Source: https://www.azag.gov/sgo-opinions/I03-001?page=1
Timestamp: 2015-03-01 10:58:00
Document Index: 444459015

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§1', '§ 15', '§ 1703', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15', '§ 15']

Guidelines Governing Waivers from English Immersion Programs | Arizona Attorney General Skip to main content
HomeGuidelines Governing Waivers from English Immersion Programs Guidelines Governing Waivers from English Immersion Programs
Opinion No:I03-001 (R03-014)
The Honorable Pete RiosArizona State Senate
The Honorable John LoredoArizona House of Representatives
Section 15-756(B), A.R.S., authorizes the Department of Education ("Department") to develop guidelines for monitoring public schools to ensure compliance with State and federal laws governing English language learners. Those portions of the Guidelines that address the requirements for waivers under A.R.S. § 15-753(B)(2) and (3) are consistent with this statutory authority. Any guidelines for monitoring issued by the Superintendent that concern waivers under A.R.S. § 15-753(B)(1) must be consistent with testing requirements that the Board adopts under A.R.S. § 15-756(A)(1) and with the requirements in A.R.S. § 15-753(B)(1) regarding scores on the relevant tests. The Board must determine which standardized tests or other procedures are used to determine English proficiency. In addition, the minimum test scores for a (B)(1) waiver, although an appropriate subject for monitoring guidelines, must be supported by facts that establish that the scores are the average for students at the appropriate grade level, as required by statute.(1)
Proposition 203 also requires standardized testing of students in second grade and higher to monitor academic progress. A.R.S. § 15-755. The Superintendent is responsible for selecting the test that will be used for this purpose. Id. Subsequent Legislation Concerning English Proficiency. After the voters approved Proposition 203, the Legislature enacted A.R.S. § 15-756, which addresses the responsibilities of the Board and the Department concerning English language proficiency and programs for ELLs. See 2001 Ariz. Sess. Laws, 2nd Spec. Sess., Ch. 9, §1. The 2001 legislation that included A.R.S. § 15-756 was enacted to comply with Flores v. Arizona, 172 F. Supp. 2d 1225, 1238 (D. Ariz. 2000), which establishes the State's responsibilities under the federal Equal Educational Opportunities Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1703. See Arizona State Senate Fact Sheet for HB 2010, 45th Legis. 2nd Spec. Sess (2001). Section 15-756 requires that the Department develop guidelines for the “monitoring of school districts and charter schools for the purposes of ensuring compliance with all federal and state laws regarding English learners.”(4) A.R.S. § 15-756(B). This responsibility includes a requirement for certain reports with information specified by statute. Id. This statute also establishes the Board's responsibilities that include prescribing “the manner in which”:
A.R.S. § 15-756(A) (1)-(4). The Content of the Guidelines.
The analysis of the Guidelines concerning waivers for children who possess “good English language skills” ("(B)(1) waivers") is more difficult. Those Guidelines do not focus on documentation required to establish compliance with the statutory requirements. They specify tests that will be used and the scores on those tests that will determine whether students qualify for waivers. The Department's monitoring responsibilities under A.R.S. § 15-756(B) do not contemplate prescribing tests and scores because monitoring generally involves oversight to ensure compliance with established requirements, rather than determining what the requirements are. See supra at 5, 6 (discussion of "monitoring"). a. Designating Tests.
The Legislature subsequently established responsibilities for testing and monitoring the education of ELLs in A.R.S. § 15-756. That statute assigned to the Board the responsibility for “prescrib[ing] the manner in which . . . English language proficiency of all pupils with a primary or home language other than English [will] be assessed through the administration of English language proficiency exams,” as well as the process of reassessing the proficiency of English language learners. A.R.S. § 15-756(A)(2), (3). While giving the Board the responsibility for prescribing certain tests concerning English-language proficiency, the same statute assigned the Department the responsibility for “developing guidelines for . . . monitoring” schools “for the purposes of ensuring compliance with all federal and state laws regarding English learners.” A.R.S. § 15-756(B). Section 15-756 does not specifically address the waivers authorized in Proposition 203. However, the statutory scheme directs that the Board is responsible for prescribing the relevant tests concerning English-language proficiency, and gives the Department the responsibility for monitoring for compliance. In light of this statutory division of responsibilities, the Superintendent's guidelines issued under A.R.S. § 15-756(B) may specify tests only if those tests have been previously designated by the Board pursuant to its authority under A.R.S. § 15-756(A).(6)
The score required on any test used to determine whether a child qualifies for a (B)(1) waiver because he or she “already know[s] English” must be consistent with the statutory requirement that “the child score[] approximately at or above the state average for his grade level or at or above the 5th grade average, whichever is lower.” A.R.S. § 15-753(B)(1). The statute permits the use of an oral evaluation, as an alternative to a standardized test, but the same scoring requirements apply. That is, the child must score at his grade level average or 5th grade average, whichever is lower.(8) The score required to obtain a waiver cannot exclude students who meet this statutory standard or include students who fail to meet this requirement. The Guidelines at issue here focus on scores designated by test publishers rather than the statutory criteria. The Guidelines explain:
Guidelines at 2. The portion of the Guidelines that acknowledge that a child scoring at or above the state average for his or her grade level or at the 5th grade average is consistent with the Department's authority to monitor for compliance with the statute. The specifications of the test publishers, however, do not ensure compliance with the statutory parameters, which rely on test results in Arizona. Any policy determinations that may be necessary regarding the scores required for (B)(1) waivers should be made by the Board; the Department's monitoring guidelines should be consistent with those policies. Cf. A.R.S. §§ 15-203, -231 (describing powers and duties of the board and the department). In sum, the Guidelines are within the Superintendent's statutory authority, except for the selection of specific tests to determine English proficiency. The Board must determine which standardized tests or other procedures are used to determine English proficiency. A.R.S. § 15-756(A). In addition, the minimum test scores for a (B)(1) waiver, although an appropriate subject for monitoring guidelines, must be supported by facts that establish that the scores are the average for students at the appropriate grade level, as required by statute. Conclusion
Guidelines concerning waivers under A.R.S. § 15-753(B)(2) and (3) are consistent with the Superintendent's authority to monitor schools for compliance with the state and federal laws regarding the education of ELLS. The Board, however, has the authority to establish the tests to determine whether a child has “good English language skills” necessary for a waiver under A.R.S. § 15-753(B)(1). The Superintendent may establish monitoring guidelines consistent with the statutory requirements and with Board determinations concerning tests to determine English proficiency. Terry GoddardAttorney General
It might be argued that the requirement that the Board's authority under A.R.S. § 15-756(A) does not extend to tests to determine eligibility for waivers under A.R.S. § 15-753(B)(1) because the testing in A.R.S. § 15-756(A) focuses on identifying and monitoring English learners, not identifying students who may qualify for waivers under A.R.S. § 15-753(B)(1). Although the statutory language is not clear, establishing the testing requirements to determine whether a child qualifies for a (B)(1) waiver is more consistent with the Board’s responsibilities to determine English-language proficiency under A.R.S. § 15-756(A) than with the Superintendent's monitoring role under A.R.S. § 15-756(B). The analysis of English-language proficiency determinations in this Opinion supercedes Ariz. Att'y Gen. Op. I00-027, which analyzed the authority of the Superintendent under statutes that were repealed by Proposition 203.