BILL REQ. #: H-0546.2
State of Washington | 63rd Legislature | 2013 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/18/13. Referred to Committee on Education.
AN ACT Relating to modifying the education accountability system to allow state criteria, resources, and strategies to be used for assistance and intervention; amending RCW 28A.657.005, 28A.657.010, 28A.657.020, 28A.657.030, 28A.657.050, 28A.657.050, 28A.657.060, 28A.657.070, 28A.657.090, and 28A.657.110; providing an effective date; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 28A.657.005 and 2010 c 235 s 101 are each amended to
read as follows:
The legislature finds that it is the state's responsibility to
create a coherent and effective accountability framework for the
continuous improvement ((for)) of all schools and districts. This
system must provide an excellent and equitable education for all
students((;)), an aligned ((federal/state)) federal and state
accountability system((;)), and the tools necessary for schools and
districts to be accountable. These tools include ((the necessary))
accounting and data reporting systems, assessment systems to monitor
student achievement, and a comprehensive system of ((general))
differentiated support, targeted assistance, and, if necessary,
intervention.
The office of the superintendent of public instruction is
responsible for developing and implementing the accountability tools to
build district capacity and working within federal and state
guidelines. The legislature assigned the state board of education
responsibility and oversight for creating an accountability framework.
This framework provides a unified system of support for challenged
schools that aligns with basic education, increases the level of
support based upon the magnitude of need, and uses data for decisions.
Such a system will identify schools and their districts for recognition
as well as for additional state support. For a specific group of
((challenged schools, defined as)) persistently lowest-achieving
schools((,)) and their districts, it is necessary to provide a required
action process that creates a partnership between the state and local
district to target funds and assistance to turn around the identified
((lowest-achieving)) schools.
Phase I of this accountability system will recognize schools that
have done an exemplary job of raising student achievement and closing
the achievement gaps using the ((state board of education's
accountability)) Washington achievement index adopted by the state
board of education. The state board of education shall have ongoing
collaboration with the ((achievement)) educational opportunity gap
oversight and accountability committee regarding the measures used to
measure the closing of the achievement gaps and ((the)) recognition
provided to the school districts for closing the achievement gaps.
Phase I will also target the lowest five percent of persistently
lowest-achieving schools defined under federal guidelines to provide
federal funds and federal intervention models through a voluntary
option in 2010, and for those who do not volunteer and have not
improved student achievement, a required action process beginning in
2011.
Phase II of this accountability system will work toward
implementing the ((state board of education's accountability))
Washington achievement index for identification of challenged schools
in need of improvement, including those that are not Title I schools,
and the use of state and local intervention models and federal and
state funds through a ((required action process)) comprehensive system
of differentiated support, targeted assistance, and intervention
beginning in ((2013, in addition to the federal program)) the 2014-15
school year. If federal approval of the ((state board of education's
accountability)) Washington achievement index ((must be)) is not
obtained ((or else)), the federal guidelines for ((persistently lowest-achieving)) identifying schools will continue to be used.
The expectation from implementation of this accountability system
is the improvement of student achievement for all students to prepare
them for postsecondary education, work, and global citizenship in the
twenty-first century.
Sec. 2 RCW 28A.657.010 and 2010 c 235 s 112 are each amended to
read as follows:
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter
unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "All students group" means those students in grades three
through eight and high school who take the state's assessment in
reading and mathematics required under 20 U.S.C. Sec. 6311(b)(3).
(2) "Title I" means Title I, part A of the federal elementary and
secondary education act of 1965 (ESEA) (20 U.S.C. Secs. 6311-6322).
(3) "Turnaround principles" include but are not limited to the
following:
(a) Providing strong leadership;
(b) Ensuring teachers are effective and able to improve
instruction;
(c) Increasing learning time;
(d) Strengthening the school's instructional program;
(e) Using data to inform instruction;
(f) Establishing a safe and supportive school environment; and
(g) Engaging families and communities.
Sec. 3 RCW 28A.657.020 and 2010 c 235 s 102 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) Beginning in 2010, and each year thereafter((, by)) through
December ((1st)) 1, 2012, the superintendent of public instruction
shall annually identify schools as one of the state's persistently
lowest-achieving schools if the school is a Title I school, or a school
that is eligible for but does not receive Title I funds, that is among
the lowest-achieving five percent of Title I or Title I eligible
schools in the state.
(2) The criteria for determining whether a school is among the
persistently lowest-achieving five percent of Title I schools, or Title
I eligible schools, under subsection (1) of this section shall be
established by the superintendent of public instruction. The criteria
must meet all applicable requirements for the receipt of a federal
school improvement grant under the American recovery and reinvestment
act of 2009 and Title I of the elementary and secondary education act
of 1965, and take into account both:
(a) The academic achievement of the "all students" group in a
school in terms of proficiency on the state's assessment, and any
alternative assessments, in reading and mathematics combined; and
(b) The school's lack of progress on the mathematics and reading
assessments over a number of years in the "all students" group.
(3)(a) Beginning December 1, 2013, and each December thereafter,
the superintendent of public instruction shall annually identify
challenged schools in need of improvement and a subset of such schools
that are the persistently lowest-achieving schools in the state.
(b) The criteria for determining whether a school is a challenged
school in need of improvement shall be established by the
superintendent of public instruction. The criteria must meet all
applicable federal requirements under Title I of the elementary and
secondary education act of 1965 and other federal rules or guidance,
including applicable requirements for the receipt of federal school
improvement funds if available, but shall apply equally to Title I,
Title I-eligible, and non-Title I schools in the state. The criteria
must take into account the academic achievement of the "all students"
group and subgroups of students in a school in terms of proficiency on
the state assessments in reading and mathematics and a high school's
graduation rate for all students and subgroups of students. The
superintendent may establish tiered categories of challenged schools
based on the relative performance of all students, subgroups of
students, and other factors.
(c) The superintendent of public instruction shall also establish
criteria for determining whether a challenged school in need of
improvement is also a persistently lowest-achieving school for purposes
of the required action district process under this chapter, which shall
include the school's lack of progress for all students and subgroups of
students over a number of years.
(d) If the Washington achievement index is approved by the United
States department of education for use in identifying schools for
federal purposes, the superintendent of public instruction shall use
the approved index to identify schools under (b) and (c) of this
subsection.
Sec. 4 RCW 28A.657.030 and 2010 c 235 s 103 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) Beginning in January 2011, the superintendent of public
instruction shall annually recommend to the state board of education
school districts for designation as required action districts. A
district with at least one school identified as a persistently lowest-achieving school according to the criteria established by the
superintendent of public instruction under RCW 28A.657.020 shall be
designated as a required action district ((if it meets the criteria
developed by the superintendent of public instruction)). However, a
school district shall not be recommended for designation as a required
action district if the district was awarded a federal school
improvement grant by the superintendent in 2010 and for three
consecutive years following receipt of the grant implemented a federal
school intervention model at each school identified for improvement.
The state board of education may designate a district that received a
school improvement grant in 2010 as a required action district if after
three years of voluntarily implementing a plan the district continues
to have a school identified as persistently lowest-achieving and meets
the criteria for designation established by the superintendent of
public instruction.
(2) The superintendent of public instruction shall provide a school
district superintendent with written notice of the recommendation for
designation as a required action district by certified mail or personal
service. A school district superintendent may request reconsideration
of the superintendent of public instruction's recommendation. The
reconsideration shall be limited to a determination of whether the
school district met the criteria for being recommended as a required
action district. A request for reconsideration must be in writing and
served on the superintendent of public instruction within ten days of
service of the notice of the superintendent's recommendation.
(3) The state board of education shall annually designate those
districts recommended by the superintendent in subsection (1) of this
section as required action districts. A district designated as a
required action district shall be required to notify all parents of
students attending a school identified as a persistently lowest-achieving school in the district of the state board of education's
designation of the district as a required action district and the
process for complying with the requirements set forth in RCW
28A.657.040 through 28A.657.100.
Sec. 5 RCW 28A.657.050 and 2012 c 53 s 10 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The local district superintendent and local school board of a
school district designated as a required action district must submit a
required action plan to the state board of education for approval.
Unless otherwise required by subsection (3) of this section, the plan
must be submitted under a schedule as required by the state board. A
required action plan must be developed in collaboration with
administrators, teachers, and other staff, parents, unions representing
any employees within the district, students, and other representatives
of the local community. The superintendent of public instruction shall
provide a district with assistance in developing its plan if requested.
The school board must conduct a public hearing to allow for comment on
a proposed required action plan. The local school district shall
submit the plan first to the office of the superintendent of public
instruction to review and approve that the plan is consistent with
federal and state guidelines, as applicable. After the office of the
superintendent of public instruction has approved that the plan is
consistent with federal and state guidelines, the local school district
must submit its required action plan to the state board of education
for approval.
(2) A required action plan must include all of the following:
(a) Implementation of ((one of the four federal)) an intervention
model((s)) or turnaround principles required for the receipt of ((a))
federal or state funds for school improvement ((grant,)) for those
persistently lowest-achieving schools that the district will be
focusing on for required action. ((However, a district may not
establish a charter school under a federal intervention model without
express legislative authority. The intervention models are the
turnaround, restart, school closure, and transformation models.)) The
intervention model selected and the implementation of turnaround
principles must address the concerns raised in the academic performance
audit and be intended to improve student performance to allow a school
district to be removed from the list of districts designated as a
required action district by the state board of education within three
years of implementation of the plan;
(b) Submission of an application for ((a federal school improvement
grant or a grant from other)) federal or state funds for school
improvement to the superintendent of public instruction;
(c) A budget that provides for adequate resources to implement the
((federal)) model selected and any other requirements of the plan;
(d) A description of the changes in the district's or school's
existing policies, structures, agreements, processes, and practices
that are intended to attain significant achievement gains for all
students enrolled in the school and how the district intends to address
the findings of the academic performance audit; and
(e) Identification of the measures that the school district will
use in assessing student achievement at a school identified as a
persistently lowest-achieving school, which include improving
mathematics and reading student achievement and graduation rates as
defined by the office of the superintendent of public instruction that
enable the school to no longer be identified as a persistently lowest-achieving school.
(3)(a) For any district designated for required action, the parties
to any collective bargaining agreement negotiated, renewed, or extended
under chapter 41.59 or 41.56 RCW after June 10, 2010, must reopen the
agreement, or negotiate an addendum, if needed, to make changes to
terms and conditions of employment that are necessary to implement a
required action plan. For any district applying to participate in a
collaborative schools for innovation and success pilot project under
RCW 28A.630.104, the parties to any collective bargaining agreement
negotiated, renewed, or extended under chapter 41.59 or 41.56 RCW after
June 7, 2012, must reopen the agreement, or negotiate an addendum, if
needed, to make changes to terms and conditions of employment that are
necessary to implement an innovation and success plan.
(b) If the school district and the employee organizations are
unable to agree on the terms of an addendum or modification to an
existing collective bargaining agreement, the parties, including all
labor organizations affected under the required action plan, shall
request the public employment relations commission to, and the
commission shall, appoint an employee of the commission to act as a
mediator to assist in the resolution of a dispute between the school
district and the employee organizations. Beginning in 2011, and each
year thereafter, mediation shall commence no later than April 15th.
All mediations held under this section shall include the employer and
representatives of all affected bargaining units.
(c) If the executive director of the public employment relations
commission, upon the recommendation of the assigned mediator, finds
that the employer and any affected bargaining unit are unable to reach
agreement following a reasonable period of negotiations and mediation,
but by no later than May 15th of the year in which mediation occurred,
the executive director shall certify any disputed issues for a decision
by the superior court in the county where the school district is
located. The issues for determination by the superior court must be
limited to the issues certified by the executive director.
(d) The process for filing with the court in this subsection (3)(d)
must be used in the case where the executive director certifies issues
for a decision by the superior court.
(i) The school district shall file a petition with the superior
court, by no later than May 20th of the same year in which the issues
were certified, setting forth the following:
(A) The name, address, and telephone number of the school district
and its principal representative;
(B) The name, address, and telephone number of the employee
organizations and their principal representatives;
(C) A description of the bargaining units involved;
(D) A copy of the unresolved issues certified by the executive
director for a final and binding decision by the court; and
(E) The academic performance audit that the office of the
superintendent of public instruction completed for the school district
in the case of a required action district, or the comprehensive needs
assessment in the case of a collaborative schools for innovation and
success pilot project.
(ii) Within seven days after the filing of the petition, each party
shall file with the court the proposal it is asking the court to order
be implemented in a required action plan or innovation and success plan
for the district for each issue certified by the executive director.
Contemporaneously with the filing of the proposal, a party must file a
brief with the court setting forth the reasons why the court should
order implementation of its proposal in the final plan.
(iii) Following receipt of the proposals and briefs of the parties,
the court must schedule a date and time for a hearing on the petition.
The hearing must be limited to argument of the parties or their counsel
regarding the proposals submitted for the court's consideration. The
parties may waive a hearing by written agreement.
(iv) The court must enter an order selecting the proposal for
inclusion in a required action plan that best responds to the issues
raised in the school district's academic performance audit, and allows
for the award of ((a federal school improvement grant or a grant from
other)) federal or state funds for school improvement to the district
from the office of the superintendent of public instruction to
implement ((one of the four federal)) an intervention model((s)) or
turnaround principles. In the case of an innovation and success plan,
the court must enter an order selecting the proposal for inclusion in
the plan that best responds to the issues raised in the school's
comprehensive needs assessment. The court's decision must be issued no
later than June 15th of the year in which the petition is filed and is
final and binding on the parties; however the court's decision is
subject to appeal only in the case where it does not allow the school
district to implement a required action plan consistent with the
requirements for the award of ((a federal school improvement grant or
other)) federal or state funds for school improvement by the
superintendent of public instruction.
(e) Each party shall bear its own costs and attorneys' fees
incurred under this statute.
(f) Any party that proceeds with the process in this section after
knowledge that any provision of this section has not been complied with
and who fails to state its objection in writing is deemed to have
waived its right to object.
(4) All contracts entered into between a school district and an
employee must be consistent with this section and allow school
districts designated as required action districts to implement ((one of
the four federal models)) the intervention model or turnaround
principles in a required action plan.
Sec. 6 RCW 28A.657.050 and 2010 c 235 s 105 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The local district superintendent and local school board of a
school district designated as a required action district must submit a
required action plan to the state board of education for approval.
Unless otherwise required by subsection (3) of this section, the plan
must be submitted under a schedule as required by the state board. A
required action plan must be developed in collaboration with
administrators, teachers, and other staff, parents, unions representing
any employees within the district, students, and other representatives
of the local community. The superintendent of public instruction shall
provide a district with assistance in developing its plan if requested.
The school board must conduct a public hearing to allow for comment on
a proposed required action plan. The local school district shall
submit the plan first to the office of the superintendent of public
instruction to review and approve that the plan is consistent with
federal and state guidelines, as applicable. After the office of the
superintendent of public instruction has approved that the plan is
consistent with federal and state guidelines, the local school district
must submit its required action plan to the state board of education
for approval.
(2) A required action plan must include all of the following:
(a) Implementation of ((one of the four federal)) an intervention
model((s)) or turnaround principles required for the receipt of ((a))
federal or state funds for school improvement ((grant,)) for those
persistently lowest-achieving schools that the district will be
focusing on for required action. ((However, a district may not
establish a charter school under a federal intervention model without
express legislative authority. The intervention models are the
turnaround, restart, school closure, and transformation models.)) The
intervention model selected and the implementation of turnaround
principles must address the concerns raised in the academic performance
audit and be intended to improve student performance to allow a school
district to be removed from the list of districts designated as a
required action district by the state board of education within three
years of implementation of the plan;
(b) Submission of an application for ((a federal school improvement
grant or a grant from other)) federal or state funds for school
improvement to the superintendent of public instruction;
(c) A budget that provides for adequate resources to implement the
((federal)) model selected and any other requirements of the plan;
(d) A description of the changes in the district's or school's
existing policies, structures, agreements, processes, and practices
that are intended to attain significant achievement gains for all
students enrolled in the school and how the district intends to address
the findings of the academic performance audit; and
(e) Identification of the measures that the school district will
use in assessing student achievement at a school identified as a
persistently lowest-achieving school, which include improving
mathematics and reading student achievement and graduation rates as
defined by the office of the superintendent of public instruction that
enable the school to no longer be identified as a persistently lowest-achieving school.
(3)(a) For any district designated for required action, the parties
to any collective bargaining agreement negotiated, renewed, or extended
under chapter 41.59 or 41.56 RCW after June 10, 2010, must reopen the
agreement, or negotiate an addendum, if needed, to make changes to
terms and conditions of employment that are necessary to implement a
required action plan.
(b) If the school district and the employee organizations are
unable to agree on the terms of an addendum or modification to an
existing collective bargaining agreement, the parties, including all
labor organizations affected under the required action plan, shall
request the public employment relations commission to, and the
commission shall, appoint an employee of the commission to act as a
mediator to assist in the resolution of a dispute between the school
district and the employee organizations. Beginning in 2011, and each
year thereafter, mediation shall commence no later than April 15th.
All mediations held under this section shall include the employer and
representatives of all affected bargaining units.
(c) If the executive director of the public employment relations
commission, upon the recommendation of the assigned mediator, finds
that the employer and any affected bargaining unit are unable to reach
agreement following a reasonable period of negotiations and mediation,
but by no later than May 15th of the year in which mediation occurred,
the executive director shall certify any disputed issues for a decision
by the superior court in the county where the school district is
located. The issues for determination by the superior court must be
limited to the issues certified by the executive director.
(d) The process for filing with the court in this subsection (3)(d)
must be used in the case where the executive director certifies issues
for a decision by the superior court.
(i) The school district shall file a petition with the superior
court, by no later than May 20th of the same year in which the issues
were certified, setting forth the following:
(A) The name, address, and telephone number of the school district
and its principal representative;
(B) The name, address, and telephone number of the employee
organizations and their principal representatives;
(C) A description of the bargaining units involved;
(D) A copy of the unresolved issues certified by the executive
director for a final and binding decision by the court; and
(E) The academic performance audit that the office of the
superintendent of public instruction completed for the school district.
(ii) Within seven days after the filing of the petition, each party
shall file with the court the proposal it is asking the court to order
be implemented in a required action plan for the district for each
issue certified by the executive director. Contemporaneously with the
filing of the proposal, a party must file a brief with the court
setting forth the reasons why the court should order implementation of
its proposal in the final plan.
(iii) Following receipt of the proposals and briefs of the parties,
the court must schedule a date and time for a hearing on the petition.
The hearing must be limited to argument of the parties or their counsel
regarding the proposals submitted for the court's consideration. The
parties may waive a hearing by written agreement.
(iv) The court must enter an order selecting the proposal for
inclusion in a required action plan that best responds to the issues
raised in the school district's academic performance audit, and allows
for the award of ((a federal school improvement grant or a grant from
other)) federal or state funds for school improvement to the district
from the office of the superintendent of public instruction to
implement ((one of the four federal)) an intervention model((s)) or
turnaround principles. The court's decision must be issued no later
than June 15th of the year in which the petition is filed and is final
and binding on the parties; however the court's decision is subject to
appeal only in the case where it does not allow the school district to
implement a required action plan consistent with the requirements for
the award of ((a federal school improvement grant or other)) federal or
state funds for school improvement by the superintendent of public
instruction.
(e) Each party shall bear its own costs and attorneys' fees
incurred under this statute.
(f) Any party that proceeds with the process in this section after
knowledge that any provision of this section has not been complied with
and who fails to state its objection in writing is deemed to have
waived its right to object.
(4) All contracts entered into between a school district and an
employee must be consistent with this section and allow school
districts designated as required action districts to implement ((one of
the four federal models)) the intervention model or turnaround
principles in a required action plan.
Sec. 7 RCW 28A.657.060 and 2010 c 235 s 106 are each amended to
read as follows:
A required action plan developed by a district's school board and
superintendent must be submitted to the state board of education for
approval. The state board must accept for inclusion in any required
action plan the final decision by the superior court on any issue
certified by the executive director of the public employment relations
commission under the process in RCW 28A.657.050. The state board of
education shall approve a plan proposed by a school district only if
the plan meets the requirements in RCW 28A.657.050 and provides
sufficient remedies to address the findings in the academic performance
audit to improve student achievement. Any addendum or modification to
an existing collective bargaining agreement, negotiated under RCW
28A.657.050 or by agreement of the district and the exclusive
bargaining unit, related to student achievement or school improvement
shall not go into effect until approval of a required action plan by
the state board of education. If the state board does not approve a
proposed plan, it must notify the local school board and local
district's superintendent in writing with an explicit rationale for why
the plan was not approved. Nonapproval by the state board of education
of the local school district's initial required action plan submitted
is not intended to trigger any actions under RCW 28A.657.080. With the
assistance of the office of the superintendent of public instruction,
the superintendent and school board of the required action district
shall either: (((a) [(1)])) (1) Submit a new plan to the state board
of education for approval within forty days of notification that its
plan was rejected, or (((b) [(2)])) (2) submit a request to the
required action plan review panel established under RCW 28A.657.070 for
reconsideration of the state board's rejection within ten days of the
notification that the plan was rejected. If federal or state funds for
school improvement are not available, the plan is not required to be
implemented until such funding becomes available. If federal or state
funds for this purpose are available, a required action plan must be
implemented in the immediate school year following the district's
designation as a required action district.
Sec. 8 RCW 28A.657.070 and 2010 c 235 s 107 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) A required action plan review panel shall be established to
offer an objective, external review of a request from a school district
for reconsideration of the state board of education's rejection of the
district's required action plan. The review and reconsideration by the
panel shall be based on whether the state board of education gave
appropriate consideration to the unique circumstances and
characteristics identified in the academic performance audit of the
local school district whose required action plan was rejected.
(2)(a) The panel shall be composed of five individuals with
expertise in school improvement, school and district restructuring, or
parent and community involvement in schools. Two of the panel members
shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; two
shall be appointed by the president of the senate; and one shall be
appointed by the governor.
(b) The speaker of the house of representatives, president of the
senate, and governor shall solicit recommendations for possible panel
members from the Washington association of school administrators, the
Washington state school directors' association, the association of
Washington school principals, the ((achievement)) educational
opportunity gap oversight and accountability committee, and
associations representing certificated teachers, classified school
employees, and parents.
(c) Members of the panel shall be appointed no later than December
1, 2010, but the superintendent of public instruction shall convene the
panel only as needed to consider a school district's request for
reconsideration. Appointments shall be for a four-year term, with
opportunity for reappointment. Reappointments in the case of a vacancy
shall be made expeditiously so that all requests are considered in a
timely manner.
(3) The required action plan review panel may reaffirm the decision
of the state board of education, recommend that the state board
reconsider the rejection, or recommend changes to the required action
plan that should be considered by the district and the state board of
education to secure approval of the plan. The state board of education
shall consider the recommendations of the panel and issue a decision in
writing to the local school district and the panel. If the school
district must submit a new required action plan to the state board of
education, the district must submit the plan within forty days of the
board's decision.
(4) The state board of education and superintendent of public
instruction must develop timelines and procedures for the deliberations
under this section so that school districts can implement a required
action plan within the time frame required under RCW 28A.657.060.
Sec. 9 RCW 28A.657.090 and 2010 c 235 s 109 are each amended to
read as follows:
A school district must implement a required action plan upon
approval by the state board of education. The office of (([the])) the
superintendent of public instruction must provide the required action
district with technical assistance and ((federal school improvement
grant funds or other)) federal or state funds for school improvement,
if available, to implement an approved plan. The district must submit
a report to the superintendent of public instruction that provides the
progress the district is making in meeting the student achievement
goals based on the state's assessments, identifying strategies and
assets used to solve audit findings, and establishing evidence of
meeting plan implementation benchmarks as set forth in the required
action plan.
Sec. 10 RCW 28A.657.110 and 2010 c 235 s 111 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) By November 1, 2013, the state board of education shall
((continue to refine the development of)) adopt rules establishing an
accountability framework that creates a unified system of support for
challenged schools((,)) that aligns with basic education, increases the
level of support based upon the magnitude of need, and uses data for
decisions. The board must seek input from the public and interested
groups in developing the framework. Based on the framework, the
superintendent of public instruction shall design a comprehensive
system of specific strategies for recognition, provision of
differentiated support and targeted assistance, and, if necessary,
requiring intervention in schools and districts. The superintendent
shall submit the system design to the state board of education for
review. The state board of education shall recommend approval or
modification of the system design to the superintendent no later than
January 1, 2014, and the system must be implemented statewide no later
than the 2014-15 school year. To the extent state funds are
appropriated for this purpose, the system must apply equally to Title
I, Title I-eligible, and non-Title I schools in the state.
(2) The state board of education shall develop ((an
accountability)) a Washington achievement index to identify schools and
districts for recognition, for continuous improvement, and for
additional state support. The index shall be based on criteria that
are fair, consistent, and transparent. Performance shall be measured
using multiple outcomes and indicators including, but not limited to,
graduation rates and results from statewide assessments. The index
shall be developed in such a way as to be easily understood by both
employees within the schools and districts, as well as parents and
community members. It is the legislature's intent that the index
provide feedback to schools and districts to self-assess their
progress, and enable the identification of schools with exemplary
student performance and those that need assistance to overcome
challenges in order to achieve exemplary student performance.
(3) The state board of education, in cooperation with the office of
the superintendent of public instruction, shall annually recognize
schools for exemplary performance as measured on the ((state board of
education accountability)) Washington achievement index. The state
board of education shall have ongoing collaboration with the
((achievement)) educational opportunity gap oversight and
accountability committee regarding the measures used to measure the
closing of the achievement gaps and the recognition provided to the
school districts for closing the achievement gaps.
(4) In coordination with the superintendent of public instruction,
the state board of education shall seek approval from the United States
department of education for use of the ((accountability)) Washington
achievement index and the state system of differentiated support,
assistance, and intervention((,)) to replace the federal accountability
system under P.L. 107-110, the no child left behind act of 2001.
(5) The state board of education shall work with the education data
center established within the office of financial management and the
technical working group established in ((section 112, chapter 548, Laws
of 2009)) RCW 28A.290.020 to determine the feasibility of using the
prototypical funding allocation model as not only a tool for allocating
resources to schools and districts but also as a tool for schools and
districts to report to the state legislature and the state board of
education on how the state resources received are being used.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 11 Section 5 of this act expires June 30,
2019.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 12 Section 6 of this act takes effect June 30,
2019.