HOUSE BILL REPORT
ESHB 1444
As Amended by the Senate
BYHouse Committee on Education/Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Peery, Betrozoff, G. Fisher, Holland, Walker, May, O'Brien, Locke, Winsley, Bowman, Moyer, Valle, Horn, D. Sommers, Ferguson, Wineberry, Rector, Prentice, R. King, Sprenkle, Basich, Dorn, Rust, Todd and H. Myers; by request of Governor Gardner)
Revising programs for students at risk.
House Committe on Education
Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. (17)
Signed by Representatives Peery, Chair; G. Fisher, Vice Chair; Betrozoff, Ranking Republican Member; Brumsickle, Cole, Dorn, Fuhrman, Holland, Horn, Jones, P. King, Phillips, Rasmussen, Rayburn, Valle, Walker and K. Wilson.
House Staff:Susan Patrick (786-7111)
Rereferred House Committee on Appropriations
Majority Report: The substitute bill by Committee on Education as amended by Committee on Appropriations be substituted therefor and the substitute bill as amended do pass. (24)
Signed by Representatives Locke, Chair; Grant, Vice Chair; H. Sommers, Vice Chair; Silver, Ranking Republican Member; Belcher, Bowman, Braddock, Brekke, Bristow, Brough, Dorn, Ebersole, Ferguson, Hine, McLean, Padden, Peery, Rust, Sayan, Spanel, Sprenkle, Valle, Wang and Wineberry.
House Staff: Janet Peterson (786-7136)
AS PASSED HOUSE MARCH 14, 1989
BACKGROUND:
In 1987, the Legislature passed a series of measures to address the problems of at-risk students.
(1) The remediation program was redefined to become the Learning Assistance Program. The purpose of the change was to make more flexible the method in which services were provided to identified children and to encourage the use of assistance in the regular classroom rather than pulling students from the classroom for assistance.
(2) A comprehensive substance abuse awareness program was created to encourage school districts to develop prevention, intervention, and aftercare programs for students who were coordinated with existing community resources. Schools interested in developing a comprehensive program were asked to apply for grant funds to assist them in this effort. This program has been funded primarily with federal funds.
(3) The drop-out prevention and retrieval program was enacted which provided funding to school districts with the highest drop-out rates and required the districts to develop programs to reduce their drop-out rate. Only the districts with a drop-out rate in the top 25 percent of all districts were eligible for funding. Funding for the drop-out prevention program expires at the end of this biennium.
SUMMARY:
Within the Learning Assistance Program, the Legislature encourages schools and school districts to develop innovative and effective methods of serving children. The district plan may incorporate plans developed by each eligible school. The services provided through the Learning Assistance Program are expanded to include: in-service training for instructional assistants and classroom teachers in multi-cultural differences; provision of tutoring assistance during or after school or on Saturday provided by a student tutor, teacher, or instructional assistant; in-service training for parents of participating students and counselling for elementary school students.
In those districts receiving learning assistance funds in which students' test scores improve, such funds for subsequent years shall be funded on the statewide average of eligible students or the district's present level of funding, whichever is higher. Additional funds provided by this incentive may be allocated to schools as specified by the district's board of directors. The allocation method will be reviewed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and recommendations made to the Legislature by January 1, 1995.
Funding shall be provided and distributed for the Substance Abuse Awareness Program as appropriated in the budget. Districts seeking Substance Abuse Awareness Program funding shall have on file an application for state or federal funds. This will allow one application to serve for both state and federal funding. The district's implementation plan shall address the issues of prevention, intervention, aftercare, and disciplinary policies as well as coordination of services with public and private agencies in the community.
Districts are encouraged to design alternative high schools, schools-within- schools and subject-matter-related schools, as well as flexible scheduling to meet the diverse needs of students at risk of dropping out. Districts are also encouraged to use research on effective methods in working with dropouts. A student tutor corps may be established to work with students at risk of dropping out. Student tutors may be high school or college students. The tutor may receive an hourly stipend. The program encourages selection of ethnic and minority students as tutors.
Any student who has dropped out of high school for six weeks or longer, has returned from drug and alcohol treatment, is or is about to become a teen parent, or has returned from hospitalization due to a mental health problem, may choose to attend any other high school in the state regardless of residence. Students may attend a nonresident school only if they are accepted by the school. Schools may not charge nonresident students tuition. Schools are encouraged to accept students who choose to transfer if they meet these conditions. Basic education funding allocations from these states shall follow the student.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall establish procedures to claim basic education allocation funds for students attending classes that are provided outside the calendar school year to the extent such attendance is in lieu of attendance during the regular school year.
The State Board of Education shall review and evaluate strategies to replace Carnegie units with core competencies as a method of evaluating student performance. Core competencies shall include thinking skills. In doing this review, the State Board of Education shall consult with the Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, institutions of higher education, and other relevant agencies. The board shall report its findings and recommendations to the governor, Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Legislature by December, 1989.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction is empowered to establish an outcome based learning assistance education recognition award. The award shall recognize schools that have significant and continuous improvement in student basic skill performance and desired outcomes identified by the district and community.
EFFECT OF SENATE AMENDMENTS: Counseling provided under the Learning Assistance program may be provided to students identified as learning disabled or to students who may become learning disabled without counseling. Counseling may be provided by counselors, psychologists, school nurses and social workers.
Money which may be retained by the district as a result of improved test scores in the Learning Assistance Program must be used for prevention and intervention programs in preschool through grade six.
A provision is added requiring the Superintendent of Public Instruction to review the funding of the Learning Assistance Program. The study shall include the impact of the allocation method, recommendations on the continuation or change in the funding mechanism, comparison of test scores from 1986-87 and 1987-88 with test scores from 1989-90 and 1990-91, and use of unencumbered fund resulting from the allocation method.
The Substance Abuse Awareness Program is expanded to cover nicotine. School districts are required to adopt a no smoking policy on school grounds. Exceptions to the no smoking policy may be given to alternative education programs. The Substance Abuse Awareness Program will continue as a grant program and may include counseling activities.
The tutor corp is eliminated as part of the drop out prevention and retention program.
Choices in enrollment will become a pilot program for school years 1989-90 through 1993-94. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall study the program including enrollment patterns to the Legislature by December 1, 1994. Unless reenacted the choices in enrollment shall expire on December 31, 1994.
Provisions are added relating to the Early Enrollment and Transition Program at the University of Washington for gifted students. The Early Entrance Program would be allowed to contract directly with the Superintendent of Public Instruction rather than with each individual school district. The Early Entrance Program would be allowed to charge these students for the full cost of their instruction above the funding received from the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Early Entrance Program would be allowed to receive the allocation for up to three years or through the year the student reaches the age of 18 rather than just for the period of time the student is completing the transition courses.
Flexible scheduling shall allow schools to conduct school on Saturday.
1) Information from the Schools for the Twenty-First Century Program and 2) Findings of the Temporary Committee on Assessment and Accountability and the field test of outcome based education models. The report on core competency to the Legislature shall be made no later than December 1, 1990 rather than in December, 1989.
The Learning Assistance Pilot Program shall be reduced from ten districts for three years to five projects for two years. The report to the Legislature shall be presented by December 1, 1991 rather than December 15, 1992.
Provisions requiring the development of Outcome Based Learning Assistance Education Recognition Awards by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Awards shall be created for basic skills, work skills, health and physical education and interdisciplinary outcomes based positive learn assistance and positive disciplinary learning assistance education programs. The outcomes based awards shall be linked to the self-study. The sum of $30,000 is appropriated for the biennium to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the awards.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction is encouraged to look at the effect of poverty on student performance in the recognition of outcome based programs.
Provisions are added requiring the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop a model outcomes based health and physical education curriculum. By September 1, 1991, school districts shall consider adoption of the curriculum. The districts may adopt or modify the curriculum.
Fiscal Note: Requested January 18, 1989.
House Committee ‑ Testified For: (Education) Ronn Robinson, Governor's Office.
(Appropriations) Ronn Robinson, Office of Financial Management; Steve Nielsen, Governor's Task Force on Drop-outs; Karen Clark, Tacoma School District and Governor's Task Force on Drop-outs; Dwayne Slate, Washington State School Directors' Association; Walter Ball, Association of Washington School Principals.
House Committee - Testified Against: (Education) Kris Van Gorkom, Washington Association of School Administrators; Dwayne Slate, Washington State School Directors Association; Walter Ball, Association of Washington School Principals; Judy Hartmann, Superintendent of Public Instruction.
(Appropriations) None Presented.
House Committee - Testimony For: (Education) The purpose of the bill is to encourage more involvement of the teacher and parent who are most familiar with the child and his or her problems, to aid in designing the assistance to help the student. This emphasis holds true whether we are dealing with children with academic problems, drug and alcohol problems, or students at risk of or who have dropped out of school. The desire is to prevent students from dropping out by providing early and flexible programs to address their needs. It also works toward recognizing the professional status of our teachers. We have also attempted to provide incentives to improve student performance. Special emphasis is given to assuring that funds reach the schools where the students in need are located.
(Appropriations) The bill provides more flexibility for schools in assisting students at-risk. The use of student tutors is a low-cost approach to helping students who are likely to become drop-outs.
House Committee - Testimony Against: (Education) We made changes in the Learning Assistance Program only two years ago. Is there evidence that this program is not working? Some of the proposed changes significantly affect the balance of power between teachers, administrators and the school board. There is also a financial impact of moving toward a school- based plan rather than a district-based plan. The focus of the program also appears to be less clear. We do not want to dilute the program.
(Appropriations) None Presented.
VOTE ON FINAL PASSAGE:
Yeas 98