SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6450

As of January 29, 2004

Title: An act relating to prohibiting discrimination against students educated in private, parochial, and home-based instruction.

Brief Description: Prohibiting discrimination against students educated in private, parochial, and home-based instruction.

Sponsors: Senators Stevens, Johnson, Hargrove, Mulliken, Parlette, Benton, Roach and Pflug.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Education: 2/4/04

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Staff: Susan Mielke (786-7422)

Background: Under current law, private school and home-based instructed students are not required to take the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) or to obtain a state certificate of mastery (COM).

Under the State Board of Education rules, once the secondary WASL is determined to be sufficiently reliable and valid and that retakes of the secondary WASL are available, each public high school student's transcript must include a notation of whether the student has met the standard on the secondary WASL and/or earned the state COM. Currently, prospective employers may request a public high school student's transcript but the student or the student's parent must provide consent for the school to release such information. Neither passage of the secondary WASL nor obtaining the state COM is currently required for entrance into an institution of higher education.

Summary of Substitute Bill: If a private, parochial, or home-based instructed student passes a test that meets the 1993 State Board of Education requirements for the annual assessment of home-based instructed students, then the students are entitled to all the benefits of the COM, including benefits in the public schools. Discrimination in equal access and opportunity against private, parochial, or home-based students is unlawful.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill: The original bill was not considered.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.