Florida Lawmakers Introduce ELL-Exam Bill
March 1, 2019
Jeffrey S. Solochek reports for the Tampa Bay Times that two Miami-area Democrats in the state legislature have introduced companion legislation (SB 1590 / HB 1213) that would allow Florida’s English-language learner students to take state exams in their first language. If approved, “the measure would accomplish what many civil rights advocates tried unsuccessfully to get the state Department of Education to do as part of its federal Every Student Succeeds Act plan.” Previously, state officials “refused to include a provision to offer the tests in languages other than English, despite federal guidelines that urge states to make ‘every effort’ to do so.”