BILL REQ. #: S-1261.2
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2011 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 02/17/11.
AN ACT Relating to alternative learning experiences; amending RCW 28A.320.092 and 28A.150.262; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds that alternative
learning experiences are individual courses for public school students
that are detailed in a written student learning plan supervised and
monitored by a certificated public school teacher but primarily occur
away from the regular public school classroom setting. The legislature
further finds that although alternative learning experiences are
similar to home-based instruction in that both are characterized by
learning that occurs away from school, alternative learning experiences
are not home-based instruction. The legislature further finds that
home-based students may enroll part-time in public school classes and
programs, including alternative learning experiences. The legislature
further finds that if a student is enrolled full-time in alternative
learning experiences, the student is not a home-based student, even if
all the instruction is provided by a parent.
Sec. 2 RCW 28A.320.092 and 2009 c 190 s 1 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) School districts are prohibited from advertising, marketing,
and otherwise providing unsolicited information about learning programs
offered by the school district, including but not limited to digital
learning programs, part-time enrollment opportunities, and other
alternative learning programs, to students and their parents who have
filed a declaration of intent to cause a child to receive home-based
instruction under RCW 28A.200.010. School districts may respond to
requests for information that are initiated by a parent. This section
does not apply to general mailings or newsletters sent by the school
district to all households in the district.
(2) School districts are prohibited from advertising or marketing
full-time enrollment in an alternative learning experience as being a
home-based instruction program. Any student who is enrolled as a full-time student in alternative learning experiences is a full-time public
school student. Any student who is enrolled as a part-time student in
alternative learning experiences is a part-time public school student
for the actual hours in which he or she is participating in the
program.
Sec. 3 RCW 28A.150.262 and 2009 c 542 s 9 are each amended to
read as follows:
Under RCW 28A.150.260, the superintendent of public instruction
shall revise the definition of a full-time equivalent student to
include students who receive instruction through alternative learning
experience online programs. As used in this section, an "alternative
learning experience online program" is a set of online courses or an
online school program as defined in RCW 28A.250.010 that is delivered
to students in whole or in part independently from a regular classroom
schedule. The superintendent of public instruction has the authority
to adopt rules to implement the revised definition beginning with the
2005-2007 biennium for school districts claiming state funding for the
programs. The rules shall include but not be limited to the following:
(1) Defining a full-time equivalent student under RCW 28A.150.260
or part-time student under RCW 28A.150.350 based upon the district's
estimated average weekly hours of learning activity as identified in
the student's learning plan, as long as the student is found, through
monthly evaluation, to be making satisfactory progress; the rules shall
require districts providing programs under this section to nonresident
students to establish procedures that address, at a minimum, the
coordination of student counting for state funding so that no student
is counted for more than one full-time equivalent in the aggregate;
(2) Requiring the board of directors of a school district offering,
or contracting under RCW 28A.150.305 to offer, an alternative learning
experience online program to adopt and annually review written policies
for each program and program provider and to receive an annual report
on its digital alternative learning experience online programs from its
staff;
(3) Requiring each school district offering or contracting to offer
an alternative learning experience online program to report annually to
the superintendent of public instruction on the types of programs and
course offerings, and number of students participating;
(4) Requiring completion of a program self-evaluation;
(5) Requiring documentation of the district of the student's
physical residence;
(6) Requiring that supervision, monitoring, assessment, and
evaluation of the alternative learning experience online program be
provided by certificated instructional staff;
(7) Requiring each school district offering courses or programs to
identify the ratio of certificated instructional staff to full-time
equivalent students enrolled in such courses or programs, and to
include a description of their ratio as part of the reports required
under subsections (2) and (3) of this section;
(8) Requiring reliable methods to verify a student is doing his or
her own work; the methods may include proctored examinations or
projects, including the use of web cams or other technologies.
"Proctored" means directly monitored by an adult authorized by the
school district;
(9) Requiring, for each student receiving instruction in an
alternative learning experience online program, a learning plan that
includes a description of course objectives and information on the
requirements a student must meet to successfully complete the program
or courses. The rules shall allow course syllabi and other additional
information to be used to meet the requirement for a learning plan;
(10) Requiring that the district assess the educational progress of
enrolled students at least annually, using, for full-time students, the
state assessment for the student's grade level and using any other
annual assessments required by the school district. Part-time students
shall also be assessed at least annually. However, part-time students
who are either receiving home-based instruction under chapter 28A.200
RCW or who are enrolled in an approved private school under chapter
28A.195 RCW are not required to participate in the assessments required
under chapter 28A.655 RCW. The rules shall address how students who
reside outside the geographic service area of the school district are
to be assessed;
(11) Requiring that each student enrolled in the program have
direct personal contact with certificated instructional staff at least
weekly until the student completes the course objectives or the
requirements in the learning plan. Direct personal contact is for the
purposes of instruction, review of assignments, testing, evaluation of
student progress, or other learning activities. Direct personal
contact may include the use of telephone, e-mail, instant messaging,
interactive video communication, or other means of digital
communication;
(12) Requiring state-funded public schools or public school
programs whose primary purpose is to provide alternative learning
experience online learning programs to receive accreditation through
the Northwest association of accredited schools or another national,
regional, or state accreditation program listed by the office of the
superintendent of public instruction after consultation with the
Washington coalition for online learning;
(13) Requiring state-funded public schools or public school
programs whose primary purpose is to provide alternative learning
experience online learning to provide information to students and
parents on whether or not the courses or programs: Cover one or more
of the school district's learning goals or of the state's essential
academic learning requirements or whether they permit the student to
meet one or more of the state's or district's graduation requirements;
and
(14) Requiring that a school district that provides one or more
alternative learning experience ((online)) courses to a student provide
the parent or guardian of the student, prior to the student's
enrollment, with a description of any difference between home-based
education as described in chapter 28A.200 RCW and the enrollment option
selected by the student. The parent or guardian shall sign
documentation attesting to his or her understanding of the difference
and the documentation shall be retained by the district and made
available for audit.