Z-545                 _______________________________________________

                                                    HOUSE BILL NO. 182

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State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Representatives Ebersole, Holland, Rayburn, P. King, Valle, Winsley, Hastings, O'Brien and Wang; by Superintendent of Public Instruction request

Read first time 1/23/85 and referred to Committee on Education.

AN ACT Relating to the Washington state honors awards program; adding new sections to chapter 28A.03 RCW; and making an appropriation.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The Washington state honors awards program is hereby established for the purpose of promoting academic achievement among high school students enrolled in public or approved private high schools by recognizing outstanding achievement of students in academic core subjects.  This program shall be voluntary on the part of each school district and each student enrolled in high school.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     The Washington state honors awards program shall include student achievement in both verbal and quantitative areas, as measured by the Washington precollege test, and shall include student performance in the academic core areas of English, mathematics, science, social studies, and foreign language.  The performance level in such academic core subjects shall be determined by grade point averages, numbers of credits earned, and courses enrolled in during the beginning of the senior year.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules for the establishment and administration of the Washington state honors awards program.  The rules shall establish:  (1) Minimum achievement scores, (2) academic subject performance levels, (3) timelines for participating school districts to notify students of the opportunity to participate, (4) procedures for the administration of the program, and (5) the procedures for providing the appropriate honors award  designation.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     The superintendent of public instruction shall provide participating high schools with the necessary materials for conferring honors.  The superintendent of public instruction shall require participating high schools to encourage local representatives of business and industry to recognize students in their communities who receive an honors designation based on the Washington state honors awards program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.     The sum of .......... dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1987, from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction for the purposes of the development and administration of the Washington state honors program under this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.     Sections 1 through 4 of this act are added to chapter 28A.03 RCW.