Ballot Title Setting Board
2005-2006

The title as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:

An amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the use of the English language in public education, and, in connection therewith, requiring school districts to ascertain the number of students unable to perform ordinary classroom work in English and make the information publicly available; requiring children to be taught by using the English language in their classrooms and requiring children who are learning English to be educated through an accelerated English acquisition process that is intended to last one year or less; exempting from such requirements those children whose parents or legal guardians obtain waivers allowing the children to transfer to classes using bilingual education or other educational methodologies and establishing restrictive requirements for the waivers; requiring schools that grant any waivers to offer bilingual education or other educational methodologies when they have at least twenty students in the same grade who receive a waiver and in all other cases permitting students to transfer to a public school in which bilingual education or other methodologies are offered; charging the department of education with enforcing the measure by placing school districts on accreditation watch or withdrawing accreditation from school districts; and requiring schools to annually test children learning English, enrolled in second grade or higher, using a standardized nationally accepted test of English proficiency, and to make the aggregated results of the test publicly available.

The ballot title and submission clause as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the use of the English language in public education, and, in connection therewith, requiring school districts to ascertain the number of students unable to perform ordinary classroom work in English and make the information publicly available; requiring children to be taught by using the English language in their classrooms and requiring children who are learning English to be educated through an accelerated English acquisition process that is intended to last one year or less; exempting from such requirements those children whose parents or legal guardians obtain waivers allowing the children to transfer to classes using bilingual education or other educational methodologies and establishing restrictive requirements for the waivers; requiring schools that grant any waivers to offer bilingual education or other educational methodologies when they have at least twenty students in the same grade who receive a waiver and in all other cases permitting students to transfer to a public school in which bilingual education or other methodologies are offered; charging the department of education with enforcing the measure by placing school districts on accreditation watch or withdrawing accreditation from school districts; and requiring schools to annually test children learning English, enrolled in second grade or higher, using a standardized nationally accepted test of English proficiency, and to make the aggregated results of the test publicly available?

Hearing April 19, 2006

At request of proponent, technical correction allowed in text of measure. (In section 18 (7)(a), inserted “OF” after “PROGRESS”.)
Single subject approved; staff draft amended; titles set.
Hearing adjourned 2:15 p.m.

Hearing May 3, 2006

Motion for Rehearing granted in part to the extent Board amended titles; denied in all other respects.
Hearing adjourned 4:09 p.m.

* Unofficially captioned “Education of English-Language Learners” by legislative staff for tracking purposes. Such caption is not part of the titles set by the Board.