Bill Text: IA HF356 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act providing for a world language education pilot program and making appropriations.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-02-25 - Subcommittee, Dolecheck, Mascher, and R. Taylor. H.J. 415. [HF356 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2015-HF356-Introduced.html
House File 356 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY ABDUL=SAMAD A BILL FOR 1 An Act providing for a world language education pilot program 2 and making appropriations. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: TLSB 2033YH (2) 86 je/nh PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 256.34 World language education 1 2 pilot program == report == appropriation. 1 3 1. The department shall establish a world language 1 4 education pilot program to enhance foreign language education 1 5 in Iowa elementary schools. The pilot program shall provide 1 6 for research=based foreign language instruction of students 1 7 beginning in kindergarten and continuing through grade five. 1 8 The pilot program shall provide for yearly assessments of 1 9 student progress in the development of foreign language skills. 1 10 The department shall establish program evaluation criteria, 1 11 including but not limited to improvement in student grades and 1 12 reading, writing, and cultural competency skills. 1 13 2. The department shall establish the pilot program in two 1 14 elementary schools in school districts with enrollment less 1 15 than three thousand students and two elementary schools in 1 16 school districts with enrollment greater than three thousand 1 17 students. The department shall limit participation in the 1 18 pilot program to schools in which at least ninety percent of 1 19 enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced price meals 1 20 under the federal National School Lunch Act and the federal 1 21 Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. {{1751=1785. The 1 22 department shall give preference in the selection of schools 1 23 to participate in the pilot program to schools in which a 1 24 significant percentage of enrolled students are limited English 1 25 proficient as defined in section 280.4, subsection 1, or 1 26 in which enrolled students have a language background in a 1 27 significant number of languages other than English. 1 28 3. Each elementary school participating in the pilot 1 29 program shall enter into a chapter 28E agreement with a regents 1 30 institution to assist in the development of instruction, 1 31 coursework, assessments, and any other resources necessary to 1 32 carry out the pilot program. 1 33 4. The department shall submit a biennial report to 1 34 the general assembly beginning December 30, 2016, on the 1 35 department's findings and recommendations regarding the pilot 2 1 program and foreign language education in this state. 2 2 5. There is appropriated from the general fund of the 2 3 state to the department of education for each of the fiscal 2 4 years in the fiscal period beginning July 1, 2015, and ending 2 5 June 30, 2021, two hundred eighty thousand dollars for the 2 6 pilot program. There is appropriated from the general fund of 2 7 the state to the department of education for the fiscal year 2 8 beginning July 1, 2015, and ending June 30, 2016, one hundred 2 9 thousand dollars for administrative costs associated with the 2 10 implementation of the pilot program. 2 11 EXPLANATION 2 12 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 2 13 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly. 2 14 This bill requires the department of education to establish 2 15 a world language education pilot program to enhance foreign 2 16 language education in Iowa elementary schools. The pilot 2 17 program shall provide for research=based foreign language 2 18 instruction of students beginning in kindergarten and 2 19 continuing through grade five. The pilot program shall provide 2 20 for yearly assessments of student progress in the development 2 21 of foreign language skills. The bill requires the department 2 22 to establish program evaluation criteria. 2 23 The bill requires the department to establish the pilot 2 24 program in two elementary schools in school districts with 2 25 enrollment less than 3,000 students and two elementary 2 26 schools in school districts with enrollment greater than 3,000 2 27 students. The bill limits participation in the pilot program 2 28 to schools in which at least 90 percent of enrolled students 2 29 are eligible for free or reduced price meals under federal 2 30 law. The bill requires the department to give preference in 2 31 the selection of schools to participate in the pilot program to 2 32 schools in which a significant percentage of enrolled students 2 33 are limited English proficient or in which enrolled students 2 34 have a language background in a significant number of languages 2 35 other than English. 3 1 The bill requires a participating elementary school to enter 3 2 into an agreement pursuant to Code chapter 28E with a regents 3 3 institution to assist in the development of instruction, 3 4 coursework, assessments, and any other resources necessary to 3 5 carry out the pilot program. 3 6 The bill requires the department to submit a biennial report 3 7 to the general assembly beginning December 30, 2016, on the 3 8 department's findings and recommendations regarding the pilot 3 9 program and foreign language education. 3 10 The bill appropriates $280,000 to the department for the 3 11 pilot program for each of the six fiscal years in the fiscal 3 12 period beginning July 1, 2015, and ending June 30, 2021. 3 13 The bill also appropriates $100,000 to the department for 3 14 administrative costs associated with the implementation of the 3 15 pilot program for fiscal year 2015=2016. LSB 2033YH (2) 86 je/nh
