Due to a shortage of certified bilingual teachers in languages such as Arabic, Mandarin, Urdu and Yoruba, Katy ISD officials will request a bilingual certification exception for instructors meeting the needs during the 2025-26 school year.

"These students are being supported through targeted instructional services designed to ensure English language proficiency and academic success in accordance with state guidelines,” said Rosie Pratt, director of English as a second language and bilingual programs, at the Oct. 20 work study meeting. “While some [KISD] teachers hold certification in their assigned content areas, they do not possess the required bilingual or ESL certification on their teaching credentials.”

In a nutshell

State rules require districts to offer bilingual or special language programs when 20 or more students in a grade share a language—a threshold Katy ISD meets in 18 languages, Pratt said. If certified teachers in that language are unavailable, the district may apply for the exemption through the Texas Education Agency.

As of Oct. 1, the district supports more than 22,000 emergent bilingual students, Pratt said. The district most recently applied for an exemption in Igbo in 2023 with its first exemption dating 24 years ago in Mandarin, according to board documents.
The district will also submit ESL waivers for 109 teachers currently serving English learners without ESL certification, giving them one year to meet the requirement.


The plan

As part of the waiver application, the district has implemented a comprehensive professional development, or PD, plan to support teachers in earning their ESL credentials, including:
  • An ESL preparation course
  • 10 hours of targeted PD focused on language and content integration
  • Training sessions covering second language acquisition and effective ESL strategies
  • Five ESL certification prep sessions in the fall
  • Reimbursement of certification exam fees upon completion
Pratt said the state does not allow districts to carry over the same uncertified teachers from year to year. While ESL certification does not come with a stipend, she said many teachers pursue it out of a desire to better serve their students.

The bigger picture

Last year, nearly 3,000 students met the language proficiency criteria to exit ESL programs, Pratt said. Once students leave the program, they are monitored for two years through Language Proficiency Assessment Committee meetings, which evaluate grades, attendance and overall progress.


“In the 25 years that I’ve been here in [KISD], we’ve never brought students back into the program,” she said. “Once they exit, they’re very successful in the general education setting.”


Next steps

Pending board approval at the Oct. 27 meeting, Superintendent Ken Gregorski is authorized to submit both the bilingual exception and ESL waivers to the Texas Education Agency by the Nov. 1 deadline, per district documents.