Background:

The Legislature establishes the minimum instructional program of basic education that must be offered by school districts. Among other requirements, the state's program of basic education obligates school districts to:

provide instruction in the essential academic learning standards, the grade-level learning standards developed by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI); and
make their educational program accessible to all students who are at least five and less than 21 years of age for a minimum of 180 days per school year.

School districts must also provide a specified minimum number of instructional hours per year, which are defined as those hours during which students are provided the opportunity to engage in educational activity planned by, and under the direction of, school district staff. In accordance with requirements that permit averaging calculations, districts must provide 1,080 instructional hours each school year.

Summary of Bill:

The expanded learning grant program (Program) is established to create demonstration projects, of up to five years in duration, in qualifying schools to support additional instruction time and opportunities for enrichment, both for the purpose of combatting summer learning loss and increasing student achievement. The OSPI is charged with developing and administering the Program.

Subject to specific legislative funding, the OSPI is authorized to award grants from the Program of up to $1.5 million annually, and through a competitive process, to school districts or state-tribal education compact schools that propose to implement any one or more of the following:

extending the school year calendar beyond 180 days;
supporting implementation of a balanced school year calendar that consists of a year-round school schedule with a shorter summer break that is six to seven weeks, and two to three-week intersessions throughout the remainder of the year;
providing additional programing and supports during the traditional summer break as a strategy for offsetting summer learning loss;
extending or modifying the school day to allow for additional expanded learning opportunities, a term defined below; and
creating a new teacher collaboration model that brings in additional educators or community-based organizations to provide expanded learning to students while enabling educators to engage in professional collaboration or planning time.

Applications for grants from the Program must include the following:

the proposed plan for expanding or extending the school day or year;
how the program will focus on improving student achievement and closing the educational opportunity gap;
how the recipient plans to use the grant money;
whether the proposed demonstration site will be a single school or include multiple schools within the school district;
whether the recipient will collaborate with community-based organizations to provide support for students and if so, the details of this collaboration; and
an agreement to provide the information necessary for a program evaluation.

Specific administrative duties related to the Program are established for the OSPI. The OSPI must:

identify criteria for evaluating applicants and awarding grants;
award grant funds;
establish timelines for submitting and reviewing applications, and award the first grants by December 1, 2019;
prioritize potential recipients that include schools identified for improvement through the Washington School Improvement Framework, an accountability index for identifying schools for supports to improve student performance as required by federal law;
create an evaluation plan that supports the development of an evidence base for the efficacy of the different types of expanded learning opportunities provided by demonstration sites.

The OSPI is also authorized to use non-state funds to support the Program.

The term "expanded learning opportunities" is defined to mean:

culturally responsive enrichment and learning activities, that may focus on: academic and nonacademic areas; the arts; civic engagement; service-learning; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; and competencies for college and career readiness;
school-based programs that provide extended learning and enrichment for students beyond the traditional school day, week, or calendar; and
structured, intentional, and creative learning environments outside the traditional school day that are provided by community-based organizations in partnership with schools and align in-school and out-of-school learning through activities that complement classroom-based instruction.