Brief Description: Regarding alternative assessments.

Sponsors: By House Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Priest, Ormsby, Curtis and Anderson).

House Committee on Education
Senate Committee on Early Learning, K-12 & Higher Education
Senate Committee on Ways & Means

Background:

By law, beginning with the class of 2008, most public school students will be required to meet state standards in reading, writing, and mathematics in order to graduate. The students may meet this requirement by either passing the high school Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) in those content areas or by successfully completing an alternative assessment approved by the Legislature.

Summary:

By January 15, 2006, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) will conduct a review of the course requirements and assessments that lead to industry certification in two or more career and technical certification programs. The purpose of the review is to determine the extent to which certification requirements are aligned with the high school WASL. The review will also evaluate the statewide availability and utilization of the certifications. Based on the review, the OSPI will determine if the certifications should be used as alternatives to the WASL for the purposes of high school graduation. The OSPI will also develop a process for evaluating other industry certification programs to determine whether they can be used as assessment alternatives.

Votes on Final Passage:

House   95   0
Senate   46   0   (Senate amended)
House         (House refused to concur)
Senate         (Senate receded)
Senate   44   2

Effective: July 24, 2005