Brief Description: Monitoring and addressing achievement of groups of students.

Sponsors: Representatives Santos and Hudgins.

Hearing Date: 2/4/08

Staff: Barbara McLain (786-7383).

Background:

The mission of the Center for the Improvement of Student Learning (CISL) is to serve as a clearinghouse for information, promising practices, and research that promotes and supports effective learning environments for all students, especially those in underserved communities. The responsibilities of the CISL also include identifying strategies for improving the success rates of ethnic and racial student groups with disproportionate academic achievement. The CISL is housed in the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

The Office of the Education Ombudsman, housed in the Office of the Governor, shares some of the same responsibilities as the CISL regarding identifying strategies for assisting groups of students with disproportionate academic achievement.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires states to report student achievement and progress based on specified groups of students: gender, ethnic and racial group, students with disabilities, limited English proficient, economically disadvantaged, and migrant. For students with disabilities, Washington reports data based on students qualifying for the special education program.

Section 504 refers to a federal civil rights law enacted as part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that protects people with disabilities from discrimination in areas such as education and the workplace. Under the law, an individual with a disability is anyone who has a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, including the individual's ability to access learning in the educational setting because of a learning-, behavior-, or health-related condition. As recipients of federal funds, schools must take steps to reduce barriers for any disabled student to access learning by making accommodations for them. Students eligible for accommodation under Section 504 are not necessarily eligible for special education. The OSPI does not collect data, including student achievement data, based on Section 504 students.

Summary of Bill:

Along with their other duties, the CISL and the Education Ombudsman must identify strategies for improving success rates for students with disabilities. The CISL will also provide best practices and research information on programs to meet the needs of students with disabilities.

The OSPI, when reporting results on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, must provide results that are disaggregated by at least the following student groups: White, Black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, low income, transitional bilingual, migrant, special education, and students covered by Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.