AN ACT Relating to the expansion of civics education in public schools; amending RCW 43.79A.040; adding a new section to chapter 28A.230 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.415 RCW; adding new sections to chapter 28A.300 RCW; creating a new section; and repealing RCW 28A.230.093.

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

Civics requirements are meant to ensure that every student receives a high-quality civics education from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The legislature also recognizes, however, that two factors limit the effectiveness of civics education.

First, when the one-half civics credit is embedded in other courses rather than taught in a stand-alone civics course, the required content is easily diluted or ignored altogether. Pressure to emphasize other areas of the curriculum can relegate civics education to a lesser role.

Second, professional development opportunities for teachers in civics education are rare. In many districts, due to limited budgets and competing demands for funding, opportunities for teachers to deepen instructional and curricular practices in civics do not exist.

The legislature, therefore, intends to: Require school districts to provide a mandatory stand-alone civics course for all high school students; and support the development of an in-depth and interactive teacher professional development program to improve the ability of teachers throughout the state to provide students with an effective civics education from kindergarten through twelfth grade. This expanded civics education program seeks to ensure that students have basic knowledge about national, state, tribal, and local governments, and that they develop the skills and dispositions needed to become informed and engaged citizens.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.230 RCW to read as follows:

(1)(a) Beginning with or before the 2020-21 school year, each school district that operates a high school must provide a mandatory one-half credit stand-alone course in civics for each high school student. Except as provided by (c) of this subsection, civics content and instruction embedded in other social studies courses do not satisfy the requirements of this subsection.

(b) Credit awarded to students who complete the civics course must be applied to course credit requirements in social studies that are required for high school graduation.

(c) Civics content and instruction required by this section may be embedded in social studies courses that offer students the opportunity to earn both high school and postsecondary credit.

(2) The content of the civics course must include, but is not limited to:

(a) Federal, state, tribal, and local government organization and procedures;

(b) Rights and responsibilities of citizens addressed in the Washington state and United States Constitutions;

(c) Current issues addressed at each level of government;

(d) Electoral issues, including elections, ballot measures, initiatives, and referenda;

(e) The study and completion of the civics component of the federally administered naturalization test required of persons seeking to become naturalized United States citizens; and

(f) The importance in a free society of living the basic values and character traits specified in RCW 28A.150.211.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.415 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, an expanded civics education teacher training program is established within the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

(2) The program must provide for the selection of a team of qualified social studies teachers, and when appropriate, civics education specialists, from across the state who will:

(a) Develop teacher training materials using existing open educational resources (OERs) that include civics information on national, state, tribal, and local government, and the civics component of the federally administered naturalization test required of persons seeking to become naturalized United States citizens;

(b) Provide teacher training across the state, consistent with provisions in this chapter, and using the tools established by the office of the superintendent of public instruction including the college, career, and civic life (C3) framework and the six proven instructional practices for enhancing civic education; and

(c) Provide professional learning opportunities as described in section 2(3), chapter 77, Laws of 2016, which states that professional learning shall incorporate differentiated, coherent, sustained, and evidence-based strategies that improve educator effectiveness and student achievement, including job-embedded coaching or other forms of assistance to support educators' transfer of new knowledge and skills into their practice.

(3) The program shall assure an increase in the number of:

(a) Teachers with the knowledge and skills to effectively engage students in civics education;

(b) Students who have a basic understanding of how governments work; and

(c) Students from every demographic and socioeconomic group who know their rights and responsibilities within society and are prepared to exercise them.

(4) The office of the superintendent of public instruction may accept gifts and grants to assist with the establishment and implementation of the program established in this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:

Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall select two school districts that are diverse in size and in geographic and demographic makeup to serve as demonstration sites for enhanced civics education. These demonstration sites will:

(1) Implement and assess an in-depth civics education program that includes the six proven instructional practices for enhancing civic education in kindergarten through twelfth grade classrooms;

(2) Collaborate with programs and agencies in the local community in order to expand after-school and summer civics education opportunities;

(3) Monitor and report the level of penetration of civics education in school and out-of-school programs;

(4) Ensure that underserved students including rural, low-income, immigrant, and refugee students are prioritized in the implementation of programs;

(5) Develop evaluation standards and a procedure for endorsing civics education curriculum that can be recommended for use in other school districts and out-of-school programs; and

(6) Provide an annual report on the demonstration sites by December 1st each year to the governor and the committees of the legislature with oversight over K-12 education.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:

(1)(a) Effective July 1, 2018, responsibility for administering the Washington history day program is transferred from the Washington state historical society to the office of the superintendent of public instruction. In accordance with this subsection (1)(a), and subject to funds appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction is responsible for the administration and coordination of the Washington history day program, a program affiliated with the national history day organization, including providing necessary staff support.

(b) Subject to the requirements and limits of (a) of this subsection, the Washington history day program must be operated as a partnership between the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the Washington state historical society, and private parties interested in providing funding and in-kind support for the program. The Washington state historical society must, in coordination with the office of the superintendent of public instruction, promote the program and provide access and support for students who are conducting primary and secondary research of historical Washington state documents and commentary.

(2) The Washington history day account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. In collaboration with private and philanthropic partners, private matching funds will be procured to support Washington history day. All receipts from gifts, grants, or endowments from public or private sources must be deposited into the account. Expenditures from the account may be used only for the Washington history day program. 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.

Sec. 6.  RCW 43.79A.040 and 2017 3rd sp.s. c 5 s 89 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Money in the treasurer's trust fund may be deposited, invested, and reinvested by the state treasurer in accordance with RCW 43.84.080 in the same manner and to the same extent as if the money were in the state treasury, and may be commingled with moneys in the state treasury for cash management and cash balance purposes.

(2) All income received from investment of the treasurer's trust fund must be set aside in an account in the treasury trust fund to be known as the investment income account.

(3) The investment income account may be utilized for the payment of purchased banking services on behalf of treasurer's trust funds including, but not limited to, depository, safekeeping, and disbursement functions for the state treasurer or affected state agencies. The investment income account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for payments to financial institutions. Payments must occur prior to distribution of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.

(4)(a) Monthly, the state treasurer must distribute the earnings credited to the investment income account to the state general fund except under (b), (c), and (d) of this subsection.

(b) The following accounts and funds must receive their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or fund's average daily balance for the period: The 24/7 sobriety account, the Washington promise scholarship account, the Gina Grant Bull memorial legislative page scholarship account, the Washington advanced college tuition payment program account, the Washington college savings program account, the accessible communities account, the Washington achieving a better life experience program account, the community and technical college innovation account, the agricultural local fund, the American Indian scholarship endowment fund, the foster care scholarship endowment fund, the foster care endowed scholarship trust fund, the contract harvesting revolving account, the Washington state combined fund drive account, the commemorative works account, the county enhanced 911 excise tax account, the toll collection account, the developmental disabilities endowment trust fund, the energy account, the fair fund, the family and medical leave insurance account, the food animal veterinarian conditional scholarship account, the forest health revolving account, the fruit and vegetable inspection account, the future teachers conditional scholarship account, the game farm alternative account, the GET ready for math and science scholarship account, the Washington global health technologies and product development account, the grain inspection revolving fund, the Washington history day account, the industrial insurance rainy day fund, the juvenile accountability incentive account, the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' plan 2 expense fund, the local tourism promotion account, the low-income home rehabilitation revolving loan program account, the multiagency permitting team account, the northeast Washington wolf-livestock management account, the pilotage account, the produce railcar pool account, the regional transportation investment district account, the rural rehabilitation account, the Washington sexual assault kit account, the stadium and exhibition center account, the youth athletic facility account, the self-insurance revolving fund, the children's trust fund, the Washington horse racing commission Washington bred owners' bonus fund and breeder awards account, the Washington horse racing commission class C purse fund account, the individual development account program account, the Washington horse racing commission operating account, the life sciences discovery fund, the Washington state heritage center account, the reduced cigarette ignition propensity account, the center for childhood deafness and hearing loss account, the school for the blind account, the Millersylvania park trust fund, the public employees' and retirees' insurance reserve fund, and the radiation perpetual maintenance fund.

(c) The following accounts and funds must receive eighty percent of their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or fund's average daily balance for the period: The advanced right-of-way revolving fund, the advanced environmental mitigation revolving account, the federal narcotics asset forfeitures account, the high occupancy vehicle account, the local rail service assistance account, and the miscellaneous transportation programs account.

(d) Any state agency that has independent authority over accounts or funds not statutorily required to be held in the custody of the state treasurer that deposits funds into a fund or account in the custody of the state treasurer pursuant to an agreement with the office of the state treasurer shall receive its proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or fund's average daily balance for the period.

(5) In conformance with Article II, section 37 of the state Constitution, no trust accounts or funds shall be allocated earnings without the specific affirmative directive of this section.

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