Bilingual Education Requirement
Wisconsin Statute 115.95 gives guidance to school districts who have enrolled a concentration of students who are English learners from the same language group. Once one school in a district has enrolled the following populations of English learners who speak the same language, the district is required to create a plan for a bilingual-bicultural program and communicate that plan to parents in the school district. The number of students which trigger this requirement differs by grade level:
- 10 students in grades K-3
- 20 students in grades 4-8
- 20 students in grades 9-12
Once all requirements of Wisconsin Statute 115.95 are met for the district’s bilingual-bicultural program, the district becomes eligible for reimbursement of a percentage of the cost of its bilingual bicultural program. School districts will complete a Plan of Services prospectively for the upcoming school year. At the end of the school year, the district will complete an End of Year report and submit claims from the bilingual program. To find historical data on this program, see Legislative Reports on the Data and Reporting page.
- 2019-20 Plan of Services: Bilingual-Bicultural Education. DUE DATE: August 15
- 2018-19 End-of-Year (EOY) Report for Bilingual-Bicultural Aided School Districts. DUE DATE: August 1
- Guide to Completing the Plan of Services
- Guide to Completing the End of Year Report
- Who Is Eligible
- Approvable Expenditures
- Teacher Certification Requirements
- Bilingual Teacher's Aides - Requirements
- Request for Exemption/Approval to Hire ESL-Certified Teachers (PI-1849-A form)
- Spanish Language Arts Standards - These standards are designed for use with native Spanish speakers. The SLA Standards should serve as a guide for curriculum development and lesson planning in Spanish bilingual programs, particularly programs that have a focus on developing the native language in addition to English.
- Spanish Edition - MS Word Format , English Edition - MS Word Format