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:
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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.
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