FINAL BILL REPORT
ESSB 6255



C 117 L 06
Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Improving student performance through student-centered planning.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Early Learning, K-12 & Higher Education (originally sponsored by Senators Eide and McAuliffe).

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

Background: The Franklin Pierce school district developed a program designed to motivate students for higher performance and provide more academic guidance. During the past two school years (2003-2005), other districts have voluntarily adopted this program. The program is interspersed with all students' regular schedules and provides students with planning skills, career exploration opportunities, and portfolio development. Students lead annual conferences with their parents and a mentor-teacher. At the annual conferences, students explain their past performance and make future plans. The district sets its annual class schedule after students make their course selections.

Summary: The Legislature encourages each middle school, junior high, and high school to implement a comprehensive guidance and planning program. The purpose of the program is to:

A comprehensive guidance and planning program is one that contains at least the following components:
   1)   a curriculum that could include analysis of students' test results; assessments of student interests and aptitudes; diagnostic assessments of students' academic strengths and weaknesses; use of assessment results in developing students' plans; goal setting skills; planning for high school course selection; independent living skills; and postsecondary options and how to access them;
   2)   regular meetings with a teacher who serves as the student's advisor throughout his or her enrollment at the school;
   3)   student-led parent-teacher conferences for the purpose of demonstrating the student's accomplishments, identifying weaknesses, planning and course selection, and long-term goal setting; and
   4)   data collection that allows schools to monitor a student's progress.

Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this purpose, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) must develop and disseminate the program curriculum to all school districts no later than the beginning of the 2006-07 school year. OSPI must also develop and disseminate electronic student planning tools and a software package to analyze student performance; develop and disseminate options for diagnostic assessments; conduct regional training seminars for teachers; and monitor program implementation during the fall of 2006 in order to revise the curriculum by the spring of 2007.

OSPI must allocate a first round of implementation grants to 25 schools by September 2006, and a second round to 75 schools by January 2007. The purpose of the grants is to provide time for staff to plan and integrate the program into their schools.

Beginning September 1, 2007, OSPI must make diagnostic assessments available to assist school districts. These assessments, in addition to having other characteristics, should allow student progress to be compared across the country and be readily available to parents. Beginning with the 2006-07 school year, OSPI must reimburse school districts for administering diagnostic assessments in 9th grade for the purpose of identifying academic weaknesses, enhancing student planning and guidance, and developing strategies to assist students before the high school Washington Assessment of Student Learning.

By January 1, 2009, OSPI must report to the Legislature on the programs' impact on student performance.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      45   1
House      94   2   (House amended)
Senate      45   1   (Senate concurred)

Effective: June 7, 2006