SENATE BILL REPORT

E2SHB 1599

As Reported by Senate Committee On:

Early Learning & K-12 Education, March 25, 2019

Ways & Means, April 9, 2019

Title: An act relating to promoting career and college readiness through modified high school graduation requirements.

Brief Description: Promoting career and college readiness through modified high school graduation requirements.

Sponsors: House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Stonier, Harris, Dolan, Ortiz-Self, MacEwen, Kilduff, Young, Valdez, Wylie, Volz, Bergquist, Stanford, Tharinger, Lekanoff, Pollet, Slatter and Ormsby).

Brief History: Passed House: 3/08/19, 91-4.

Committee Activity: Early Learning & K-12 Education: 3/20/19, 3/25/19 [DPA-WM, w/oRec].

Ways & Means: 4/08/19, 4/09/19 [DPA, w/oRec].

Majority Report: Do pass as amended and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

Signed by Senators Wellman, Chair; Wilson, C., Vice Chair; Hawkins, Ranking Member; Holy, Hunt, McCoy, Padden, Salomon and Wagoner.

Minority Report: That it be referred without recommendation.

Signed by Senator Pedersen.

Staff: Benjamin Omdal (786-7442)

Majority Report: Do pass as amended.

Signed by Senators Rolfes, Chair; Frockt, Vice Chair, Operating, Capital Lead; Mullet, Capital Budget Cabinet; Brown, Assistant Ranking Member, Operating; Billig, Carlyle, Conway, Darneille, Hasegawa, Hunt, Keiser, Liias, Palumbo, Pedersen, Rivers, Van De Wege, Wagoner and Warnick.

Minority Report: That it be referred without recommendation.

Signed by Senators Braun, Ranking Member; Honeyford, Assistant Ranking Member, Capital; Bailey, Becker and Schoesler.

Staff: Kayla Hammer (786-7305)

Background: Graduation Requirements. The State Board of Education (SBE) is required under state law to establish high school graduation requirements. Beginning with the class of 2019, graduation requirements will include a 24-credit framework. Of the 24 credits, 17 of the credits are mandatory core credits. Of the remaining seven flexible credits, two may be waived for students with unusual circumstances, as defined by local policies.

Washington State High School Assessment Requirements. Since 2008, Washington State high school graduation requirements include that most students must meet the state proficiency standard on the state assessments for English languages arts (ELA) and mathematics to earn a certificate of academic achievement (CAA).

Certificates of individual achievement (CIA) are required for students who are not appropriately assessed by the assessment system, and may be earned using multiple ways to demonstrate skills and abilities commensurate with students' individual education programs.

Meeting the state proficiency standard on the state science assessment was scheduled to become a CAA and graduation requirement for the graduating class of 2015; however, in 2015 and 2017 the Legislature delayed the requirement. Current law requires the graduating class of 2021 to meet the state proficiency standard on the state science assessment.

Alternative State Assessments. The Ninth Circuit federal court found when a state requires students to meet the state standard on a state assessment as a high school graduation requirement then the state must provide alternative ways for students to demonstrate they have met the state proficiency standard if the student fails to meet the state standard on the state assessment.

In Washington, high school students must take the state assessment at least once before accessing an alternative. The alternatives must be comparable in rigor to the state assessments. School districts must provide the following legislatively-approved alternative assessments for a student to earn a CAA if the student did not meet the state standard on the state assessments:

• SAT/ACT/AP/IB exams—students may use their ELA and mathematics scores on the SAT; their ELA, mathematics, and science scores on the ACT; scores on specified AP exams; and scores on International Baccalaureate (IB) exams;

• grade point average (GPA) comparison—the grades of a student in their 12th-grade year who has an overall GPA of 3.2 but did not meet the state standard on the state assessment are compared with the grades of students who took the same courses and met the state standard on the state assessment;

• completion of a dual credit course in ELA or mathematics in which the student earns college credit; or

• successful passage of a locally determined course or locally administered assessment approved by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

Essential Academic Learning Requirements. Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs), according to state law, are the identified knowledge and skills in which all public school students need to be proficient. These standards are based upon the student learning goals of basic education, as defined by the Legislature. OSPI is required to periodically revise EALRs to match guidelines under state law and to identify grade level content expectations for state assessments and state and federal accountability purposes. Before developing or revising EALRs, OSPI is required to notify the SBE and provide reasoning for doing so.

High School and Beyond Plan. As established by ESHB 2224 in 2014, all high school students must have a high school and beyond plan (HSBP). Each HSBP must be initiated in seventh- or eighth-grade with a career interest and skills inventory. The plan must be updated to reflect high school assessment results, and must identify available interventions and academic support for students who have not met the high school graduation standard.

All plans must include, among other items, an identification of career and educational goals, identification of dual credit opportunities, and a four-year plan for course taking. Decisions on whether a student has met HSBP requirements are made at the local level.

Academic Acceleration Policies. School districts in Washington are encouraged to adopt an academic acceleration policy for high school students. School districts must notify students and parents of the academic policy and advance courses available to student. Students must be allowed to opt out of the academic acceleration policy. Under academic acceleration policies:

• districts automatically enroll students who meet state standards on statewide assessments in the next most rigorous level of advanced courses or programs offered by the student's high school; and

• students who successfully complete an advanced course are then enrolled in the next most rigorous course, with the eventual goal of being enrolled in a course offering the opportunity to earn dual credit from both the high school and a college.

The subject matter of the advanced course depends on the subject in which the student attained the state standard. Students who meet state standards in both reading and writing are eligible for enrollment in advanced courses in English, social studies, humanities, and other related subjects.

Summary of Amended Bill: Graduation Requirements. A CAA is a requirement for graduation through the class of 2019. Provisions relating to CAAs that do not apply to the class of 2019 are removed. The requirement that qualifying students earn a CIA as a graduation requirement is discontinued after the graduating class of 2021.

State Assessments. Beginning with the class of 2020, high school students are no longer required to meet state proficiency standards in order to graduate from high school. School districts must continue to administer state assessments in ELA, mathematics, and science for the purposes of state and federal accountability and to assess student career and college readiness.

The expedited appeals process for graduation requirement waivers is extended through the class of 2020. For all graduation classes, a school district may authorize a waiver of up to two credits based on student circumstances, so long as none of the credits are identified as mandatory core credits by the SBE.

Application of Pre-High School Credit to High School Requirements. Opt-in provisions for earning pre-high school credit are changed to opt-out provisions. Unless requested otherwise by the student and the student's family, a student who completed high school courses before attending high school must be given high school credit that applies to high school graduation requirements.

Pathways to Graduation. Beginning with the class of 2020 and in addition to local graduation requirements and those set by the SBE, students must complete a HSBP, earn required credits towards graduation, and successfully complete one or more pathways in order to earn a high school diploma. These pathways include:

• meet or exceed the graduation standard established by the SBE on the statewide high school assessments in ELA and mathematics;

• complete and qualify for college credit in dual credit courses in ELA and mathematics;

• earn high school credit in a high school transition course that meets specific requirements in ELA and mathematics;

• earn high school credit, with a C+ grade, or receiving a 3 or higher on the AP exam, or equivalent, in specified AP, IB, or Cambridge international courses in ELA and mathematics, or earning a 4 or higher on IB exams;

• meet or exceed the scores established by the SBE for the mathematics portion and the reading, English, or writing portion of the SAT or ACT;

• meet any combination of at least one ELA option and at least one mathematics option established in the previous bullets;

• meet standards in the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery; and

• complete a sequence of career and technical education courses, including those leading to workforce entry, state or nationally approved apprenticeships, or postsecondary education, that meet specific criteria.

School districts are encouraged to make all graduation pathway options available to their students, and to expand their list of options until all are offered, but districts are granted discretion in determining which options they offer to students. In addition, the SBE is directed to adopt rules to implement the graduation pathway options.

High School and Beyond Plans. HSBPs must inform course taking that is aligned with the student's goals after high school and must inform junior year course taking. Plans are required to identify course sequences that include dual credit courses aligned with the student's goals, and as well as evidence the student has received information on federal and state financial aid options for postsecondary programs. For students with an IEP, the HSBP must be developed in alignment with the IEP and must be updated in alignment with their postschool transition plan.

Online Platforms for High School and Beyond Plans. OSPI, subject to specific legislative funding, shall facilitate the creation of a list of available electronic platforms for HSBPs. Platforms on the list must meet specific statutory requirements, including enabling students to create, personalize, and revise their HSBP, employing flexible technology, complying with state and federal requirements for student privacy, and allowing for portability between platforms. Each district must ensure that an electronic HSBP platform is available to all students beginning in the 2020-21 school year.

Modifications to Statewide High School Science Assessment. Requirements for the statewide high school assessment in science are modified to remove an end-of-course biology assessment, and to specify that the assessment must be a comprehensive assessment that measures the state standards for the application of science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts in the domains of physical sciences, life sciences, Earth and space sciences, and engineering design.

Mastery-Based Learning Work Group. By June 1, 2019, the SBE must convene a work group to inform the Governor, Legislature, and the public about barriers to mastery-based learning in Washington whereby:

• students advance upon demonstrated mastery of content;

• competencies include explicit, measurable, transferable learning objectives that empower students;

• assessments are meaningful and a positive learning experience for students;

• students receive rapid, differentiated support based on their individual learning needs; and

• learning outcomes emphasize competencies that include application and creation of knowledge along with the development of important skills and dispositions.

The work group must examine opportunities to increase student access to relevant and robust mastery-based academic pathways aligned to personal career goals and postsecondary education. The work group must also review the role of the HSBP in supporting mastery-based learning, and must consider:

• improvements in the HSBP as an essential tool for mastery-based learning;

• development of mastery-based pathways to the earning of a high school diploma; and

• the expansion of mastery-based credits to meet graduation requirements.

The work group must include four legislators and representatives from specified agencies and organizations, as selected by those agencies and organizations. The SBE must coordinate work group membership to ensure member diversity, including racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, community-size, and expertise diversity.

The SBE must submit an interim report outlining preliminary findings and potential recommendations to the Governor and Legislature by December 1, 2019, with a final report due by December 1, 2020.

Essential Academic Learning Requirements. Replaces the term "essential academic learning requirements" with "state learning standards" in state law.

EFFECT OF WAYS & MEANS COMMITTEE AMENDMENT(S):

• Allows passing IB exams with a score of 4 or higher as a graduation pathway option to demonstrate career and college readiness

• Adds that high school and beyond plans must include identification of AP and IB programs.

• Allows passing AP exams with a score of 3 or higher as a graduation pathway option to demonstrate career and college readiness.

• Adds AP literature as a credit option for English language arts.

• Adds AP Computer Science and Computer Science Principles as a credit option for math.

EFFECT OF EARLY LEARNING & K-12 EDUCATION COMMITTEE AMENDMENT(S):

• Extends the expedited appeal process for waiving specific graduation requirements through the Class of 2020.

• Requires OSPI to consult the state Special Education Advisory Council in developing guidelines for Certificates of individual achievement.

• Modifies provisions relating to the CTE graduation pathway.

• Requires the State Board of Education to survey stakeholders on additional pathways.

• Directs school districts to provide additional interventions and supports.

• Requires that all districts adopt an academic acceleration policy by the 2021-22 school year.

• Modifies charge of the Mastery-Based Learning Work Group to include work from previous efforts.

• Changes requirements for online platforms for HSBPs to include platforms already in place.

• Removes null-and-void clause.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Requested on March 18, 2019.

Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: Yes.

Effective Date: The bill contains several effective dates. Please refer to the bill.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony on Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill (Early Learning & K-12 Education): The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard. PRO: This bill can be a strong solution to solving some of the issues around graduation. Changing federal requirements and state law have placed students and communities in difficult positions. Current state policies are getting in the way of students' futures. The bill can be a strong solution to the challenges facing schools and students as a result of graduation requirements. The Work Group created in the bill will build upon good work already being performed in some districts. The bill would help students who are in transition and who are capable, but due to assessments might not have the same opportunities in their future. Competency-based learning has been successful in helping students earn necessary skills and to graduate. Career-based pathways will help students in their postsecondary careers earn a livable wage and will benefit students who struggle with assessments.

OTHER: The pathways provided in the bill will not be accessible for fall students. Job-embedded pathways and admission to an institution of higher education should be added to the current list. Until full funding is provided to all students in the state, access to some pathways (such as CTE) will be limited. Options for students with disabilities should be more clear. Career-based pathways will help students in their postsecondary careers earn a livable wage. Dual credit pathways rely on a subjective measure, when objective would be better. More staff is needed to implement the requirements in the bill.

Persons Testifying (Early Learning & K-12 Education): PRO: Representative Monica Jurado Stonier, Prime Sponsor; Dave Mastin, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction; Jeff Petty, Big Picture Learning/Regional Director; Edwin Kessler, Highline Big Picture School; Jose Alvarez Guerrero, Highline Big Picture High School; Eldridge Lile Cole, Highline Big Picture High School Affiliate; Libuse Binder, Stand For Children; Jessica Vavrus, Washington State School Directors' Association; Melissa Gombosky, Evergreen Public Schools; Amy Anderson, Association of Washington Business; Mark Clements, River HomeLink, Battleground Public Schools, Principal. OTHER: Tyson Johnston, Vice President, Quinault Indian Nation; M'Liss DeWald, Education Director, Quinault Indian Nation; Michael McSweeney, Washington State PTA; Harium Martin Morris, Washington State Board of Education, Member; Bill Kallappa, Washington State Baord of Education, Member; Randy Spaulding , Washington State Board of Education, Executive Director; Simone Boe, Washington Education Association; Jenny Morgan, Washington School Counselor Association; Neil Strege, Washington Roundtable; Paul Berendt, League of Education Voters.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying (Early Learning & K-12 Education): No one.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony on Bill as Amended by Early Learning & K-12 Education (Ways & Means): The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard. PRO: Section 202 requires that pathways serve students in an equitable way and this is critical work with some cost impact to the state Board of Education. Relationships between graduation and assessments is an equity issue. The current assessment requirements have a disproportional impact on students of color, those in foster care, and from low-income families. There is urgency for this bill for current students. This has been a long time coming since it has been an issue for a long time. Many groups of people worked on the bill and agree on the bill in its current state. The pathways will support students with different post high school goals. The bill is of immediate importance to students that are currently not on track to graduate. Anticipated costs are appropriate. There are larger potential costs to society related to receiving high school diplomas.

Persons Testifying (Ways & Means): PRO: Brooke Davies, The College Board; Dave Mastin, OSPI; Jessica Vavrus, Washington State School Directors’ Association; Randy Spaulding, State Board of Education; Holly Koon, State Board of Education.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying (Ways & Means): No one.