BP BHEAD INT S [atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to student achievement accountability; amending RCW 28A.300.320 and 28A.230.190; adding a new section to chapter 28A.630 RCW; creating new sections; and providing expiration dates.

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

PART I

ESTABLISHMENT OF READING ACCOUNTABILITY GOALS

NEW SECTION. Sec. 101. (1) By December 15, 1998, each school district board of directors shall:

(a) Select the reading standard results on either the 1997 or 1998 Washington assessment of student learning as the school district's initial baseline reading standard;

(b) Establish a three-year, district-wide goal to increase, by the 2000-01 school year, the percentage of students who meet or exceed the reading standard on the fourth grade Washington assessment of student learning. The three-year percentage increase goal may not be less than the district's total percentage of students who did not meet the baseline reading standard multiplied by twenty-five percent;

(d) Direct each elementary school to establish a three-year goal for its fourth grade students, subject to approval by the board. The aggregate of the elementary goals must meet or exceed the district-wide goals established by the board.

(2) Each school district board of directors shall:

(a) Report biannually to parents in writing and to the community in a public meeting the following information:

(i) District-wide and school-level three-year goals;

(ii) Student performance relative to the goals; and

(iii) District-wide and school-level plans to achieve the reading goal in kindergarten through fourth grade, including grade-level expectations, curriculum and instruction, parental or guardian involvement, and resources available to parents and guardians to help students meet the reading standard;

(b) Report annually to the superintendent of public instruction and in a news release to the local media the district's progress toward meeting the district-wide and school-level goals; and

(3) By December 1, 2000, the superintendent of public instruction shall report to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate on the progress that has been made in achieving the three-year reading goal, and provide recommendations to the legislature on setting reading goals for the next three years.

(4) This section expires July 1, 2006.

PART II

ADMINISTRATION OF READING ASSESSMENTS

Sec. 201. RCW 28A.300.320 and 1997 c 262 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The superintendent of public instruction shall create a pilot project to identify which second grade reading tests selected under RCW 28A.300.310 will be included in the final collection of tests that must be available by June 30, 1998.

(2) Schools and school districts may voluntarily participate in the second grade reading test pilot projects in the 1997-98 school year. Schools and school districts voluntarily participating in the pilot project test are not required to have the results available by the fall parent-teacher conference.

(3)(a) Starting in the 1998-99 school year, school districts must select a test from the collection adopted by the superintendent of public instruction. Selection must be at the entire school district level and must remain in place at that school district for at least three years.

(b) The second grade reading test selected by the school district must be administered annually in the fall beginning with the 1998-99 school year. Students who score substantially below grade level when tested in the fall shall be tested at least one more time during the second grade. Test performance deemed to be "substantially below grade level" is to be determined for each test in the collection by the superintendent of public instruction during the pilot year of 1997-98.

(c) If a student, while taking the test, reaches a point at which the student's performance will be considered "substantially below grade level" regardless of the student's performance on the remainder of the test, the test may be discontinued.

(d) Each school must have the test results available by the fall parent-teacher conference. Schools must notify parents about the second grade reading test during the conferences, inform the parents of their students' performance on the test, identify actions the school intends to take to improve the child's reading skills, and provide parents with strategies to help the parents improve their child's score.

Sec. 202. RCW 28A.230.190 and 1997 c 262 s 5 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.)) School districts shall test students for second grade reading accuracy and fluency skills starting in the 1998-99 school year as provided in RCW 28A.300.320.

(2)(a) The superintendent of public instruction shall prepare and conduct, with the assistance of school districts, a norm-referenced standardized achievement test to be given annually 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 tests shall be compiled by the superintendent of public instruction, who shall make those results available annually to the legislature, to all local school districts and subsequently 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.

(b) Students who score substantially below grade level in reading when tested the first time shall be tested at least one more time in reading during the third grade. Test performance deemed to be "substantially below grade level" shall be determined by the superintendent of public instruction. The results of both reading tests shall be provided to the students' parents.

(3) The superintendent of public instruction shall report annually to the legislature on the achievement levels of students in grade ((~~four~~)) three.

PART III

REPORTING ASSESSMENT RESULTS

NEW SECTION. Sec. 301. A new section is added to chapter 28A.630 RCW to read as follows:

(1) By September 10, 1998, and by September 10th each year thereafter, the superintendent of public instruction shall:

(a) Report to schools, school districts, and the legislature on the results of the fourth grade Washington assessment of student learning; and

(b) Post individual school results of the fourth grade Washington assessment of student learning on the superintendent of public instruction's internet world-wide web site. The reports shall include the assessment results by school and school district, and include changes over time.

(2) This section expires July 1, 2006.

PART IV

MISCELLANEOUS

NEW SECTION. Sec. 401. PART HEADINGS NOT LAW. Part headings used in this act are not any part of the law.