S-4558               _______________________________________________

                                         SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 5034

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Gaspard, Bauer, Granlund, Johnson, Saling and Bender;by request of Superintendent of Public Instruction)

Read first time 2/7/86.

AN ACT Relating to the study of categorical instructional services for students with special needs; and creating  new sections.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The superintendent of public instruction shall study methods to provide improved instruction to students needing categorical educational services and shall develop recommendations that enhance these students' opportunities for success.  The study and recommendations shall include at least the following topics:

          (1) Future service demand in light of changing student demographics, longitudinal trends, eligibility standards for special needs students, and declining federal resources;

          (2) The adequacy of the state's data and information systems as they relate to class size and students requiring categorical educational services;

          (3) The relationship between the current system for the delivery of categorical educational services and the ability of the regular classroom to meet student diversity;

          (4) The relationship between the ratio of certificated staff to students in the classroom and the number of students referred and the type of categorical assistance for which referrals are made;

          (5) The relationship between the ratio of adults to students in the classroom and the number of students referred and the type of categorical assistance for which referrals are made;

          (6) The interrelationship between various state and federal programs designed to serve students requiring categorical educational services, and the effect of targeting under existing state and federal statutes and regulations;

          (7) The relationship between the methods of delivering categorical educational services and research results about educational success;

          (8) The impact of delivering categorical educational services in the regular classroom setting to include:  (a) Class size considerations, (b) teaching methods, and (c) coordination of categorical program services;

          (9) The interaction between and effects upon educators, support staff, and parents of students needing categorical educational services in various delivery models;

          (10) The superintendent of public instruction and the office of financial management are directed to jointly conduct a study that reviews state-wide testing instrument(s); analyze trends and changes in student achievement; and such matters as they may jointly agree to pursue.

          In conducting this study, the superintendent of public instruction shall include data regarding the categorical education services and students engaged in at least the following programs:  Federal chapter 1 disadvantaged and chapter 1 migrant, bilingual, the state remediation assistance program, and the federal and state special education programs.

          An advisory committee representative of education organizations concerned with the delivery of categorical instructional services and regular classroom instruction shall be appointed by the superintendent of public instruction to advise the superintendent of public instruction on the conduct of the study and the resulting recommendations.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     The study shall be completed and results and recommendations for investigation of systems refining categorical education services through data-based pilot projects shall be reported to the legislature no later than January 5, 1987.