Under pressure from language learning advocates, Rep. Robert Behning, the Chairman of Indiana’s House Education Committee, has introduced an amendment to his own bill to remove the language that would have eliminated the state’s eight year-old Certificate of Multilingual Proficiency (CoMP) program. This amendment was later passed by Indiana’s House of Representatives. the bill’s lead author and the Committee’s chair. If CoMP had been eliminated, Indiana would have become the only state without a Seal of Biliteracy program.
In January, Behning introduced House Bill 1002 as an attempt to remove outdated educational regulations that supported optional educational programs. The original version of HB 1002 would have eliminated the bipartisan and thriving CoMP program on the grounds that it was not a state required program.
When the bill was introduced, Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association (IFLTA) and the Joint National Committee for Languages/ National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS) sent letters to the House Education Committee objecting to H.B. 1002’s proposal to eliminate CoMP. They also launched a grassroots campaign to alert language educators and encourage them to email state Education Committee members.
JNCL-NCLIS’s January 14th letter stated that CoMP’s “certificate is of real value as it enables colleges and universities, as well as employers, to see that students with certificates have acquired an important, in-demand and marketable skill.” IFLTA’s letter declared: “Currently all 50 States and Washington, D.C. have a state Seal of Biliteracy which allows students to prove their proficiency level in both English and another language. If we repeal [CoMP] now, we will be taking a giant step backwards in comparison to the states around us.”
“This powerful advocacy effort in Indiana demonstrates how state and national language education advocates can work together and positively impact state legislation,” said JNCL-NCLIS executive director Amanda Seewald. “Our seamless collaboration with IFLTA combined with Megan Worcester’s tireless efforts, even while teaching a full course-load, prevented CoMP’s elimination and ensured that Seal of Biliteracy programs will continue to operate in all 50 states.”
Megan Worcester, president of the Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association shared, “Major strides have been made in the past few years to encourage more participation in the CoMP, which has doubled in participants since its inception. We are currently working with leaders across multiple fields to continue to prove its value to lawmakers and the general public as we seek its inclusion in the new High School Redesign. Thanks to JNCL-NCLIS, INTESOL, Central States Conference, and our hundreds of advocates across the state for helping us ensure that this valuable certificate can continue to let students show that multilingualism is truly an asset.”
JNCL-NCLIS and IFLTA will continue to collaborate to protect Indiana’s dual language immersion grants which also face potential cuts.
