SUPERINTENDENT OF

PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

(1) A student is eligible to enroll in a program when they meet the following criteria:

(a) Under twenty-one years of age at the beginning of the school year but whose sixteenth birthday occurs on or before September 1st;

(b) Has not yet met the high school graduation requirements of either the district, tribal compact school, charter school, or the college under RCW 28B.50.535; and

(c) At the time the student enrolls, is significantly behind in credits based on the student's cohort graduation date. The cohort graduation date is established as the end of the fourth school year after a student first enrolls in the ninth grade.

(i) A student who is more than twenty-four months from their cohort graduation date and has earned less than sixty-five percent of the high school credits expected to be earned by their cohort or has a ratio of earned credits to attempted credits that is less than sixty-five percent. A cohort is the group of students that enter the ninth grade in the same school year;

(ii) A student who is between twelve and twenty-four months from their cohort graduation date and has earned less than seventy percent of the high school credits expected to be earned by their cohort or has a ratio of earned credits to attempted credits that is less than seventy percent;

(iii) A student who is less than twelve months from their cohort graduation date or who has passed their cohort graduation date by less than twelve months and has earned less than seventy-five percent of the high school credits expected to be earned by their cohort or has a ratio of earned credits to attempted credits that is less than seventy-five percent;

(iv) A student who is passed their cohort graduation date by twelve months or more and has not met their district, tribal compact school, or charter school graduation requirements; or

(v) A student who has never attended the ninth grade and has earned zero high school credits.

(d) If determined not to be credit deficient as outlined in subsection (1)(c) of this section, has been recommended for enrollment by case managers from the department of social and health services, the juvenile justice system, a district, tribal compact school, or charter school designated school personnel, or staff from community agencies which provide educational advocacy services;

(e) Are not currently enrolled in any high school classes that receive state basic education funding, excluding an approved skill center program, a Jobs for Washington's Graduates program, or running start program;

(f) Students who are claimed for state funding by a district, tribal compact school, or charter school outside the district they live in, must be released by either a choice transfer or interdistrict agreement. When a choice transfer is in place, the student's resident district as defined in WAC 392-700-015(23) becomes the district operating the program.

(2) Once determined eligible for enrolling in the program, a student will retain eligibility, regardless of breaks in enrollment, until the student does one of the following:

(a) Earns a high school diploma;

(b) Earns an associate degree; or

(c) Becomes ineligible because of age which occurs when a student is twenty-one years of age as of September 1st.

(3) A student's eligibility does not guarantee enrollment or continued enrollment in specific programs if the program determines that the student does not meet the program's enrollment criteria or if, after enrollment, a student's academic performance or conduct does not meet established program guidelines.

(1) All program instruction will meet the following criteria:

(a) Instruction will be designed to help students acquire high school credits, acquire at least high school level skills, and be academically prepared for success in college and/or work.

(b) Instruction will be provided in accordance with the skills level and learning needs of individual students and not the student's chronological age or associated grade level. Therefore:

(i) Instruction that is at the ninth grade level or higher shall generate credits that can be applied to a high school diploma; and

(ii) Instruction that is below the ninth grade level shall not generate high school credits but will be counted as part of the program's instructional programming for the purposes of calculating FTE and will be designed to prepare students for course work that is at the ninth grade level or higher.

(c) Instruction in which each student is enrolled will not be limited to only those courses or subject areas in which they are deficient in high school credits.

(d) The program will administer standardized tests to new students, as defined in WAC 392-700-015 (12)(a), and reenrolling student, as defined in WAC 392-700-015 (12)(d), within one month of enrollment or secure test results from no more than six months prior to enrollment in order to determine a student's initial math and reading level upon entering the program.

(e) The program will provide all instruction, tuition, and required academic skills assessments at no cost to the students, but may collect mandatory fees as established by each program.

(i) Consumable supplies, textbooks, and other materials that are retained by the student do not constitute tuition or a fee.

(ii) Programs are encouraged to offer a waiver or scholarship process.

(2) Instruction for students enrolled in programs operated by a district, tribal compact school, charter school, or agency will meet the following criteria:

(a) Instruction must include:

(i) Academic skills instruction and high school equivalency certificate preparation course work with curriculum and instruction appropriate to each student's skills levels and academic goals; and

(ii) College readiness and work readiness preparation course work.

(b) Instruction may include:

(i) Competency based academic and/or vocational training;

(ii) College preparation math or writing instruction;

(iii) Subject specific high school credit recovery instruction;

(iv) English ((as a second)) language learners instruction (((ESL))) (ELL); and

(v) Other course work approved by the district, tribal compact school, or charter school including cooperative work experience.

(c) Instruction will be scheduled so that enrolled students have the opportunity to attend and work with instructional staff during the hours of the program's standard instructional day.

(d) The program will maintain an instructor to student ratio as follows:

(i) The scheduled teaching hours of an instructional staff will equal or exceed the hours of the program's standard instructional day plus one additional hour per every five teaching hours for planning, curriculum development, recordkeeping, and required coordination of services with case management staff.

(ii) For any one instructional session, the program will assign instructional staff as needed to maintain an instructional staff to student ratio that does not exceed 1:25.

(iii) For programs that use noninstructional staff as part of the calculated instructional staff to student ratio, the following conditions must be met:

(A) Noninstructional staff may not be a replacement for the instructional staff and must work under the guidance and direct supervision of the instructional staff; and

(B) The ratio of total instructional and noninstructional staff to students may not exceed 2:50.

(3) Instruction for students enrolled in programs operated by a college will meet the following criteria:

(a) Instruction will be provided through courses approved by the college, identifiable by course title, course number, quarter, number of credits, and, for vocational course, the classification of instructional program (CIP) code number assigned by OSPI to the approved career and technical education (CTE) course.

(b) The following instruction will be offered to all students, as appropriate for their goals, skills levels, and completion of prerequisites:

(i) Basic skills ((remediation)) courses and high school equivalency certificate preparation courses;

(ii) Courses that will lead to a postsecondary degree or certificate;

(iii) Course work that will lead to a high school diploma; and

(iv) College and work readiness preparation course work.

(c) The program will maintain an instructor to student ratio as follows:

(i) Instructor to student ratio for any course open to both program students and nonprogram students will be determined by the college; and

(ii) Instructor to student ratio for classes designed exclusively for program students will not exceed 1:35.

(1) For programs operated by districts, tribal compact schools, charter schools, and agencies, high school credit will be awarded for all course work in which students are enrolled, including high school equivalency certificate preparation, in accordance with the following:

(a) Determination of credit will take place on a quarterly basis with quarters defined as follows:

(i) September through ((November)) December;

(ii) ((December through February)) January through March;

(iii) ((March through May)) April through June; and

(iv) ((June)) July through August.

(b) Credit will be awarded at the end of each quarter, in accordance with the following guidelines, if the student has been enrolled for at least one month of the quarter:

(i) A maximum of ((0.5)) 1.0 high school ((elective)) subject area credit((s)) will be awarded when a student passes ((one or more)) a standardized high school equivalency certificate ((pretests during the quarter and the instructional staff has assessed student learning and determined that a course of study has been successfully completed)) test in the subject matter, as the student has demonstrated competency aligned to the common core standards. Additional credits may be awarded if the student has completed a course(s) of study to prepare for the test.

(ii) A 0.5 high school ((elective)) subject matter credit will be awarded when a student makes a statistically significant standardized assessment post-test gain in a specific subject area during the quarter and the following conditions are met:

(A) The student's standardized skills assessment score at the beginning of the quarter demonstrated high school level skills; and

(B) The instructional staff has assessed student learning and determined that a course of study has been successfully completed. A maximum of 1.0 credit may be awarded for such subject gains in a quarter.

(iii) A minimum of 0.25 high school elective credits will be awarded for completion of a work readiness or college readiness curriculum in which the student has demonstrated mastery of specific competencies.

(iv) For students taking part in district-, tribal compact school-, or charter school-approved subject-specific credit recovery course work, the amount and type of credit to be awarded will be defined by the district, tribal compact school, or charter school.

(v) The district, tribal compact school, or charter school must award credit for other course work provided by the agency with amount of credit to be awarded determined in advance, based on the agency's instructional staff's recommendation and on a district, tribal compact school, or charter school review of the curriculum and intended learning outcomes. Credit will only be awarded when:

(A) The student's standardized skills assessment score at the start of the quarter demonstrates high school level skills; and

(B) The instructional staff has assessed student learning and determined that the course of study has been successfully completed.

(2) For programs operated by colleges, high school credit will be awarded for course work in which students are enrolled, in accordance with the following:

(a) The district, tribal compact school, or charter school, and the college will determine whether the high school diploma will be awarded by the district, tribal compact school, or charter school or by the college as part of the college's high school completion program.

(b) If the college is awarding the diploma:

(i) 1.0 high school credit will be awarded for successful completion of every five quarter or three semester hours of college course work at or above the one hundred level. The college will determine the type of credit;

(ii) 1.0 high school credit will be awarded for successful completion of every five quarter or three semester hours of below one hundred level course work at a college. The college will determine the type of credit; and

(iii) 0.5 subject-specific credits will be awarded for successful completion of every five quarter or three semester hours of high school equivalency certificate course work which is aligned to the common core standards.

(c) If the district, tribal compact school, or charter school is awarding the diploma:

(i) 1.0 high school credit will be awarded for successful completion of every five quarter or three semester hours of below one hundred level course work at a college. The district, tribal compact school, or charter school will determine the type of credit based on the articulation agreement between the college and district, tribal compact school, or charter school;

(ii) 0.5 or 1.0 high school credit will be awarded for successful completion of every five quarter or three semester hours of below one hundred level course work at a college. The district, tribal compact school, or charter school will determine the type and amount of credit for each class based on the articulation agreement between the college and district, tribal compact school, or charter school; and

(iii) 0.5 subject-specific credits will be awarded for successful completion of every five quarter or three semester hours of high school equivalency certificate course work.

(3) The district, tribal compact school, or charter school is responsible for reporting all high school credits earned by students in accordance with OSPI regulations. College transcripts and other student records requested by the district, tribal compact school, or charter school will be provided by the college or agency as needed to facilitate this process.

(4) The district, tribal compact school, or charter school will ensure that the process for awarding high school credits under this scope of work is implemented as part of its policy regarding award of credits per WAC 180-51-050 (5) and (6).

(1) For programs operated by districts, tribal compact schools, charter schools or agencies and for below one hundred level classes offered in a college-operated program, the following requirements will be met in relation to the school calendar:

(a) A school year begins September 1st and ends August 31st.

(b) The program will provide the reporting district, tribal compact school, or charter school a calendar of the school year prior to the beginning of the program's start date for that school year.

(c) The school year calendar must meet the following criteria:

(i) The specific planned days of instruction will be identified; and

(ii) There must be a minimum of ten instructional months.

(d) The number of hours of instruction as defined in WAC 392-700-065 must meet the following criteria:

(i) The calculation for standard instructional day may not exceed six hours per day even when instruction is provided for more than six hours per day; and

(ii) The standard instructional day may not be less than two hours per day.

(e) The total planned hours of instruction for the school year:

(i) Is the sum of the instructional hours for all instructional months of the school year; and

(ii) Prior to the 2018-19 school year, must have at a minimum of nine hundred planned hours of instruction for the school year. Beginning with the 2018-19 school year, must have at a minimum of one thousand planned hours of instruction for the school year.

(2) For programs operated by colleges and for college level classes, the school year calendar shall meet the following criteria:

(a) The specific planned days of instruction will be identified; and

(b) There must be a minimum of ten instructional months.

(1) Student documentation:

(a) The program shall submit to the reporting district, tribal compact school, charter school, or direct funded technical college monthly the program's enrollment and maintain and make available upon request the following documentation to support the monthly enrollment claimed:

(i) Each student's eligibility pursuant to WAC 392-700-035;

(ii) Evidence of each student's enrollment requirements under WAC 392-700-160 to include:

(A) Enrollment in district, tribal compact school, charter school, or direct funded technical college;

(B) Evidence of minimum attendance period; and

(C) Earned indicators of academic progress.

(D) Evidence of weekly status check.

(iii) Case management support pursuant to WAC 392-700-085.

(b) The district, tribal compact school, charter school, agency, or college operating the program shall comply with all state and federal laws related to the privacy, sharing, and retention of student records.

(c) Access to all student records will be provided in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

(2) CEDARS student reporting. Approved programs are responsible for submitting all required student information to OSPI in accordance with the CEDARS reporting guidance and reengagement operational instructions.

(3) Annual reporting.

(a) The program will prepare and submit an annual performance report to the district, tribal compact school, charter school, agency, or college under which the program is operating no later than October 1st.

(b) The district((, agency, or college)) or direct funded technical college who reports the student enrollment for state funding will review and submit the program's annual performance report to OSPI no later than November 1st. The annual performance must be completed using the designated OSPI reporting tool.

(c)(i) The annual report will provide the previous school year's student level data:

(((i))) (ii) A list of the program's enrolled students by:

(A) Gender, age, race/ethnicity;

(B) Earned credentials as defined in WAC 392-700-015(11);

(C) Attained indicators of academic progress as defined in WAC 392-700-015(15). For high school and college credit, detail the subject area;

(D) The number of months each enrolled student was claimed for state funding;

(E) The number of months each enrolled student was served;

(F) The status of each enrolled student at the end of the school year (graduated, continuing, exited by student choice, exited by program choice, or turned twenty-one during the school year).