BILL REQ. #:  H-3714.1 

Read first time 01/19/12.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to encouraging K-12 students to use online instructional programs during breaks within and between school years; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.320 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 27.12 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28B.10 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 50.12 RCW; and creating new sections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that:
     (a) There is a continued achievement gap between Washington students and students in other states in mathematics and science. On the 2011 national assessment of educational progress, Washington eighth graders ranked twenty-fourth in science, and fourth graders ranked nineteenth in mathematics.
     (b) There is also a continued achievement gap among Washington students, particularly for disadvantaged students and certain groups of minority students. On the 2011 mathematics assessment for fourth grade, sixty-six percent of white students met the state standard, compared to forty-five percent of low-income students, thirty-seven percent of black students, and thirty-five percent of native American students. On the 2011 science assessment for eighth grade, sixty-nine percent of white students met the state standards compared to twenty-two percent of students in foster care and thirty-five percent of Pacific Islander students.
     (c) Research indicates that on average, students lose almost three months of learning in mathematical computational skills during the summer months. Students tested at the beginning of the school year typically score at a lower level than they did at the end of the previous school year, even on the same test. Disadvantaged students experience greater learning losses during school breaks than middle-income students.
     (2) Therefore the legislature intends to establish a goal of making summer and other breaks in the school year times of learning gains rather than learning losses by:
     (a) Using technology and open source online instructional programs to engage students in learning during school breaks;
     (b) Encouraging local communities, including youth organizations, business organizations, and service organizations, to provide assistance and encouragement particularly to disadvantaged students to enable them to access online instructional programs during school breaks; and
     (c) Focusing learning efforts during school breaks on maintaining and improving skills in mathematics, science, and financial literacy.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) All K-12 students are encouraged to spend at least two hours per week during summer breaks between school years and other breaks within the school year using online learning to improve their mathematics, science, and financial literacy skills.
     (2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction must identify up to three free, open access online instructional programs in mathematics, science, and financial literacy suitable for use by K-12 students at all grade levels. An identified online program must have the following characteristics:
     (a) The program offers self-paced instruction that includes tutorials, work problems to allow students to practice their knowledge and understanding of the tutorial content, and adaptive formative assessments.
     (b) The program allows students to progress through a sequence of tutorials, work problems, and assessments based on their ability and performance on the work problems and assessments.
     (c) The program maintains and displays an individualized record of student progress.
     (3) For each online instructional program identified, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must also identify which tutorials are appropriate for each grade level in order to assist students in accessing the appropriate tutorial.
     (4) The office of the superintendent of public instruction must establish a web page with direct links to the selected online instructional programs and take other steps to publicize the availability of the programs and the legislature's encouragement to students to use them to improve mathematics, science, and financial literacy skills.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 28A.320 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) School districts must publicize the availability of the online instructional programs identified under section 2 of this act and the legislature's encouragement to all students to use these resources during the summer breaks between school years and other breaks within the school year to improve mathematics, science, and financial literacy skills. In particular, school districts must conduct outreach to community-based organizations that provide services and support to disadvantaged students so that these organizations may encourage disadvantaged students to access the online instructional programs, including providing locations for students to access the internet during school breaks.
     (2) School districts must post on the default homepage of the district web site direct links to the identified online instructional programs. School districts must also post on the homepage locations in the community with public internet access, such as public libraries, worksource centers, public institutions of higher education, community-based organizations, and other locations where students who do not have other access to the internet may use the online instructional programs.
     (3) School districts may encourage or require students to use the identified programs for additional online instruction beyond the suggested two hours per week to further improve their mathematics, science, and financial literacy skills.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   A new section is added to chapter 27.12 RCW to read as follows:
     Each public library under this chapter shall post on the default homepage of the library web site direct links to the online instructional programs identified under section 2 of this act. Each library shall also provide signs encouraging K-12 students to use the online instructional programs during school breaks to improve their mathematics, science, and financial literacy skills.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   A new section is added to chapter 28B.10 RCW to read as follows:
     Each institution of higher education shall post on the default homepage of the institution web site direct links to the online instructional programs identified under section 2 of this act. Each institution shall also post on the website locations of the institution, such as the institution library, where K-12 students may access the internet during school breaks to use the online instructional programs.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6   A new section is added to chapter 50.12 RCW to read as follows:
     The employment security department and all workforce development councils shall ensure that the default homepage of each worksource center web site contains direct links to the online instructional programs identified under section 2 of this act. Each worksource center shall also have signs encouraging K-12 students to use the online instructional programs during school breaks to improve their mathematics, science, and financial literacy skills.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7   The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall submit a report to the state board of education, the governor, and the education committees of the legislature by December 1, 2014, on the implementation of sections 2 through 6 of this act, including results from surveys of school districts regarding student use of the online instructional programs and school district actions to support students in accessing and using the programs. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall recommend whether student use of online instructional programs during school breaks should be required.