HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 325

BYRepresentatives Ebersole, Betrozoff and Walk

Providing for curriculum based assessment for bilingual education programs and programs for those with learning disabilities.

House Committe on Education

Majority Report:     The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (20)

     Signed by Representatives Ebersole, Chair; Spanel, Vice Chair; Appelwick, Betrozoff, Cole, Cooper, Fuhrman, Holland, Holm, P. King, Peery, Pruitt, Rasmussen, Rayburn, Rust, Schoon, L. Smith, Todd, Valle and Walker.

House Staff:Susan Patrick (786-7111)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION FEBRUARY 24, 1987

BACKGROUND:

To participate in programs for the learning disabled, students must receive a complete assessment which includes an evaluation by a school psychologist using standardized intelligence tests, achievement measures and other information for placement. Current testing procedures for transitional bilingual programs are difficult and time consuming to use, with little validity to the results, because some students speak so little English. Curriculum based measures may indicate the student is having difficulty.  Generally, evaluation based on curriculum based assessment does not require as much time or cost as traditional methods of assessment.

SUMMARY:

SUBSTITUTE BILL:  The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall complete a study and adopt, where appropriate, curriculum based assessment procedures, and rules allowing school districts to elect to use such procedures as early intervention attempts and as academic measures for supplementing a student's eligibility for the learning disabilities program.  Such procedures could be used as an ongoing assessment for such students while in special education but cannot be used to deny a student the right to an assessment to determine eligibility for participating in learning disabilities programs.

SUBSTITUTE BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  The Superintendent of Public Instruction must complete a study of curriculum based assessment before adopting such a policy where appropriate.  These procedures may be used for early intervention and supplementing evidence of the student's eligibility and for ongoing assessment for a student in special education.  Curriculum based assessment procedures, however, cannot be used to deny a student the right to an assessment to determine eligibility for participating in a learning disability program.

Fiscal Note:    Attached.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:     John Pearson, Director of Special Education for Tacoma Schools; Elaine Kurlinski, special education teacher in Tacoma; Judy Hartmann, Office of the Superintendent of Instruction; Judy Schrag, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Assistant Superintendent for Special Services; Laurel Jones, Executive Director, Washington Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities; Bill Thomas, school psychologist with the Olympia School District, and Washington Association of School Psychologists.

House Committee - Testified Against: None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:     Many psychologists spend most of their time testing students to determine eligibility and reevaluating students for continued participation in special education programs.  Often a student's progress based on the curriculum makes it clear that the student continues to need help.  Curriculum based assessment is a method of allowing districts to maximize the effective use of their psychologist.  This must not be done in a manner that takes away the rights of special needs students to the evaluation and special services they require.

House Committee - Testimony Against: None Presented.