Section 4 of this bill requires the superintendent of each school district in a county whose population is 100,000 or more (currently Clark and Washoe Counties) to designate an employee to serve as Director of Multilingual Student Services for the school district. Section 4 also prescribes the qualifications and duties of the Director. Existing law requires the principal of each school, in consultation with the employees of the school, to prepare a plan to improve the achievement of pupils enrolled in the school. (NRS 385A.650) Section 2 of this bill requires the principal of a school to consult with the Director designated pursuant to section 4, if applicable, in preparing or revising the plan. Section 2 requires such a plan to include methods for closing gaps in achievement, if any, between different demographics of pupils enrolled in the school. If at least 10 percent of the pupils enrolled in the school are English learners, section 2 requires such a plan to: (1) make closing gaps in achievement, if any, between pupils who are English learners and pupils who are proficient in English the primary goal of the plan; and (2) include certain quantitative goals and specific actions for improvement in the achievement of pupils who are English learners. Section 1 of this bill makes a conforming change to reflect the renumbering of subsections by section 2. Section 5 of this bill requires the board of trustees of each school district to ensure that each licensed teacher employed by the school district receives training concerning English language acquisition. Section 5 also requires the Department of Education to develop and provide guidance to each school district concerning the training required by section 5. Section 12 of this bill requires a person who, on October 1, 2025, holds a valid teacher's license, to submit proof on or before October 1, 2030, that the person has completed the training required by section 5. Section 6 of this bill provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law, any pupil achievement data concerning a pupil who is a newcomer to the English language, as designated by regulation of the State Board of Education, must not negatively impact the performance rating of: (1) the school in which the pupil is enrolled; (2) the school district in which the school is located; or (3) any employee of the school in which the pupil is enrolled or school district in which the school is located. Existing law requires the board of trustees of each school district to: (1) develop a policy to teach English to pupils who are English learners; and (2) adopt a plan to ensure that the policy achieves certain objectives. (NRS 388.407) Section 10 of this bill requires the policy to provide that a pupil who is a newcomer to the English language, as designated by regulation of the State Board, may remain in high school for not more than 8 semesters after the date on which the pupil was otherwise scheduled to graduate or until the pupil is 21 years of age, whichever is earlier. Section 10 also requires the Department to consult with the Director designated pursuant to section 4, if applicable, in monitoring the implementation of the policy and plan. Section 11 of this bill requires the Department to establish an English Learner Advisory Council in the 2025-2026 interim to study policies to support English language acquisition, development and literacy. Section 11 also: (1) prescribes the membership and duties of the Advisory Council; (2) requires the Department to submit a written report describing the activities, findings, conclusions and recommendations of the Advisory Council for transmittal to the 84th Session of the Legislature; and (3) authorizes the Advisory Council to request the drafting of not more than 1 legislative measure for prefiling on or before the first day of the regular session of the Legislature in 2027. Section 14 of this bill repeals an existing law which requires the principals of certain schools that demonstrate low achievement for pupils who are English learners to establish a corrective action plan. (NRS 388.408) Sections 7-9 of this bill make conforming changes by removing references to the statute repealed by section 14.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 385.113, 385A.650, 388.040, 388.4055, 388.406, 388.407, 388.408
BDR: 385.113, 385A.650, 388.040, 388.4055, 388.406, 388.407, 388.408