Bill Text: IL HB5981 | 2009-2010 | 96th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the Transitional Bilingual Education Article of the School Code. Adds as a purpose of the Article the establishment of approved alternative programs in public schools. Provides that an approved alternative program means a full-time program of instruction (1) in all of those courses or subjects that a child is required by law to receive and that are required by the child's school district, given in either the native language of those children of limited English-speaking ability who are enrolled in the program or in English; and (2) that consists of both a structured English immersion program and a program of 2-way bilingual education, or a part-time program of instruction based on the educational needs of those children of limited English-speaking ability who do not need a full-time program of instruction.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-03-15 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB5981 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2009-HB5981-Introduced.html
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| 1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | 14C-1 and 14C-2 as follows:
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| 6 | (105 ILCS 5/14C-1) (from Ch. 122, par. 14C-1)
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| 7 | Sec. 14C-1.
The General Assembly finds that there are large | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | numbers of children in
this State who come from environments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | where the primary language is other
than English. Experience | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | has shown that public school classes in which
instruction is | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | given only in English are often inadequate for the education
of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | children whose native tongue is another language. The General | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | Assembly
believes that a program of transitional bilingual | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | education can meet the
needs of these children and facilitate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | their integration into the regular
public school curriculum. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Therefore, pursuant to the policy of this State
to insure equal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | educational opportunity to every child, and in recognition
of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | the educational needs of children of limited English-speaking | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | ability, it is the purpose of this Act to provide for the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | establishment of
transitional bilingual education or approved | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | alternative programs in the public schools, and to
provide | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | supplemental financial assistance to help local school | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | districts
meet the extra costs of such programs.
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| 1 | (Source: P.A. 94-1105, eff. 6-1-07.)
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| 2 | (105 ILCS 5/14C-2) (from Ch. 122, par. 14C-2)
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| 3 | Sec. 14C-2. Definitions. Unless the context indicates | ||||||
| 4 | otherwise, the terms used in this
Article have the following | ||||||
| 5 | meanings:
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| 6 | (a) "State Board" means the State Board of Education.
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| 7 | (b) "Certification Board" means the State Teacher | ||||||
| 8 | Certification
Board.
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| 9 | (c) "School District" means any school district | ||||||
| 10 | established under
this Code.
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| 11 | (d) "Children of limited English-speaking ability" means | ||||||
| 12 | (1)
all children in grades pre-K through 12 who were not born | ||||||
| 13 | in the United States, whose native tongue is a
language other | ||||||
| 14 | than English, and who are incapable of performing ordinary
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| 15 | classwork in English; and (2) all children in grades pre-K | ||||||
| 16 | through 12 who were born in the United
States of parents | ||||||
| 17 | possessing no or limited English-speaking ability and
who are | ||||||
| 18 | incapable of performing ordinary classwork in English.
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| 19 | (e) "Teacher of transitional bilingual education" means a | ||||||
| 20 | teacher
with a speaking and reading ability in a language other | ||||||
| 21 | than English in
which transitional bilingual education is | ||||||
| 22 | offered and with communicative
skills in English.
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| 23 | (f) "Program in transitional bilingual education" means a | ||||||
| 24 | full-time
program of instruction (1) in all those courses or | ||||||
| 25 | subjects which a
child is required by law to receive and which | ||||||
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| 1 | are required by the
child's school district which shall be | ||||||
| 2 | given in the native language of
the children of limited | ||||||
| 3 | English-speaking ability who are enrolled in the
program and | ||||||
| 4 | also in English, (2) in the reading and writing of the
native | ||||||
| 5 | language of the children of limited English-speaking ability | ||||||
| 6 | who
are enrolled in the program and in the oral comprehension, | ||||||
| 7 | speaking,
reading and writing of English, and (3) in the | ||||||
| 8 | history and culture of
the country, territory or geographic | ||||||
| 9 | area which is the native land of
the parents of children of | ||||||
| 10 | limited English-speaking ability who are
enrolled in the | ||||||
| 11 | program and in the history and culture of the United
States; or | ||||||
| 12 | a part-time program of instruction based on the educational
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| 13 | needs of those children of limited English-speaking ability who | ||||||
| 14 | do not
need a full-time program of instruction. | ||||||
| 15 | (g) "Approved alternative program" means a full-time | ||||||
| 16 | program of instruction: | ||||||
| 17 | (1) in all of those courses or subjects that a child is | ||||||
| 18 | required by law to receive and that are required by the | ||||||
| 19 | child's school district, given in either the native | ||||||
| 20 | language of those children of limited English-speaking | ||||||
| 21 | ability who are enrolled in the program or in English; and | ||||||
| 22 | (2) that consists of both a structured English | ||||||
| 23 | immersion program and a program of 2-way bilingual | ||||||
| 24 | education; or a part-time program of instruction based on | ||||||
| 25 | the educational needs of those children of limited | ||||||
| 26 | English-speaking ability who do not need a full-time | ||||||
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| 1 | program of instruction. | ||||||
| 2 | In an approved alternative program, each child's parent or | ||||||
| 3 | legal guardian must be given the opportunity to select which of | ||||||
| 4 | the available programs will best meet the child's specific | ||||||
| 5 | educational needs. | ||||||
| 6 | For the purposes of this subdivision (g), a 2-way bilingual | ||||||
| 7 | education program is one in which (i) the goal is to develop | ||||||
| 8 | proficiency in both the child's native language and English, | ||||||
| 9 | (ii) students with an English background and students with one | ||||||
| 10 | other language background are included, and (iii) instruction | ||||||
| 11 | is in both languages; and a structured English immersion | ||||||
| 12 | program is one in which (A) the goal is fluency, with only | ||||||
| 13 | limited-English proficient students in the class, (B) primary | ||||||
| 14 | instruction is in English, adjusted to the proficiency level of | ||||||
| 15 | students so subject matter is comprehensible, and (C) | ||||||
| 16 | instruction may be supplemented with support in the students' | ||||||
| 17 | native language.
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| 18 | (Source: P.A. 95-793, eff. 1-1-09.)
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