H-3890              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 2822

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Representatives Rayburn, Peery, Valle, Holland, Cole, Brumsickle and Rust

Read first time 1/22/90 and referred to Committees on Education/Appropriations.

AN ACT Relating to the portable assisted study sequence program; creating a new section; and making appropriations.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     (1) (a) Washington has been involved in the portable assisted study sequence program (PASS) since 1981.  The purpose of the program is to allow students who are enrolled in high school to make up deficient credits which will enable them to graduate from high school.  While the program was originally designed for migrant children, it has proved an efficient and cost-effective way to allow many students who are at risk of dropping out or who have dropped out and returned to school to make up missing credits.  Each credit requires the student to complete ninety hours of study.  A course is divided up into five modules to be completed by the student, usually under the supervision of a school counselor.  Each module contains all the materials that are necessary including additional research materials, science experiments, novels, and maps.  A test is given on completion of each module and the grades on the exams are averaged to provide the grade for the course.  It takes a student approximately three and one-half months to complete a course semi-independently.  The program is administered state-wide and credits are awarded by the Prosser school district.

          (b) Currently, migrant student participation is funded by federal chapter one migrant funds and chapter two funds.  Nonmigrant students also benefit from chapter two funds and are charged a tuition fee.  As the number of students increases and the program is adopted by additional high schools  and other agencies such as under the job training partnership act, there is a need to assure that there is stable funding for the staff for this program.  The program has grown from serving one hundred migrant students to serving one thousand seven hundred migrant and nonmigrant students.

          (c) Currently the cost of providing one credit through the PASS program is approximately one hundred fifty dollars.  This is very cost-effective when compared to the cost of providing a single credit under basic education funding.

          (2) (a) The sum of one hundred fifty dollars per student enrolled in the portable assisted study sequence, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated each year for the biennium ending June 30, 1991, from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction to provide funding to the school district which administers, develops, and provides the portable assisted study sequence program to other districts and job training programs throughout the state.

          (b) The sum of one hundred thousand dollars, or as much there as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1991, from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction to provide funding to the school district which administers, develops, and provides the PASS program to other districts to acquire approximately three thousand square feet of space and the necessary equipment and furnishing to establish an office for the portable assisted study sequence program.