ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5067

BySenate Early Learning & K-12 Education (originally sponsored by Senator Zeiger; by request of Superintendent of Public Instruction)

AN ACT Relating to modifying provisions related to second grade reading assessments, revising requirements for the building bridges program, and modifying provisions governing an existing vocational agriculture education service area program; amending RCW 28A.175.025, 28A.300.310, 28A.300.080, and 28A.300.090; and adding new sections to chapter 28A.300 RCW.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 28A.175.025 and 2007 c 408 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall create a grant program and award grants to local partnerships of schools, families, and communities to begin the phase in of a statewide comprehensive dropout prevention, intervention, and retrieval system. This program shall be known as the building bridges program.

(1) For purposes of RCW 28A.175.025 through 28A.175.075, a "building bridges program" means a local partnership of schools, families, and communities that provides ((all))one or more of the following programs or activities:

(a) A system that identifies individual students at risk of dropping out from middle through high school based on local predictive data, including state assessment data starting in the fourth grade, and provides timely interventions for such students and for dropouts, including a plan for educational success as already required by the student learning plan as defined under RCW 28A.655.061. Students identified shall include foster care youth, youth involved in the juvenile justice system, and students receiving special education services under chapter 28A.155 RCW;

(b) Coaches or mentors for students as necessary;

(c) Staff responsible for coordination of community partners that provide a seamless continuum of academic and nonacademic support in schools and communities;

(d) Retrieval or reentry activities; ((and))

(e) Alternative educational programming, including, but not limited to, career and technical education exploratory and preparatory programs and online learning opportunities.

(2) One of the grants awarded under this section shall be for a two-year demonstration project focusing on providing fifth through twelfth grade students with a program that utilizes technology and is integrated with state standards, basic academics, cross-cultural exposures, and age-appropriate preemployment training. The project shall:

(a) Establish programs in two western Washington and one eastern Washington urban areas;

(b) Identify at-risk students in each of the distinct communities and populations and implement strategies to close the achievement gap;

(c) Collect and report data on participant characteristics and outcomes of the project, including the characteristics and outcomes specified under RCW 28A.175.035(1)(e); and

(d) Submit a report to the legislature by December 1, 2009.

Sec. 2. RCW 28A.300.310 and 1999 c 373 s 101 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The superintendent of public instruction ((shall identify a collection of reading passages and assessment procedures that can be used to measure second grade))recognizes the importance of oral reading accuracy ((and)), fluency ((skills)), and comprehension. The purpose of the second grade reading assessment is to provide information to parents, teachers, and school administrators on the level of acquisition of oral reading accuracy, comprehension, and fluency skills of each student at the beginning of second grade. The passages used for the assessment ((procedures and each of the reading passages in the collection)) must meet the following criteria and be administered according to the publishers' guidelines:

(a) Provide a reliable and valid measure of a student's oral reading accuracy, comprehension, and fluency skills;

(b) Be able to be individually administered;

(c) Have been approved by ((a panel of)) nationally recognized professionals in the area of beginning reading, whose work has been published in peer-reviewed education research journals, and professionals in the area of measurement and assessment; and

(d) Assess student skills in recognition of letter sounds, phonemic awareness, word recognition, and reading connected text. Text used for the test of fluency, and comprehension, must be ordered in relation to difficulty.

(2) ((The superintendent of public instruction shall select reading passages for use by schools and school districts participating in pilot projects under RCW 28A.300.320 during the 1997-98 school year. The final collection must be selected by June 30, 1998. The superintendent of public instruction may add reading passages to the initial list if the passages are comparable in format to the initial passages approved by the expert panel in subsection (1) of this section.

(3))) The superintendent of public instruction ((shall develop a))may provide an estimated per-pupil cost for ((the)) assessments ((in the collection that details the costs for administering the assessments, booklets, scoring, and training required to reliably administer the test))aligned to the state learning standards. To the extent funds are appropriated, the superintendent of public instruction shall ((pay for the cost of administering and scoring the assessments, booklets or other assessment material, and training required to administer the test))provide districts with funds to purchase assessment materials and professional learning for educators needed to implement the district's reading assessment system.

Sec. 3. RCW 28A.300.080 and 1983 1st ex.s. c 34 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The legislature recognizes that agriculture is the most basic and singularly important industry in the state, that agriculture is of central importance to the welfare and economic stability of the state, and that the maintenance of this vital industry requires a continued source of trained and qualified individuals who qualify for employment in agriculture, food, and natural resource career pathways.

(2) The legislature finds that research shows that students enrolled in a career and technical education program in high school have a higher graduation rate than other students, and that the agricultural education branch of career and technical education fosters an understanding of the history and principles of agriculture, agriscience, manufacturing, agribusiness, leadership, advocacy, and community service.

(5) The legislature declares that it is within the best interests of the people and state of Washington that a comprehensive ((vocational education)) program in agriculture education through career and technical education be maintained in the state's secondary school system in order to ensure both an adequate supply of trained and skilled individuals, and appropriate representation of sexual orientation, racial, and ethnic groups in all phases of the agricultural, food, and natural resource supply chain.

Sec. 4. RCW 28A.300.090 and 1983 1st ex.s. c 34 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) ((A vocational))An agriculture education ((service area within))program must be established as a career and technical education program in the office of the superintendent of public instruction ((shall be established)). The program must serve the agriculture, food, and natural resource career cluster. Adequate funding for the staffing of individuals trained or experienced in the field of ((vocational agriculture shall be provided for the vocational)) agriculture education ((service area for coordination of the state))must be provided for program ((and to))oversight.

(2) The program must provide assistance to ((local)) school districts ((for the coordination of the))and coordinate its activities ((of))with applicable career and technical student ((agricultural)) organizations ((and associations)). The program staff members must include, but are not limited to, a 1.0 FTE supervisor of agriculture education employed by the office of the superintendent of public instruction, and any additional staff member deemed appropriate.

(((2)))(3) The ((vocational agriculture education service area))program supervisor shall:

(a) Assess needs in ((vocational)) agriculture ((education)), food, and natural resource sciences, assist local school districts in establishing ((vocational)) agriculture programs, review local school district applications for approval of ((vocational)) agriculture programs, evaluate existing programs, and plan research and studies for the improvement of curriculum materials for specialty areas of ((vocational)) agriculture. Standards and criteria developed under this subsection shall satisfy the mandates of federally-assisted ((vocational))career and technical education;

(b) Develop in-service programs for teachers and administrators of ((vocational)) agriculture education, review applications for ((vocational))career and technical education agriculture teacher certification, and assist in teacher recruitment and placement in ((vocational))career and technical education agriculture programs;

(c) Serve ((as a liaison with))on the ((Future Farmers of America,))Washington FFA association board of directors, consisting of representatives of business, industry, and appropriate public agencies, and institutions of higher education in order to disseminate information, promote improvement of ((vocational))career and technical education agriculture programs, and assist in the development of adult and continuing education programs in ((vocational)) agriculture; ((and))

(d) Serve as the FFA state advisor for Washington; and

(e) Establish an advisory task force committee of agriculturists, who represent the diverse areas of the agricultural industry in Washington, which shall make annual recommendations including, but not limited to, the development of curriculum, staffing, strategies for the purpose of establishing a source of trained and qualified individuals in agriculture, and strategies for articulating the state program in ((vocational)) agriculture education, including youth leadership throughout the state school system.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5. A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The legislature finds that career and technical student organizations prepare students to enter a postsecondary education institute and a career. The legislature finds also that barriers for agriculture education students should be removed.

(2) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide every student enrolled in an agriculture education pathway course approved by the office of the superintendent of public instruction, based on annual June 1st enrollment, with state and national membership to the corresponding career and technical student organizations.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6. A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:

The office of the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the board of directors of the Washington FFA association, shall adopt and periodically revise rules to implement RCW 28A.300.090 and section 5 of this act.

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