Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee Senate Bill SB0246 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2		-	HOUSE BILL 410
3		-	By White
	2	+	<BillNo> <Sponsor>
4	3
5	4		SENATE BILL 246
6	5		By Gardenhire
7	6
8	7
9	8		SB0246
10	9		001021
11	10		- 1 -
12	11
13	12		AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
14	13		relative to English language learners.
15	14
16	15		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
17	16		SECTION 1.
18	17		(a) The department of education shall convene a working group to study and
19	18		develop best practices, strategies, and programming for English language learner (EL)
20	19		educators in this state to utilize in educating EL students enrolled in a public school in
21	20		this state in any of the grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12).
22	21		(b) The working group must be composed of:
23	22		(1) Directors of EL programs in K-12 public schools in this state,
24	23		appointed by the commissioner of education;
25	24		(2) Members of the state board of education, appointed by the executive
26	25		director of the state board;
27	26		(3) Representatives of the department of education, appointed by the
28	27		commissioner of education;
29	28		(4) Individuals with significant experience working with EL students and
30	29		educators, appointed by the commissioner of education;
31	30		(5) Members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker
32	31		of the house of representatives; and
33	32		(6) Members of the senate, appointed by the speaker of the senate.
34	33		(c) The working group shall:
35	34		(1) Study best practices in other states;
36	35
37	36
38	37		- 2 - 001021
39	38
40	39		(2) Seek input from individuals and organizations with specialized
41	40		knowledge and experience working with EL students and educators; and
42	41		(3) Examine strategies designed to improve educational outcomes for EL
43	42		students and to assist EL educators in the classroom, such as:
44	43		(A) Expanding professional development opportunities;
45	44		(B) Creating an EL endorsement for licensed educators;
46	45		(C) Employing the instructional practice of scaffolding in EL
47	46		classrooms by introducing concepts gradually and using supports such as
48	47		sentence frames and visual aids, including graphic organizers;
49	48		(D) Utilizing collaborative learning in EL classrooms to foster
50	49		opportunities for peer interaction through group work, and utilizing
51	50		cooperative learning by pairing EL students with proficient English
52	51		speaking students to promote language practice and social integration;
53	52		(E) Employing explicit vocabulary instruction in EL classrooms;
54	53		(F) Providing regular assessments and feedback for EL students
55	54		and educators to assist EL educators in understanding student data and
56	55		how to use student data to inform EL instruction; and
57	56		(G) Encouraging family involvement in EL instruction by providing
58	57		resources in their native language and encouraging the whole family to
59	58		participate in school activities both in-person and virtually.
60	59		(d) The department shall submit a report to the education committee of the
61	60		senate and the committee of the house of representatives having jurisdiction over EL
62	61		instruction for students in any of the grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12) outlining
63	62		the findings of its study and including any recommendations for legislation. The
64	63		department shall submit the report required in this subsection (d) by January 1, 2026.
65	64
66	65
67	66		- 3 - 001021
68	67
69	68		SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.