Bill Text: TX SB560 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to developing a strategic plan for the improvement and expansion of high-quality bilingual education.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-06-16 - Effective immediately [SB560 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-SB560-Enrolled.html
| S.B. No. 560 | ||
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| relating to developing a strategic plan for the improvement and | ||
| expansion of high-quality bilingual education. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 29, Education Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 29.067 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 29.067. STRATEGIC PLAN TO IMPROVE AND EXPAND BILINGUAL | ||
| EDUCATION. (a) In this section, "general academic teaching | ||
| institution" has the meaning assigned by Section 61.003. | ||
| (b) The agency, in collaboration with the Texas Higher | ||
| Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Workforce Commission, | ||
| shall develop a strategic plan that sets tangible goals and | ||
| establishes timelines to: | ||
| (1) increase the number of educators certified under | ||
| Subchapter B, Chapter 21, in bilingual education instruction; | ||
| (2) increase the number of dual language | ||
| immersion/one-way and two-way program models used in public | ||
| schools; | ||
| (3) educate families and school district employees | ||
| regarding the importance of bilingual education in early childhood; | ||
| (4) adopt a uniform process for: | ||
| (A) identifying students in prekindergarten | ||
| through 12th grade of limited English proficiency; | ||
| (B) monitoring the bilingual learning of | ||
| students in prekindergarten through 12th grade; and | ||
| (C) collecting data regarding the identification | ||
| and monitoring under Paragraphs (A) and (B); and | ||
| (5) increase the number of bilingual and multilingual | ||
| high school graduates. | ||
| (c) In developing the strategic plan, the agency: | ||
| (1) shall consult with appropriate representatives | ||
| of: | ||
| (A) general academic teaching institutions; | ||
| (B) public schools; | ||
| (C) early childhood education programs; and | ||
| (D) parents and legal guardians of public school | ||
| students; | ||
| (2) may collaborate with representatives of: | ||
| (A) state, regional, and local agencies; | ||
| (B) nonprofit organizations; | ||
| (C) social services providers; | ||
| (D) faith-based organizations; and | ||
| (E) the business community; and | ||
| (3) shall study the use of the Bilingual Target | ||
| Language Proficiency Test to certify educators in bilingual | ||
| education instruction and: | ||
| (A) determine: | ||
| (i) the impact of using that test to assess | ||
| the critical competencies necessary to instruct bilingual programs | ||
| at each grade level; and | ||
| (ii) if any barriers to the certification | ||
| of bilingual educators exist based on differences between the | ||
| dialect of the educator and the dialect used on the test; and | ||
| (B) make recommendations to modify or revise the | ||
| assessments used to certify educators in bilingual education | ||
| instruction to enhance the competency of educators serving | ||
| bilingual programs. | ||
| (d) The agency shall submit the plan developed under this | ||
| section to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of | ||
| the house of representatives, and each member of the standing | ||
| committees of the senate and house of representatives having | ||
| primary jurisdiction over public education not later than December | ||
| 1, 2022. | ||
| (e) This section expires January 1, 2023. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2021. | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I hereby certify that S.B. No. 560 passed the Senate on | ||
| April 29, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| I hereby certify that S.B. No. 560 passed the House on | ||
| May 24, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 112, Nays 31, one | ||
| present not voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| Approved: | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
