AN ACT Relating to establishing the ninth grade success grant program; adding a new section to chapter 28A.175 RCW; and creating a new section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that ninth grade is a pivotal year for students and that ninth grade success is one of the most predictive indicators of on-time graduation. Research indicates that students are more likely to fail a class in the ninth grade than in any other grade, but also shows that students who pass all their ninth grade classes are up to four times more likely to graduate.

The legislature further finds that targeted approaches have been shown to increase ninth grade on-track scores in schools. These approaches include establishing success teams that regularly review data regarding student attendance, behavior, and grades to identify when a student may be falling behind and intervene with strategic supports. Through coaching and collaboration these success teams also share best practices, evaluate outcome data, and progress towards creating a sustainable framework that can be implemented in subsequent school years.

The legislature acknowledges the impact of the ninth grade success team pilot program established in 2019, which resulted in four out of five school districts reporting immediate and sustained increases in their ninth grade on-track rates. The successful expansion of the program in the 2021-22 school year to 30 participating schools also had positive outcomes, with 83 percent of schools increasing their baseline rates over the prior school year and 50 percent of schools reporting a double-digit increase. The legislature now intends to create a permanent ninth grade success grant program to expand access across Washington state.

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall establish and administer the ninth grade success grant program. The purpose of the grant program is to fund the creation of ninth grade success teams that can identify and support incoming high school students who are at risk of not graduating. The office of the superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules for the grant program established under this section.

(2)(a) Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall award grants to eligible public schools as defined in RCW 28A.150.010. When awarding grants under this section, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must prioritize schools with low ninth grade on-track scores as identified through the Washington school improvement framework and schools that have graduation rates below the statewide average. The office of the superintendent of public instruction must attempt to award grants to public schools in different geographic regions of the state.

(b) The office of the superintendent of public instruction may contract with a qualified nonprofit organization that has experience coaching school success teams to provide individualized coaching to grant recipients.

(3) Recipients may use grant funds for costs associated with establishing and operating a ninth grade success team program including, but not limited to:

(4) By June 30, 2024, and annually thereafter until 2029, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must report to the governor and the education committees of the legislature on the implementation of the grant program. The report must include:

(b) The demographics of the students served by recipient schools' ninth grade success teams, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, and the following student groups: Students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, students receiving special education services, students receiving transitional bilingual instruction, students in foster care, and students experiencing homelessness;

(c) Data comparing each recipient school's ninth grade on-track scores before and after implementing ninth grade success teams;