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Texas House Bill HB4508

Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4508 Compare Versions

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11 88R14428 DIO-D
22 By: Guerra H.B. No. 4508
33
44
55 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
66 AN ACT
77 relating to bilingual education in public schools.
88 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
99 SECTION 1. Subchapter J, Chapter 21, Education Code, is
1010 amended by adding Section 21.4572 to read as follows:
1111 Sec. 21.4572. TRAINING FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS:
1212 BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND DUAL LANGUAGE IMMERSION. The commissioner,
1313 in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, shall develop and make
1414 available training materials and other training resources to
1515 increase school administrators' understanding of and improve
1616 student outcomes for:
1717 (1) bilingual education programs offered under
1818 Section 29.053; and
1919 (2) dual language immersion programs described by
2020 Section 28.0051.
2121 SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 28, Education Code, is
2222 amended by adding Section 28.028 to read as follows:
2323 Sec. 28.028. TEXAS STATE SEAL OF BILINGUALISM AND
2424 BILITERACY. (a) In this section, "seal" means the Texas State Seal
2525 of Bilingualism and Biliteracy established under Subsection (b).
2626 (b) The agency shall establish a seal to recognize high
2727 school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in
2828 comprehending, speaking, reading, and writing in both English and a
2929 language other than English.
3030 (c) The agency, in consultation with appropriate
3131 stakeholders, shall:
3232 (1) determine minimum requirements for earning the
3333 seal, which:
3434 (A) must be sufficiently rigorous to indicate to
3535 an employer or postsecondary institution that a student who has
3636 earned the seal is biliterate;
3737 (B) may include completion of a project,
3838 activity, or portfolio; and
3939 (C) may not condition receipt of the seal on an
4040 examination created for that purpose; and
4141 (2) prepare and deliver to each school district an
4242 insignia that can be affixed or stamped on the diploma of and adopt
4343 a designation to be included on the transcript of a student who has
4444 satisfied requirements for earning the seal.
4545 (d) Each school district shall:
4646 (1) maintain appropriate records to identify students
4747 who have earned the seal; and
4848 (2) for each student who has satisfied requirements
4949 for earning the seal:
5050 (A) affix the seal's insignia to the student's
5151 diploma; and
5252 (B) include in the student's transcript that the
5353 student earned the seal.
5454 (e) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to
5555 administer this section.
5656 SECTION 3. Section 29.054, Education Code, is amended by
5757 adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
5858 (e) Notwithstanding Section 29.066(c), the agency may
5959 require, for purposes of implementing Section 48.105, a school
6060 district that is granted an exception under this section to:
6161 (1) include in the district's Public Education
6262 Information Management System (PEIMS) report additional
6363 information specified by the agency and relating to the alternative
6464 language education methods used by the district; and
6565 (2) classify the alternative language education
6666 method used by the district under the Public Education Information
6767 Management System (PEIMS) report as specified by the agency.
6868 SECTION 4. Section 29.066(a), Education Code, is amended to
6969 read as follows:
7070 (a) A school district that is required to offer bilingual
7171 education or special language programs shall include the following
7272 information in the district's Public Education Information
7373 Management System (PEIMS) report:
7474 (1) demographic information, as determined by the
7575 commissioner, on students enrolled in district bilingual education
7676 or special language programs;
7777 (2) the number and percentage of students enrolled in
7878 each instructional model of a bilingual education or special
7979 language program offered by the district; [and]
8080 (3) the number and percentage of students identified
8181 as emergent bilingual students who do not receive specialized
8282 instruction; and
8383 (4) any other information required by the agency under
8484 Section 29.068(b).
8585 SECTION 5. Subchapter B, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
8686 amended by adding Section 29.068 to read as follows:
8787 Sec. 29.068. AGENCY MONITORING. (a) The agency shall adopt
8888 rules providing for robust monitoring of bilingual education and
8989 special language programs. The rules must require the agency to:
9090 (1) review bilingual education and special language
9191 program requirements to ensure those requirements prioritize
9292 meeting student needs and closing learning gaps for emergent
9393 bilingual students; and
9494 (2) engage directly with school districts offering
9595 bilingual education or special language programs to improve
9696 outcomes for emergent bilingual students, including by identifying
9797 districts offering programs with deficiencies and providing
9898 technical assistance to those districts.
9999 (b) Rules adopted under Subsection (a) may include
100100 requiring school districts that offer bilingual education or
101101 special language programs to provide additional information
102102 relevant to the programs through the Public Education Information
103103 Management System (PEIMS) under Section 29.066.
104104 SECTION 6. Subchapter F, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
105105 amended by adding Section 29.1831 to read as follows:
106106 Sec. 29.1831. PROGRAM OF STUDY IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION,
107107 ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE, AND SPANISH. (a) The agency shall
108108 develop a program of study for use in career and technology
109109 education programs that prepares and assists students in pursuing a
110110 career teaching:
111111 (1) bilingual education;
112112 (2) English as a second language; or
113113 (3) Spanish.
114114 (b) The agency shall post on the agency's Internet website
115115 information regarding:
116116 (1) the program of study developed under this section;
117117 and
118118 (2) the financial incentive program to prepare
119119 teachers to obtain certification to teach bilingual education,
120120 English as a second language, or Spanish administered by the Texas
121121 Higher Education Coordinating Board under Subchapter SS, Chapter
122122 61.
123123 SECTION 7. Section 33.007(b), Education Code, is amended to
124124 read as follows:
125125 (b) During the first school year a student is enrolled in a
126126 high school or at the high school level in an open-enrollment
127127 charter school, and again during each year of a student's
128128 enrollment in high school or at the high school level, a school
129129 counselor shall provide information about postsecondary education
130130 to the student and the student's parent or guardian. The
131131 information must include information regarding:
132132 (1) the importance of postsecondary education;
133133 (2) the advantages of earning an endorsement and a
134134 performance acknowledgment and completing the distinguished level
135135 of achievement under the foundation high school program under
136136 Section 28.025;
137137 (3) the disadvantages of taking courses to prepare for
138138 a high school equivalency examination relative to the benefits of
139139 taking courses leading to a high school diploma;
140140 (4) financial aid eligibility;
141141 (5) instruction on how to apply for federal financial
142142 aid;
143143 (6) the center for financial aid information
144144 established under Section 61.0776;
145145 (7) the automatic admission of certain students to
146146 general academic teaching institutions as provided by Section
147147 51.803;
148148 (8) the eligibility and academic performance
149149 requirements for the TEXAS Grant as provided by Subchapter M,
150150 Chapter 56;
151151 (9) the availability of programs in the district under
152152 which a student may earn college credit, including advanced
153153 placement programs, dual credit programs, joint high school and
154154 college credit programs, and international baccalaureate programs;
155155 (10) the availability of education and training
156156 vouchers and tuition and fee waivers to attend an institution of
157157 higher education as provided by Section 54.366 for a student who is
158158 or was previously in the conservatorship of the Department of
159159 Family and Protective Services; [and]
160160 (11) the availability of college credit awarded by
161161 institutions of higher education to veterans and military
162162 servicemembers for military experience, education, and training
163163 obtained during military service as described by the informational
164164 materials developed under Section 302.0031(h), Labor Code; and
165165 (12) the availability of programs that prepare
166166 students for teaching bilingual education, English as a second
167167 language, or Spanish, including:
168168 (A) the program of study developed under Section
169169 29.1831; and
170170 (B) the financial incentive program administered
171171 by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under Subchapter
172172 SS, Chapter 61.
173173 SECTION 8. Section 48.105(a), Education Code, is amended to
174174 read as follows:
175175 (a) For each student in average daily attendance in a
176176 bilingual education or special language program under Subchapter B,
177177 Chapter 29, or an alternative language method offered by a school
178178 district and approved by the agency under Section 29.054(d), a
179179 district is entitled to an annual allotment equal to the basic
180180 allotment multiplied by:
181181 (1) for an emergent bilingual student, as defined by
182182 Section 29.052:
183183 (A) 0.1; or
184184 (B) 0.15 if the student is in a bilingual
185185 education program or an alternative language method offered by a
186186 school district and approved by the agency under Section 29.054(d)
187187 using a dual language immersion/one-way or two-way program model;
188188 and
189189 (2) for a student not described by Subdivision (1),
190190 0.05 if the student is in a bilingual education program or an
191191 alternative language method offered by a school district and
192192 approved by the agency under Section 29.054(d) using a dual
193193 language immersion/two-way program model.
194194 SECTION 9. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
195195 Subchapter SS to read as follows:
196196 SUBCHAPTER SS. FINANCIAL INCENTIVE PROGRAM TO PREPARE TEACHERS IN
197197 BILINGUAL EDUCATION, ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE, AND SPANISH
198198 Sec. 61.99991. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF
199199 PROGRAM. (a) The board shall establish a program to provide
200200 financial incentives such as tuition assistance or student loan
201201 repayment to:
202202 (1) assist persons in obtaining certification to teach
203203 bilingual education, English as a second language, or Spanish in a
204204 public elementary or secondary school in this state; and
205205 (2) facilitate the employment of those persons by a
206206 public elementary or secondary school in this state that has a
207207 shortage of teachers certified to teach in those fields.
208208 (b) In administering the program, the board shall give
209209 priority to awarding financial incentives to those eligible persons
210210 who demonstrate the greatest financial need.
211211 Sec. 61.99992. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to receive
212212 financial incentives under this subchapter, a person must:
213213 (1) apply to the board in the form and manner
214214 prescribed by board rule;
215215 (2) be admitted into an educator preparation program
216216 at an institution of higher education or at a private or independent
217217 institution of higher education that prepares students for
218218 certification to teach bilingual education, English as a second
219219 language, or Spanish;
220220 (3) enter into an agreement with the board as provided
221221 by Section 61.99993; and
222222 (4) satisfy any other criteria jointly prescribed by
223223 the board and the State Board for Educator Certification.
224224 Sec. 61.99993. AGREEMENT. To qualify for financial
225225 incentives under this subchapter, a person must enter into a
226226 written agreement with the board as provided by this section. The
227227 agreement must require the person to:
228228 (1) obtain, within the period prescribed by board
229229 rule, certification to teach bilingual education, English as a
230230 second language, or Spanish in a public elementary or secondary
231231 school in this state;
232232 (2) accept, during the first school year that begins
233233 after the date the person becomes certified as provided by
234234 Subdivision (1), an offer of full-time employment to teach
235235 bilingual education, English as a second language, or Spanish in a
236236 public elementary or secondary school in this state that has a
237237 shortage of teachers certified to teach in one or more of those
238238 fields; and
239239 (3) teach bilingual education, English as a second
240240 language, or Spanish at that school for at least two school years.
241241 Sec. 61.99994. FINANCIAL INCENTIVES. The board shall award
242242 financial incentives such as tuition assistance or student loan
243243 repayment to each participant in the program to assist with the cost
244244 of payment of mandatory tuition and fees for courses required to
245245 obtain certification to teach bilingual education, English as a
246246 second language, or Spanish.
247247 Sec. 61.99995. REIMBURSEMENT; EXCEPTIONS. (a) A program
248248 participant who fails to meet the requirements of Section 61.99993
249249 shall reimburse the board for the amount of any assistance received
250250 by the participant under this subchapter.
251251 (b) The board by rule shall establish exceptions to the
252252 reimbursement requirement under this section for participants who
253253 are unable to meet the requirements of Section 61.99993 as a result
254254 of an unusual hardship.
255255 Sec. 61.99996. GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS. In addition
256256 to money appropriated by the legislature, the board may solicit and
257257 accept gifts, grants, and donations for the purposes of this
258258 subchapter.
259259 Sec. 61.99997. RULES. The board shall adopt rules
260260 necessary for the administration of this subchapter, including a
261261 rule that sets the maximum amount of financial assistance that a
262262 person may receive under this subchapter in one year.
263263 SECTION 10. The Texas Education Agency shall develop the
264264 program of study for use in a school district's career and
265265 technology education program to teach bilingual education, English
266266 as a second language, or Spanish as required by Section 29.1831,
267267 Education Code, as added by this Act, beginning not later than the
268268 2024-2025 school year.
269269 SECTION 11. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
270270 shall adopt rules for the administration of Subchapter SS, Chapter
271271 61, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable
272272 after this Act takes effect.
273273 SECTION 12. This Act takes effect immediately if it
274274 receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
275275 house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
276276 If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
277277 effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2023.