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Certification Advisory Committee backs updates to bilingual, ESL and SEI endorsement rules
Summary
The committee voted Sept. 3 to recommend amendments clarifying that bilingual, ESL and SEI endorsements authorize teachers to instruct English Learners, tighten documentation and coursework requirements, and align training with board-approved SEI frameworks; all three recommendations were carried to the State Board.
The Certification Advisory Committee voted Sept. 3 to recommend a package of changes to three educator endorsement rules, approving technical edits and policy clarifications for bilingual endorsements, English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsements and Structured English Immersion (SEI) endorsements.
Jamie Wilber, deputy associate superintendent for certification and educator preparation, told the committee the amendments replace the term “ESL” with “English Learners” in authorization language, list specific qualifying certificate types (rather than certificate areas) so the rules need fewer updates, and update terminology such as “foreign language” to “World Language (other than English).” Wilber said the bilingual changes also add an option to document proficiency in American Sign Language with required ASL coursework.
The changes to ESL and SEI rules follow the same pattern, Wilber said: standardizing the authorization language to reference English Learners, removing redundant or unused exam options, clarifying documentation needed to show second-language experience, and aligning SEI coursework or training to the board-approved SEI endorsement frameworks (either three semester hours of coursework within the framework or completion of 45 clock hours of SEI training).
Members asked for editorial fixes and for consistency across the three rules. Patty Horn, a professor and long-time committee member, pointed out capitalization and repeated-language errors in the draft and asked whether future certificate types would be accommodated without reopening endorsement rules; staff said the rules now name certificate types so most additions would not require multiple rule edits and that any new certificate would be added through the usual rule-making process.
On three separate motions, the committee recommended the proposed amendments to R7-2-615(J) (bilingual endorsement), R7-2-615(K) (English as a Second Language, PK–12), and R7-2-615(L) (Structured English Immersion, PK–12) for the State Board’s rule-making process. Member Angela Philpot moved the bilingual and ESL recommendations; Patty Horn seconded the bilingual motion and Matt Weber seconded the ESL motion. Robbie Corbridge moved the SEI recommendation and Lena Lighting seconded it. Each motion was approved by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript.
The committee and staff noted procedural next steps: committee recommendations will be forwarded to the State Board, which is expected to open a rule-making docket in early December and provide at least a two-month public comment period before final action.
The committee set future meetings for Oct. 1 (9 a.m., hybrid) and Nov. 19, and adjourned at 9:55 a.m.
