AN ACT Relating to academic programs; and amending RCW 28A.320.195, 28A.320.196, and 28A.165.035.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1.  RCW 28A.320.195 and 2013 c 184 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Each school district board of directors is encouraged to adopt an academic acceleration policy for high school students as provided under this section.

(2) Under an academic acceleration policy:

(a) The district automatically enrolls any student who meets the state standard on the high school statewide student assessment in the next most rigorous level of advanced courses offered by the high school. Students who successfully complete such an advanced course are then enrolled in the next most rigorous level of advanced course, with the objective that students will eventually be automatically enrolled in courses that offer the opportunity to earn dual credit for high school and college.

(b) The subject matter of the advanced courses in which the student is automatically enrolled depends on the content area or areas of the statewide student assessment where the student has met the state standard. Students who meet the state standard on ((both end-of-course)) the tenth grade mathematics assessment((s)) are considered to have met the state standard for high school mathematics and may be eligible for advanced courses in mathematics, science, or computer science. Students who meet the state standard in both reading and writing are eligible for enrollment in advanced courses in English, social studies, humanities, and other related subjects.

(c) The district must notify students and parents or guardians regarding the academic acceleration policy and the advanced courses available to students.

(d) The district must provide a parent or guardian with an opportunity to opt out of the academic acceleration policy and enroll a student in an alternative course.

Sec. 2.  RCW 28A.320.196 and 2015 c 202 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1)(a) Subject to funds appropriated specifically for this purpose, the academic acceleration incentive program is established as provided in this section. The intent of the legislature is that the funds awarded under the program be used to ((support)) increase equitable access to dual credit opportunities, such as supporting teacher training, curriculum, technology, examination fees, textbook fees, and other costs associated with offering dual credit courses to high school students, including transportation for running start students to and from the institution of higher education as defined in RCW 28A.600.300.

(2)(a) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall allocate half of the funds appropriated for the purposes of this section on a competitive basis to provide one-time grants, renewable for one additional year, for high schools to expand the availability of dual credit courses. To be eligible for a grant, a school district must have adopted an academic acceleration policy as provided under RCW 28A.320.195, except in cases allowed under (b) of this subsection. In making grant awards, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must give priority to grants for high schools ((with a high proportion of low-income students and high schools seeking to develop new capacity for dual credit courses rather than proposing marginal expansion of current capacity)):

(iv) Seeking to develop new capacity for dual credit courses rather than proposing marginal expansion of current capacity.

(3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall allocate half of the funds appropriated for the purposes of this section to school districts as an incentive award for each student who earned dual high school and college credit, as described under subsection (4) of this section, for courses offered by the district's high schools during the previous school year. School districts must distribute the award to the high schools that generated the funds, to be used in ways that increase equitable access to dual credit. The award amount for low-income students eligible to participate in the federal free and reduced-price meals program who earn dual credits must be set at one hundred twenty-five percent of the base award for other students. A student who earns more than one dual credit in the same school year counts only once for the purposes of the incentive award.

(4) For the purposes of this section, the following students are considered to have earned dual high school and college credit in a course offered by a high school:

(a) Students who achieve a score of three or higher on an AP examination;

(b) Students who achieve a score of four or higher on an examination of the international baccalaureate diploma ((programme)) program;

(c) Students who successfully complete a Cambridge advanced international certificate of education examination;

(d) Students who successfully complete a course through the college in the high school program under RCW 28A.600.290 and are awarded college credit by the partnering institution of higher education; and

(e) Students who satisfy the dual enrollment and class performance requirements to earn college credit through a ((tech prep)) career and technical education dual credit course.

(5) If a high school provides access to online courses for students to earn dual high school and college credit at no cost to the student, such a course is considered to be offered by the high school.

(6) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall report to the education policy committees and the fiscal committees of the legislature, by January 1st of each year, information about the demographics of the students earning dual credits in the schools receiving grants under this section for the prior school year. Demographic data shall be disaggregated pursuant to RCW 28A.300.042.

Sec. 3.  RCW 28A.165.035 and 2016 c 72 s 803 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Use of best practices that have been demonstrated through research to be associated with increased student achievement magnifies the opportunities for student success. To the extent they are included as a best practice or strategy in one of the state menus or an approved alternative under this section or RCW 28A.655.235, the following are services and activities that may be supported by the learning assistance program:

(a) Extended learning time opportunities occurring:

(i) Before or after the regular school day;

(ii) On Saturday; and

(iii) Beyond the regular school year;

(b) Services under RCW 28A.320.190;

(c) Professional development for certificated and classified staff that focuses on:

(i) The needs of a diverse student population;

(ii) Specific literacy and mathematics content and instructional strategies; and

(iii) The use of student work to guide effective instruction and appropriate assistance;

(d) Consultant teachers to assist in implementing effective instructional practices by teachers serving participating students;

(e) Tutoring support for participating students;

(f) Outreach activities and support for parents of participating students, including employing parent and family engagement coordinators; and

(g) Up to five percent of a district's learning assistance program allocation may be used for development of partnerships with community-based organizations, educational service districts, and other local agencies to deliver academic and nonacademic supports to participating students who are significantly at risk of not being successful in school to reduce barriers to learning, increase student engagement, and enhance students' readiness to learn. The school board must approve in an open meeting any community-based organization or local agency before learning assistance funds may be expended.

(2) In addition to the state menu developed under RCW 28A.655.235, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall convene a panel of experts, including the Washington state institute for public policy, to develop additional state menus of best practices and strategies for use in the learning assistance program to assist struggling students at all grade levels in English language arts and mathematics and reduce disruptive behaviors in the classroom. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall publish the state menus by July 1, 2015, and update the state menus by each July 1st thereafter.

(3)(a) ((Beginning in the 2016-17 school year,)) Except as provided in (b), (c), or (d) of this subsection, school districts must use a practice or strategy that is on a state menu developed under subsection (2) of this section or RCW 28A.655.235.

(b) Beginning in the 2016-17 school year, school districts may use a practice or strategy that is not on a state menu developed under subsection (2) of this section for two school years initially. If the district is able to demonstrate improved outcomes for participating students over the previous two school years at a level commensurate with the best practices and strategies on the state menu, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall approve use of the alternative practice or strategy by the district for one additional school year. Subsequent annual approval by the superintendent of public instruction to use the alternative practice or strategy is dependent on the district continuing to demonstrate increased improved outcomes for participating students.

(c) ((Beginning in the 2016-17 school year,)) During the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years only, school districts may expend a portion of the district's learning assistance program allocation to develop a dropout early warning and intervention data system as defined in RCW 28A.175.074 and includes the data specified in section 203 of this act. During the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years, the office of the superintendent of public instruction may retain up to one-half of one percent of learning assistance program allocation funds generated by middle school and high school students for the purpose of supporting districts in meeting the requirements of section 203 of this act including, but not limited to, data collection and reporting and providing professional development and technical assistance. The office of the superintendent of public instruction is encouraged to work with the educational service districts to provide these services.

(4) School districts may enter cooperative agreements with state agencies, local governments, or school districts for administrative or operational costs needed to provide services in accordance with the state menus developed under this section and RCW 28A.655.235.

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