Proposed Amendments to Part 235 (Early Childhood Block Grant)
The proposed amendments result from two public acts, each of which is summarized below.
P.A. 95-793, effective January 1, 2009, requires school districts to provide bilingual education services required under Article 14C of the School Code to students enrolled in preschool programs established by the districts. The law makes explicit the expectation of agency staff that school districts offering preschool programs provide to any limited English proficient student appropriate services that will enable him or her to succeed in the preschool program. While programs for 3- to 5-year-olds funded under the Early Childhood Block Grant have always been required to assess a student’s English proficiency and provide an individualized language program based on the results of that assessment, they have not been made to follow the more prescriptive provisions of Article 14C and administrative rules governing Transitional Bilingual Education (Part 228).
Confusion about staff’s expectation that preschool programs meet the requirements of Article 14C has existed in the field, partly because preschool education programs are not a regular component of every school district’s program. Rather districts have the option of whether to seek preschool funding under a competitive grant program. Additionally, even if a grant is awarded, the resulting program is designed to serve the neediest students of the district first, particularly those determined to be at risk of academic failure, rather than all students who wish to enroll. Further specifics about preschool programs’ responsibilities regarding bilingual education services are explained in materials provided for proposed amendments to Part 228, which are being considered concurrently with this proposal.
The amendments proposed for Part 235 will require that information about bilingual education services be included in preschool grant applications submitted by school districts to ensure that appropriate services will be provided for any student who may be identified as having limited English proficiency.
P.A. 96-119, effective August 4, 2009, requires that Preschool for All Children programs enter into agreements with their local, federally funded Head Start programs. These agreements must address collaboration between the preschool program and Head Start about the services and programs that will be offered by each. Since the law is detailed regarding the content of the agreement and deadline for its submission to the agency, no changes to Part 235 are needed to implement its provisions. However, Section 235.120(b)(3)(B) is no longer needed since it establishes a funding priority for those applicants who choose to enter into partnership agreements with their Head Start programs.
Please note that a 90-day public comment period is being provided.
Initial Review by State Board of Education: October 2009