READ FIRST TIME 02/01/06.   

     AN ACT Relating to the high school assessment system; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   In 1993 the Washington legislature laid out a vision of a revitalized school system in Washington state. Envisioned was a comprehensive assessment system committed to high academic standards for all of its students. The Washington assessment of student learning was created as a tool to measure whether students were reaching the high academic standards. The legislature continues to support this assessment as a part of a comprehensive assessment system. Recently some alternative assessments have been developed. The legislature finds that there is interest in exploring why some students have not been able to meet the state standards and whether additional alternative methods, options, procedures, or performance measures could be used to augment the current system.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) The Washington state institute for public policy shall conduct a study to explore options to augment the current system of assessments to provide additional opportunities for students to demonstrate that they have met the state learning standards. The study is limited to:
     (a) A review and statistical analysis of Washington assessment of student learning data to increase understanding of the students who did not meet the standard in one or more areas of assessment, identify the characteristics of those students, and identify possible barriers to student success or possible causes of the lack of success;
     (b) A review and identification of additional alternative assessment options that could be used to augment the current assessment system. In identifying the alternative assessment options, the institute shall include a review of alternative assessments used in other states as well as those that have been developed and those that have been proposed in Washington. The institute shall examine the use of national tests as well as career skill certification exams in their review of possible alternative assessment options. For each of the identified alternative assessment options, the study shall at a minimum include:
     (i) An estimation of the costs for implementation;
     (ii) A review of the cultural appropriateness;
     (iii) Whether the alternative assessment reliably measures a student's ability to meet state learning standards in one or more of the required content areas;
     (iv) Whether the alternative assessment is in compliance with RCW 28A.655.061(1); and
     (v) Any challenges to implementation for each of the identified alternative assessment options, including any legislative action necessary for implementation;
     (c) A review and identification of additional alternative methods, procedures, or combinations of performance measures, including those proposed in Washington, to assess whether students have met the state learning standards. For each of the identified alternative methods, procedures, or performance measures, the study shall at a minimum include:
     (i) An estimation of the costs for implementation;
     (ii) A review of the cultural appropriateness;
     (iii) Whether the method, procedure, or performance measure reliably measures a student's ability to meet state learning standards in one or more of the required content areas;
     (iv) Whether the method, procedure, or performance measure is in compliance with RCW 28A.655.061(1);
     (v) Any challenges to implementation for each of the identified methods, procedures, or performance measures, including any legislative action necessary for implementation; and
     (vi) Whether the procedures or methods could be standardized across the state.
     (2) The Washington state institute for public policy shall provide an interim report to the legislature by December 1, 2006, and a final report by December 1, 2007. The interim report shall include a preliminary statistical analysis of the information required under subsection (1)(a) of this section and shall include recommendations on at least two alternative assessment options, alternative methods, procedures, or performance measures that were reviewed under subsection (1)(b) and (c) of this section. The final study shall include suggestions for any follow-up studies that the legislature could undertake to continue to build on the information obtained in this study.
     (3) The institute shall consult, at a minimum, with nationally recognized experts on assessments including representatives from nationally recognized centers for multicultural education, representatives of the office of the superintendent of public instruction, educators, counselors, parents, the business community, classified employees, career and technical organizations, representatives of federally recognized Washington tribes, representatives of cultural, linguistic, and racial minority groups, and the community of persons with disabilities in developing the initial list of possible alternative assessment options, alternative assessment methods, procedures, or performance measures to be reviewed under subsection (1)(b) and (c) of this section.
     (4) The office of the superintendent of public instruction and school districts shall provide the institute with access to all necessary data to conduct the studies in this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   This act shall be known as the Governor Booth Gardner Act.