S.B. 57

1

INSTRUCTION IN MANDARIN CHINESE IN
2 PUBLIC SCHOOLS
3 2001 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Sponsor: Howard A. Stephenson
6 This act modifies provisions related to the State System of Public Education by requiring the
7 State Board of Education to develop and implement a concurrent enrollment course on
8 Mandarin Chinese to be taught over EDNET. The act takes effect upon approval.
9 This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
10 ENACTS:
11 53A-15-101.5, Utah Code Annotated 1953
12 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
13 Section 1. Section 53A-15-101.5 is enacted to read:
14 53A-15-101.5. Concurrent enrollment instruction in Mandarin Chinese.
15 (1) (a) As used in this section, "category IV languages" means those languages designated
16 the most difficult to learn by the Defense Language Institute as provided in training to members
17 of the United States Military.
18 (b) The Legislature recognizes:
19 (i) the importance of students acquiring skills in foreign languages in order for them to
20 successfully compete in a global society; and
21 (ii) that the acquisition of category IV languages, such as Mandarin Chinese, Arabic,
22 Korean, and Japanese, by students in the state's public schools requires extended sequences of
23 study to acquire useful proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
24 (2) (a) As a component of the concurrent enrollment program authorized under Section
25 53A-15-101 , the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Utah Education Network, shall
26 develop and implement a concurrent enrollment course of study in the category IV language of
27 Mandarin Chinese.

28 (b) The course shall be taught over EDNET, the state's two-way interactive system for
29 video and audio, to high school juniors and seniors in the state's public education system.
30 (3) (a) The concurrent enrollment course in Mandarin Chinese authorized in Subsection
31 (2) shall use paraprofessionals in the classroom who:
32 (i) are fluent in Mandarin Chinese; and
33 (ii) can provide reinforcement and tutoring to students on days and at times when they are
34 not receiving instruction over EDNET under Subsection (2)(b).
35 (b) The State Board of Education, through the State Superintendent of Public Instruction,
36 and professors who teach Chinese in the state system of higher education shall jointly ensure that
37 the paraprofessionals are fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
38 (4) The State Board of Education and the State Board of Regents shall make joint rules
39 on the concurrent enrollment course authorized under this section in accordance with Title 63,
40 Chapter 46a, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, to include:
41 (a) notification to school districts on the times and places of the course offerings; and
42 (b) instructional materials for the course.
43 (5) Students who successfully complete the concurrent enrollment course offered under
44 this section shall receive tuition reimbursement for a sequential Mandarin Chinese course they
45 successfully complete at an institution within the state system of higher education under rules
46 made by the State Board of Regents in accordance with Title 63, Chapter 46a, Utah Administrative
47 Rulemaking Act.
48 (6) The State Board of Education and the State Board of Regents shall jointly track and
49 monitor the Mandarin Chinese language program and may expand the program to include other
50 category IV languages, subject to student demand for the courses and available resources.
51 Section 2. Effective date.
52 If approved by two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, this act takes effect
53 upon approval by the governor, or the day following the constitutional time limit of Utah
54 Constitution Article VII, Section 8, without the governor's signature, or in the case of a veto, the
55 date of veto override.

Legislative Review Note
as of 12-12-00 9:21 AM

A limited legal review of this legislation raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel