Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Higher Education Committee

HB 2383

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Requires education agencies to perform certain analyses and submit recommendations to the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), so that the WSAC can create a single report to be submitted to the Legislature by December 1, 2014.
Requires the WSAC to convene the agencies at least three times in 2014 to address their tasks and those in the Ten-Year Roadmap to ensure each agency's strategies and recommendations are aligned.

Background:

The Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), in consultation with the State Board of Education (SBE), is authorized to maintain and revise a statewide academic assessment system to measure student knowledge and skills on state learning standards. The assessment system must include reading, writing, mathematics, and science for elementary, middle, and high school years. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are the state learning standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics. Beginning in the 2014-15 school year, the 11th grade assessment in ELA and mathematics will be set at a College and Career Readiness level (CCR).

The SBE also establishes graduation requirements, such as the High School and Beyond Plan, which is a formal process designed to help middle school and high school students identify career and college pathways, so they can align their courses with their post-high school goals.

The Professional Educatory Standards Board (PESB) establishes policies and requirements for the preparation and certification of education professionals, and is an advisory body to the SPI.

The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) provides leadership, coordination, and services for the 32 public community and technical colleges.

In November 2013 the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) adopted the Ten-Year Roadmap that sets out a plan to increase educational attainment in Washington.

Summary of Bill:

The following state education agencies must perform certain analyses and submit recommendations to the WSAC, so that the WSAC can create a single report to be submitted to the Legislature by December 1, 2014:

The SBE must identify options and strategies to make the High School and Beyond program a more rigorous and meaningful tool.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction must consult with career and technical educators and directors to identify and recommend specific strategies and resources needed to embed the CCSS into community and technical college curricula.
The PESB must examine the strategies being used to incorporate the CCSS into educator certification and the review process used to assure that all educators can support students learning of the CCSS.
The SBCTC must continue to develop courses for high school seniors who did not meet the CCR standard.
The WSAC must analyze dual credit courses as a key strategy for increasing CCR and educational attainment.

The WSAC must convene the agencies at least three times in 2014 to address these tasks and those in the Ten-Year Roadmap to ensure each agency's strategies and recommendations are aligned.