Series 6000: Instruction

6141.31 Bilingual-Bicultural Education

The Superintendent of Schools, or his/her designee, shall ascertain annually the number of children of limited and non-English speaking ability within the school district and classify them according to their dominant language and report them to the Board of Education.

Whenever it is ascertained that there are in any public school building within Nutmeg twenty or more eligible students classified as dominant in any one language other than English, the Board of Education shall provide a program of bilingual education for such eligible students for the following school year.

The Superintendent of Schools will require each School Principal to conduct a preliminary assessment of dominant language of all students in the district as follows:

1. From parents/guardians by personal contact in the student's presumed dominant language.

2. From parents/guardians by use of questionnaires in the student's dominant language.

3. From personal interviews in the presumed dominant language (grades 4-12 only).

4. From school records (only when unable to use one of the methods described in la - le.)

The Superintendent shall apply annually for a grant of funds to support such a program. The Superintendent shall also submit annual reports of progress as required by law.

A meeting shall be held with the parents/guardians of eligible students to explain the benefits of the language program options available in the district. A student will be placed in a bilingual program if the parent(s)/guardian(s) elect this option.

An eligible student for the bilingual program shall be limited to no more than thirty (30) months, excluding summer school and time spent in two-way language programs, in a bilingual program. The program must continuously increase the use of English for instruction and provide that more than 50% of instruction be in English by the end of a student's first year in the program.

The progress made by each student in the bilingual education program in meeting the English mastery standard developed by the State Department of Education shall be assessed annually. Students not meeting the English mastery standard or those demonstrating limited progress shall be provided with additional language support services which may include, but are not limited to, English as a second language program, sheltered English programs, English Immersion programs, summer school, after-school assistance, homework assistance and tutoring. Transition services offered to students who have not mastered English after thirty months in a bilingual program may not include bilingual education. Students meeting the state standard shall leave the program. The date of initiation into the district's bilingual program and the date and results of the required assessments shall be documented on the student's permanent record card.

Eligible students enrolling in a secondary school with less than thirty (30) months remaining before graduation shall be assigned to an English as a Second Language program. He/she may also be provided with additional services designed to enable the student to speak, write, and comprehend English by the time the student graduates and to assist the student meet the course requirements for graduation.

Students who are in their first year of enrollment in a U.S. school and participating in the bilingual education program or English as a Second Language program for a period of ten (10) months or less may be exempted from participation in the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) or Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) programs. This exemption applies to the areas of reading, writing and science but not to mathematics nor science (beginning in 2007-2008). The mathematics test may be taken with accommodation if necessary.

Any limited English proficient student who has been enrolled from ten to twenty months and who scores below standard on the English mastery test administered in the month prior to the administration of the statewide mastery examinations may be exempted from participation in the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) or Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) programs.

A limited English proficient student is as defined in Title VII of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994, P.L. 103-382. A student is considered to have limited English proficiency if he/she was not born in the United States or comes from a country where English is not the dominant language; and has sufficient difficulty reading, writing, speaking and understanding English that he/she may not be able to learn successfully in an English-language classroom or participate fully in American society.

The District, when required to provide a bilingual education program, shall also investigate the feasibility of instituting two-way language programs starting in kindergarten.

(cf. 6141.311 - Limited English Proficiency Program)

(cf. 6146.2 - Statewide Proficiency/Mastery Examinations)

(cf. 6162.31 -Test Exclusion)

Legal Reference:     

Connecticut General Statutes

10-14q Exceptions (as amended by P.A. 02-7, 5/9/02 Special Session)

10-17 English language to be medium of instruction. Exception.

10-17a Establishment of bilingual and bicultural program.

10-17d Application for and receipt of federal funds.

10-l7e Definitions.

10-17f Required bilingual education. (as amended by PA 98-168 & PA 01-205 and PA 05-290)

10-17g Application for grant. Annual evaluation report.

10-76e Definitions.

10-146f Waiver of certification requirements for bilingual teachers.

State Board of Education Regulations

10-17h-1 to 10-17h-15. Programs of bilingual education.

P.A. 99-211. An Act Improving Bilingual Education. Title VII of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994, P.L. 103-382

34 CFR, Part 200, Federal Regulations appearing Federal Register, Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Policy Adopted October 15, 2007 THOMASTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS, Thomaston, Connecticut