S-3791.1 _______________________________________________
SENATE BILL 6418
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State of Washington 56th Legislature 2000 Regular Session
By Senators McAuliffe, Eide, Brown, Rasmussen, Bauer, Goings, Costa, Kohl‑Welles and Wojahn
Read first time 01/14/2000. Referred to Committee on Education.
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) Within three years, but not later than 2010, after all components of the high school assessment are required state-wide in this state's public schools, the state board of education shall make a determination that the high school assessment shall lead to a certificate of mastery and that it is sufficiently reliable and valid under RCW 28A.655.060 based upon finding that:
(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; and
(f) A reporting system is in place to accurately report the results of the assessments.
(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.
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