The legislation supported by our coalition is moving forward Massachusetts state legislature, and the bills have been assigned to the Joint Committee on Education.

Seal of Biliteracy:

• H.285/S.311 An Act to promote global trade and economic development through biliteracy

English Learner Education:

• S.232/H.2018 Act for language opportunity for our kids

Language Opportunity Coalition is working once more with legislators to pass the LOOK (HD3537/SD155 – Representative Cabral and Senator DiDomenico) and Seal of Biliteracy legislation (HD924/SD1122 – Representative Khan and Senator Spilka). We came very close in the last legislative session and are hopeful that the bills will pass in this session, but we need your help —  Please ask your state senator and state representative to co-sponsor these bills!

Please click on this Capwiz link http://capwiz.com/actfl/issues/alert/?alertid=74956626 to send a message to state legislators asking them to sign on to sponsor the legislation (you can send one message from your home address, and another from your work address). One of the reasons we got so far in the last session was the incredible number of cosponsors you helped us to sign on and the continued messages that you sent at critical points in the legislative session.

Help us by forwarding the Capwiz link to anyone you know who is supportive of the Seal. Together we will get the bills passed in this legislative session!

Massachusetts Language Opportunity Coalition Statement
On the 2014-16 Legislative Session

We are sorry to report that the Massachusetts legislative session ended on January 4, 2017 with failure to pass either the LOOK Bill (H.498/S.262 An Act relative to Language Opportunity for Our Kids) or the Seal of Biliteracy Bill (H.422 An Act to Establish a State Seal of Biliteracy / S.336 An Act to Promote Global Trade and Economic Development through Biliteracy ).

The goal of the LOOK Bill is to encourage the development of English Learner (EL) programs that support the development of bilingualism and biliteracy by removing the current mandate requiring Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) as the “one size fits all” default program model. It also establishes the State Seal of Biliteracy to recognize high school graduates who speak, read and write in two languages. The Seal of Biliteracy is also filed as a standalone bill, with the same language included in the LOOK Bill.

Earlier in the summer, both Chambers (House and Senate) passed different versions of the LOOK bill.  Unfortunately, at the last legislative session on January 4, the Senate and House were not able to reach agreement on a reconciliation of the two versions. The Senate passed the standalone Seal of Biliteracy bill, but the House failed to act on it.

Despite our disappointment at the legislature’s failure to pass these bills, the Language Opportunity Coalition has made positive progress during the past two years towards improving education for English Learners and promoting the value of bilingualism and biliteracy:

• A majority of our state Senators and Representatives voted in favor of both bills, signaling wide support for the goals of the legislation.
• Our Coalition has grown and strengthened. We had the opportunity to speak with many legislators, community leaders, business leaders, and educators about the benefits of developing a bilingual and biliterate workforce.
• We have spearheaded a successful Seal of Biliteracy Pilot Program that resulted in 300+ award recipients and the participation of 30+ World Language programs, Two-Way Immersion (TWI) and Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) programs in the first year of the pilot in 2015-16.  
• This year, in our second year of the Seal of Biliteracy pilot, we have doubled the participating districts and anticipate at least doubling the award recipients.  

The Coalition has been working with legislators to refile both bills by January 20th, the beginning of the 2017-18 legislative cycle. Yesterday, Senator Karen Spilka and Representative Kay Khan submitted the Seal of Biliteracy (SD1122 An Act to promote global trade and economic development through biliteracy / HD924).  Senator Sal DiDomenico and Representative Tony Cabral submitted the LOOK bill (SD155 An Act for language opportunity for our kids / HD3537 An Act to reform English language learning education).

Soon we will be asking for your support in contacting your legislators to seek co-sponsorship for the legislation.  We are optimistic that with our prior groundwork and your continued help we can successfully pass these important bills.

We are writing with an update on the LOOK bill and Seal of Biliteracy bill. The formal session of the Massachusetts state legislature ended at midnight on July 31st, and we are happy to report that both the Senate and House took action on the LOOK Bill!

The Massachusetts state Senate passed the LOOK Bill on July 7th unanimously with bipartisan support.  This bill gives school districts the flexibility to offer bilingual programming without the need for waivers, and establishes a state Seal of Biliteracy. During the debate, both Senate Ways and Means Chair Karen Spilka and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr voiced their support of the bill – it is quite notable to have two people in leadership on both the Democratic and Republican side speak in favor of a bill on the floor. Just a few weeks later, on July 31, in the flurry of last minute activity, the House passed their version of the LOOK bill.

However, the House version of the LOOK bill is quite different from the Senate bill, and does not include the Seal of Biliteracy.  You can read the Senate bill here: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/Senate/S2395 and the House bill here: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H4566.

Nevertheless, this is the first time in fifteen years that legislators have taken action to address the one-size-fits-all English learner education mandate and recognize the value of bilingualism.  We thank Senator Sal DiDomenico, Senator Karen Spilka, Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Representative Jeffrey Sanchez, Representative Kay Khan and Representative Alice Peisch for their leadership and support of language learning in Massachusetts.

Senators Sal DiDomenico and Sonia Chang-Diaz published a great article about the need for flexibility in educating English language learners.  You can find it here: http://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/flexibility-needed-in-educating-english-language-learners/.

Although we are disappointed that the two versions of the bill are different, we are hopeful that the Senate and the House will continue to work together to reconcile the bill and include the Seal of Biliteracy, so it can be sent to the Governor for his signature before the legislative session ends in December. (Read an explanation of the legislative process here: http://www.massbar.org/legislative-activities/the-legislative-process.)

The Language Opportunity Coalition will continue to advocate for passage of the LOOK Bill and Seal of Biliteracy.  Through this work, MATSOL, MaFLA and MABE have had the opportunity to come together in an historic and productive alliance that has built connections between language educators and that benefits all our student populations. We will continue to update you with news as we have it.

Thank you for your support!  Please contact your organizational representative with any questions.

• Nicole Sherf, Massachusetts Foreign Language Association (MaFLA), www.mafla.org
• Phyllis Hardy, Massachusetts Association for Bilingual Education (MABE), www.massmabe.org
• Helen Solorzano, MATSOL – Massachusetts Educators of English Language Learners, www.matsol.org

The new research brief The Growing Need for Bilingual Workers in the Massachusetts Economy has been released by the bipartisan Partnership for a New American Economy.

As employers strive to increase their competitiveness in the global economy, they are increasingly seeking candidates who have the language skills necessary to communicate with a diverse customer base, and with operations and competitors overseas. This research brief explores the growing demand for bilingual talent in Massachusetts from some of the state’s biggest industries and employers, and highlights the need to attract and promote language diversity in Massachusetts’ workforce among both foreign-born and U.S.-born workers. Read more….

An in-depth article on the benefits and challenges of dual language programs in California, another state poised to replace the SEI mandate with a vision for multilingualism.

On the SEI mandate:

“It’s just a terrible waste. There are all kinds of social, cognitive and tangible benefits that accrue to those with more than one language. It’s a terrible loss.” Patricia Gandara, professor at University of California, Los Angeles

PBS Newshour: Battle of bilingual education once again brewing in California