PROPOSED RULES
AND ACCOUNTABILITY COMMISSION
Original Notice.
Exempt from preproposal statement of inquiry under RCW 34.05.310(4).
Title of Rule: Performance improvement goals.
Purpose: As provided by RCW 28A.655.030 (1)(a), the Academic Achievement and Accountability Commission is authorized to adopt and revise performance improvement goals. The purpose of this rule making is to provide school districts and schools with minimum performance improvement goals thereby encouraging improved student learning as measured by increasing percentages of students meeting the reading and mathematics standards on the Washington assessment of student learning and to align these goals with goals required under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. In addition, school districts and schools are required to set high school graduation rate improvement goals.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 28A.655.030 (1)(a).
Statute Being Implemented: RCW 28A.655.030 (1)(a).
Summary: The rule is intended to provide school districts and schools with specific goals for how much student learning should improve in reading and mathematics as measured on the Washington assessment of student learning at grades 4, 7 and 10 and how much graduation rates should improve for high schools.
Reasons Supporting Proposal: Performance improvement goals will help focus school and school district efforts to help continuously increasing percentages of students achieve the essential academic learning requirements in reading and mathematics and improve high school graduation rates as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. It is believed that state expectations should not be in conflict with federal expectations.
Name of Agency Personnel Responsible for Drafting: Christopher M. Thompson, Old Capitol Building, 7th and Washington Street, (360) 725-6032; and Implementation: Mary Alice Heuschel, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, (360) 725-6115.
Name of Proponent: Academic Achievement and Accountability Commission, governmental.
Rule is not necessitated by federal law, federal or state court decision.
Explanation of Rule, its Purpose, and Anticipated Effects: RCW 28A.655.030 (1)(a) authorizes the Academic Achievement and Accountability Commission to adopt and revise performance improvement goals. The rule requires school district and schools to set goals for improving student learning on reading and mathematics as measured by the fourth, seventh and tenth grade Washington assessment of student learning. The minimum improvement expected is a reduction in the percentage of students not meeting the standard on each of the six assessments by 10% annually beginning in 2004 through 2013 assessments, using the 2003 assessments as the baseline. In 2014 all students in fourth, seventh, and tenth grades shall be meeting standard. The purpose of the rule is to assist and encourage school and school district staff to help increase the proportions of students meeting the learning expectations established by the state in RCW 28A.150.210 and 28A.655.060. It is anticipated that adoption of specific student learning improvement targets will focus and strategically concentrate efforts of staff sufficiently to increase significantly the percentage of students who meet state learning expectations. The commission also directs school districts and schools to develop high school graduation rate goals for 2004 through 2013 that either meet or exceed the statewide graduation rate in 2003 or if less than the 2003 statewide average in any year shall improve the graduation rate by a minimum of 1% over the target rate for the previous year. In 2014 the graduation rate for all students shall be a minimum of 85%.
Proposal Changes the Following Existing Rules: The proposal repeals existing improvement goals (in the Washington Administrative Code) in accordance with RCW 28A.655.030 (1)(a), which authorizes the commission to revise improvement goals. The proposal would change current rules which require 2001 assessment results be used as the baseline for three-year improvement goals for 2004. The new rule would require annual goals starting in 2004 and ending in 2014.
No small business economic impact statement has been prepared under chapter 19.85 RCW. The rule does not apply to any small businesses nor to any other nongovernmental entity.
Section 201, chapter 403, Laws of 1995, does not apply to this rule adoption. RCW 34.05.328 does not apply to this rule adoption because the rule relates only to internal governmental operations that are not subject to violation by a nongovernment party.
Hearing Location: Tacoma School District, Central Office Auditorium, 601 South 8th Avenue, Tacoma, WA, on April 7, 2003, at 9:00 a.m.
Assistance for Persons with Disabilities: Contact Debra Crawford by March 28, 2003, TDD (360) 664-3631 or (360) 725-6034.
Submit Written Comments to: Christopher M. Thompson, Executive Director, Academic Achievement and Accountability Commission, P.O. Box 47220, Olympia, WA 98504-7220, fax (360) 586-9438, by March 31, 2003.
Date of Intended Adoption: April 7, 2003.
February 19, 2003
Christopher M. Thompson
Executive Director
OTS-6208.2
NEW SECTION
WAC 3-20-200
Reading and mathematics.
(1) Each school
district board of directors shall by December 15, 2003:
(a) Establish district-wide performance improvement goals to increase the percentage of students who meet or exceed the standard on the Washington assessment of student learning for reading and mathematics in grades four, seven, and ten; and
(b) Direct each school in the district that administers the Washington assessment of student learning for grade four, seven, or ten to establish performance improvement goals related to the percentage of students meeting the standard for its fourth, seventh, or tenth grade students in reading and mathematics, subject to approval by the board.
(2) School districts and schools shall establish separate district-wide and school reading and mathematics improvement goals required under subsection (1) of this section for each of the following groups of students:
(a) All students;
(b) Students of each major racial and ethnic group;
(c) Economically disadvantaged students;
(d) Students with disabilities; and
(e) Students with limited English proficiency.
(3) School districts and schools are not required to establish numerical improvement goals in a grade level for reading and mathematics for 2004 or in any year thereafter for any student group identified in subsection (2) of this section in which there were fewer than ten students eligible to be assessed on the Washington assessment of student learning in the prior year. However, this subsection shall not be construed to affect WAC 180-16-220 (2)(b) or any other requirements for school and school district improvement plans.
(4) Annual performance improvement goals for both school districts and schools shall be determined as follows:
(a) The initial district-wide and school performance improvement goals required under this section shall be based on the results obtained by the relevant group of students in the relevant subject and grade level on the Washington assessment of student learning administered in the spring of 2003.
(b) The performance improvement goals for assessments administered in the spring of 2004 and each year thereafter through and including assessments administered in the spring of 2013 shall not be less than the sum of:
(i) The percentage of students meeting standard on the assessments administered in the spring of the preceding year for the relevant student group, grade level and subject; and
(ii) The percentage of students not meeting standard on the assessments administered in the spring of the preceding year for the relevant student group, grade level and subject, multiplied by ten percent.
(c) The performance improvement goals for assessments administered in the spring of 2014 shall be that all students eligible to be assessed meet standard on the Washington assessment of student learning.
(5) School districts and schools shall be deemed to have met the performance improvement goals established pursuant to this chapter if the school district or school achieves the minimum improvement goal required under subsection (4) of this section, even if the school district or school does not achieve the performance improvement goals adopted by its board of directors.
(6) No performance improvement goal for a group in a subject and grade established pursuant to this section shall be used for state or federal accountability purposes if fewer than thirty students in the group for a subject and grade are eligible to be assessed on the Washington assessment of student learning.
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(a) Establish district-wide goals to increase the percentage of students who graduate from high school on time with a regular diploma beginning with the graduating class of 2004; and
(b) Direct each high school in the district to establish goals to increase the percentage of students who graduate from high school on time with a regular diploma beginning with the graduating class of 2004, subject to approval by the board.
(2) High school graduation rate goals for both school districts and schools shall be determined as follows:
(a) The school district and high school graduation rate goals for the class of 2004 shall not be less than the lesser of:
(i) The statewide percentage of public school students in the class of 2003 who graduate on time with a regular diploma; or
(ii) The percentage of students who graduated on time with a regular diploma from the relevant school district or high school in 2003 plus one percentage point.
(b) The school district and high school graduation rate goals for the class of 2005 through and including the graduation rate goals for the class of 2013 shall not be less than the lesser of:
(i) The statewide percentage of public school students in the class of 2003 who graduate on time with a regular diploma; or
(ii) The prior year target level percentage of students graduating from the relevant school district or high school on time with a regular diploma plus one percentage point.
(c) The school district and high school graduation rate goals for the class of 2014 shall be that the percentage of students who graduate on time with a regular diploma meet or exceed eighty-five percent for each group of students listed in WAC 3-20-200(2).
(3) School districts and high schools in which fewer than ten students are enrolled with the graduating class of 2003 or would be enrolled with the class of 2003 but have dropped out of high school are not required to establish numerical graduation rate improvement goals. In 2004 or any subsequent year school districts and high schools in which the number of students enrolled with their graduating class combined with the number of students who would be enrolled with their graduating class but have dropped out of high school is fewer than ten are not required to establish performance relative to the graduation rate goals.
(4) Performance improvement goals established pursuant to this section shall not be used for state or federal accountability purposes in any school district or high school in which the number of students who either are enrolled in a graduating class or who have dropped out of that graduating class is less than thirty.
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The following section of the Washington Administrative Code is repealed:
| WAC 3-20-100 | Reading and mathematics. |