SYLLABLE Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3397 To establish high-quality dual language immersion programs in low-income communities, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 20, 2021 Mr. GRIJALVA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To establish high-quality dual language immersion programs in low-income communities, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Supporting Young 4 Language Learners’ Access to Bilingual Education Act of 5 2021’’ or the ‘‘SYLLABLE Act’’. 6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 7 Congress finds the following: 8 (1) The demand for bilingual employees in the 9 United States continues to outpace our supply. 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3397.IH H3397 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3397 IH (2) Dual language immersion engenders an in- 1 clusive learning environment for all students. 2 (3) Studies have demonstrated that all students 3 in multilanguage immersion programs have higher 4 academic achievement as measured by statewide ex- 5 amination, regardless of socioeconomic status. 6 (4) Dual language immersion has proven to be 7 one of the most effective and longest lasting inter- 8 vention methods for English learners. 9 (5) The Rand Corporation found that long-term 10 participation in dual language immersion programs 11 is correlated with closing or substantial reduction of 12 achievement gaps for historically underserved stu- 13 dents. 14 (6) Few children from low-income families, par- 15 ticularly African-American children, have had access 16 to a well-developed and well-implemented dual lan- 17 guage program. 18 (7) Children in dual language programs experi- 19 ence substantial gains in language, literacy, and 20 mathematics. 21 SEC. 3. DUAL LANGUAGE FLAGSHIP GRANTS. 22 (a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are as 23 follows: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3397.IH H3397 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3397 IH (1) To provide incentives for local educational 1 agencies to develop innovative strategies for planning 2 and implementing dual language immersion pro- 3 grams serving children from low-income families, in- 4 cluding English learners and minority children. 5 (2) To improve the school readiness of children 6 from low-income families, including English learners 7 and minority children, and to ensure they enter 8 school ready to succeed. 9 (3) To provide consistent support for learning 10 through high-quality dual language programs from 11 preschool through the fifth grade. 12 (4) To authorize the Secretary to carry out 13 projects to enhance the multiliteracy and bilin- 14 gualism skills for children from low-income families, 15 including English learners and minority children, 16 through the use and longitudinal evaluation of dual 17 language programs beginning in preschool through 18 the fifth grade. 19 (b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From funds made 20 available under subsection (i), and after reserving funds 21 under subsection (c), the Secretary is authorized to award 22 not more than five grants to fund programs proposed by 23 eligible entities to demonstrate effective strategies in en- 24 suring the academic success of students from low-income 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3397.IH H3397 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3397 IH families, including English learners and minority students, 1 through the implementation and evaluation of high-quality 2 multilanguage programs that— 3 (1) serve children in high-need schools, includ- 4 ing English learners and minority children, from 5 preschool through fifth grade; 6 (2) establish an infrastructure that supports 7 programs through a rigorous assessment system, 8 dedicated staff time, professional development in as- 9 sessment, a data collection plan, and the collection 10 of multiple measures of academic progress, bilin- 11 gualism, and multiliteracy; 12 (3) implement and align a curriculum that pro- 13 motes the development of bilingual and multiliterate 14 competencies for all students through at least grade 15 five; 16 (4) utilize and align student-centered instruc- 17 tional methods that enhance the development of bi- 18 lingualism, multiliteracy, and academic achievement; 19 (5) align professional development and training 20 for early childhood education instructors and ele- 21 mentary school teachers and staff, with an emphasis 22 on dual language instruction, second language acqui- 23 sition, and content knowledge; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3397.IH H3397 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3397 IH (6) recruit, train, and continuously develop staff 1 to implement high-quality, dual language immersion 2 programs; and 3 (7) establish a responsive infrastructure for 4 positive, active, and ongoing relationships with stu- 5 dents’ families and the community that responds to 6 and is reflective of the needs of the community and 7 goals of the program. 8 (c) RESERVATION.—The Secretary shall reserve not 9 more than 5 percent of the amount appropriated under 10 subsection (i) to carry out this Act, including the technical 11 assistance and evaluation described in subsection (g) and 12 dissemination of best practices described in subsection (h). 13 (d) DURATION.—Each grant under this section shall 14 be awarded for a period of not more than five years. 15 (e) APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS.— 16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity desiring 17 a grant under this section shall submit an applica- 18 tion to the Secretary at such time and in such man- 19 ner as the Secretary may require. 20 (2) REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION.—Each appli- 21 cation submitted by an eligible entity under this sec- 22 tion for proposed programs shall include documenta- 23 tion that— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3397.IH H3397 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3397 IH (A) the eligible entity has partnered with a 1 technical assistance entity that has proven ex- 2 pertise in the implementation of high-quality 3 dual language programs to provide on-going 4 technical assistance and assist with the evalua- 5 tion of the program; 6 (B) the eligible entity has the qualified 7 personnel to develop, administer, evaluate, and 8 implement the program; and 9 (C) the eligible entity serves children from 10 low-income families, including English learners 11 and minority children. 12 (3) OTHER APPLICATION CONTENTS.—Each ap- 13 plication submitted by an entity under this section 14 for a proposed program shall include— 15 (A) data showing that the program serves 16 children from low-income families, including 17 English learners and minority children; 18 (B) a description of how the program will 19 align the language of assessment with the lan- 20 guage of instruction; 21 (C) a description of how the program will 22 be evaluated to assess the goals of the program; 23 (D) a description, if applicable, of how the 24 evaluation will be used to inform broader efforts 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3397.IH H3397 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3397 IH to improve instruction for English learners, in- 1 cluding for preschool-aged children; 2 (E) a description of activities that will be 3 pursued by the program including a description 4 of— 5 (i) how the activities will further the 6 school readiness and academic progress of 7 children served by this program and sup- 8 port dual language development through 9 grade five; 10 (ii) methods of designing culturally re- 11 sponsive and linguistically appropriate dual 12 language curriculum; and 13 (iii) methods of teacher professional 14 development and parent outreach that will 15 be used or developed through the pro- 16 grams; 17 (F) an assurance that the program will an- 18 nually provide such information as may be re- 19 quired by the Secretary; and 20 (G) any other information that the Sec- 21 retary may require. 22 (f) SELECTION OF GRANTEES.—The Secretary 23 through a peer review process shall select eligible entities 24 to receive grants under this section based on— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3397.IH H3397 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3397 IH (1) the articulation of preschool through fifth 1 grade instructional practices, curriculum, and as- 2 sessments strategies; 3 (2) the extent to which relevant and directly im- 4 pacted school leaders have been involved with the 5 proposed programs and indicated a commitment to 6 carrying out high-quality dual language immersion 7 programs; and 8 (3) the quality of the programs proposed in the 9 applications submitted under subsection (e). 10 (g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND EVALUATION.— 11 From the amount appropriated under subsection (i) for 12 a fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve $250,000 to con- 13 tract with an eligible entity with a proven track record 14 in dual language immersion programs for the purpose of— 15 (1) providing technical assistance to local edu- 16 cational agencies receiving grants under this Act in 17 order to strengthen programs conducted by grantees 18 pursuant to this Act; and 19 (2) conducting an evaluation of programs fund- 20 ed under this Act, which shall— 21 (A) be used by the Secretary to determine 22 the effectiveness of programs funded through 23 this Act and improve services to participating 24 children; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3397.IH H3397 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3397 IH (B) include— 1 (i) a comprehensive evaluation of the 2 impact of the programs on students, in- 3 cluding an assessment of literacy skills and 4 language development in both English and 5 the primary home language; 6 (ii) a comprehensive evaluation of the 7 effectiveness of instructional practices used 8 in the programs; and 9 (iii) a comprehensive evaluation of 10 professional development strategies. 11 (h) DISSEMINATION OF BEST PRACTICES.—The Sec- 12 retary shall disseminate information on model programs, 13 materials, and other information developed under this sec- 14 tion that the Secretary determines to be appropriate for 15 use by early childhood education providers to improve the 16 school readiness of English learners. 17 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 18 purposes of carrying out this section, there are authorized 19 to be appropriated $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2022 and 20 such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 suc- 21 ceeding fiscal years. 22 (j) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3397.IH H3397 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3397 IH (1) DUAL LANGUAGE IMMERSION PROGRAM.— 1 The term ‘‘dual language immersion program’’ 2 means an instructional strategy in which students— 3 (A) are taught literacy and content in 4 English and a partner language; 5 (B) use the partner language for at least 6 half of the instructional day; and 7 (C) foster bilingualism, multiliteracy, en- 8 hanced awareness of linguistic and cultural di- 9 versity, and high levels of academic achievement 10 through instruction in English and a partner 11 language. 12 (2) EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PRO- 13 GRAM.—The term ‘‘early childhood education pro- 14 gram’’ includes a State-funded preschool program 15 and a Head Start program. 16 (3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti- 17 ty’’ means a partnership between— 18 (A) at least one local educational agency; 19 (B) at least one early childhood education 20 program; and 21 (C) at least one technical assistance entity. 22 (4) ENGLISH LEARNER.—The term ‘‘English 23 learner’’ has the meaning given the term in section 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3397.IH H3397 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 3397 IH 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 1 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 2 (5) HIGH-NEED SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘high-need 3 school’’ has the meaning given the term in section 4 2221(b)(3)(A) of the Elementary and Secondary 5 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6641(b)(3)(A)). 6 (6) LOW-INCOME FAMILY.—The term ‘‘low-in- 7 come family’’ has the meaning given the term in sec- 8 tion 2221(b)(3)(B) of the Elementary and Sec- 9 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 10 6641(b)(3)(B)). 11 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 12 the Secretary of Education. 13 (8) STATE-FUNDED PRESCHOOL PROGRAM.— 14 The term ‘‘State-funded preschool program’’ means 15 a program that— 16 (A) serves children who are ages 3 through 17 5; 18 (B) has a primary focus of supporting 19 early childhood education, including supporting 20 children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and phys- 21 ical development and approaches to learning; 22 (C) helps prepare children for a successful 23 transition to kindergarten; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3397.IH H3397 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 3397 IH (D) is either a public school- or commu- 1 nity-based program; and 2 (E) is funded either in whole or in part by 3 a State through a State agency with authority 4 to promulgate regulations and monitor partici- 5 pating programs. 6 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3397.IH H3397 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS