AN ACT Relating to establishing a process and a date for determining when the high school assessment is valid and reliable and shall lead to a certificate of mastery; adding a new section to chapter 28A.655 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that it is crucial to establish a process for determining when the high school assessment is valid and reliable and to give a specific date about when that finding will be made. A specific process must be followed both to be legally valid and for students, parents, educators, and other citizens to both understand and have confidence in the validity and reliability of the tenth grade assessment and that the certificate of mastery is an appropriate measure of student achievement.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.655 RCW to read as follows:

(1) By September 2010, the state board of education shall determine whether the high school assessment of the Washington assessment of student learning is sufficiently reliable and valid so that successful completion of the assessment shall lead to a certificate of mastery as required under RCW 28A.655.060. The state board of education shall determine that the assessment is reliable and valid only if the board makes positive findings based on the following:

(a) The curriculum and instruction are aligned with the assessments;

(b) Students have the opportunity to receive instruction aligned with the assessments;

(c) The assessments measure student learning accurately, including but not limited to, finding that the scoring of the assessments is valid; the standards for achievement on the assessments are clearly and appropriately established; a process is established to protect the integrity of the assessments; the items on the assessments are reviewed and updated; and the assessment is reliable, which includes internal consistency, interrater reliability, the ability for the results to be generalized across tasks, and reliability of the cut score;

(d) Educators have training in administering the assessments;

(e) Educational issues have been addressed including assessments in the early and middle grades, procedures for retesting students, and help for students who do not meet the standards on the assessments;

(f) A reporting system is in place to accurately report the results of the assessments.

(g) The development of the assessment meets accepted test construction procedures;

(h) The content of the assessment represents an adequate sampling of the academic subject being assessed;

(i) There is a correlation between the scores on the state-wide standardized norm-reference assessment and the Washington assessment on student learning;

(j) Scoring procedures are dependable and free from random errors of measurement;

(k) The passing standards or cut-scores ensure reasonable student proficiency and are empirically reliable; and

(l) There is a standardization of test administration.

(2) The state board of education shall consult with the superintendent of public instruction, the academic achievement and accountability commission, representatives of higher education, educators, school directors, students, parents, and interested citizens in preparing its findings under this section.

(3) The state board of education shall develop and implement rules that ensure that once the high school assessment leads to a certificate of mastery the achievement of the certificate of mastery shall not be used as the measure of student achievement which enables a high school student to be eligible to enter into a running start program at an institution of higher education.

(4) The state board of education shall ensure that qualified students enrolled in approved private schools under chapter 28A.195 RCW, home-based instruction students under chapter 28A.200 RCW, and students who come from out-of-state shall not be discriminated against in any way or denied equal access or opportunities to any benefit or benefits provided by meeting the high school assessment standards and achieving the certificate of mastery, including admission to higher education institutions and job opportunities.