ESTABLISHMENT OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND SPECIAL LANGUAGE PROGRAMS

(a) The agency shall establish a procedure for identifying school districts that are required to offer bilingual education and special language programs in accordance with this subchapter. (b) Within the first four weeks following the first day of school, the language proficiency assessment committee established under Section 29.063 shall determine and report to the board of trustees of the district the number of emergent bilingual students on each campus and shall classify each student according to the language in which the student possesses primary proficiency. The board shall report that information to the agency before November 1 each year. (c) Each district with an enrollment of 20 or more emergent bilingual students in any language classification in the same grade level shall offer a bilingual education or special language program. (d) Each district that is required to offer bilingual education and special language programs under this section shall offer the following for emergent bilingual students: (1) bilingual education in kindergarten through the elementary grades; (2) bilingual education, instruction in English as a second language, or other transitional language instruction approved by the agency in post-elementary grades through grade 8; and (3) instruction in English as a second language in grades 9 through 12.