BILL REQ. #:  S-1341.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/10/11.   

     AN ACT Relating to including technology as an educational core concept and principle; amending RCW 28A.150.210; creating a new section; and providing an effective date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that technology effectively integrated into K-12 core subjects will engage and motivate students to explore high-demand careers, such as engineering, mathematics, computer science, communication, art, entrepreneurship, and others; fields in which skilled individuals will create the new ideas, new products, and new industries of the future; fields that demand the collaborative information skills and technological fluency of digital citizenship. The legislature further finds that knowing and applying the core concepts and principles of mathematics and the sciences are included in the goals for Washington students but these learning goals do not include technology and do not acknowledge its ability to support the development of higher-order thinking skills. The legislature further finds that given technology's importance in the high-demand fields of work the state should inspire, engage, and prepare all students for the technological world.

Sec. 2   RCW 28A.150.210 and 2009 c 548 s 103 are each amended to read as follows:
     A basic education is an evolving program of instruction that is intended to provide students with the opportunity to become responsible and respectful global citizens, to contribute to their economic well-being and that of their families and communities, to explore and understand different perspectives, and to enjoy productive and satisfying lives. Additionally, the state of Washington intends to provide for a public school system that is able to evolve and adapt in order to better focus on strengthening the educational achievement of all students, which includes high expectations for all students and gives all students the opportunity to achieve personal and academic success. To these ends, the goals of each school district, with the involvement of parents and community members, shall be to provide opportunities for every student to develop the knowledge and skills essential to:
     (1) Read with comprehension, write effectively, and communicate successfully in a variety of ways and settings and with a variety of audiences;
     (2) Know and apply the core concepts and principles of mathematics; social, physical, and life sciences; technology; civics and history, including different cultures and participation in representative government; geography; arts; and health and fitness;
     (3) Think analytically, logically, and creatively, and to integrate different experiences and knowledge to form reasoned judgments and solve problems; and
     (4) Understand the importance of work and finance and how performance, effort, and decisions directly affect future career and educational opportunities.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   This act takes effect September 1, 2011.