This story was originally published by Chalkbeat.
DENVER | A new state bill would help Colorado students get recognition at graduation for being fluent in more than one language.
Colorado lawmakers created a process in 2017 for districts to create a seal of biliteracy to be awarded at graduation. Students earn the endorsement if they show proficiency in English and another language through grades and tests.
House Bill 1028, which passed the House Education Committee Thursday with an 8-5 vote, says only 55 of the state’s 179 school districts offer a biliteracy seal. This disproportionately leaves out students in rural districts, small schools, or districts, the bill says.
The bill creates a new bilingualism diploma endorsement and expands the ability of schools to offer biliteracy and the new bilingualism endorsements.
Students in districts that haven’t created their own endorsement would still have to have good grades and take tests measuring competency in English and another language. They would be able to work with a college, university, or a Colorado Department of Education-approved educational nonprofit partner to get one.
State Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, a Glenwood Springs Democrat, said bilingual students live in every corner of the state, but too many can’t showcase their mastery. The endorsements help demonstrate students’ abilities to employers and colleges.
“On the Western Slope, many of my school districts are majority minority, and we want to make sure that kids are able to elevate their skills no matter where they live,” she said.
The bill would require the Colorado Department of Education to set uniform statewide educational requirements for the bilingualism endorsement. Districts that don’t have a program could work with a college or educational nonprofits for a fee.
The bill will be heard next by the House Appropriations Committee. Lawmakers who are against the bill said they want bill sponsors to find ways to eliminate financial costs.
The bill projects to cost the state an additional $36,000 in the first year and about $25,000 in the years after. This year, bills that carry a financial investment face more scrutiny due to the state’s budget challenges.
Jorge Garcia, chair and CEO of the Colorado Association for Bilingual Education, said during committee testimony the current seal has helped students access scholarships and get the recognition they deserve for their abilities. His organization supported the 2017 law.
“In the spirit of continuous improvement, we see the opportunity for us to go even farther, the opportunity to increase access,” he said.
Other sponsors include Rep. Lorena Garcia, an Adams County Democrat, and Sen. Lisa Cutter, a Littleton Democrat.
Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.
I served as Director of the Office of Grants Management at San Jacinto College in Houston, TX for about 10 years. I supervised grant development, grant accounting, and scholarships. Our college was a Hispanic-serving community college of about 30,000 students. Fifty-five percent were of Hispanic descent. Luckily, for me, I had a dynamo in the person who managed our 4,000 scholarships. She had two super skills, she could really type fast, and she was fluent in Spanish. Thank goodness she was because that allowed her to be very effective at communicating over 200 scholarship programs to our students, while entering the data correctly. She received a stipend for her language aptitude, which was invaluable. I often thought that the school-wide stipend amount should be higher for the way she impacted our office, but was told that it was a school-wide policy managed by HR. I saw my mission in support of this person, as we sought and purchased new and better technology and an assistant (also bilingual) to help her manage scholarships. Her best aptitude was her dedication and her heart. She often went the extra mile for our students, to make sure they received the scholarship help they needed, as our population was largely 1st generation citizens!