FINAL BILL REPORT

SSB 5392

C 280 L 11

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Including technology within basic education goal 3.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education (originally sponsored by Senators McAuliffe, Litzow, Fain, Nelson, Hill, Harper, Eide, Shin, Kohl-Welles, Tom and Roach).

Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education

House Committee on Education

Background: The Education Reform Act of 1993 included four goals for each school district, with the involvement of parents and community members, to provide opportunities for every student to develop essential knowledge and skills. The goals remain in current law, as follows:

1. read with comprehension, write effectively, and communicate successfully in a variety of ways and settings and with a variety of audiences;

2. know and apply the core concepts and principles of mathematics; social, physical, and life sciences; civics and history, including different cultures and participation in representative government; geography; arts; and health and fitness;

3. think analytically, logically, and creatively, and to integrate different experiences and knowledge to form reasoned judgments and solve problems; and

4. understand the importance of work and finance and how performance, effort, and decisions directly affect future career and educational opportunities.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) is required to develop state learning standards called Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) based on the four student learning goals. Under current law, the concepts articulated under Goals Three and Four are to be integrated into the EALRs and assessments for Goals One and Two. The purpose of the assessment system is to determine if students have mastered the knowledge and skills of the EALRs.

In 2007 the Legislature directed SPI to develop EALRs for educational technology literacy and technology fluency, which were finalized in December of 2008. SPI was also required to obtain or develop classroom-based or project-based educational technology assessments. School districts are not required to use the assessments, but if they do, they must notify SPI of their use. SPI has developed a series of classroom-based assessments that measure students' knowledge and skills of the educational technology EALRs. The assessments are scheduled to be available by July 2011.

Summary: Under Goal Three of the student learning goals, school districts must provide students with the opportunity to integrate technology literacy and fluency along with other experiences and knowledge to form reasoned judgments and solve problems.

Votes on Final Passage: