Katy ISD to submit bilingual exception and ESL waiver covering 22,591 emergent bilingual students; 109 teachers on waiver

Rosie Pratt, Katy ISD director of ESL and bilingual programs, told the board the district is serving 22,591 emergent bilingual (EB) students as of Oct. 1, 2025, and recommended the superintendent be authorized to submit a bilingual exception and an ESL waiver to the Texas Education Agency for the 2025–26 school year.

Pratt said the district already operates a Spanish bilingual program but that 18 additional languages meet TEA’s threshold of 20 or more EB students in a grade/language cohort; those languages include Arabic, Cantonese, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Hindi, Igbo, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Tamil, Telugu, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese and Yoruba.

Because some teachers assigned to EB students lack the bilingual or ESL certification required by TEA, Katy ISD will request a bilingual exception for teachers of the additional languages and an ESL waiver for 109 teachers who lack ESL certification. Pratt said Katy ISD has submitted this exception for 24 years and expects teachers on the waiver to achieve certification within the one‑year waiver period.

Professional development and certification supports

Pratt described a district plan that includes an ESL preparation course, 10 hours of targeted professional development focused on integrating language and content instruction, five fall sessions preparing teachers for the state ESL exam, reimbursement of exam fees upon certification, and additional sessions for teachers pursuing endorsement outside the waiver group. The district reported it will notify TEA of the waiver and exception by the Nov. 1, 2025 deadline.

Board discussion

Trustees asked whether the 109 teachers on the waiver were newly reported and how the district monitors progress toward certification. Pratt said TEA does not allow districts to carry over an additional year of waivered teachers; teachers must complete certification in the one‑year window or no longer be eligible for a waiver extension. She said Katy ISD had many teachers earn certification last year but some did not return to the district.

Pratt also described the district’s exit criteria for EB students and monitoring after exit: district exit requires passing a standardized assessment (Iowa ITBS for language/reading portions at the 40th percentile or higher), and the district monitors exited students for two years, holding grading‑period meetings and reviewing grades and attendance. Pratt said Katy ISD has historically not had to readmit students into EB programs once they exit; last year nearly 3,000 students met exit criteria.

Next steps

The district recommended the board authorize the superintendent to sign and submit the bilingual exception and ESL waiver applications to TEA before the Nov. 1 deadline.