6475-S AMS MCAU LEWI 002

SSB 6475 - S AMD 89

By Senator McAuliffe

ADOPTED 2/10/2006

Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 A new section is added to chapter 28A.655 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Beginning in the 2006-07 school year, the superintendent of public instruction shall implement three objective alternative assessment methods as provided in this section for students to demonstrate achievement of the state standards in content areas in which the student has not yet met the standard on the high school Washington assessment of student learning. A student may access any alternative if the student meets applicable eligibility criteria in RCW 28A.655.061 and any other eligibility criteria established by the superintendent of public instruction.

(2) For the purposes of this section, "applicant" means a student seeking to use one of the alternative assessment methods in this section.

(3) The alternative assessment methods shall include:

(a) A combination of the applicant's grades in applicable courses and the applicant's highest score on the high school Washington assessment of student learning, as provided in this subsection.

(i) Using guidelines prepared by the superintendent of public instruction, a school district shall identify the group of students in the same school as the applicant who took the same high school courses as the applicant in the applicable content area. From the group of students identified in this manner, the district shall select the comparison cohort that shall be those students who met or slightly exceeded the state standard on the Washington assessment of student learning.

(ii) The district shall compare the applicant's grades in high school courses in the applicable content area to the grades of students in the comparison cohort for the same high school courses. If the applicant's grades are equal to or above the mean grades of the comparison cohort, the applicant shall be deemed to have met the state standard on the alternative assessment.

(iii) An applicant may not use the alternative assessment under this subsection (3)(a) if there are fewer than six students in the comparison cohort.

(b) An evaluation of a collection of work samples prepared and submitted by the applicant, as provided in this subsection, and for career and technical applicants, the additional requirements of subsection (3)(c).

(i) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop guidelines for the types and number of work samples in each content area that may be submitted as a collection to evidence that the applicant has met the state standard in that content area. Work samples may be collected from academic, career and technical, or remedial courses and may include performance tasks as well as written products.

(ii) The superintendent shall develop protocols for submission of the collection of work samples that include affidavits from the applicant's teachers and school district that the samples are the work of the applicant and a requirement that a portion of the samples be prepared under the direct supervision of a classroom teacher.

(iii) The superintendent shall develop uniform scoring criteria for evaluating the collection of work samples. Collections shall be scored at the state level or regionally by a panel of educators selected and trained by the superintendent to ensure objectivity, reliability, and rigor in the evaluation. An educator may not score work samples submitted by applicants from the educator's school district. If the panel awards an applicant's collection of work samples the minimum required score, the applicant shall be deemed to have met the state standard on the alternative assessment.

(c) An evaluation of a collection of work samples prepared and submitted by an applicant who is enrolled in a career and technical education program approved under section 2 of this act, as provided in this subsection and subsection (3)(b). To meet the state standard on the alternative assessment under this subsection (3)(c), an applicant must also attain the state or nationally recognized certificate or credential associated with the approved career and technical program. The superintendent of public instruction shall develop guidelines for the collection of work samples that evidences that the collection:

(i) Is relevant to the student's particular career and technical program;

(ii) Focuses on the application of academic knowledge and skills within the program;

(iii) Includes completed activities or projects where demonstration of academic knowledge is inferred; and

(iv) Is related to the essential academic learning requirements and state standards that students must meet to earn a certificate of academic achievement or certificate of individual achievement, but also represents the knowledge and skills that successful individuals in the career and technical field of the approved program are expected to possess.

(4) In developing the work samples for subsection (3)(c), the superintendent shall consult with community and technical colleges, employers, the work force training and education coordinating board, apprenticeship programs, and other regional and national experts in career and technical education to create an appropriate collection of work samples and other evidence of a career and technical student's knowledge and skills on the state academic standards.

(5) The superintendent of public instruction shall implement:

(a) By June 1, 2006, a process for students to appeal the score they received on the high school assessments; and

(b) By January 1, 2007, guidelines and appeal processes for waiving specific requirements in RCW 28A.655.061 pertaining to the certificate of academic achievement and to the certificate of individual achievement for students who:

(i) Transfer to a Washington public school in their junior or senior year with the intent of obtaining a public high school diploma, or

(ii) have special, unavoidable circumstances.

(6)(a) The superintendent of public instruction shall study the feasibility of using existing mathematics assessments in languages other than English as an additional alternative assessment option. The study shall include an estimation of the cost of translating the tenth grade mathematics assessment into other languages and scoring the assessments should they be implemented.

(b) The superintendent of public instruction shall begin development of an additional alternative assessment option for mathematics that: presents the mathematics essential learnings in segments for assessment; is comparable in content and rigor to the tenth grade mathematics assessment when all segments are considered together; is reliable and valid; and can be used to determine a student's academic performance level.

(7) The superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules to implement this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 28C.04 RCW to read as follows:

The superintendent of public instruction shall develop a list of approved career and technical education programs that qualify for the objective alternative assessment for career and technical students developed under section 1 of this act. Programs on the list must meet the following minimum criteria:

(1) Lead to a certificate or credential that is state or nationally recognized by trades, industries, or other professional associations as necessary for employment or advancement in that field;

(2) Require a sequenced progression of multiple courses, both exploratory and preparatory, that are vocationally intensive and rigorous; and

(3) Have a high potential for providing the program completer with gainful employment or entry into a postsecondary work force training program.

   NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 A new section is added to chapter 28A.655 RCW to read as follows:
  (1) Beginning with the high school graduating class of 2008, a certificate of academic progress shall be available to students who have completed all state and local requirements for high school graduation except obtaining a certificate of academic achievement under RCW 28A.655.061 or a certificate of individual achievement under RCW 28A.155.045. The certificate of academic progress is not the equivalent of a high school diploma, but enables students to participate in commencement ceremonies upon meeting the criteria in this section.
  (2) To be eligible for a certificate of academic progress, a student must:
  (a) Pass all state and local high school graduation requirements except for obtaining a certificate of academic achievement or a certificate of individual achievement and must have taken at least one retake;
  (b) Maintain at least a ninety percent attendance level during the senior year of high school, however the school district superintendent may waive this requirement upon the student providing documentation of circumstances such as illness that warrant waiving this requirement; and
  (c) Meet with counselors, teachers, and parents, as appropriate, to update the student's high school and beyond plan.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1) By January 2007, the superintendent of public instruction shall report the following, in detail, to the education committees of the legislature:

(a) The guidelines, protocols, and procedures used by the superintendent in implementing the alternative assessments, particularly the collection of evidence;

(b) A description of the training to be provided for school districts, educators serving on scoring panels, and teachers assisting students with collections of work samples;

(d) The results of the study in section 1(6)(a) of this act and the development status of the additional assessment option in section 1(6)(b) of this act.

Correct title and internal references accordingly.

--- END ---