified in school district teacher mentoring and training program implementation plans.
     (7) The superintendent of public instruction shall assist LEAP in the design and administration of the teacher mentoring and training program. The superintendent of public instruction shall distribute funds to program partners and participating teachers. The superintendent of public instruction shall report to the education and higher education committees of the legislature on the outcomes of the pilot program by December 1, 2008.
     (8) As used in this section, "Washington state trade partner language" means any language spoken in a country that imports, exports, or uses products primarily produced in the state of Washington.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Subject to funds appropriated for this specific purpose, the superintendent of public instruction shall create the teacher mentoring and training program. The superintendent, in partnership with LEAP, shall determine the criteria for the distribution of funds.
     (2) The superintendent of public instruction may, in implementing this section, accept, use, and dispose of contributions of money, services, and property. All moneys received by the superintendent for the purposes of this section must be deposited in a depository approved by the state treasurer. Only the superintendent or a duly authorized representative thereof may authorize expenditures from this account. In order to maintain an effective expenditure and revenue control, the account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required to permit expenditure of moneys in the account.
     (3) The distribution of funds shall be consistent with any existing collective bargaining agreements.