SB 77

Enrolled Copy  S.B. 77
1Dual Language Immersion Amendments
  2026 GENERAL SESSION
  STATE OF UTAH
  Chief Sponsor: Daniel McCay
  House Sponsor: Candice B. Pierucci
2
3  LONG TITLE
4  General Description:
5      This bill amends provisions related to concurrent enrollment courses for accelerated foreign
6  language students.
7  Highlighted Provisions:
8      This bill:
9      ▸ defines terms;
10      ▸ requires universities to teach certain upper-level concurrent enrollment courses;
11      ▸ requires a qualified teacher to teach certain courses;
12      ▸ allows a local education agency to partner with certain institutions;
13      ▸ requires the State Board of Education to prepare and submit a certain report; and
14      ▸ makes technical and conforming changes.
15  Money Appropriated in this Bill:
16      None
17  Other Special Clauses:
18      This bill provides a special effective date.
19  Utah Code Sections Affected:
20  AMENDS:
21      53E-1-202, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 7
22      53E-10-307, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 129
23
24  Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
25Section 1. Section 53E-1-202 is amended to read:
2653E-1-202 . Reports to and action required of the Public Education
27  Appropriations Subcommittee.
S.B. 77  Enrolled Copy
28   (1) In accordance with applicable provisions and Section 68-3-14, the following recurring
29reports are due to the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee:
30(a) the State Superintendent's Annual Report by the state board described in Section
3153E-1-203;
32(b) the state board's report described in Section 53E-10-307 regarding the cost of
33expanding the dual language immersion proficiency assessment;
34[(b)] (c) the report described in Section 53E-10-703 by the Utah Leading through
35Effective, Actionable, and Dynamic Education director on research and other
36activities; and
37[(c)] (d) the report by the STEM Action Center Board described in Section 9-22-109,
38including the information described in Section 9-22-113 on the status of the computer
39science initiative.
40   (2) In accordance with applicable provisions, the Public Education Appropriations
41Subcommittee shall complete, if required, the study described in Section 53F-4-304 of
42scholarship payments.
43Section 2. Section 53E-10-307 is amended to read:
4453E-10-307 . Concurrent enrollment courses for accelerated foreign language
45   students.
46   (1) As used in this section:
47(a) "Accelerated foreign language student" means an eligible student who has passed a
48world language Advanced Placement exam.
49(b) "Blended learning delivery model" means an education delivery model in which a
50student learns, at least in part:
51(i) through [online learning with an element of student control over time, place, path,
52and pace] synchronous online learning; and
53(ii) in the physical presence of an instructor.
54(c) "Partner language" means the same as that term is defined in Section 53F-2-502.
55(d) "Program" means the Utah Language Bridge Program, the foreign language
56concurrent enrollment program described in this section.
57(e)(i) "Qualified instructor" means:
58(A) a university instructor of record:
59(I) who holds a master's degree or higher or has at least 18 completed credit
60hours of graduate course work in an academic field related to the program;
61(II) who demonstrates language proficiency of advanced-high or higher on a
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Enrolled Copy  S.B. 77
62verbal and written exam using a nationally recognized assessment that
63assesses an instructor's language proficiency or holds a bachelor's degree
64from a relevant country of origin of the target language; and
65(III) whom an institution hires according to the standards of the institution;
66(B) an LEA employee teaching the course individually who:
67(I) holds a master's degree or higher, has at least 18 completed credit hours of
68graduate work in an academic field related to the program, or acquires
69exception for approval without a master's degree from the partnering
70institution and the LEA; and
71(II) demonstrates language proficiency of advanced-high or higher on a verbal
72and written exam from a nationally recognized assessment used that
73measures an instructor's language proficiency or holds a bachelor's degree
74from a relevant country of origin of the target language; or
75(C) an LEA employee co-teaching with a Utah System of Higher Education
76faculty member who:
77(I) has qualifying experience, including demonstrated language proficiency of
78advanced-mid or higher on a verbal and written exam using nationally
79recognized standards to assess an instructor's language proficiency; or
80(II) holds a bachelor's degree from a relevant country of origin in the target
81language.
82(ii) "Qualified instructor" does not include an instructor with qualifications based on
83years of experience alone.
84      (f) "Service area" means the geographic area, as board policy determines, where a state
85university has primary responsibility for providing educational programs and services.
86      [(c)] (g) "State university" means an institution of higher education that offers courses
87leading to a bachelor's degree.
88  (2) The University of Utah shall partner with all state universities to develop and maintain,
89      as part of the concurrent enrollment program described in this part, concurrent
90      enrollment courses that:
91      (a) are age-appropriate foreign language courses for accelerated foreign language
92students participating in the program;
93      (b) count toward a foreign language degree offered by an institution of higher education;
94and
95      (c) [are delivered] the university delivers:
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 S.B. 77  Enrolled Copy
96(i) using [a] an in-person or blended learning delivery model; and
97(ii) [by an eligible] through a qualified instructor[ described in Subsection
9853E-10-302(6)(a)].
99   (3) Subject to budget constraints, in addition to the base increases described in Section
10053F-2-208, the Legislature shall annually increase the money appropriated for
101concurrent enrollment courses for accelerated foreign language students participating in
102the program in proportion to the percentage increase over the previous school year in the
103value of the weighted pupil unit.
104   (4)(a) A state university that offers an upper-division course under the program shall
105ensure that a qualified instructor teaches or co-teaches the upper-division course.
106(b) If a state university cannot provide a qualified instructor to an LEA in the state
107university's service area before April 1 of each year, in accordance with Subsection
108(4)(a), an LEA shall:
109(i) partner with a state institution from outside the service area that contains the LEA
110to provide an upper-division course under this program; and
111(ii) enter into a contract with a state institution from outside the service area that
112contains the LEA, in accordance with Section 53E-10-303, to provide the program
113at the LEA.
114   (5) A state university that offers an upper-division course under this section shall ensure the
115course counts toward a foreign language degree an institution of higher education offers.
116   (6) The state board shall:
117(a) identify the estimated cost to extend the dual language immersion proficiency
118assessments described in Section 53F-2-502 from grades 3 through 8 to grades 3
119through 12 in the following four skills:
120(i) speaking;
121(ii) listening;
122(iii) reading; and
123(iv) writing; and
124(b) submit a report to the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee detailing the
125estimated costs described in Subsection (6)(a) before the subcommittee's October
1262026 interim meeting.
127Section 3. Effective Date.
128   This bill takes effect on July 1, 2026.
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