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Committee hears calls for clearer multilingual learner data reporting in proposed bill
Summary
Lawmakers and advocates discussed legislation to require consolidated reporting on multilingual learners; supporters said existing data are collected but not presented transparently, and improved reporting would aid program planning and accountability.
Legislators and witnesses discussed a measure (referred to in testimony as HB 1391) that would require the State Department of Education to compile and publish multilingual‑learner data in a unified report. Supporters argued the information already exists in separate collections and that combining the data would make program quality and outcomes more transparent.
Commissioner Charlene Tucker confirmed that the department collects the relevant information and that the proposal would not create new data‑collection burdens but would change how data are presented. “Information is already collected,” the commissioner said. “It’s just how we present it so that it can be transparent and available.”
Louis Ortiz of ConnCAN and other witnesses urged that the reporting cover both bilingual programs and all students who qualify as English learners, recommending disaggregated results for on‑time, long‑term, former and at‑risk ELs to help districts target remediation and program planning.
What’s next: Committee staff were asked to refine statutory language to ensure the report’s scope covers multilingual learners broadly and to identify the formats and dashboards that will make the data accessible to parents and districts.
