BILL REQ. #:  S-3947.1 

Read first time 01/19/12.   Referred to Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.

     AN ACT Relating to creation of the math performance incentive program; adding new sections to chapter 28A.300 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that approximately fifty percent of students within three years of graduating from high school are in need of remedial education when they enter institutions of higher education and more than twenty million dollars in state funds is spent each year to provide this remediation. The legislature further finds that the greatest need for remediation occurs in mathematics with just over half of these students requiring remediation in this subject area.
     In 2007, the state board for community and technical colleges established a student achievement initiative to implement systemic changes in practice by providing incentives through financial rewards to colleges for increasing the levels of achievement attained by their students. The student achievement initiative measures improvements in building towards college-level skills; first-year retention; completing college-level mathematics; and program completion. The legislature finds that the student achievement initiative has proven to be successful in improving college student outcomes. Therefore, the legislature intends to implement a similar program within secondary education that includes performance indicators specifically designed to measure improvement beyond what is minimally required to graduate from high school. The legislature further intends for this program to improve outcomes in mathematics that result in a reduced need for postsecondary remedial mathematics education and more students entering careers and institutions of higher education ready to succeed.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) By August 31, 2012, the superintendent of public instruction shall, with assistance from the state board for community and technical colleges and the institutions of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016, create a math performance incentive program to reward school districts that demonstrate improvement in student performance in mathematics. The purpose of the math performance incentive program is to reduce the need for postsecondary remedial education and its associated costs by improving student mathematics performance in secondary education.
     (2) The math performance incentive program must include a scoring system applied to performance indicators to be used to measure school district improvement in student performance in mathematics from the previous academic year with the intent of reducing the need for postsecondary remedial education. Performance indicators must be developed to measure student performance beyond what is minimally required to successfully graduate from high school and must include, but not be limited to:
     (a) The percentage of students successfully completing algebra or its equivalent with a C plus average grade or higher in or before the ninth grade;
     (b) The percentage of students successfully completing geometry with a C plus average grade or higher in or before the tenth grade;
     (c) The percentage of students far exceeding the standard on the state of Washington's algebra end-of-course assessment;
     (d) The percentage of students far exceeding the standard on the state of Washington's geometry end-of-course assessment;
     (e) The percentage of students scoring a three or higher on an AP mathematics examination;
     (f) The percentage of students scoring a five or higher on an international baccalaureate mathematics examination;
     (g) The percentage of students successfully completing algebra 2 or its equivalent with a C plus average grade or higher;
     (h) The percentage of students successfully completing one credit of mathematics in the academic year of graduation from high school that exceeds geometry with a C plus average grade or higher; and
     (i) The percentage of students successfully completing a higher level mathematics course above algebra 2 or its equivalent.
     (3) The superintendent of public instruction shall submit a report of the completed design of the math performance incentive program to the quality education council created in chapter 28A.290 RCW and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the legislature no later than August 31, 2012.
     (4) The superintendent of public instruction shall collect the appropriate baseline data for the 2011-12 academic year from the school districts no later than January 31, 2013.
     (5) School districts must report performance data annually to the superintendent of public instruction using existing reporting systems and processes whenever feasible.
     (6) The superintendent of public instruction shall regularly inform school districts of their improvements using the scoring system established in subsection (2) of this section and shall post these results on the Washington state report card administered by the office of the superintendent of public instruction.
     (7) The superintendent of public instruction shall meet annually with the appropriate education partners to review the performance indicators to determine if changes are necessary.
     (8) In the 2016-17 academic year, the Washington state institute for public policy must, with assistance from the education data center created in RCW 43.41.400, the state board for community and technical colleges, and the institutions of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016, review data collected to determine if the math performance incentive program has produced an improvement in student mathematics performance in secondary and postsecondary education and training, including a reduction in the percentage of students who are within three years of high school graduation and enroll in postsecondary remedial mathematics education. Based on the results of this review, the Washington state institute for public policy must submit a report of the outcomes of the math performance incentive program to the superintendent of public instruction and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the legislature no later than August 31, 2017, along with any recommendations, including whether the program should be expanded to encompass other subject areas or should terminate June 30, 2018.
     (9) The superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules to implement the math performance incentive program.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for the math performance incentive program created in section 2 of this act, each fiscal year beginning July 1, 2013, the superintendent of public instruction shall provide monetary awards to school districts that have demonstrated improvement in student performance in mathematics according to the scoring system established in section 2 of this act. School districts must use this funding to implement new and innovative courses in their schools to improve and expand mathematical learning opportunities for students, including access to high-level mathematics, that match student career goals and needs. The minimum award provided to a school within a district must be no less than five thousand dollars. If the total funds appropriated to the superintendent of public instruction for the math performance incentive program are insufficient to provide an award to all school districts that demonstrate improvement in student performance in mathematics according to the scoring system established in section 2 of this act, the superintendent of public instruction shall prioritize the distribution of funding so that the school districts that demonstrate the largest improvements receive an award.
     (2) Funding under this section shall not become part of the state's basic program of education obligation as set forth under Article IX of the state Constitution.