Source: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5714
Timestamp: 2013-05-21 14:12:01
Document Index: 382743604

Matched Legal Cases: ['§28', '§74', '§74', '§74', '§74', '§74', '§28', '§74', '§74', '§28', '§28']

FAQ's Relating To:General IssuesGraduation RequirementsSpanish for Spanish SpeakersLOTE TextbooksGeneral Issues1. Which languages are considered a foreign language?2. What are the requirements for students to enroll in LOTE?3. Do districts have to implement the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for LOTE (TEKS for LOTE)?4. Is there a state curriculum guide for LOTE?5. Where can a district obtain credit by examinations for LOTE if the district has not developed their own district credit by examinations?6. What is required for a district to develop its own credit by examination (CbE)?7. What about CbEs for less commonly taught languages?8. Can a student receive credit for LOTE courses offered in the elementary and middle school?9. Can students study abroad and obtain credit for the language studied?Graduation Requirements10. How many years of a language other than English are required for students to graduate with the recommended plan or the distinguished achievement program (DAP)?11. Are there any waivers for the language requirement for graduation?12. Are special education students required to complete the language requirement for graduation?13. If a district does not offer the third level of a language course, how can the student fulfill the requirement for the DAP?14. Can a foreign student who studied his native language in his country apply his language credits towards the LOTE requirement for graduation?Spanish for Spanish Speakers15. Many times native speakers of Spanish are placed in upper level Spanish courses because of their language ability. Do the students have to complete the lower levels through a CbE in order to receive credit?16. For native speakers of Spanish (or native speakers of other languages) who are placed in upper level courses, how can they obtain credit for lower level course work?17. For native speakers who decide to take credit by examinations for their language, what is the passing score?LOTE Textbooks18. Are districts required to adopt the LOTE textbooks approved by the State Board of Education (SBOE)?19. Does the state reimburse districts for LOTE textbooks such as Chinese and Arabic where no textbooks are listed on the approved SBOE list?20. Do LOTE textbooks, not on the SBOE approved list, have to include the TEKS for LOTE in order for the district to be reimbursed through a waiver?21. What is the waiver process to obtain reimbursement for LOTE textbooks not on the SBOE approved list?1. Which languages are considered a foreign language?Any language other than English is considered a foreign language. For out-of-country students who studied English as their foreign language, English cannot be counted as a foreign language for the purpose of fulfilling the LOTE graduation requirement.Return to Top2. What are the entrance requirements for students to enroll in LOTE?The state has no entrance requirements for LOTE. LOTE enrollment is open to ALL students regardless of grade level.Return to Top3. Do districts have to implement the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for LOTE (TEKS for LOTE)?Yes. In the past, the TEKS for LOTE were only used as guidelines when teaching a foreign language. Texas Education Code (TEC) §28.002 Required Curriculum requires that the TEKS for LOTE be implemented and taught in LOTE K -12 courses offered in a district.Return to Top4. Is there a state curriculum guide for LOTE?There is no state curriculum guide for LOTE; however, districts seeking guidance in developing their own guides should use the TEKS for LOTE as their curriculum framework. In addition, districts may consult A Texas Framework for Languages other than English (TEA publication) which provides important information regarding LOTE instruction, TEKS implementation, sample course outlines, and other important information that will assist teachers in developing district documents.Return to Top5. Where can a district obtain credit by examinations for LOTE if the district has not developed their own district credit by examinations?The University of Texas at Austin and Texas Tech University are the only two institutions of higher education authorized to provide credit by examinations.Return to Top6. What is required for a district to develop its own credit by examination (CbE)?A district must have board approval to develop its own CbE. In addition, the CbE must cover all of the TEKS for LOTE.Return to Top7. What about CbEs for less commonly taught languages?If a district wishes to offer a CbE for a language not taught in the district, the district may contract with an individual or entity to develop such a test or may purchase a test from a provider. In all cases, the CbE must meet the TEKS for LOTE. For additional information, see the letter from Dr. Susan Barnes on Credit by Examination Clarification at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/taa/stanprog030705.html.Return to Top8. Can a student receive credit for LOTE courses offered in the elementary and middle school?Yes. Texas Administrative Code 74.26 (b) Award of Credit states that courses designated for grades 9-12 may be offered in earlier grade levels. “A course must be considered completed and credit must be awarded if the student has demonstrated achievement by meeting the standard requirements of the course.” It is important to remember that the TEKS for LOTE are the same for elementary, middle school, and high school. The difference is the use of age-appropriate activities.Return to Top9. Can students study abroad and obtain credit for the language studied?Yes. It is recommended that the student obtain permission from the school prior to doing the course of study and that the district and student determine in advance if the selected course includes the TEKS for LOTE. Ultimately, the district is responsible for awarding credit as per TAC §74.26(a)(2).Return to Top10. How many years of a language other than English are required for students to graduate with the recommended plan or the distinguished achievement program (DAP)?TAC §74.63 Recommended High School Program specifically states two levels of the same language. TAC §74.64 Distinguished Achievement Program specifically states three levels of the same language. A student cannot combine different levels from different languages to meet the requirement.Return to Top11. Are there any waivers for the language requirement for graduation?No. There are no graduation requirement waivers. Students must meet all of the requirements outlined in TAC §74.63 for the recommended plan or TAC §74.64 for the distinguished achievement program.Return to Top12. Are special education students required to complete the language requirement for graduation?Special education students must complete the same graduation requirements as all other students. TEC §28.025 (b) High School Diploma and Certificate; Academic Achievement Record states that students must complete the recommended plan which requires two years of the same language unless the student, the student’s parent, and a school counselor or administrator agree that the student be permitted to take courses under the minimum high school program.Return to Top13. If a district does not offer the third level of a language course, how can the student fulfill the requirement for the DAP?As per TAC §74.25 High School Credit for College Courses, students may enroll in a college course and receive high school credit. The district would determine the appropriate course that matches the level the student needs to complete. The college course must include the TEKS for LOTE. Students may also take correspondence courses or distance learning courses as per TAC §74.23 Correspondence Courses and Distance Learning. The only two institutions approved for correspondence courses are UT Austin and Texas Tech. There is no restriction for distance learning providers. Both correspondence and distant learning courses must include the TEKS for LOTE.Return to Top14. Can a foreign student who studied his native language in his country apply his language credits towards the LOTE requirement for graduation?Yes. If the transcript shows that the student studied his native language, the student can apply these credits towards the LOTE graduation requirements. The district makes the determination for applicable courses and allowable credits. Return to Top15. Many times native speakers of Spanish are placed in upper level Spanish courses because of their language ability. Do the students have to complete the lower levels through a CbE in order to receive credit?No. Though the students may be placed in upper-level courses, the recommended plan requires two levels of the same language. A student could possible have levels 3 and 4 on his/her transcript.Return to Top16. For native speakers of Spanish (or native speakers of other languages) who are placed in upper level courses, how can they obtain credit for lower level course work?The students may take a credit by examination for each course skipped. Districts may develop their own credit by examinations based on TEC §28.023 (a) Credit by Examination or may offer students the examinations from the University of Texas at Austin or Texas Tech which are the only two institutions of higher education approved by the Texas Education Agency.Districts may also develop “credentialing” policies allowing a student to receive credit for lower level courses when the student successfully completes the upper level course in which he is enrolled. This is possible in LOTE because the TEKS are very similar from level to level with the proficiency levels being the only difference. A student who successfully completes a level 3 intermediate proficiency course, automatically completes the novice level proficiency as the intermediate proficiency subsumes the novice level.The CbE and “credentialing” policy is applicable to native speakers of other languages. Other examples include native Chinese speakers or Japanese speakers moved into higher levels because of their language abilities.Return to Top17. For native speakers who decide to take credit by examinations for their language, what is the passing score?If the student has never received prior instruction in his home language, the student will need to score a 90. If the student has had prior instruction such as having participated in a bilingual education or dual language immersion program, studied the target language in elementary school, studied the language in a foreign country, formal after school programs, etc., then the student will only need to score a 70 to pass. The largest group of students in this case is Spanish-speakers, but this rule applies to all native speakers with a different home language than English.Return to Top18. Are districts required to adopt the LOTE textbooks approved by the State Board of Education (SBOE)?If the district wishes to receive state funded textbooks for classroom instruction, the district must select books from the SBOE approved conforming and non-conforming lists.Return to Top19. Does the state reimburse districts for LOTE textbooks such as Chinese and Arabic where no textbooks are listed on the approved SBOE list?If a publisher did not submit textbooks outlined in Proclamation 2002, the district may select a district-approved textbook and may apply to the state for a waiver for reimbursement. The waiver only applies to textbooks listed in Proclamation 2002.Return to Top20. Do LOTE textbooks, not on the SBOE approved list, have to include the TEKS for LOTE in order for the district to be reimbursed through a waiver?There is no specific rule that states that textbooks not on the SBOE conforming and non-conforming lists have to include the TEKS for LOTE in order for the district to receive reimbursement. However, TEC §28.002 requires that the TEKS for LOTE be taught in all SBOE state approved courses.Return to Top21. What is the waiver process to obtain reimbursement for LOTE textbooks not on the SBOE approved list?The textbook waiver process can be found on the Textbook Division website at:http://www.tea.state.tx.us/textbooks/waivers/index.html.For other textbook questions related to Proclamation 2002, please visit the textbook website at:http://www.tea.state.tx.us/textbooks/proclamations/qaproc2002.pdf.Return to Top Page last modified on 4/25/2010.