Relating to the establishment of a transitional bilingual education pilot program

This bill directs the department of education to establish, subject to an appropriation of sufficient funds by the general assembly, a transitional bilingual education pilot program designed to allow a student who is limited English proficient to achieve long-term academic success through English-medium instruction in general education classrooms that also includes initially at least two hours a day of instruction in the student’s native language; provided, however, that the native language of the student who is limited English proficient is used to support the student’s development of English and content learning and is then gradually phased out of instruction as a student’s English proficiency increases. The program shall consist of three pilot projects, located in an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. Each pilot project shall be conducted for a minimum of one year. The department must establish an application process, criteria for the selection of participating public or accredited nonpublic schools, and assessments which all grantees will use to measure and evaluate the academic achievement of the students in comparison with students at the same grade level who are limited English proficient and are participating in an English immersion program. A student enrolled in the pilot program shall be assigned additional weighting as provided in statute for limited English proficient students. The department may retain up to percent of the amount appropriated for the pilot program for the administration of the program and for the development and implementation of the evaluation. The department shall submit a final report that includes a summary of the results of the pilot projects and the department’s findings and recommendations to the general assembly by January 15, 2026. Moneys appropriated for purposes of the program do not revert at the end of the fiscal year but remain available for expenditure for the following fiscal year for purposes of the program. The Code section establishing the program is repealed July 1, 2026.