H-1834.2
HOUSE BILL 2165
State of Washington
64th Legislature
2015 Regular Session
By Representatives Scott, Haler, Shea, Vick, Short, Van Werven, Condotta, Wilson, Young, Orcutt, Kochmar, Schmick, Taylor, Harmsworth, G. Hunt, Griffey, Klippert, Buys, Parker, Holy, Pike, and MacEwen
Read first time 02/20/15. Referred to Committee on Education.
AN ACT Relating to eliminating the use of common core state standards and assessments in Washington; amending RCW 28A.300.803, 28A.305.130, 28A.410.221, 28A.655.061, 28A.655.070, and 28A.655.235; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; and repealing RCW 28A.305.215 and 28A.655.071.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:
The legislature intends to eliminate the use of common core state standards and assessments in this state. To this end, the legislature makes changes in current law to effectuate this change and directs the superintendent of public instruction to:
(1) Notify the smarter balanced assessment multistate consortium that Washington is no longer a participant in the consortium and will not implement the assessment developed by the consortium to assess the common core state standards;
(2) Revise this state's essential academic learning requirements such that the requirements do not align with the common core state standards developed by a multistate consortium; and
(3) Develop assessments that are aligned with the revised essential academic learning requirements.
Sec. 2.  RCW 28A.300.803 and 2012 c 178 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
(1)(a) Subject to availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the superintendent of public instruction shall take the lead in identifying and developing a library of openly licensed courseware aligned with the ((common core)) state standards and placed under an attribution license, registered by a nonprofit or for-profit organization with domain expertise in open courseware, that allows others to use, distribute, and create derivative works based upon the digital material, while still allowing the authors or creators to retain the copyright and to receive credit for their efforts.
(b) During the course of identification and development of a library of openly licensed courseware, the superintendent:
(i) May contract with third parties for all or part of the development;
(ii) May adopt or adapt existing high quality openly licensed K-12 courseware aligned with the ((common core)) state standards adopted or revised in accordance with section 6, chapter ..., Laws of 2015 (section 6 of this act);
(iii) May consider multiple sources of openly licensed courseware;
(iv) Must use best efforts to seek additional outside funding by actively partnering with private organizations;
(v) Must work collaboratively with other states ((that have adopted the common core state standards)) and collectively share results; and
(vi) Must include input from classroom practitioners, including teacher-librarians as defined by RCW 28A.320.240, in the results reported under subsection (2)(d) of this section.
(2) The superintendent of public instruction must also:
(a) Advertise to school districts the availability of openly licensed courseware, with an emphasis on the fact that the courseware is available at no cost to the districts;
(b) Identify an open courseware repository to which openly licensed courseware identified and developed under this section may be submitted, in which openly licensed courseware may be housed, and from which openly licensed courseware may be easily accessed, all at no cost to school districts;
(c) Provide professional development programs that offer support, guidance, and instruction regarding the creation, use, and continuous improvement of open courseware; and
(d) Report to the governor and the education committees of the legislature on a biennial basis, beginning December 1, 2013, and ending December 1, 2017, regarding identification and development of a library of openly licensed courseware aligned with the ((common core)) state standards and placed under an attribution license, use by school districts of openly licensed courseware, and professional development programs provided.
(3) School districts may, but are not required to, use any of the openly licensed courseware.
(4) As used in this section, "courseware" includes the course syllabus, scope and sequence, instructional materials, modules, textbooks, including the teacher's edition, student guides, supplemental materials, formative and summative assessment supports, research articles, research data, laboratory activities, simulations, videos, open-ended inquiry activities, and any other educationally useful materials.
(5) The open educational resources account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts from funds collected under this section must be deposited into the account. Expenditures from the account may be used only for the development of openly licensed courseware as described in this section. Only the superintendent of public instruction or the superintendent's designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.
(6) This section expires June 30, 2018.
Sec. 3.  RCW 28A.305.130 and 2013 2nd sp.s. c 22 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:
The purpose of the state board of education is to provide advocacy and strategic oversight of public education; implement a standards-based accountability framework that creates a unified system of increasing levels of support for schools in order to improve student academic achievement; provide leadership in the creation of a system that personalizes education for each student and respects diverse cultures, abilities, and learning styles; and promote achievement of the goals of RCW 28A.150.210. In addition to any other powers and duties as provided by law, the state board of education shall:
(1) Hold regularly scheduled meetings at such time and place within the state as the board shall determine and may hold such special meetings as may be deemed necessary for the transaction of public business;
(2) Form committees as necessary to effectively and efficiently conduct the work of the board;
(3) Seek advice from the public and interested parties regarding the work of the board;
(4) For purposes of statewide accountability:
(a) Adopt and revise performance improvement goals in reading, writing, science, and mathematics, by subject and grade level, once assessments in these subjects are required statewide; academic and technical skills, as appropriate, in secondary career and technical education programs; and student attendance, as the board deems appropriate to improve student learning. The goals shall be consistent with student privacy protection provisions of RCW 28A.655.090(7) and shall not conflict with requirements contained in Title I of the federal elementary and secondary education act of 1965, or the requirements of the Carl D. Perkins vocational education act of 1998, each as amended. The goals may be established for all students, economically disadvantaged students, limited English proficient students, students with disabilities, and students from disproportionately academically underachieving racial and ethnic backgrounds. The board may establish school and school district goals addressing high school graduation rates and dropout reduction goals for students in grades seven through twelve. The board shall adopt the goals by rule. However, before each goal is implemented, the board shall present the goal to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate for the committees' review and comment in a time frame that will permit the legislature to take statutory action on the goal if such action is deemed warranted by the legislature;
(b)(i) Identify the scores students must achieve in order to meet the standard on the statewide student assessment and, for high school students, to obtain a certificate of academic achievement. The board shall also determine student scores that identify levels of student performance below and beyond the standard. The board shall consider the incorporation of the standard error of measurement into the decision regarding the award of the certificates. The board shall set such performance standards and levels in consultation with the superintendent of public instruction and after consideration of any recommendations that may be developed by any advisory committees that may be established for this purpose.
(ii) By the end of the ((2014-15)) 2017-18 school year, establish ((the)) revised scores students must achieve to meet the state standard and earn a certificate of academic achievement on the ((tenth grade English language arts assessment and the end-of-course mathematics)) assessments developed in accordance with RCW 28A.655.070 ((to be used as the state transitions to high school assessments developed with a multistate consortium)).
(iii) ((By the end of the 2014-15 school year, establish the scores students must achieve to meet the standard and earn a certificate of academic achievement on the high school English language arts assessment and the comprehensive mathematics assessment developed with a multistate consortium in accordance with RCW 28A.655.070. To determine the appropriate score, the state board shall review the transition experience of Washington students to the consortium-developed assessments, examine the student scores used in other states that are administering the consortium-developed assessments, and review the scores in other states that require passage of an eleventh grade assessment as a high school graduation requirement. The scores established by the state board of education for the purposes of earning a certificate of academic achievement and graduation from high school may be different from the scores used for the purpose of determining a student's career and college readiness.
(iv))) The legislature shall be advised of the initial performance standards for the high school statewide student assessment. Any changes recommended by the board in the performance standards for the high school assessment shall be presented to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate by November 30th of the school year in which the changes will take place to permit the legislature to take statutory action before the changes are implemented if such action is deemed warranted by the legislature. The legislature shall be advised of the initial performance standards and any changes made to the elementary level performance standards and the middle school level performance standards. The board must provide an explanation of and rationale for all initial performance standards and any changes, for all grade levels of the statewide student assessment. If the board changes the performance standards for any grade level or subject, the superintendent of public instruction must recalculate the results from the previous ten years of administering that assessment regarding students below, meeting, and beyond the state standard, to the extent that this data is available, and post a comparison of the original and recalculated results on the superintendent's web site;
(c) Annually review the assessment reporting system to ensure fairness, accuracy, timeliness, and equity of opportunity, especially with regard to schools with special circumstances and unique populations of students, and a recommendation to the superintendent of public instruction of any improvements needed to the system; and
(d) Include in the biennial report required under RCW 28A.305.035, information on the progress that has been made in achieving goals adopted by the board;
(5) Accredit, subject to such accreditation standards and procedures as may be established by the state board of education, all private schools that apply for accreditation, and approve, subject to the provisions of RCW 28A.195.010, private schools carrying out a program for any or all of the grades kindergarten through twelve. However, no private school may be approved that operates a kindergarten program only and no private school shall be placed upon the list of accredited schools so long as secret societies are knowingly allowed to exist among its students by school officials;
(6) Articulate with the institutions of higher education, workforce representatives, and early learning policymakers and providers to coordinate and unify the work of the public school system;
(7) Hire an executive director and an administrative assistant to reside in the office of the superintendent of public instruction for administrative purposes. Any other personnel of the board shall be appointed as provided by RCW 28A.300.020. The board may delegate to the executive director by resolution such duties as deemed necessary to efficiently carry on the business of the board including, but not limited to, the authority to employ necessary personnel and the authority to enter into, amend, and terminate contracts on behalf of the board. The executive director, administrative assistant, and all but one of the other personnel of the board are exempt from civil service, together with other staff as now or hereafter designated as exempt in accordance with chapter 41.06 RCW; and
(8) Adopt a seal that shall be kept in the office of the superintendent of public instruction.
Sec. 4.  RCW 28A.410.221 and 2011 2nd sp.s. c 2 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
The professional educator standards board shall, in its regular review and revision of teacher certification standards as required by RCW 28A.410.210, revise standards for the elementary education endorsement and middle level and secondary mathematics and science teacher endorsements as well as other subject area endorsements with STEM-related components. ((Standards revisions related to mathematics shall be adopted by September 1, 2013. Standards revisions related to science shall be adopted by September 1, 2014.)) The revised standards shall include the integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) knowledge and skill and be aligned, as appropriate, with ((common core mathematics standards, the 2009 [2008] revision of)) the state mathematics student learning standards in accordance with section 6, chapter ..., Laws of 2015 (section 6 of this act) and performance expectations, the biology end-of-course assessment, and the 2012 student science learning standards developed from the conceptual framework for science education and next generation standards and related student performance expectations. In addition to appropriate mathematics and science content, the endorsement standards must also include the concepts and instructional practices of the interdisciplinary connections with engineering and technology.
Sec. 5.  RCW 28A.655.061 and 2013 2nd sp.s. c 22 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The high school assessment system shall include but need not be limited to the statewide student assessment, opportunities for a student to retake the content areas of the assessment in which the student was not successful, and, if approved by the legislature pursuant to subsection (10) of this section, one or more objective alternative assessments for a student to demonstrate achievement of state academic standards. The objective alternative assessments for each content area shall be comparable in rigor to the skills and knowledge that the student must demonstrate on the statewide student assessment for each content area.
(2) Subject to the conditions in this section, a certificate of academic achievement shall be obtained and is evidence that the students have successfully met the state standard in the content areas included in the certificate. With the exception of students satisfying the provisions of RCW 28A.155.045 or 28A.655.0611, acquisition of the certificate is required for graduation from a public high school but is not the only requirement for graduation.
(3)(a) Beginning with the graduating class of 2008 ((through the graduating class of 2015)), with the exception of students satisfying the provisions of RCW 28A.155.045, a student who meets the state standards on the reading, writing, and mathematics high school statewide student assessment shall earn a certificate of academic achievement. ((The mathematics assessment shall be the end-of-course assessment for the first year of high school mathematics that assesses the standards common to algebra I and integrated mathematics I or the end-of-course assessment for the second year of high school mathematics that assesses standards common to geometry and integrated mathematics II)).
(b) ((As the state transitions from reading and writing assessments to an English language arts assessment and from end-of-course assessments to a comprehensive assessment for high school mathematics, a student in a graduating class of 2016 through 2018 shall earn a certificate of academic achievement if the student meets the state standard as follows:
(i) Students in the graduating class of 2016 may use the results from:
(A) The reading and writing assessment or the English language arts assessment developed with the multistate consortium; and
(B) The end-of-course assessment for the first year of high school mathematics, the end-of-course assessment for the second year of high school mathematics, or the comprehensive mathematics assessment developed with the multistate consortium.
(ii) Students in the graduating classes of 2017 and 2018 may use the results from:
(A) The tenth grade English language arts assessment developed by the superintendent of public instruction using resources from the multistate consortium or the English language arts assessment developed with the multistate consortium; and
(B) The end-of-course assessment for the first year of high school mathematics, the end-of-course assessment for the second year of high school mathematics, or the comprehensive mathematics assessment developed with the multistate consortium.
(c) Beginning with the graduating class of 2019, a student who meets the state standards on the high school English language arts assessment developed with the multistate consortium and the comprehensive mathematics assessment developed with the multistate consortium shall earn a certificate of academic achievement.
(d))) If a student does not successfully meet the state standards in one or more content areas required for the certificate of academic achievement, then the student may retake the assessment in the content area at least twice a year at no cost to the student. If the student successfully meets the state standards on a retake of the assessment then the student shall earn a certificate of academic achievement. Once objective alternative assessments are authorized pursuant to subsection (10) of this section, a student may use the objective alternative assessments to demonstrate that the student successfully meets the state standards for that content area if the student has taken the statewide student assessment at least once. If the student successfully meets the state standards on the objective alternative assessments then the student shall earn a certificate of academic achievement.
(4) Beginning with the graduating class of 2015, a student must meet the state standards in science in addition to the other content areas required under subsection (3) of this section on the statewide student assessment, a retake, or the objective alternative assessments in order to earn a certificate of academic achievement.
(5) The state board of education may not require the acquisition of the certificate of academic achievement for students in home-based instruction under chapter 28A.200 RCW, for students enrolled in private schools under chapter 28A.195 RCW, or for students satisfying the provisions of RCW 28A.155.045.
(6) A student may retain and use the highest result from each successfully completed content area of the high school assessment.
(7) School districts must make available to students the following options:
(a) To retake the statewide student assessment at least twice a year in the content areas in which the student did not meet the state standards if the student is enrolled in a public school; or
(b) To retake the statewide student assessment at least twice a year in the content areas in which the student did not meet the state standards if the student is enrolled in a high school completion program at a community or technical college. The superintendent of public instruction and the state board for community and technical colleges shall jointly identify means by which students in these programs can be assessed.
(8) Students who achieve the standard in a content area of the high school assessment but who wish to improve their results shall pay for retaking the assessment, using a uniform cost determined by the superintendent of public instruction.
(9) Opportunities to retake the assessment at least twice a year shall be available to each school district.
(10)(a) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop options for implementing objective alternative assessments, which may include an appeals process for students' scores, for students to demonstrate achievement of the state academic standards. The objective alternative assessments shall be comparable in rigor to the skills and knowledge that the student must demonstrate on the statewide student assessment and be objective in its determination of student achievement of the state standards. Before any objective alternative assessments in addition to those authorized in RCW 28A.655.065 or (b) of this subsection are used by a student to demonstrate that the student has met the state standards in a content area required to obtain a certificate, the legislature shall formally approve the use of any objective alternative assessments through the omnibus appropriations act or by statute or concurrent resolution.
(b)(i) A student's score on the mathematics, reading or English, or writing portion of the SAT or the ACT may be used as an objective alternative assessment under this section for demonstrating that a student has met or exceeded the state standards for the certificate of academic achievement. The state board of education shall identify the scores students must achieve on the relevant portion of the SAT or ACT to meet or exceed the state standard in the relevant content area on the statewide student assessment. A student's score on the science portion of the ACT or the science subject area tests of the SAT may be used as an objective alternative assessment under this section as soon as the state board of education determines that sufficient data is available to identify reliable equivalent scores for the science content area of the statewide student assessment. After the first scores are established, the state board may increase but not decrease the scores required for students to meet or exceed the state standards.
(ii) A student who scores at least a three on the grading scale of one to five for selected AP examinations may use the score as an objective alternative assessment under this section for demonstrating that a student has met or exceeded state standards for the certificate of academic achievement. A score of three on the AP examinations in calculus or statistics may be used as an alternative assessment for the mathematics portion of the statewide student assessment. A score of three on the AP examinations in English language and composition may be used as an alternative assessment for the writing portion of the statewide student assessment; and for the English language arts portion of the assessment if developed ((with the multistate consortium, once established in the 2014-15 school year)) by the office of the superintendent of public instruction. A score of three on the AP examinations in English literature and composition, macroeconomics, microeconomics, psychology, United States history, world history, United States government and politics, or comparative government and politics may be used as an alternative assessment for the reading portion of the statewide student assessment; and for the English language arts portion of the assessment if developed ((with the multistate consortium, once established in the 2014-15 school year)) by the office of the superintendent of public instruction. A score of three on the AP examination in biology, physics, chemistry, or environmental science may be used as an alternative assessment for the science portion of the statewide student assessment.
(iii) A student who scores at least a four on selected externally administered international baccalaureate (IB) examinations may use the score as an objective alternative assessment under this section for demonstrating that the student has met or exceeded state standards for the certificate of academic achievement. A score of four on the higher level IB examinations for any of the IB English language and literature courses or for any of the IB individuals and societies courses may be used as an alternative assessment for the reading, writing, or English language arts portions of the statewide student assessment. A score of four on the higher level IB examinations for any of the IB mathematics courses may be used as an alternative assessment for the mathematics portion of the statewide student assessment. A score of four on the higher level IB examinations for IB biology, chemistry, or physics may be used as an alternative assessment for the science portion of the statewide student assessment.
(11) To help assure continued progress in academic achievement as a foundation for high school graduation and to assure that students are on track for high school graduation, each school district shall prepare plans for and notify students and their parents or legal guardians as provided in this subsection. Student learning plans are required for eighth grade students who were not successful on any or all of the content areas of the state assessment during the previous school year or who may not be on track to graduate due to credit deficiencies or absences. The parent or legal guardian shall be notified about the information in the student learning plan, preferably through a parent conference and at least annually. To the extent feasible, schools serving English language learner students and their parents shall translate the plan into the primary language of the family. The plan shall include the following information as applicable:
(a) The student's results on the state assessment;
(b) If the student is in the transitional bilingual program, the score on his or her Washington language proficiency test II;
(c) Any credit deficiencies;
(d) The student's attendance rates over the previous two years;
(e) The student's progress toward meeting state and local graduation requirements;
(f) The courses, competencies, and other steps needed to be taken by the student to meet state academic standards and stay on track for graduation;
(g) Remediation strategies and alternative education options available to students, including informing students of the option to continue to receive instructional services after grade twelve or until the age of twenty-one;
(h) The alternative assessment options available to students under this section and RCW 28A.655.065;
(i) School district programs, high school courses, and career and technical education options available for students to meet graduation requirements; and
(j) Available programs offered through skill centers or community and technical colleges, including the college high school diploma options under RCW 28B.50.535.
Sec. 6.  RCW 28A.655.070 and 2013 2nd sp.s. c 22 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) Within the requirements in this section, the superintendent of public instruction shall develop essential academic learning requirements that identify the knowledge and skills all public school students need to know and be able to do based on the student learning goals in RCW 28A.150.210, develop student assessments, and implement the accountability recommendations and requests regarding assistance, rewards, and recognition of the state board of education.
(2) The superintendent of public instruction shall:
(a) Periodically revise the essential academic learning requirements, as needed, based on the student learning goals in RCW 28A.150.210. Goals one and two shall be considered primary. To the maximum extent possible, the superintendent shall integrate goal four and the knowledge and skill areas in the other goals in the essential academic learning requirements; ((and))
(b) By September 1, 2016, revise the essential academic learning requirements such that the requirements do not align with the common core state standards developed by a multistate consortium; and
(c) Review and prioritize the essential academic learning requirements and identify, with clear and concise descriptions, the grade level content expectations to be assessed on the statewide student assessment and used for state or federal accountability purposes. The review, prioritization, and identification shall result in more focus and targeting with an emphasis on depth over breadth in the number of grade level content expectations assessed at each grade level. Grade level content expectations shall be articulated over the grades as a sequence of expectations and performances that are logical, build with increasing depth after foundational knowledge and skills are acquired, and reflect, where appropriate, the sequential nature of the discipline. The office of the superintendent of public instruction, within seven working days, shall post on its web site any grade level content expectations provided to an assessment vendor for use in constructing the statewide student assessment.
(3)(a) By September 1, 2015, the superintendent of public instruction must provide written notification to the smarter balanced assessment multistate consortium indicating that Washington is no longer a participant in the consortium and will not implement the assessment developed by the consortium to assess the common core state standards.
(b) By September 1, 2017, the superintendent of public instruction must develop assessments that are aligned with the revised essential academic learning requirements under subsection (2)(b) of this section.
(c) In consultation with the state board of education, the superintendent of public instruction shall maintain and continue to develop and revise a statewide academic assessment system in the content areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science for use in the elementary, middle, and high school years designed to determine if each student has ((mastered)) met the essential academic learning requirements identified in subsection (1) of this section. School districts shall administer the assessments under guidelines adopted by the superintendent of public instruction. The academic assessment system may include a variety of assessment methods, including criterion-referenced and performance-based measures.
(((b))) (d) Effective with the 2009 administration of the Washington assessment of student learning and continuing with the statewide student assessment, the superintendent shall redesign the assessment in the content areas of reading, mathematics, and science in all grades except high school by shortening test administration and reducing the number of short answer and extended response questions.
(((c) By the 2014-15 school year, the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the state board of education, shall modify the statewide student assessment system to transition to assessments developed with a multistate consortium, as provided in this subsection:
(i) The assessments developed with a multistate consortium to assess student proficiency in English language arts and mathematics shall be administered beginning in the 2014-15 school year. The reading and writing assessments shall not be administered by the superintendent of public instruction or schools after the 2013-14 school year.
(ii) The high school assessments in English language arts and mathematics in (c)(i) of this subsection shall be used for the purposes of earning a certificate of academic achievement for high school graduation under the timeline established in RCW 28A.655.061 and for assessing student career and college readiness.
(iii) During the transition period specified in RCW 28A.655.061, the superintendent of public instruction shall use test items and other resources from the consortium assessment to develop and administer a tenth grade high school English language arts assessment, an end-of-course mathematics assessment to assess the standards common to algebra I and integrated mathematics I, and an end-of-course mathematics assessment to assess the standards common to geometry and integrated mathematics II.))
(4) If the superintendent proposes any modification to the essential academic learning requirements or the statewide assessments, then the superintendent shall, upon request, provide opportunities for the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate to review the assessments and proposed modifications to the essential academic learning requirements before the modifications are adopted.
(5) The assessment system shall be designed so that the results under the assessment system are used by educators as tools to evaluate instructional practices, and to initiate appropriate educational support for students who have not ((mastered)) met the essential academic learning requirements at the appropriate periods in the student's educational development.
(6) By September 2007, the results for reading and mathematics shall be reported in a format that will allow parents and teachers to determine the academic gain a student has acquired in those content areas from one school year to the next.
(7) To assist parents and teachers in their efforts to provide educational support to individual students, the superintendent of public instruction shall provide as much individual student performance information as possible within the constraints of the assessment system's item bank. The superintendent shall also provide to school districts:
(a) Information on classroom-based and other assessments that may provide additional achievement information for individual students; and
(b) A collection of diagnostic tools that educators may use to evaluate the academic status of individual students. The tools shall be designed to be inexpensive, easily administered, and quickly and easily scored, with results provided in a format that may be easily shared with parents and students.
(8) To the maximum extent possible, the superintendent shall integrate knowledge and skill areas in development of the assessments.
(9) Assessments for goals three and four of RCW 28A.150.210 shall be integrated in the essential academic learning requirements and assessments for goals one and two.
(10) The superintendent shall develop assessments that are directly related to the essential academic learning requirements, and are not biased toward persons with different learning styles, racial or ethnic backgrounds, or on the basis of gender.
(11) The superintendent shall consider methods to address the unique needs of special education students when developing the assessments under this section.
(12) The superintendent shall consider methods to address the unique needs of highly capable students when developing the assessments under this section.
(13) The superintendent shall post on the superintendent's web site lists of resources and model assessments in social studies, the arts, and health and fitness.
Sec. 7.  RCW 28A.655.235 and 2013 2nd sp.s. c 18 s 106 are each amended to read as follows:
(1)(a) Beginning in the 2015-16 school year, except as otherwise provided in this subsection (1), for any student who received a score of basic or below basic on the third grade statewide student assessment in reading, writing, or English language arts in the previous school year, the school district must implement an intensive reading and literacy improvement strategy from a state menu of best practices established in accordance with subsection (3) of this section or an alternative strategy in accordance with subsection (4) of this section.
(b) Reading and literacy improvement strategies for students with disabilities whose individualized education program includes specially designed instruction in reading or English language arts shall be as provided in the individualized education program.
(2)(a) Also beginning in the 2015-16 school year, in any school where more than forty percent of the tested students received a score of basic or below basic on the third grade statewide student assessment in reading, writing, or English language arts in the previous school year, as calculated under this subsection (2), the school district must implement an intensive reading and literacy improvement strategy from a state menu of best practices established in accordance with subsection (3) of this section or an alternative strategy in accordance with subsection (4) of this section for all students in grades kindergarten through four at the school.
(b) For the purposes of this subsection (2), the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall exclude the following from the calculation of a school's percentage of tested students receiving a score of basic or below basic on the third grade statewide student assessment:
(i) Students enrolled in the transitional bilingual instruction program unless the student has participated in the transitional bilingual instruction program for three school years;
(ii) Students with disabilities whose individualized education program specifies a different standard to measure reading performance than is required for the statewide student assessment; and
(iii) Schools with fewer than ten students in third grade.
(3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall convene a panel of experts, including the Washington state institute for public policy, to develop a state menu of best practices and strategies for intensive reading and literacy improvement designed to assist struggling students in reaching grade level in reading by the end of fourth grade. The state menu must also include best practices and strategies to improve the reading and literacy of students who are English language learners and for system improvements that schools and school districts can implement to improve reading instruction for all students. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall publish the state menu by July 1, 2014, and update the state menu by each July 1st thereafter.
(4) School districts may use an alternative practice or strategy that is not on a state menu developed under subsection (3) of this section for two school years initially. If the district is able to demonstrate improved outcomes for participating students over the previous two school years at a level commensurate with the best practices and strategies on the state menu, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must approve use of the alternative practice or strategy by the district for one additional school year. Subsequent annual approval by the superintendent of public instruction to use the alternative practice or strategy is dependent on the district continuing to demonstrate an increase in improved outcomes for participating students.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 8.  The following acts or parts of acts are each repealed:
(1) RCW 28A.305.215 (Essential academic learning requirements and grade level expectationsRevised standards and curricula for mathematics and scienceDuties of the state board of education and the superintendent of public instructionRevised graduation requirements) and 2009 c 310 s 5; and
(2) RCW 28A.655.071 (Revised essential academic learning requirementsLegislative reviewImplementation) and 2010 c 235 s 601.
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