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.
