Title: An act relating to providing temporary graduation provisions for students who do not meet standards on the high school mathematics assessments but meet all other graduation requirements.

Brief Description: Providing temporary provisions to allow students who did not meet standards on the mathematics WASL to graduate.

Sponsors: Senators McAuliffe, Franklin, Fairley, Shin and Rasmussen; by request of Governor Gregoire and Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Early Learning & K-12 Education: 2/15/07, 2/26/07 [DPS, w/oRec].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EARLY LEARNING & K-12 EDUCATION

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5165 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.Signed by Senators McAuliffe, Chair; Tom, Vice Chair; Eide, Hobbs, Kauffman, Oemig, Rasmussen and Weinstein.

Minority Report: That it be referred without recommendation.Signed by Senators Holmquist, Ranking Minority Member; Brandland and Clements.

Staff: Eric Bratton (786-7438)

Background: Beginning with the graduating class of 2008, in addition to any local graduation requirements, all students must complete four statewide requirements in order to graduate from high school. The statewide requirements are: (1) developing a high school and beyond plan; (2) earning 19 class credits; (3) completing a culminating project; and (4) acquiring a Certificate of Individual Achievement (CIA) or a Certificate of Academic Achievement (CAA). A student will earn his/her CAA if he/she has successfully met the state standards in reading, writing, and mathematics on the high school Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). During the 2005-06 school year, only 51 percent of Washington tenth graders met the standard for mathematics on the WASL.

If a student does not meet the standard in one of the content areas, then the student may retake the assessment for that content area up to four times at no cost to the student. If a student meets the standard on a retake, then the student will receive his/her CAA. Students that fail to meet the standard in a content area after retaking the WASL at least once also have the option of using an objective alternative assessment to demonstrate that he/she has met the standard. The objective alternative assessment must be comparable in rigor to skills and knowledge that the student must demonstrate on the WASL and be objective in its determination of student achievement of the state standards. Once the student has successfully demonstrated that he/she meets the standard through the alternative assessment process, then he/she will earn their CAA. A student's score on the mathematics portion of the Preliminary Scholastic Test (PSAT), the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), or the American College Test (ACT) may be used as an objective alternative assessment for demonstrating that a student has met or exceeded the mathematics standards for the CAA.

Summary of Bill: Students in the 2008, 2009, and 2010 graduating classes may graduate from high school without earning a CAA or a CIA if they: (1) have not successfully met the mathematics standard on the high school WASL, an approved objective alternative assessment, or on an alternate assessment developed for eligible special educations students; (2) have successfully met the standard in the other content areas required for the CAA or the CIA; and (3) have met all other state and school district graduation requirements. However, students in the graduating class of 2008 must successfully earn one additional high school mathematics credit after the student's eleventh grade year and continue to take the appropriate mathematics assessment at least once annually until graduation. Students in the graduating classes of 2009 and 2010 must successfully earn two additional mathematics credits after the student's tenth grade year and continue to take the appropriate mathematics assessment at least once annually until graduation.

EFFECT OF CHANGES MADE BY RECOMMENDED SUBSTITUTE AS PASSED COMMITTEE (Early Learning & K-12 Education): The additional credit or credits required for students that do not meet the mathematics standard may be in mathematics or a course that teaches equivalent skills.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony: PRO: The system has not provided students with the opportunities needed to be successful. The Washington Assessment of Student Learning does not work and should not be used as a requirement for graduation. Kids need to graduate with skills in math and this bill will help reach that goal. Students need to be given the opportunity to reach the high standards in math. In order to meet math standards, the state needs to make sure the whole system is working, which it currently is not.

CON: Math is a fundamental skill. Delaying the math standard does not accurately relay to students what will be expected of them in the future.

OTHER: Requiring more math courses means less elective courses. Additional math courses need to be funded. Courses comparable to math courses should be permitted to fulfill the requirement for additional math.

Persons Testifying: PRO: Judy Hartmann, Governor's Policy Office; Juanita Doyon, Rachel DeBellis, Parent Empowerment Network; Jerry Bender, Association of Washington School Principals; Dan Steele, Washington State School Directors' Association; Barbara Billinghurst, citizen; Gil Mendozo, Tacoma Public Schools.

CON: Nancy Atwood, American Electronics Association.

OTHER: Wendy Rader-Konofalski, Washington Education Association; Mary Lindquist, teacher, Mercer Island High School; Jessica Upton, former teacher, Federal Way School District.