[atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to high school graduation requirements; amending RCW 28A.230.090; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that:

(1) The state's education reform efforts are built on a foundation that couples high learning standards for students with increased autonomy and flexibility for schools and school districts;

(2) The state board of education had the challenging assignment of aligning state high school graduation requirements with the state's learning standards and the essential academic learning requirements;

(3) The state board of education should be commended for the thoughtful and collaborative way it approached its assignment to restructure state high school graduation requirements;

(4) Although the board used a commendable process to determine state high school graduation requirements, the new requirement that students must complete a plan and culminating project before graduation provides school districts with less autonomy and flexibility than they had before the new requirements were adopted. In addition, the requirement may constrain a student's opportunity to participate in programs such as running start and tech-prep; and

(5) While the state board should define the types of knowledge and skill students should have in order to graduate, the decision on how to organize learning opportunities for students to gain that knowledge and skill should remain with local school boards.

Sec. 2. RCW 28A.230.090 and 1997 c 222 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The state board of education shall establish minimum high school graduation requirements or equivalencies for students. Any course in Washington state history and government used to fulfill high school graduation requirements is encouraged to include information on the culture, history, and government of the American Indian peoples who were the first inhabitants of the state. When adopting minimum high school graduation requirements, the state board shall limit those requirements to the subject matter competencies that students must demonstrate and the subject matter Carnegie units they may complete. Local school directors have the sole authority to determine the organization of a student's learning opportunities and the means by which a student will demonstrate subject matter competence and acquisition of the knowledge and skill needed to meet the goals of the state's basic education act in RCW 28A.150.210.

(2) In recognition of the statutory authority of the state board of education to establish and enforce minimum high school graduation requirements, the state board shall periodically reevaluate the graduation requirements and shall report such findings to the legislature in a timely manner as determined by the state board.

(3) Pursuant to any requirement for instruction in languages other than English established by the state board of education or a local school district, or both, for purposes of high school graduation, students who receive instruction in American sign language or one or more American Indian languages shall be considered to have satisfied the state or local school district graduation requirement for instruction in one or more languages other than English.

(4) If requested by the student and his or her family, a student who has completed high school courses before attending high school shall be given high school credit which shall be applied to fulfilling high school graduation requirements if:

(a) The course was taken with high school students, if the academic level of the course exceeds the requirements for seventh and eighth grade classes, and the student has successfully passed by completing the same course requirements and examinations as the high school students enrolled in the class; or

(b) The academic level of the course exceeds the requirements for seventh and eighth grade classes and the course would qualify for high school credit, because the course is similar or equivalent to a course offered at a high school in the district as determined by the school district board of directors.

(5) Students who have taken and successfully completed high school courses under the circumstances in subsection (4) of this section shall not be required to take an additional competency examination or perform any other additional assignment to receive credit. Subsection (4) of this section shall also apply to students enrolled in high school on April 11, 1990, who took the courses before attending high school.

(6) At the college or university level, five quarter or three semester hours equals one high school credit.