BILL REQ. #: Z-0425.1
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2011 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/20/11. Referred to Committee on Education.
AN ACT Relating to high school mathematics end-of-course assessments; amending RCW 28A.655.066; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds that acquiring
mathematical skills and knowledge is critical for the future financial
and personal success of public school graduates. However, the
legislature finds that requiring students in the classes of 2013 and
2014 to meet the standards on two high school mathematics end-of-course
assessments to graduate would not be fair to students or a valid use of
the new end-of-course assessments. Specifically, a majority of these
students will have taken algebra I or integrated mathematics one or
more years before taking the end-of-course assessments. In addition,
teachers need more time to incorporate the new 2008 mathematics
standards into their instruction to properly prepare students for the
new assessment requirements. Instead, the legislature intends to
provide a reasonable transition period and require students in the
classes of 2013 and 2014 to meet the standard on only one assessment.
Students in subsequent classes will be required to meet the standards
on both assessments.
Sec. 2 RCW 28A.655.066 and 2009 c 310 s 3 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1)(a) In consultation with the state board of education, the
superintendent of public instruction shall develop statewide end-of-course assessments for high school mathematics that measure student
achievement of the state mathematics standards. The superintendent
shall take steps to ensure that the language of the assessments is
responsive to a diverse student population. The assessments shall be
implemented statewide in the 2010-11 school year.
(b) The superintendent shall develop end-of-course assessments for
the first year of high school mathematics that include the standards
common to algebra I and integrated mathematics I and for the second
year of high school mathematics that include the standards common to
geometry and integrated mathematics II. The assessments under this
subsection (1)(b) shall be used to demonstrate that a student meets the
state standard on the mathematics content area of the high school
Washington assessment of student learning for purposes of RCW
28A.655.061.
(c) The superintendent of public instruction shall also develop
subtests for the end-of-course assessments that measure standards for
the first two years of high school mathematics that are unique to
algebra I, integrated mathematics I, geometry, and integrated
mathematics II. The results of the subtests shall be reported at the
student, teacher, school, and district level.
(2) For the graduating classes of 2013 and 2014 and for purposes of
the certificate of academic achievement under RCW 28A.655.061, a
student may use: (a) Results from the end-of-course assessment for the
first year of high school mathematics ((plus)) or the results from the
end-of-course assessment for the second year of high school
mathematics; or (b) results from ((the comprehensive mathematics
assessment to demonstrate that a student meets the state standard on
the mathematics content area of the high school Washington assessment
of student learning)) a high school mathematics retake assessment.
(3) Beginning with the graduating class of 2015 and for purposes of
the certificate of academic achievement under RCW 28A.655.061, the
mathematics content area of the Washington assessment of student
learning shall be assessed using the end-of-course assessment for the
first year of high school mathematics plus the end-of-course assessment
for the second year of high school mathematics, or results from a high
school mathematics retake assessment for the end-of-course assessments
in which the student did not meet the standard.
(4) All of the objective alternative assessments available to
students under RCW 28A.655.061 and 28A.655.065 shall be available to
any student who has taken the sequence of end-of-course assessments
once but does not meet the state mathematics standard on the sequence
of end-of-course assessments.
(((4))) (5) The superintendent of public instruction shall report
at least annually or more often if necessary to keep the education
committees of the legislature informed on each step of the development
and implementation process under this section.