• By Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D.• IDRA Newsletter • October 2024 • 
Texas state lawmakers meet every other year in legislative sessions to consider new laws. In between legislative sessions, they consider interim charges, or priority topics for discussion determined by state leadership.
This fall, Texas House and Senate lawmakers on public education committees met to discuss interim charges about how to develop stronger early literacy and numeracy strategies for Texas students in pre-kindergarten through third grades. IDRA submitted research-driven testimony to explain how high-quality bilingual education programs are a key strategy for young students’ early literacy (Latham Sikes, 2024).
At 1.2 million, emergent bilingual students, formerly called English learners in Texas, comprise a significant proportion of public school students. Among Texas students in Pre-K through third grade, more than one in four are emergent bilingual students (27%) (TEA, 2023).
More than half of emergent bilingual students are in elementary grades, where bilingual education is most frequently offered. Thirty-eight percent of emergent bilingual students are in pre-K to third grades (TEA, 2023).
Unlike English-only instruction, high-quality bilingual programs that focus on bilingualism and biliteracy, such as dual language immersion programs, lead to higher English literacy and test scores for both emergent bilingual students and English proficient students in those programs (i.e., two-way dual language). (See IDRA’s Serving Emergent Bilingual Students – Online Technical Assistance Toolkit for information on program types.)
In a RAND Corporation study, students in dual language immersion programs scored significantly higher on reading and English assessments than their peers, accounting for the equivalent of about seven months of additional learning (Steele, et al., 2017).
In Texas, students in two-way dual language immersion programs consistently scored higher
on STAAR exams in English language arts/reading and sustained stronger academic performance through the COVID-19 pandemic compared to emergent bilingual students in other types of language programs.
Enrollment in dual language programs has increased since 2019 when the Texas Legislature created a separate funding stream in House Bill 3 with a new dual language allotment. However, since only about 22% of emergent bilingual students are in dual language immersion programs, schools serving the other 78% of emergent bilingual students in programs other than dual language are left without vital resources.
Lawmakers can take the following critical steps to support robust, well-resourced bilingual education programs with certified teachers to improve the literacy of young emergent bilingual students in Texas.
- Implement the legislative recommendations from TEA’s Emergent Bilingual Strategic Plan developed in response to Senate Bill 560 in 2021;
- Advance legislative support for bilingual program monitoring, assistance and educator training for effectively teaching emergent bilingual students, as outlined by House Bill 2164 in 2023;
- Fund specific educator preparation and residency programs and in-service teacher support to address recruitment and retention of certified bilingual/ESL teachers in the workforce; and
- Expand and improve the Texas performance acknowledgment in bilingualism and biliteracy to meet State Seal of Biliteracy standards and support students to graduate with bilingual and biliterate achievement (see Latham Sikes & Piñón, 2024).
For nearly one in four Texas public school students, high-quality bilingual education is a key literacy strategy. Support for bilingual teachers, programs and students in early grades can set students on track to develop their bilingual and biliteracy skills in middle and high school as well as in more advanced subject material.
Texas can be a leader in graduating bilingual and biliterate students from high school and cultivating a strong bilingual workforce and culture. The pathways to do this start in the early grades of our schools.
Resources
Latham Sikes, C., & Piñón, L. (October 2024). The Path to a Stronger State Seal of Biliteracy – Advancing Texas Student Success through Bilingualism and Biliteracy. IDRA.
Latham Sikes, C. (August 13, 2024). High-QUALITY Bilingual Education in Pre-K to Third Grade is a Literacy Strategy – IDRA Testimony on Interim Charge: Early Literacy and Numeracy Outcomes submitted to the Texas House Committee on Public Education.
Steele, J.L., Slater, R., Zamarro, G., Miller, T., Li, J.J., Burkhauser, S., & Bacon, M. (2017). Dual-Language Immersion Programs Raise Student Achievement in English. RAND Corporation.
TEA. (January 2023). SB 560 Emergent Bilingual Strategic Plan. Texas Education Agency.
TEA. (2023). Emergent Bilingual Students by Category and Grade, School Year 22-23. Texas Education Agency.
TEA. (2024). English Learner Program Reports, 2019-2024. PEIMS Standard Reports. Texas Education Agency.
TEA. (2024). Texas Academic Performance Reports, 2018-2023. Texas Education Agency.
Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., is IDRA’s deputy director of policy. Comments and questions may be directed to her via e-mail at chloe.sikes@idra.org.
[© 2024, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the October edition of the IDRA Newsletter. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.]
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