AN ACT Relating to authorizing public high school students to earn elective credit for paid work experience; adding a new section to chapter 28A.600 RCW; and creating a new section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The purpose of a high school diploma as established in RCW 28A.230.090 is to declare that a student is ready for success in postsecondary education, gainful employment, and citizenship, and is equipped with the skills to be a lifelong learner.

As directed by the legislature, the mastery-based learning work group developed a profile of a graduate, which was accepted without modification by the state board of education and subsequently submitted to the legislature. The profile is designed to clarify the skills, knowledge, attributes, and competencies indicating that a student is ready to transition successfully to life after high school. These indicators include: Effective communication in multiple modes and to multiple audiences; interdisciplinary application of core academic concepts and principles; critical and creative reasoning and problem solving; and navigation and exercise of life and civic responsibilities.

The legislature finds that paid work experiences can provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate the ability to cultivate personal growth and knowledge by setting personally meaningful goals and applying learning in new contexts as well as to master essential life skills and exercise self-agency by developing competence in personal finance and in taking initiative. The legislature recognizes that worksite learning and mastery-based learning options provide opportunities for students to earn academic credit through work, and intends to authorize the elective high school credit through paid work experience provided in section 2 of this act as a third option for earning academic credit through work.

(1) Beginning in the 2023-24 school year and in accordance with the requirements of this section, public high school students age 16 years and older may earn elective high school credit through paid work experience.

(a) Be approved in advance and in writing by: The applicable school counselor, principal, or designee of the principal; and a work-based sponsor who will serve as the point of contact for the employer and participate in supervising the student during the student's employment;

(c) Include a student narrative describing how the paid work experience will enable the student to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the goals of basic education, including and in particular those essential to understanding the importance of work and finance and how performance, effort, and decisions directly affect future career and educational opportunities as provided in RCW 28A.150.210(4); and

(i) Grade-level proficiencies on the state financial education learning standards for employment and income or financial decisions as provided in the state financial education learning standards adopted in RCW 28A.300.469; and

(ii) Growth in proficiency in meeting the state financial education learning standards that occurred between prework and postwork experiences.

(3) One-half elective high school credit will be awarded for each 180 hours of paid and verified work experience to students who, as determined by the appropriate school official, meet the requirements of this section. High school credit may not be awarded for paid work experiences occurring before the approval required by subsection (2) of this section. No student may earn more than two elective high school credits under this section.

(4) Proposals for earning elective high school credit through paid work experience may only be approved at high schools that provide students with the opportunity to learn and master the state financial education learning standards adopted in RCW 28A.300.469.

(5) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall adopt and may periodically revise rules to implement this section. The rules must permit school districts to award credit to students in accordance with the requirements of this section for work occurring outside of the regular school calendar. No school may approve a student's proposal for earning elective high school credit through paid work experience under this section before rules required by this subsection have been adopted.