BILL REQ. #:  S-0276.3 

Read first time 01/28/13.   Referred to Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.

     AN ACT Relating to requiring the office of the superintendent of public instruction to assist school districts in disclosing information about required assessments; adding a new section to chapter 28A.655 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 parents are better able to help their children succeed in the K-12 school system when fully informed about the policies and requirements that impact their children's learning. In the area of testing, frequent changes, increased numbers of tests, as well as increased high stakes consequences affecting graduation and course taking schedules, have created a complexity that most parents are not able to navigate. The office of the superintendent of public instruction has revealed that in each of the next eight years there will be a new test or new standard introduced that will affect test taking, including a new battery of common core standard assessments. It is, therefore, the intent of the legislature to assure that all parents of children within the Washington state public school system, kindergarten through twelfth grade, are provided timely, complete, clear, and easy to understand information regarding state and federal standardized tests that their children will be required to take and the consequences, rules, and policies that accompany them.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.655 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) At the beginning of each school year, school districts must notify parents or guardians of enrolled students with the following information about each standardized assessment from kindergarten through twelfth grade that is required by the state or by the federal government:
     (a) The subject areas covered by each assessment and what will be measured by each;
     (b) When each standardized assessment will be administered;
     (c) Whether each standardized test has been screened for bias;
     (d) The time expected to take each standardized assessment;
     (e) Whether students will be required to take standardized assessments online, or have the option of paper and pencil;
     (f) Which assessments will be required for graduation and what options students have to meet graduation requirements if they do not pass a given assessment;
     (g) How assessment results affect a student's high school and beyond plan and course-taking progression leading to timely graduation, as well as whether results of standardized assessments will be used for program placement or grade level advancement;
     (h) When the assessment results will be released to parents or guardians and whether there will be an opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss strategic instructional adjustments;
     (i) The process, forms, and time necessary to access individual students' tests;
     (j) How the assessment and assessment results will advance student learning;
     (k) The amount of instructional time spent in administering the assessment;
     (l) The financial cost to both the school district and state of administering the assessment; and
     (m) Whether the assessment is required by the state, by the federal government, or by both.
     (2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide to school districts regularly updated information necessary for the district to notify parents of the information under subsection (1) of this section, including any changes occurring through legislative or federal action, or both, that will affect current or future assessments.
     (3) Costs associated with this section must be provided from funding allocated to the office of the superintendent of public instruction for student assessments.