5508-S2 AMH APP H3126

5508-S2 AMH APP H3126.1

2SSB 5508 - H COMM AMD ADOPTED 4-11-97

By Committee on Appropriations

Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:

"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that it is essential for children in the public schools to read well early in elementary school. The legislature further finds that clear and visible goals, assessments to determine the reading level at each building, measurements of annual building improvement, and creating accountability in the educational system will result in a significant increase in the reading ability of children.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. This act may be known and cited as the primary grades reading accountability act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) By November 1, 1997, the commission on student learning, in consultation with the superintendent of public instruction, shall make recommendations to the legislature, governor, and state board of education regarding a state-wide accountability system for reading in the elementary grades. The accountability system must assess each school individually against its own baseline, schools with similar characteristics, and schools state-wide. In preparing its recommendations, the commission shall consult with school district officials and school district board members who have established reading goals, incentives, and accountability programs. The commission also shall consult with legislators, parents, classroom teachers, principals, and other educators.

(2) In developing the recommendations, the commission shall consider:

(a) The establishment of a state-wide reading goal or goals;

(b) The establishment of a financial incentive program for schools that meet or exceed their reading goals;

(c) The establishment of a program for technical assistance, and when appropriate, intervention, for schools that persistently do not meet their goals;

(d) The development of a process to evaluate principals' effectiveness in providing leadership in reaching the fourth grade reading goal;

(e) The reporting of annual state-wide progress that includes information on reading achievement by school building, school district, and state-wide; and

(f) Whether other accountability reports, actions, or programs should be developed.

(3) Recommendations pertaining to state-wide goals, financial incentives, and intervention shall be based on the reading test scores of students taking the state-wide elementary grade assessment in RCW 28A.630.885.

Sec. 4. RCW 28A.230.190 and 1990 c 101 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Every school district is encouraged to test pupils in grade two by an assessment device designed or selected by the school district. This test shall be used to help teachers in identifying those pupils in need of assistance in the skills of reading, writing, mathematics, and language arts. The test results are not to be compiled by the superintendent of public instruction, but are only to be used by the local school district.

(2) The superintendent of public instruction shall prepare and conduct, with the assistance of school districts, a standardized norm-referenced achievement test to be given annually beginning in the 1997-98 school year to all pupils in grade ((~~four~~)) three. The test shall assess students' skill in reading((,)) and mathematics((~~, and language arts~~)) and shall focus upon appropriate input variables. Results of ((~~such~~)) the test((s)) shall be compiled by the superintendent of public instruction, who shall make those results available annually to the legislature((,)) and to all local school districts ((~~and subsequently~~)). School districts shall make results available to parents of those children tested. The results shall allow parents to ascertain the achievement levels and input variables of their children as compared with the other students within the district, the state and, if applicable, the nation.

(3) The superintendent of public instruction shall report annually to the legislature on the achievement levels of students in grade ((~~four~~)) three as measured by the norm-referenced standardized achievement test.

Sec. 5. RCW 28A.320.205 and 1993 c 336 s 1006 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Beginning with the 1994-95 school year, to provide the local community and electorate with access to information on the educational programs in the schools in the district, each school shall publish annually a school performance report and deliver the report to each parent with children enrolled in the school and make the report available to the community served by the school. The annual performance report shall be in a form that can be easily understood and be used by parents, guardians, and other members of the community who are not professional educators to make informed educational decisions. As data from the assessments in RCW 28A.630.885 becomes available, the annual performance report should enable parents, educators, and school board members to determine whether students in the district's schools are attaining mastery of the student learning goals under RCW 28A.150.210, and other important facts about the schools' performance in assisting students to learn. The annual report shall make comparisons to a school's performance in preceding years and shall project goals in performance categories.

(2) The annual performance report shall include, but not be limited to: A brief statement of the mission of the school and the school district; enrollment statistics including student demographics; expenditures per pupil for the school year; a summary of student scores on all mandated tests; a concise annual budget report; student attendance, graduation, and dropout rates; information regarding the use and condition of the school building or buildings; a brief description of the restructuring plan for the school; and an invitation to all parents and citizens to participate in school activities. In addition to the annual performance report, each school shall annually present a summary of student scores on all state-mandated tests at an open meeting of the district's board of directors. The report shall include comparisons to the school's performance in preceding years.

(3) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop by June 30, 1994, a model report form, which shall also be adapted for computers, that schools may use to meet the requirements of subsections (1) and (2) of this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. If specific funding for the purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not provided by June 30, 1997, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act is null and void."

Correct the title.

EFFECT: Strikes substantive provisions, and adds the following new provisions:

The Commission on Student Learning, in consultation with the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), must provide recommendations by November 1, 1997, to the Legislature, Governor, and State Board of Education regarding a state-wide reading accountability system. The assessment system must be capable of assessing each school individually against its own baseline, schools with similar characteristics, and schools state-wide. The commission must consider several factors in developing the reading assessment system, including reading goals, financial incentives, technical assistance, the role of elementary school principals in meeting the reading goal, and reports. The commission's recommendations pertaining to state-wide goals must be based on reading test scores of students taking the 1997 state-wide fourth grade assessment developed by the commission.

The fourth grade state-wide test is moved to the third grade. Currently, the SPI must test fourth grade students in reading, mathematics, and language arts using a standardized achievement test (CTBS/4), and test students using the fourth grade assessment developed by the commission. Beginning in the 1997-98 school year, the standardized achievement test is moved to the third grade level. Third grade students will be tested in reading and mathematics. The SPI must make results available to the Legislature and to school districts. School districts must make results available to parents of the children tested. Fourth grade students will still take the fourth grade assessment developed by the commission.

In addition to the annual school performance report, schools must present a summary of student scores on all state-mandated tests in an open school board meeting. The report summarizing student scores must include comparisons to the school's performance in preceding years.

A null and void clause is added.