HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2578        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3760

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Alan Silvia

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act providing for early education of foreign languages.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2578        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3760

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

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An Act providing for early education of foreign languages.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Section 1. The General Court declares and finds that:

(i) Pre-k, kindergarten, and elementary students in the commonwealth will benefit from learning at least 1 language other than English (LOTE) and understanding of another culture in order to successfully confront the challenges of the world of today and tomorrow.

(ii) Students must compete in the global economy and work with people of diverse cultures abroad and at home. The World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages sets forth the central role of world languages in the learning career of every student. The five goal areas of the standards establish an inextricable link between communication and culture, which is applied in making connections and comparisons and in using this competence to be part of local and global communities.

(iii) One goal of this chapter is to provide foreign language programs in the pre-k, kindergarten and elementary school programs.

(iv) Children of low-income districts deserve to have the skills to succeed in the global world as well as those of more affluent areas. According to research and the guidelines of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, students who begin study of LOTE at an early age and who continue that study for a long sequence of years have the best chances of attaining intermediate proficiency in that language.

Section 2. (a) The board and commissioner of elementary and secondary education shall establish a foreign language pre-k, kindergarten and elementary school program in public schools that are consistent with models provided by the Massachusetts Foreign Language Association.

(b) The foreign language program shall: (1) consist of at least 3 to 5 sessions per week; (2) be in duration of at least 10 minutes per session for pre-k; 20 minutes per session for grades kindergarten through second; and 30 minutes in duration for grades 3 through 6; and (3) utilize foreign language elementary school certified teachers and to require ongoing and age-appropriate assessments.

(c) The curriculum shall be content coordinated with overall coordination with the school district's foreign language program.

(d) Funding for this program shall be provided to: (1) hire foreign language elementary certified teachers; (2) purchase instructional materials; and (3) incorporate other forms of support to ensure that the program is sustainable and successful.