2695-S.E [atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to modifying the timelines for the development and implementation of the student assessment system; reenacting and amending RCW 28A.630.885; creating a new section; repealing 1995 c 335 s 803 (uncodified); and providing expiration dates.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 28A.630.885 and 1995 c 335 s 505 and 1995 c 209 s 1 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

(1) The Washington commission on student learning is hereby established. The primary purposes of the commission are to identify the knowledge and skills all public school students need to know and be able to do based on the student learning goals in RCW 28A.150.210, to develop student assessment and school accountability systems, to review current school district data reporting requirements and make recommendations on what data is necessary for the purposes of accountability and meeting state information needs, and to take other steps necessary to develop a performance-based education system. The commission shall include three members of the state board of education, three members appointed by the governor before July 1, 1992, and five members appointed no later than June 1, 1993, by the governor elected in the November 1992 election. The governor shall appoint a chair from the commission members, and fill any vacancies in gubernatorial appointments that may occur. The state board of education shall fill any vacancies of state board of education appointments that may occur. In making the appointments, educators, business leaders, and parents shall be represented, and nominations from state-wide education, business, and parent organizations shall be requested. Efforts shall be made to ensure that the commission reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of the state's K-12 student population and that the major geographic regions in the state are represented. Appointees shall be qualified individuals who are supportive of educational restructuring, who have a positive record of service, and who will devote sufficient time to the responsibilities of the commission to ensure that the objectives of the commission are achieved.

(2) The commission shall establish advisory committees. Membership of the advisory committees shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, professionals from the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education, and other state and local educational practitioners and student assessment specialists.

(3) The commission, with the assistance of the advisory committees, shall:

(a) Develop essential academic learning requirements based on the student learning goals in RCW 28A.150.210. Essential academic learning requirements shall be developed, to the extent possible, for each of the student learning goals in RCW 28A.150.210. Goals one and two shall be considered primary. Essential academic learning requirements for RCW 28A.150.210(1), goal one, and the mathematics component of RCW 28A.150.210(2), goal two, shall be completed no later than March 1, 1995. Essential academic learning requirements that incorporate the remainder of RCW 28A.150.210 (2), (3), and (4), goals two, three, and four, shall be completed no later than March 1, 1996. To the maximum extent possible, the commission shall integrate goal four and the knowledge and skill areas in the other goals in the development of the essential academic learning requirements;

(b)(i) The commission shall present to the state board of education and superintendent of public instruction a state-wide academic assessment system for use in the elementary, middle, and high school years designed to determine if each student has mastered the essential academic learning requirements identified in (a) of this subsection. The academic assessment system shall include a variety of assessment methods that are criterion-referenced, including performance-based measures ((~~that are criterion-referenced~~)). Performance standards for determining if a student has successfully completed an assessment shall be initially determined by the commission in consultation with the advisory committees required in subsection (2) of this section.

(ii) The assessment system shall be designed so that the results under the assessment system are used by educators as tools to evaluate instructional practices, and to initiate appropriate educational support for students who have not mastered the essential academic learning requirements at the appropriate periods in the student's educational development.

(iii) Assessments measuring the essential academic learning requirements developed for RCW 28A.150.210(1), goal one, and the mathematics component of RCW 28A.150.210(2), goal two, shall be ((~~initially implemented by the state board of education and superintendent of public instruction no later than the 1996-97 school year,~~)) developed and initially implemented by the commission before transferring the assessment system to the superintendent of public instruction. For goal one and the mathematics component of goal two, the elementary assessment shall be available for use by districts no later than the 1996-97 school year, the middle grades assessment no later than the 1997-98 school year, and the high school assessment no later than the 1998-99 school year unless the legislature takes action to delay or prevent implementation of the assessment system and essential academic learning requirements. The assessment system shall be transferred to the superintendent of public instruction no later than June 30, 1999, for continued implementation. Assessments measuring the essential academic learning requirements developed for RCW 28A.150.210 (2) except mathematics, (3), and (4), goals two, three, and four, shall be ((~~initially implemented by the state board of education and~~)) developed and initially implemented by the commission before transferring the assessments to the superintendent of public instruction, unless the legislature takes action to delay or prevent implementation of the assessment system and essential academic learning requirements. The assessments shall be transferred to the superintendent of public instruction no later than ((~~the 1998-99 school year, unless the legislature takes action to delay or prevent implementation of the assessment system and essential academic learning requirements~~)) June 30, 1999, for continued implementation.

The assessments in history, geography, civics, health, fitness, and the arts shall not include state-level assessments in the elementary grades, but shall include classroom-based assessments for voluntary use. However, by December 1, 2001, the state board of education shall make recommendations to the legislature regarding whether state-level assessments should be required for history, geography, civics, health, fitness, and the arts in the elementary grades.

The commission shall work closely with the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education during the development and initial implementation of the assessment system. To the maximum extent possible, the commission shall integrate knowledge and skill areas in development of the assessments.

(iv) Before the 2000-2001 school year, participation by school districts in the assessment system shall be optional. School districts that desire to participate before the 2000-2001 school year shall notify the commission on student learning or the superintendent of public instruction, as appropriate, in a manner determined by the commission or superintendent. Beginning in the 2000-2001 school year, all school districts shall be required to participate in the assessment system.

(v) The commission on student learning may modify the essential academic learning requirements and the assessments, as needed, on or before June 30, 1999. The state board of education ((~~and superintendent of public instruction~~)) may modify the essential academic learning requirements ((~~and academic assessment system~~)), as needed, ((~~in subsequent school years~~)) after June 30, 1999, and the superintendent of public instruction may modify the academic assessment system, as needed, after June 30, 1999.

(vi) The commission shall develop assessments that are directly related to the essential academic learning requirements, and are not biased toward persons with different learning styles, racial or ethnic backgrounds, or on the basis of gender;

(c) After a determination is made by the state board of education that the high school assessment system has been implemented and that it is sufficiently reliable and valid, successful completion of the high school assessment shall lead to a certificate of mastery. The certificate of mastery shall be obtained by most students at about the age of sixteen, and is evidence that the student has successfully mastered the essential academic learning requirements during his or her educational career. ((The certificate of mastery shall be required for graduation but shall not be the only requirement for graduation. The commission shall make recommendations to the state board of education regarding the relationship between the certificate of mastery and high school graduation requirements.)) The state board of education and the commission shall make recommendations to the legislature regarding whether the certificate of mastery should be a graduation requirement. The certificate of mastery shall not be implemented as a state-wide graduation requirement until legislation is enacted directing the state board of education to make it a state-wide requirement. Upon achieving the certificate of mastery, schools shall provide students with the opportunity to continue to pursue career and educational objectives through educational pathways that emphasize integration of academic and vocational education. Educational pathways may include, but are not limited to, programs such as work-based learning, school-to-work transition, tech prep, vocational-technical education, running start, and preparation for technical college, community college, or university education;

(d) Consider methods to address the unique needs of special education students when developing the assessments in (b) and (c) of this subsection;

(e) Consider methods to address the unique needs of highly capable students when developing the assessments in (b) and (c) of this subsection;

(f) Develop recommendations on the time, support, and resources, including technical assistance, needed by schools and school districts to help students achieve the essential academic learning requirements. These recommendations shall include an estimate for the legislature, superintendent of public instruction, and governor on the expected cost of implementing the academic assessment system;

(g) Develop recommendations for consideration by the higher education coordinating board for adopting college and university entrance requirements for public school students that are consistent with the essential academic learning requirements and the certificate of mastery;

(h) Review current school district data reporting requirements for the purposes of accountability and meeting state information needs. The commission on student learning shall report recommendations to the joint select committee on education restructuring by September 15, 1996, on:

(i) What data is necessary to compare how school districts are performing before the essential academic learning requirements and the assessment system are implemented with how school districts are performing after the essential academic learning requirements and the assessment system are implemented; and

(ii) What data is necessary pertaining to school district reports under the accountability systems developed by the commission on student learning under this section;

(i) By June 30, 1999, recommend to the legislature, governor, state board of education, and superintendent of public instruction:

(i) A state-wide accountability system to monitor and evaluate accurately and fairly the level of learning occurring in individual schools and school districts. The accountability system shall be designed to recognize the characteristics of the student population of schools and school districts such as gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other factors. The system shall include school-site, school district, and state-level accountability reports;

(ii) A school assistance program to help schools and school districts that are having difficulty helping students meet the essential academic learning requirements;

(iii) A system to intervene in schools and school districts in which significant numbers of students persistently fail to learn the essential academic learning requirements; and

(iv) An awards program to provide incentives to school staff to help their students learn the essential academic learning requirements, with each school being assessed individually against its own baseline. Incentives shall be based on the rate of percentage change of students achieving the essential academic learning requirements. School staff shall determine how the awards will be spent.

It is the intent of the legislature to begin implementation of programs in this subsection (3)(i) on September 1, 2000;

(j) Report annually by December 1st to the legislature, the governor, the superintendent of public instruction, and the state board of education on the progress, findings, and recommendations of the commission; and

(k) Make recommendations to the legislature and take other actions necessary or desirable to help students meet the student learning goals.

(4) The commission shall coordinate its activities with the state board of education and the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

(5) The commission shall seek advice broadly from the public and all interested educational organizations in the conduct of its work, including holding periodic regional public hearings.

(6) The commission shall select an entity to provide staff support and the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide administrative oversight and be the fiscal agent for the commission. The commission may direct the office of the superintendent of public instruction to enter into subcontracts, within the commission's resources, with school districts, teachers, higher education faculty, state agencies, business organizations, and other individuals and organizations to assist the commission in its deliberations.

(7) Members of the commission shall be reimbursed for travel expenses as provided in RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

(8) This section expires June 30, 1999.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) By December 15, 1996, the commission on student learning shall recommend to the appropriate committees of the legislature a revised timeline for the implementation of the middle and high school assessments for science, history, geography, civics, health, fitness, and the arts, and the elementary assessment for science.

(2) By December 15, 1996, the state board of education and the commission on student learning shall make initial recommendations to the appropriate committees of the legislature regarding the implementation timeline for the certificate of mastery, including whether it should be a graduation requirement. The board and commission shall consider other or additional methods in which the assessments could be used to raise the standards in schools and of students, and how these methods should be phased-in.

(3) This section shall expire December 31, 1996.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. 1995 c 335 s 803 (uncodified) is repealed.