FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 15, 2017
BOSTON – The Massachusetts Legislature tonight approved the Language Opportunity for Our Kids (LOOK) bill, greatly expanding options for English learners in the Commonwealth’s public schools and creating a new Seal of Biliteracy that will help students compete in the global economy. The bill goes next to the Governor for signature. Continue reading
The LOOK Bill passed the House on June 7, 2017 in a vote of 152-2, and passed by the Senate unanimously on July 27. The two versions of the bill were referred to conference committee and the following legislators were appointed to the committee: Rep. Alice Peisch, House co-chair of the Education Committee, Rep. Frank Moran and Rep. Kimberly Ferguson, along with Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, Senate co-chair of the Education Committee, Sen. Sal DiDomenico, and Sen. Patrick O’Connor.
June 7, 2017 – The Language Opportunity Coalition applauds the Massachusetts House of Representatives for passage of legislation that brings meaningful reform to our education system for the way we teach English learners. The legislation passed today by the House will make important changes to the laws that govern educators in Massachusetts, giving school districts increased flexibility to make sure that the English language instruction programs they offer are those that work best for their district’s students. We are grateful to the Speaker and House leadership for prioritizing these important changes so early in the legislative session.
While no legislation is perfect, we firmly believe that the House passed language takes a critical first step in addressing the issues of our current system. We look forward to working with members of the Senate as this legislation now moves on to their branch.
We are truly grateful to the leadership of the Speaker, the Education Chair and Education Committee, and our legislative champions Representative Jeffery Sanchez and Representative Tony Cabral for taking such a strong stance on this critical issue and ensuring that English Language Learner reform is one of the first issues the legislature tackles this legislative session.
April 18, 2017: The LOOK Bill — H.3705/S.2070 An Act for language opportunity for our kids — was reported out favorably by the Joint Committee on Education and and referred to the House & Senate Committees on Ways and Means.
The LOOK Bill removes the restrictive mandate requiring Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) as the “one size fits all” default English Language Learner (ELL) program model, and gives school districts the flexibility to establish programs based on the educational needs of their students. It also establishes a state Seal of Biliteracy.
Today the Massachusetts Senate passed S.2395 An Act for language opportunity for our kids – the “LOOK bill” – by a unanimous vote.
The LOOK bill gives school districts the flexibility to choose high-quality, research-based programs to meet the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) and establishes the State Seal of Biliteracy to recognize high school graduates who speak, read, and write in two languages, a valuable asset in the 21st century global economy. View the LOOK Bill Fact Sheet …
We thank our Senators for supporting the educational needs of English learners in Massachusetts, and especially Sen. Sal DiDomenico, the bill sponsor; Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, c0-chair of the Joint Committee on Education; and Sen. Karen Spilka for their leadership and dedication on this issue.
The bill is still under consideration by the House.
Letter to the Editor in support of the LOOK Bill and Seal of Biliteracy Bill from Boston College’s Lynch School of Education professor Anne Homza:
I know of no educational research or theory that supports the state’s restrictive, one-size-fits-all sheltered-English approach. In fact, there is no evidence that such a broad yet singular approach to learning would be appropriate for the education of any subgroup of students. The fact that such an approach has been applied to the subgroup of students who happen to come to school with proficiency in a language other than English is highly discriminatory.
The Boston Globe (July 17, 2015): Lawmakers must act to correct flaws in how we teach English learners
Two Letters to the Editor were published in The Boston Globe in support of the March 31 Globe editorial on the LOOK Bill:
Boston’s failings highlight flaws in state’s English immersion law, by Patrick Proctor and Mariela Páez, Lynch School of Education at Boston College.
A Boston Globe editorial endorses the LOOK Bill filed by Rep. Sánchez and Sen. DiDomenico:
… the solution may lie beyond the Boston school system — more specifically, on Beacon Hill. Massachusetts’ school districts have been restricted in the way they teach English learners since 2002, when a ballot question crippled bilingual education. Districts were required to use “Sheltered English Immersion,” a method that focuses on teaching academic content in English, limiting the help students can receive in their native language…
… Sánchez’s bill represents the best opportunity to offer better instruction for students learning English — and a chance at a better educational future.
The Language Opportunity Coalition urges you to support two bills filed in the Massachusetts legislature:The Language Opportunity Coalition is proud to announce that two exciting bills have been filed for the 2015-2016 Massachusetts legislative session:
“An Act to Establish a State Seal of Biliteracy” (HD 1698/SD 1012), filed by Senator Karen Spilka and Representative Kay Khan
“An Act relative to Language Opportunity for Our Kids (LOOK)” (HD2211/SD743), filed by Senator Sal DiDomenico and Representative Jeff Sanchez.
We now believe we can gather the support we need to be successful this upcoming legislative session. However, we need your help!
We want to ensure that as many State Senators and State Representatives as possible sign on to these bills as co-sponsors. The deadline for co-sponsorship is Friday, January 30th, 2015.
We are asking you to make two phone calls or send two emails TODAY in support of these bills.
Language Opportunity 
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