Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant

Filed: 3/28/2019

 

 


 

 


 
10100SB0451sam001LRB101 04212 AXK 58471 a

1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 451

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 451 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Language Equality Acquisition for Deaf Kids Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
7    "American Sign Language" or "ASL" means a complete visual
8and manual language with its own grammar and syntax. ASL is
9used by a deaf individual as the native language of the deaf
10community.
11    "English" means a method of human communication, either
12spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a
13structured and conventional way. "English" includes spoken
14English, written English, and English with or without the use
15of visual supplements or dual language services or tactile use.
16    "English literacy" means the ability to read and write.

 

 

10100SB0451sam001- 2 -LRB101 04212 AXK 58471 a

1    "IEP" means an individualized education program.
2    "IFSP" means an individualized family service plan.
3    "Kindergarten readiness" means a child who is ready
4linguistically for kindergarten.
5    "Language developmental milestones" means milestones of
6development aligning with the State instrument used to meet the
7requirements of federal law for the assessment of children from
8birth to 5 years of age.
9    "State Board" means the State Board of Education.
 
10    Section 10. Language assessment program.
11    (a) The State Board must establish a language assessment
12program for deaf, hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind children and
13must select language developmental milestones from existing
14standardized norms for the program. The scope of the program
15must include language developmental milestones in American
16Sign Language, English, or both. The purpose of the program is
17to assess, monitor, and track the language developmental
18milestones of children who are deaf, hard of hearing, or
19deaf-blind and to (i) develop a resource for use by parents or
20guardians of those children to monitor and track a child's
21expressive and receptive language acquisition and his or her
22developmental stages toward English literacy and kindergarten
23readiness under Section 15 and (ii) select tools or assessments
24for educators under Section 20.
25    (b) Under the program, the State Board must refer deaf,

 

 

10100SB0451sam001- 3 -LRB101 04212 AXK 58471 a

1hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind children to early intervention
2services at 3 months old and must implement early intervention
3services for those children by 6 months old. If a child is
4referred to early intervention services under this subsection
5at 3 months old, the State Board must implement a formal
6assessment.
 
7    Section 15. Parent resource.
8    (a) The parent resource developed as part of the language
9assessment program under Section 10 must do all of the
10following:
11        (1) Include the language developmental milestones
12    selected by the advisory committee created under Section
13    25.
14        (2) Be appropriate for use, in both content and
15    administration, with deaf, hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind
16    children from birth to 5 years of age who use American Sign
17    Language, English, or both.
18        (3) Present the deaf, hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind
19    child's language developmental milestones in terms of
20    typical development of all children, disaggregated by age
21    range.
22        (4) Be written for clarity and ease of use by parents
23    or guardians.
24        (5) Be aligned with any State guidelines on early
25    intervention, early childhood education requirements

 

 

10100SB0451sam001- 4 -LRB101 04212 AXK 58471 a

1    pursuant to federal law, and State standards in English
2    language arts.
3        (6) Make clear that the parent or guardian has the
4    right to select the language, either ASL, English, or
5    another language, for his or her child's language
6    acquisition and language developmental milestones.
7        (7) Allow a parent or guardian to bring the parent
8    resource to an IFSP or IEP meeting for purposes of sharing
9    his or her observations about his or her child's
10    development.
11        (8) Make clear that the parent resource is not a formal
12    assessment of language and literacy development and that a
13    parent's or guardian's observations of his or her child may
14    differ from the formal assessment data presented at an IFSP
15    or IEP meeting.
16        (9) Make clear that resources provided to a parent or
17    guardian include fair, balanced, and comprehensive
18    information about American Sign Language, English, and
19    other communication modes and available services and
20    programs.
21    (b) The State Board must disseminate the parent resource
22developed under this Section to all parents or guardians of
23deaf, hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind children.
 
24    Section 20. Educator tools and assessments.
25    (a) The State Board must select tools or assessments for

 

 

10100SB0451sam001- 5 -LRB101 04212 AXK 58471 a

1educators that may be used to assess the language and literacy
2development of deaf, hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind students.
3These educator tools or assessments must comply with all of the
4following:
5        (1) Be in a format that shows stages of language
6    development.
7        (2) Be selected for use by educators to track the
8    development of a deaf, hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind
9    student's expressive and receptive language acquisition
10    and developmental stages toward literacy.
11        (3) Be selected from a list of instruments or
12    assessments used to assess the development of all children
13    from birth to 5 years of age.
14        (4) Be appropriate, in both content and
15    administration, for use with deaf, hard-of-hearing, or
16    deaf-blind students.
17        (5) Be used, in addition to the assessment required by
18    federal law, by the deaf, hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind
19    student's IFSP or IEP team, as applicable, to track the
20    student's progress and to establish or modify his or her
21    IFSP or IEP plan.
22    Additionally, the educator tools or assessments may
23reflect the recommendations of the advisory committee
24established under Section 25.
25    (b) The State Board must, pursuant to federal law,
26disseminate the educator tools or assessments selected under

 

 

10100SB0451sam001- 6 -LRB101 04212 AXK 58471 a

1this Section to local educational agencies for use in the
2development and modification of IEP plans and must provide
3those agencies materials and training on the use of those tools
4or assessments to assist deaf, hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind
5children in becoming linguistically ready for kindergarten.
6    (c) If a deaf, hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind child does
7not demonstrate progress in expressive and receptive language
8skills, as measured by one of the educator tools or assessments
9selected under subsection (a), the child's IFSP or IEP team
10must explain, in detail, the reasons why the child is not
11meeting the language developmental milestones or progressing
12toward them and must recommend and implement specific
13strategies, services, and programs that will be provided to
14assist the child's success toward American Sign Language,
15English, or both. The child's IFSP or IEP team must conduct a
16follow-up assessment within 60 days after the strategies,
17services, and programs have been implemented to determine the
18effects of those changes on the child.
19    (d) No later than July 1, 2021, and annually thereafter, a
20language assessment must be given to each child who is deaf,
21hard of hearing, or deaf-blind and who is less than 6 years of
22age. The language assessment shall be provided through an early
23intervention service or, if the child is 3 years of age or
24older, through the school district in which the child resides.
25The assessment must be provided in accordance with the
26provisions of and any rules adopted pursuant to this Act.
 

 

 

10100SB0451sam001- 7 -LRB101 04212 AXK 58471 a

1    Section 25. Advisory committee.
2    (a) The State Board must establish an advisory committee
3for the language assessment program established under this Act.
4The advisory committee shall consist of all of the following
5members appointed by the State Board:
6        (1) One parent or guardian of a child who is deaf or
7    hard of hearing and who uses the dual languages of ASL and
8    English.
9        (2) One parent or guardian of a child who is deaf or
10    hard of hearing and who uses only spoken English, with or
11    without visual supplements.
12        (3) One educator licensed under Article 21B of the
13    School Code who teaches deaf or hard-of-hearing pupils who
14    use the dual languages of ASL and English.
15        (4) One educator licensed under Article 21B of the
16    School Code who teaches deaf or hard-of-hearing pupils from
17    only an English-spoken school.
18        (5) One expert who researches language outcomes for
19    deaf or hard-of-hearing children using ASL and English.
20        (6) One expert who researches language outcomes for
21    deaf or hard-of-hearing children using spoken English,
22    with or without visual supplements.
23        (7) One educator licensed under Article 21B of the
24    School Code who teaches deaf or hard-of-hearing pupils and
25    whose expertise is in curriculum and instruction in ASL and

 

 

10100SB0451sam001- 8 -LRB101 04212 AXK 58471 a

1    English.
2        (8) One educator licensed under Article 21B of the
3    School Code who teaches deaf or hard-of-hearing pupils and
4    whose expertise is in curriculum and instruction in spoken
5    English, with or without visual supplements.
6        (9) One advocate for the teaching and use of the dual
7    languages of ASL and English.
8        (10) One advocate for the teaching and use of spoken
9    English, with or without visual supplements.
10        (11) One early intervention specialist who works with
11    deaf or hard-of-hearing infants and toddlers using the dual
12    languages of ASL and English.
13        (12) One educator licensed under Article 21B of the
14    School Code who teaches deaf or hard-of-hearing pupils and
15    whose expertise is in ASL and English language assessment.
16        (13) One speech pathologist of spoken English, with or
17    without the use of visual supplements.
18        (14) One deaf-blind person who represents the
19    deaf-blind community.
20        (15) One deaf-blind specialist or educator whose
21    expertise is in deaf-blind advocacy or education.
22    (b) The advisory committee shall first meet on or before
23July 1, 2020, at which meeting it shall elect a chairperson and
24a vice chairperson. Each subsequent meeting shall be at the
25call of the chairperson. The State Board shall provide
26administrative and other support to the advisory committee.

 

 

10100SB0451sam001- 9 -LRB101 04212 AXK 58471 a

1Members of the advisory committee shall serve without
2compensation, but may be reimbursed for travel and related
3expenses from funds appropriated for that purpose, subject to
4the rules of the appropriate travel control board. A quorum of
5the advisory committee shall be 9 members. All actions of the
6advisory committee shall be by motion adopted by a majority of
7those members present when there is a quorum. Any vacancy in
8the committee shall be filled in th same manner as the original
9appointment in accordance with subsection (a).
10    The State Board must provide the advisory committee with a
11list of language developmental milestones from existing
12standardized norms, along with any relevant information held
13regarding those language developmental milestones, for
14possible inclusion in the parent resource developed under
15Section 15. These language developmental milestones must be
16aligned with the State's infant, toddler, and preschool
17guidelines, the instrument used to assess the development of
18children with disabilities pursuant to federal law, and State
19standards in English language arts.
20    (c) On or before June 1, 2021, the advisory committee must
21develop and submit to the State Board specific action plans and
22must propose any rules necessary to fully implement this Act.
23The specific action plans and proposed rules developed by the
24advisory committee must include, but are not limited to, all of
25the following:
26        (1) Language assessments that include data collection

 

 

10100SB0451sam001- 10 -LRB101 04212 AXK 58471 a

1    and timely tracking of a child's development to provide
2    information about the child's receptive and expressive
3    language compared to the child's linguistically
4    age-appropriate peers who are not deaf, hard of hearing, or
5    deaf-blind.
6        (2) Language assessments conducted in accordance with
7    standardized norms and timelines to monitor and track
8    language developmental milestones in both receptive and
9    expressive language acquisition and developmental stages
10    toward English literacy for all children who are deaf, hard
11    of hearing, or deaf-blind from birth to the age of 5.
12        (3) Language assessments delivered in ASL and English
13    that have been validated for the specific purpose for which
14    each assessment is used and appropriately normed.
15        (4) Language assessments administered by individuals
16    who are proficient in:
17            (A) ASL;
18            (B) both ASL and English;
19            (C) English, with or without visual supplements;
20            (D) reading developmental stages; or
21            (E) language developmental stages of ASL and
22        English.
23        (5) Use of assessment results for guidance on the
24    language developmental discussions by IFSP and IEP teams
25    when assessing the progress of a child's language
26    development in ASL, English, or both.

 

 

10100SB0451sam001- 11 -LRB101 04212 AXK 58471 a

1        (6) Reporting of assessment results to the parent or
2    guardian of a child who is deaf, hard of hearing, or
3    deaf-blind, and, on an aggregated basis, reporting those
4    results to the State Board and the Department of Public
5    Health for publication to ensure accountability and
6    provide information on how the education of those children
7    may be improved.
8        (7) Reporting of assessment results to the members of a
9    child's IFSP or IEP team, as appropriate, to assist the
10    team in ensuring that appropriate language growth remains a
11    priority and continues to be monitored by the team.
12     (d) In carrying out its duties under this Section, the
13advisory committee must do all of the following:
14        (1) Solicit input from experts on the selection of
15    language developmental milestones for American Sign
16    Language and English.
17        (2) Review, select, and monitor the use of language
18    assessments for children who are deaf, hard of hearing, or
19    deaf-blind.
20        (3) Identify criteria for qualified ASL and English
21    experts who may be advocates at initial and periodic IFSP
22    or IEP team meetings. This includes role models of deaf,
23    hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind professionals in similar
24    fields.
25        (4) Identify criteria for qualified language
26    assessment evaluators and resources for locating those

 

 

10100SB0451sam001- 12 -LRB101 04212 AXK 58471 a

1    evaluators.
2        (5) Identify methods for communicating language
3    assessment results, language developmental milestones,
4    assessment tools, and the progress of a deaf,
5    hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind child to the parent or
6    guardian of that child, teachers, and other professionals
7    involved in the early intervention and education of the
8    child.
 
9    Section 30. Report. On or before July 1, 2022, and on or
10before each July 1 thereafter, the State Board must produce and
11make available on its website a report using data reported in
12compliance with the federally required State performance plan
13on pupils with disabilities that is specific to the language
14and literacy development of deaf, hard-of-hearing, or
15deaf-blind children from birth to 5 years of age relative to
16those children's peers who are not deaf, hard of hearing, or
17deaf-blind.
 
18    Section 35. Application and implementation of Act. This Act
19applies only to children from birth through 5 years of age. Any
20activities of the State Board in implementing this Act must be
21consistent with federal law regarding the education of children
22with disabilities and federal law regarding the privacy of
23pupil information. Implementation of this Act is subject to
24appropriation.
 

 

 

10100SB0451sam001- 13 -LRB101 04212 AXK 58471 a

1    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
2becoming law.".