I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4065 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish 
a partnership program in foreign languages. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 7, 2009 
Mr. HOLT (for himself, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. WU, Mr. 
MCGOVERN, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CHANDLER, Mr. 
LOEBSACK, Mrs. MCMORRIS RODGERS, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. PRICE of 
North Carolina, and Mr. BLUMENAUER) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 to establish a partnership program in foreign 
languages. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Foreign Language 
Education Partnership Program Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart 9 of part D of title V 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
is amended— 
(1) by striking section 5494 (20 U.S.C. 7259c); 
and 
(2) by inserting after section 5493 the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 5494. PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM IN FOREIGN LAN-
GUAGES. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 
‘‘(1) to provide incentives for developing and 
maintaining model programs of articulated foreign 
language learning from kindergarten through grade 
12 that increase the number of students graduating 
from high school with an advanced level of pro-
ficiency in at least one foreign language; and 
‘‘(2) to widely disseminate information on the 
model programs that demonstrate success. 
‘‘(b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts made 
available to carry out this section, the Secretary may 
make incentive payments for a fiscal year to eligible 
partnerships to develop and maintain, or to improve 
and expand, model programs that support articu-
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lated foreign language learning in kindergarten 
through grade 12. 
‘‘(2) PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT.—For the 
first two fiscal years an eligible partnership receives 
funds under paragraph (1) for a model program on 
a less-commonly-taught foreign language, the Sec-
retary may allow that partnership, based on dem-
onstrated need, to use those funds for planning and 
development activities, including— 
‘‘(A) development of an articulated instruc-
tional curriculum for the less-commonly-taught 
foreign language to which the model program 
relates; 
‘‘(B) in-service and pre-service develop-
ment of teachers, and development of cur-
riculum and language assessments in the less- 
commonly-taught foreign language to which the 
model program relates; and 
‘‘(C) development of contextual programs 
and curriculum materials related to the less- 
commonly-taught foreign language to which the 
model program relates, as described in sub-
section (e). 
‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible partnership 
desiring a grant under this section shall submit an 
application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require. 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application shall— 
‘‘(A) identify each member of the partner-
ship, provide contact information and letters of 
commitment for each such member, and de-
scribe the responsibilities of each such member, 
including— 
‘‘(i) identifying the member that will 
receive and manage the grant; 
‘‘(ii) specifying how each member will 
be involved in the planning, development, 
and implementation of the activities pro-
posed under the grant; 
‘‘(iii) describing the resources to be 
provided by each member; and 
‘‘(iv) describing how each member will 
contribute to ensuring the continuity of 
student progress in foreign language pro-
ficiency from kindergarten through grade 
12; 
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‘‘(B) describe how an articulated cur-
riculum for students to achieve an advanced 
level of proficiency by grade 12 will be devel-
oped and implemented; 
‘‘(C) identify target proficiency levels for 
students at critical benchmarks, and describe 
how progress toward those proficiency levels will 
be assessed at the benchmarks; 
‘‘(D) describe how the partnership will 
support and continue the program after the 
grant has expired, including how the partner-
ship will seek support from other sources, such 
as State and local governments, foundations, 
and the private sector; and 
‘‘(E) describe what assessments will be 
used or, if assessments are not available, how 
assessments will be developed. 
‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—Incentive payments under this 
section— 
‘‘(1) shall be used— 
‘‘(A) to design programs and teaching 
strategies informed by the best practices recog-
nized by the field and by available research; 
‘‘(B) to develop curriculum materials based 
on an articulated framework or approach de-
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signed to bring students to an advanced level of 
proficiency by grade 12; 
‘‘(C) to recruit students and teachers, such 
as from heritage populations; and 
‘‘(D) to carry out teacher in-service and 
pre-service professional development programs, 
including summer institutes, that support the 
model programs; and 
‘‘(2) may be used— 
‘‘(A) to develop nationally recognized as-
sessments for kindergarten through grade 12 
for the foreign language to which the model 
program relates, if such assessments do not 
exist for that language; 
‘‘(B) to enhance nationally recognized as-
sessments for kindergarten through grade 12 
for the foreign language to which the model 
program relates, if such assessments already 
exist for that language; 
‘‘(C) to provide scholarships and incentives 
to recruit new teachers and encourage prac-
ticing teachers to take advantage of the profes-
sional development opportunities; 
‘‘(D) to provide opportunities for max-
imum foreign language exposure for students 
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domestically, such as the creation of immersion 
environments in the classroom and school and 
on weekend or summer experiences, and special 
tutoring and academic support; 
‘‘(E) to provide the possibility for multiple 
entry points for studying the foreign language; 
‘‘(F) to provide scholarships for study- 
abroad opportunities related to the foreign lan-
guage to which the model program relates, for 
students in grades 9 through 12 and teachers 
and prospective teachers of such students, ex-
cept that a recipient of incentive payments may 
not use more than 20 percent of those pay-
ments for this purpose; 
‘‘(G) to carry out activities to integrate 
foreign languages into the school curriculum 
and generate whole-school collaboration, includ-
ing activities and support for teachers of other 
subjects and administrators; 
‘‘(H) to carry out activities to encourage 
community involvement, especially with respect 
to heritage communities; 
‘‘(I) to incorporate effective and innovative 
uses of technology to enhance student learning 
and teaching; 
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‘‘(J) to develop certification and alternative 
certification programs at the State level, espe-
cially for the less commonly taught foreign lan-
guages; 
‘‘(K) to obtain technical assistance in the 
development and implementation of the model 
program funded under this section; and 
‘‘(L) to recruit or appoint a language su-
pervisor to oversee and coordinate the progress 
of the articulated foreign language program 
across grade levels in the local education agency 
funded under this section. 
‘‘(e) CONTEXTUAL DIMENSION.—A model program 
may not receive an incentive payment under this section 
unless it includes a dimension, carried out in conjunction 
with foreign language instruction, under which each for-
eign language learner also participates in programs to ex-
pand the understanding and knowledge of historic, geo-
graphic, cultural, economic, and other contextual factors 
of countries with populations who speak the foreign lan-
guage to which the model program relates. 
‘‘(f) RESEARCH AND EVALUATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A model program may not 
receive an incentive payment under this section un-
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less it includes a research and evaluation component, 
under which— 
‘‘(A) information is collected and analyzed 
regarding the effectiveness of activities carried 
out under the program, including but not lim-
ited to— 
‘‘(i) program design; 
‘‘(ii) student and teacher recruitment 
strategies; 
‘‘(iii) curricular approaches; 
‘‘(iv) teacher development; and 
‘‘(v) foreign language assessment in-
struments; 
‘‘(B) information is collected and analyzed 
regarding the impact of each activity in sub-
paragraph (A) on the foreign language pro-
ficiency of the students; 
‘‘(C) information is collected and analyzed 
regarding program participation, including data 
on student enrollments and numbers of foreign 
language teachers; and 
‘‘(D) the information collected, and the 
analyses of that information, are made widely 
available to the public. 
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‘‘(2) STANDARDIZATION.—The Secretary shall 
provide guidelines to standardize the categories of 
information collected and analyzed under paragraph 
(1) and the manner in which that information is col-
lected, analyzed, and made available to the public. 
‘‘(g) DURATION OF PAYMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) The initial incentive grant awarded to a 
partnership shall be for a period of four years. 
‘‘(2) A partnership completing a four-year in-
centive grant award may be eligible for two addi-
tional five-year awards, but only if the partnership 
demonstrates, based on nationally recognized stand-
ardized foreign language assessments, that the 
model program is effective. 
‘‘(h) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible partnership that 
receives a grant under this section shall provide, to-
ward the cost of carrying out the activities sup-
ported by the grant, from non-Federal sources an 
amount equal to–– 
‘‘(A) 20 percent of the amount of the 
grant payment for the first fiscal year for which 
a grant payment is made; 
‘‘(B) 30 percent of the amount of the 
grant payment for the second such fiscal year; 
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‘‘(C) 40 percent of the amount of the 
grant payment for the third such fiscal year; 
and 
‘‘(D) 50 percent of the amount of the 
grant payments for the duration of the first 
grant, and any additional grants made under 
this section. 
‘‘(2) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Federal 
share required under paragraph (1) may be provided 
in cash or in kind. 
‘‘(3) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive, in 
whole or in part, the matching requirement in para-
graph (1) for any fiscal year if–– 
‘‘(A) the eligible partnership demonstrates 
hardship and the waiver will best serve the pur-
poses of this section; or 
‘‘(B) the foreign language to which the 
model program relates is a less-commonly- 
taught foreign language as determined by the 
Secretary. 
‘‘(i) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Grant funds 
provided under this section shall be used to supplement, 
not supplant, other Federal and non-Federal funds avail-
able to carry out the activities described in this section. 
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‘‘(j) DATA COLLECTION, ANALYSIS, AND DISSEMINA-
TION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may reserve 
not more than 3 percent of the total amount appro-
priated for this section for any fiscal year to— 
‘‘(A) annually collect and analyze data on 
the programs under this section; and 
‘‘(B) 
disseminate 
nationally, 
including 
through a Web-based clearinghouse— 
‘‘(i) aggregated data collected under 
subparagraph (A); and 
‘‘(ii) promising K–12 foreign language 
learning and teaching practices and suc-
cessful program models developed under 
this section. 
‘‘(2) The activities described in paragraph (1) 
may be carried out by the Secretary directly or 
through grants and contracts to institutions of high-
er education and public and private nonprofit agen-
cies and organizations. 
‘‘(k) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘eligi-
ble partnership’ means a partnership that— 
‘‘(A) shall include— 
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‘‘(i) one or more local educational 
agencies or State educational agencies, or 
both; and 
‘‘(ii) one or more institutions of high-
er education, which shall include— 
‘‘(I) a school, department, or pro-
gram within the institution or institu-
tions of higher education that provides 
a teacher preparation program; 
‘‘(II) a school, department, pro-
gram, or center within the institution 
or institutions of higher education 
that provides a program of study or 
research in foreign languages; and 
‘‘(III) a school, department, pro-
gram, or center within the institution 
or institutions of higher education 
that provides programs of study about 
the historic, geographic, cultural, eco-
nomic, and other contextual factors of 
the world area or country with popu-
lations who speak the foreign lan-
guage to which the model program re-
lates; and 
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‘‘(B) may also include one or more busi-
nesses or nonprofit organizations, or both. 
‘‘(2) ADVANCED LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY.—The 
term ‘advanced level of proficiency’ means the ad-
vanced level as measured by the American Council 
for Teachers of Foreign Languages, or level 2 as 
measured by the Federal Interagency Language 
Roundtable (ILR) or by other nationally recognized 
measures of advanced standards of proficiency. 
‘‘(3) ARTICULATED.—The term ‘articulated’ 
means that each grade level of the foreign language 
program is designed to sequentially expand on the 
student achievement of the previous level with a goal 
toward achieving an established level of language 
proficiency. 
‘‘(l) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated for incentive payments 
under this section $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2010.’’. 
(b) FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.—Subpart 9 of part D 
of title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 is further amended by inserting after section 5491 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 5491A. FINDINGS; PURPOSES. 
‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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‘‘(1) According to the National Research Coun-
cil in 2007, a pervasive lack of knowledge about for-
eign cultures and foreign languages in this country 
threatens the security of the United States as well 
as its ability to compete in the global marketplace 
and produce an informed citizenry. 
‘‘(2) According to the National Research Coun-
cil in 2007, early language learning in elementary 
and secondary school is key to establishing a pipeline 
of students who can eventually reach a high enough 
level of proficiency in foreign language and culture 
to meet national needs. 
‘‘(3) According to the Committee for Economic 
Development in 2006, current efforts to develop lan-
guage skills and knowledge of world regions at an 
early age are clearly inadequate to prepare high 
school graduates with the skills necessary for pro-
ductivity and citizenship in an integrated global 
economy. 
‘‘(4) The American Council on the Teaching of 
Foreign Languages found that only 34 percent of 
United States K–12 students were enrolled in for-
eign language classes in 2000. Furthermore, the 
length of time students spent studying languages at 
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school has stagnated, so that many students reach 
only introductory levels of proficiency. 
‘‘(5) Research demonstrates that success lies 
not only in the number of years of learning but also 
in having carefully sequenced, articulated, programs 
of language learning across a child’s school experi-
ence, requiring bridging the gaps between levels in 
foreign language education. 
‘‘(6) A survey of secondary school principals 
and foreign language teachers by the Center for Ap-
plied Linguistics in 1999 identified a shortage of 
foreign language teachers as a major impediment to 
greater foreign language learning, along with fund-
ing, lack of training, and poor academic counseling. 
‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this subpart are 
to provide incentives for model programs that address the 
needs for developing, strengthening and expanding the 
teaching and learning of foreign languages and foreign 
cultures in the United States elementary and secondary 
schools, and to widely disseminate information on success-
ful programs and practices.’’. 
(c) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of con-
tents in section 2 of such Act is amended— 
(1) by inserting after the item relating to sec-
tion 5491 the following: 
‘‘Sec. 5491A. Findings; purposes.’’; 
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and 
(2) by striking the item relating to section 5494 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘Sec. 5494. Partnership program in foreign languages.’’. 
Æ 
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