HB 1028: Second Language Educational Program for High School Students - Colorado

Rerevised → Final Act · 4 edits · Jun 1, 2026

MODERATE

This bill expands Colorado's diploma endorsement program by creating a new 'seal of bilingualism' for students who can speak, listen, and understand two languages, while simultaneously updating the requirements for the existing 'seal of biliteracy' to include more flexible proof of skills. The changes aim to increase equitable access for students in rural or smaller districts who previously lacked formal biliteracy programs, ensuring more graduates can demonstrate their language proficiency to colleges and employers.

Scope change

The bill expands the program's scope from only recognizing biliteracy (reading and writing proficiency) to also recognizing bilingualism (speaking, listening, and understanding proficiency), thereby broadening the number of eligible students who can receive a diploma endorsement.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a new 'seal of bilingualism' endorsement for students who demonstrate oral proficiency in English and at least one world language, whereas previously only biliteracy endorsements were available.

Expanded access for students in districts without formal biliteracy programs by clarifying that local education providers can grant endorsements based on various forms of evidence, including oral assessments and standardized tests.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the requirements for the seal of biliteracy to include oral proficiency options (speaking and listening) in addition to reading and writing, allowing students to prove skills through oral assessments or nationally recognized tests.

DEFINITION

Formally defined 'bilingualism' as the ability to speak, actively listen to, and understand two languages, distinguishing it from 'biliteracy' which requires reading and writing skills.

Revised → Rerevised · 5 edits · May 6, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was re-revised to include additional Senate sponsors and to mark the text as amended during the third Senate reading. The substantive text of the bill, which outlines requirements for a biliteracy diploma endorsement, remains unchanged in this version.

TECHNICAL

Added names of new Senate sponsors (Ball, Benavidez, Coleman, Daugherty, Exum, Gonzales J., Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Kolker, Marchman, Mullica, Sullivan, Wallace, Weissman) to the Senate sponsorship list.

Updated the header to indicate the bill is 'REREVISED' and includes amendments adopted in the Second House, replacing the previous 'REVISED' status.

Added a stamp indicating the bill was 'Amended 3rd Reading' by the Senate on May 6, 2026.

Removed the page number and section header ('-3- 1028') that appeared between the committee lists and the main text.

Reformatted the beginning of the main text by removing the line numbers and hyphens that were present in the previous version.

Reengrossed → Revised · 4 edits · May 5, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was reclassified from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to reflect amendments adopted during the second reading in the Senate. The most significant substantive change is the removal of specific graduation requirements related to passing advanced placement English tests or international baccalaureate exams, as well as the removal of a reference to a college and career readiness menu. These deletions simplify the list of ways students can satisfy graduation requirements in English language arts.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding graduation requirements has been narrowed by removing specific alternative pathways for demonstrating English proficiency.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted the requirement for students to pass the English language arts advanced placement test with a score of three or higher.

Deleted the requirement for students to pass the English language arts portion of an international baccalaureate test with a score of four or higher.

Deleted the option for students to meet college and career readiness standards using the Department's menu of demonstrations.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill header status from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' and adjusted the associated dates and reading status notes to reflect Senate amendments.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 3 edits · Apr 22, 2026

MINOR

The bill's title was updated to reflect that it is a 'Reengrossed' version containing all amendments. The list of co-sponsors was expanded to include several new legislators. A procedural note was added to clarify that a specific summary for the reengrossed version will be available after the third reading. Most significantly, the requirements for diploma endorsement in a world language were modified to remove specific references to a 'redesignation' process and a 3.0 GPA threshold, simplifying the criteria for students to demonstrate proficiency.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on creating a diploma endorsement for bilingualism, but the specific eligibility criteria for earning this endorsement were altered by removing references to a redesignation framework and a specific grade point average requirement.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the requirement for meeting 'redesignation' procedures and the specific 3.0 GPA threshold for world language courses.

TECHNICAL

Added a note stating that a bill summary for the reengrossed version will be available on April 22, 2026.

Updated the bill status from 'Engrossed' to 'Reengrossed' and expanded the list of House co-sponsors.

Introduced → Engrossed · 4 edits · Apr 21, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was amended to clarify definitions and update eligibility criteria for diploma endorsements. The most significant change is the addition of a new definition for 'Bilingualism' to distinguish it from 'Biliteracy,' ensuring students can receive specific endorsements for speaking/listening skills versus reading/writing skills. Additionally, the requirements for redesignation of multilingual learners were updated to reference new state procedures, and the text was cleaned up to remove formatting errors from the introduction.

Scope change

The bill's scope was refined by explicitly defining 'Bilingualism' as a distinct category from 'Biliteracy,' allowing for more precise tracking of student skills. The applicability of the redesignation requirements was also updated to align with new state procedures.

DEFINITION

Added a new definition for 'Bilingualism' to specify the ability to speak, listen, and understand a second language, separating it from the reading and writing focus of 'Biliteracy.'

REQUIREMENT

Updated the redesignation requirements for multilingual learners to reference the 'Colorado Standardized Redesignation Procedures' instead of the previous specific language.

Adjusted the formatting and wording of the college and career readiness options to ensure clarity in how students can demonstrate proficiency.

TECHNICAL

Removed redundant or incorrectly placed definitions of 'Biliteracy' and 'Approved Entity' that were duplicated or misplaced in the original text.

Second Language Educational Program for High School Students

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