BILL REQ. #: H-0655.1
| State of Washington | 60th Legislature | 2007 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/16/2007. Referred to Committee on Education.
AN ACT Relating to revising the essential academic learning requirements and statewide academic system; amending RCW 28A.655.070, 28A.655.061, 28A.150.220, 28A.180.100, 28A.195.010, 28A.200.010, 28A.230.090, 28A.305.130, 28A.600.310, and 28A.655.090; reenacting and amending RCW 28A.230.125; adding new sections to chapter 28A.655 RCW; repealing RCW 28A.155.045, 28A.655.010, 28A.655.063, 28A.655.065, and 28A.230.195; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 28A.655.070 and 2005 c 497 s 106 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop
essential academic learning requirements that identify the knowledge
and skills all public school students need to know and be able to do
based on the student learning goals in RCW 28A.150.210, ((develop))
select student assessments, and implement the accountability
recommendations and requests regarding assistance, rewards, and
recognition of the state board of education.
(2) The state board of education shall appoint an academic
standards panel comprised of exemplary educators from Washington and
nationally and internationally recognized individuals with knowledge
and expertise in student learning standards at various grade levels and
in various subject areas. By September 1, 2007, the academic standards
panel shall recommend revisions to the essential academic learning
requirements in reading, writing, mathematics, and science, which shall
be adopted by the superintendent of public instruction. The revised
essential academic learning requirements shall be aligned with national
and international standards of academic achievement and aligned with
diagnostic and standards-based assessments that are available and used
in school districts and in other states. The revised essential
academic learning requirements shall form the basis for revisions of
the grade level content expectations and the statewide academic
assessment system used for state and federal accountability purposes to
ensure alignment between instruction, curriculum, standards,
assessments, and accountability in core academic areas.
(3) After the revisions required by subsection (1) of this section,
the superintendent of public instruction ((shall)):
(a) May periodically revise the essential academic learning
requirements, as needed, based on the student learning goals in RCW
28A.150.210. Goals one and two shall be considered primary. To the
maximum extent possible, the superintendent shall integrate goal four
and the knowledge and skill areas in the other goals in the essential
academic learning requirements; and
(b) Shall review and prioritize the essential academic learning
requirements and identify, with clear and concise descriptions, the
grade level content expectations to be assessed on the Washington
assessment of student learning and used for state or federal
accountability purposes. The review, prioritization, and
identification shall result in more focus and targeting with an
emphasis on depth over breadth in the number of grade level content
expectations assessed at each grade level. Grade level content
expectations shall be articulated over the grades as a sequence of
expectations and performances that are logical, build with increasing
depth after foundational knowledge and skills are acquired, and
reflect, where appropriate, the sequential nature of the discipline.
The office of the superintendent of public instruction, within seven
working days, shall post on its web site any grade level content
expectations provided to an assessment vendor for use in
((constructing)) the Washington assessment of student learning.
(((3))) (4) No later than August 31, 2008, and in consultation with
the state board of education, the superintendent of public instruction
shall ((maintain and continue to develop and)) revise ((a)) and
thereafter maintain statewide academic assessment system in the content
areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science for use in the
elementary, middle, and high school years designed to determine if each
student has mastered the revised essential academic learning
requirements identified in subsection (1) of this section. The
superintendent of public instruction shall select one or more
assessments in reading, writing, mathematics, and science to be used
for state and federal accountability purposes beginning in the 2008-09
school year. The assessments must have the characteristics described
in subsection (6) of this section and shall serve as the Washington
assessment of student learning. School districts shall administer the
assessments under guidelines adopted by the superintendent of public
instruction. ((The academic assessment system shall include a variety
of assessment methods, including criterion-referenced and performance-based measures.)) (5) If the superintendent proposes any modification to the
essential academic learning requirements or the statewide assessments,
then the superintendent shall, upon request, provide opportunities for
the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate
to review the assessments and proposed modifications to the essential
academic learning requirements before the modifications are adopted.
(4)
(((5)(a))) (6) The assessments ((system)) selected under subsection
(4) of this section shall:
(a) Measure annual growth in individual student achievement of the
revised essential academic learning requirements and grade level
content expectations in a manner that meets professional and federal
standards for reliability and validity;
(b) Be designed so that the results under the assessment system are
used by educators as diagnostic tools to evaluate instructional
practices((,)) and to initiate appropriate educational support for
students who have not mastered the essential academic learning
requirements at the appropriate periods in the student's educational
development((.));
(b) Assessments measuring the essential academic learning
requirements in the content area of science shall be available for
mandatory use in middle schools and high schools by the 2003-04 school
year and for mandatory use in elementary schools by the 2004-05 school
year unless the legislature takes action to delay or prevent
implementation of the assessment.
(6) By September 2007, the results for reading and mathematics
shall be reported in a format that will allow parents and teachers to
determine the academic gain a student has acquired in those content
areas from one school year to the next.
(7) To assist parents and teachers in their efforts to provide
educational support to individual students, the superintendent of
public instruction shall provide as much individual student performance
information as possible within the constraints of the assessment
system's item bank.
(c) Be easily administered, quickly and easily scored, with results
provided in a format that may be easily shared with parents and
students;
(d) Be designed so that sample and actual tests are promptly
available to parents, teachers, and the public. Individual student
responses to the test questions shall be promptly available subject to
applicable state and federal protections of student privacy;
(e) Permit comparison of student achievement to school districts
and states outside of Washington that have similar academic achievement
standards and use the same assessments;
(f) Meet federal guidelines for creating a growth model of school
accountability as well as an improvement or status model of school
accountability; and
(g) Are not biased toward persons with different learning styles,
racial or ethnic backgrounds, or on the basis of gender.
(7) The superintendent shall also provide to school districts((:)) information on classroom-based and other assessments that may
provide additional achievement information for individual students((
(a);
and)).
(b) A collection of diagnostic tools that educators may use to
evaluate the academic status of individual students. The tools shall
be designed to be inexpensive, easily administered, and quickly and
easily scored, with results provided in a format that may be easily
shared with parents and students
(8) To the maximum extent possible, the ((superintendent))
assessments shall integrate knowledge and skill areas ((in development
of the assessments)).
(9) Assessments for goals three and four of RCW 28A.150.210 shall
be integrated in the essential academic learning requirements and
assessments for goals one and two.
(10) ((The superintendent shall develop assessments that are
directly related to the essential academic learning requirements, and
are not biased toward persons with different learning styles, racial or
ethnic backgrounds, or on the basis of gender.)) The superintendent shall consider methods to address the
unique needs of special education students and highly capable students
when ((
(11)developing)) selecting the assessments under this section.
(((12) The superintendent shall consider methods to address the
unique needs of highly capable students when developing the assessments
under this section.)) (11) The superintendent shall post on the superintendent's
web site lists of resources and model assessments in social studies,
the arts, and health and fitness.
(13)
(12) If students' scores on the assessments under this section
indicate that students need help in identified areas, the school
district shall evaluate its instructional practices and make
appropriate adjustments.
(13) Each school district shall notify the parents of each student
of their child's performance on the assessments conducted under this
section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 28A.655
RCW to read as follows:
Not later than the 2009-10 school year, the superintendent of
public instruction shall submit to the United States department of
education a proposal to use a growth model of school accountability for
purposes of P.L. 107-110, the no child left behind act of 2001. The
growth model shall be based on results of the Washington assessment of
student learning as revised by the 2007 c . . . (this act) amendments
to RCW 28A.655.070 and shall measure improvements in individual student
achievement from one year to the next rather than comparing the
achievement status of a different cohort of students at the same grade
level from one year to the next. If the proposal is approved by the
department, the superintendent of public instruction and the state
board of education shall implement the growth model for both state and
federal accountability purposes.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 A new section is added to chapter 28A.655
RCW to read as follows:
The state board of education shall examine possible uses for the
high school Washington assessment of student learning within the
statewide academic assessment system, including but not limited to
requiring students to pass some or all of the subject areas of the
assessment for high school graduation. The board shall review the
experience of other states with required exit examinations, including
but not limited to the effect of the requirement on curriculum,
instruction, dropout rates, assessment administration costs,
litigation, and other issues. The board shall make a recommendation to
the governor and the legislature by December 1, 2010, on whether some
or all of the subject areas of the high school Washington assessment of
student learning should be required for high school graduation or used
for other purposes.
Sec. 4 RCW 28A.655.061 and 2006 c 115 s 4 are each amended to
read as follows:
(((1) The high school assessment system shall include but need not
be limited to the Washington assessment of student learning,
opportunities for a student to retake the content areas of the
assessment in which the student was not successful, and if approved by
the legislature pursuant to subsection (10) of this section, one or
more objective alternative assessments for a student to demonstrate
achievement of state academic standards. The objective alternative
assessments for each content area shall be comparable in rigor to the
skills and knowledge that the student must demonstrate on the
Washington assessment of student learning for each content area.)) To help assure continued progress in academic achievement as
a foundation for high school graduation ((
(2) Subject to the conditions in this section, a certificate of
academic achievement shall be obtained by most students at about the
age of sixteen, and is evidence that the students have successfully met
the state standard in the content areas included in the certificate.
With the exception of students satisfying the provisions of RCW
28A.155.045, acquisition of the certificate is required for graduation
from a public high school but is not the only requirement for
graduation.
(3) Beginning with the graduating class of 2008, with the exception
of students satisfying the provisions of RCW 28A.155.045, a student who
meets the state standards on the reading, writing, and mathematics
content areas of the high school Washington assessment of student
learning shall earn a certificate of academic achievement. If a
student does not successfully meet the state standards in one or more
content areas required for the certificate of academic achievement,
then the student may retake the assessment in the content area up to
four times at no cost to the student. If the student successfully
meets the state standards on a retake of the assessment then the
student shall earn a certificate of academic achievement. Once
objective alternative assessments are authorized pursuant to subsection
(10) of this section, a student may use the objective alternative
assessments to demonstrate that the student successfully meets the
state standards for that content area if the student has retaken the
Washington assessment of student learning at least once. If the
student successfully meets the state standards on the objective
alternative assessments then the student shall earn a certificate of
academic achievement.
(4) Beginning with the graduating class of 2010, a student must
meet the state standards in science in addition to the other content
areas required under subsection (3) of this section on the Washington
assessment of student learning or the objective alternative assessments
in order to earn a certificate of academic achievement.
(5) The state board of education may not require the acquisition of
the certificate of academic achievement for students in home-based
instruction under chapter 28A.200 RCW, for students enrolled in private
schools under chapter 28A.195 RCW, or for students satisfying the
provisions of RCW 28A.155.045.
(6) A student may retain and use the highest result from each
successfully completed content area of the high school assessment.
(7) Beginning in 2006, school districts must make available to
students the following options:
(a) To retake the Washington assessment of student learning up to
four times in the content areas in which the student did not meet the
state standards if the student is enrolled in a public school; or
(b) To retake the Washington assessment of student learning up to
four times in the content areas in which the student did not meet the
state standards if the student is enrolled in a high school completion
program at a community or technical college. The superintendent of
public instruction and the state board for community and technical
colleges shall jointly identify means by which students in these
programs can be assessed.
(8) Students who achieve the standard in a content area of the high
school assessment but who wish to improve their results shall pay for
retaking the assessment, using a uniform cost determined by the
superintendent of public instruction.
(9) Subject to available funding, the superintendent shall pilot
opportunities for retaking the high school assessment beginning in the
2004-05 school year. Beginning no later than September 2006,
opportunities to retake the assessment at least twice a year shall be
available to each school district.
(10)(a) The office of the superintendent of public instruction
shall develop options for implementing objective alternative
assessments, which may include an appeals process, for students to
demonstrate achievement of the state academic standards. The objective
alternative assessments shall be comparable in rigor to the skills and
knowledge that the student must demonstrate on the Washington
assessment of student learning and be objective in its determination of
student achievement of the state standards. Before any objective
alternative assessments in addition to those authorized in RCW
28A.655.065 or (b) of this subsection are used by a student to
demonstrate that the student has met the state standards in a content
area required to obtain a certificate, the legislature shall formally
approve the use of any objective alternative assessments through the
omnibus appropriations act or by statute or concurrent resolution.
(b) A student's score on the mathematics portion of the preliminary
scholastic assessment test (PSAT), the scholastic assessment test
(SAT), or the American college test (ACT) may be used as an objective
alternative assessment under this section for demonstrating that a
student has met or exceeded the mathematics standards for the
certificate of academic achievement. The state board of education
shall identify the scores students must achieve on the mathematics
portion of the PSAT, SAT, or ACT to meet or exceed the state standard
for mathematics. The state board of education shall identify the first
scores by December 1, 2006, and thereafter may increase but not
decrease the scores required for students to meet or exceed the state
standard for mathematics.
(11) By December 15, 2004, the house of representatives and senate
education committees shall obtain information and conclusions from
recognized, independent, national assessment experts regarding the
validity and reliability of the high school Washington assessment of
student learning for making individual student high school graduation
determinations.
(12)and to assure that students
are on track for high school graduation)), each school district shall
prepare plans for students as provided in this ((subsection (12)))
section.
(((a))) (1) Student learning plans are required for eighth through
twelfth grade students who were not successful on any or all of the
content areas of the Washington assessment for student learning during
the previous school year. The plan shall include the courses,
competencies, and other steps needed to be taken by the student to meet
state academic standards ((and stay on track for graduation. This
requirement shall be phased in as follows:)).
(i) Beginning no later than the 2004-05 school year ninth grade
students as described in this subsection (12)(a) shall have a plan.
(ii) Beginning no later than the 2005-06 school year and every year
thereafter eighth grade students as described in this subsection
(12)(a) shall have a plan.
(iii)
(a) The parent or guardian shall be notified, preferably through a
parent conference, of the student's results on the Washington
assessment of student learning, actions the school intends to take to
improve the student's skills in any content area in which the student
was unsuccessful, strategies to help them improve their student's
skills, and the content of the student's plan.
(((iv))) (b) Progress made on the student plan shall be reported to
the student's parents or guardian at least annually and adjustments to
the plan made as necessary.
(((b) Beginning with the 2005-06 school year and every year
thereafter,)) (2) All fifth grade students who were not successful in
one or more of the content areas of the fourth grade Washington
assessment of student learning shall have a student learning plan.
(((i))) (a) The parent or guardian of a student described in this
subsection (((12)(b))) (2) shall be notified, preferably through a
parent conference, of the student's results on the Washington
assessment of student learning, actions the school intends to take to
improve the student's skills in any content area in which the student
was unsuccessful, and provide strategies to help them improve their
student's skills.
(((ii))) (b) Progress made on the student plan shall be reported to
the student's parents or guardian at least annually and adjustments to
the plan made as necessary.
Sec. 5 RCW 28A.150.220 and 1993 c 371 s 2 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) Satisfaction of the basic education program requirements
identified in RCW 28A.150.210 shall be considered to be implemented by
the following program:
(a) Each school district shall make available to students enrolled
in kindergarten at least a total instructional offering of four hundred
fifty hours. The program shall include instruction in the essential
academic learning requirements under RCW ((28A.630.885)) 28A.655.070
and such other subjects and such activities as the school district
shall determine to be appropriate for the education of the school
district's students enrolled in such program;
(b) Each school district shall make available to students enrolled
in grades one through twelve, at least a district-wide annual average
total instructional hour offering of one thousand hours. The state
board of education may define alternatives to classroom instructional
time for students in grades nine through twelve enrolled in alternative
learning experiences. The state board of education shall establish
rules to determine annual average instructional hours for districts
including fewer than twelve grades. The program shall include the
essential academic learning requirements under RCW ((28A.630.885))
28A.655.070 and such other subjects and such activities as the school
district shall determine to be appropriate for the education of the
school district's students enrolled in such group;
(c) If the essential academic learning requirements include a
requirement of languages other than English, the requirement may be met
by students receiving instruction in one or more American Indian
languages.
(2) Nothing contained in subsection (1) of this section shall be
construed to require individual students to attend school for any
particular number of hours per day or to take any particular courses.
(3) Each school district's kindergarten through twelfth grade basic
educational program shall be accessible to all students who are five
years of age, as provided by RCW 28A.225.160, and less than twenty-one
years of age and shall consist of a minimum of one hundred eighty
school days per school year in such grades as are conducted by a school
district, and one hundred eighty half-days of instruction, or
equivalent, in kindergarten: PROVIDED, That effective May 1, 1979, a
school district may schedule the last five school days of the one
hundred and eighty day school year for noninstructional purposes in the
case of students who are graduating from high school, including, but
not limited to, the observance of graduation and early release from
school upon the request of a student, and all such students may be
claimed as a full time equivalent student to the extent they could
otherwise have been so claimed for the purposes of RCW 28A.150.250 and
28A.150.260.
(4) The state board of education shall adopt rules to implement and
ensure compliance with the program requirements imposed by this
section, RCW 28A.150.250 and 28A.150.260, and such related supplemental
program approval requirements as the state board may establish.
Sec. 6 RCW 28A.180.100 and 2004 c 19 s 105 are each amended to
read as follows:
The office of the superintendent of public instruction and the
state board for community and technical colleges shall jointly develop
a program plan to provide a continuing education option for students
who are eligible for the state transitional bilingual instruction
program and who need more time to develop language proficiency but who
are more age-appropriately suited for a postsecondary learning
environment than for a high school. In developing the plan, the
superintendent of public instruction shall consider options to formally
recognize the accomplishments of students in the state transitional
bilingual instruction program who have completed the twelfth grade but
have not earned a ((certificate of academic achievement. By December
1, 2004, the agencies shall report to the legislative education and
fiscal committees with any recommendations for legislative action and
any resources necessary to implement the plan)) high school diploma.
Sec. 7 RCW 28A.195.010 and 2004 c 19 s 106 are each amended to
read as follows:
The legislature hereby recognizes that private schools should be
subject only to those minimum state controls necessary to insure the
health and safety of all the students in the state and to insure a
sufficient basic education to meet usual graduation requirements. The
state, any agency or official thereof, shall not restrict or dictate
any specific educational or other programs for private schools except
as hereinafter in this section provided.
Principals of private schools or superintendents of private school
districts shall file each year with the state superintendent of public
instruction a statement certifying that the minimum requirements
hereinafter set forth are being met, noting any deviations. After
review of the statement, the state superintendent will notify schools
or school districts of those deviations which must be corrected. In
case of major deviations, the school or school district may request and
the state board of education may grant provisional status for one year
in order that the school or school district may take action to meet the
requirements. The state board of education shall not require private
school students to meet the student learning goals, ((obtain a
certificate of academic achievement, or a certificate of individual
achievement to graduate from high school, to)) master the essential
academic learning requirements, or ((to)) be assessed pursuant to RCW
((28A.655.061)) 28A.655.070. However, private schools may choose, on
a voluntary basis, to have their students master these essential
academic learning requirements((,)) or take the assessments((, and
obtain a certificate of academic achievement or a certificate of
individual achievement)). Minimum requirements shall be as follows:
(1) The minimum school year for instructional purposes shall
consist of no less than one hundred eighty school days or the
equivalent in annual minimum program hour offerings as prescribed in
RCW 28A.150.220.
(2) The school day shall be the same as that required in RCW
28A.150.030 and 28A.150.220, except that the percentages of total
program hour offerings as prescribed in RCW 28A.150.220 for basic
skills, work skills, and optional subjects and activities shall not
apply to private schools or private sectarian schools.
(3) All classroom teachers shall hold appropriate Washington state
certification except as follows:
(a) Teachers for religious courses or courses for which no
counterpart exists in public schools shall not be required to obtain a
state certificate to teach those courses.
(b) In exceptional cases, people of unusual competence but without
certification may teach students so long as a certified person
exercises general supervision. Annual written statements shall be
submitted to the office of the superintendent of public instruction
reporting and explaining such circumstances.
(4) An approved private school may operate an extension program for
parents, guardians, or persons having legal custody of a child to teach
children in their custody. The extension program shall require at a
minimum that:
(a) The parent, guardian, or custodian be under the supervision of
an employee of the approved private school who is certified under
chapter 28A.410 RCW;
(b) The planning by the certified person and the parent, guardian,
or person having legal custody include objectives consistent with this
subsection and subsections (1), (2), (5), (6), and (7) of this section;
(c) The certified person spend a minimum average each month of one
contact hour per week with each student under his or her supervision
who is enrolled in the approved private school extension program;
(d) Each student's progress be evaluated by the certified person;
and
(e) The certified employee shall not supervise more than thirty
students enrolled in the approved private school's extension program.
(5) Appropriate measures shall be taken to safeguard all permanent
records against loss or damage.
(6) The physical facilities of the school or district shall be
adequate to meet the program offered by the school or district:
PROVIDED, That each school building shall meet reasonable health and
fire safety requirements. A residential dwelling of the parent,
guardian, or custodian shall be deemed to be an adequate physical
facility when a parent, guardian, or person having legal custody is
instructing his or her child under subsection (4) of this section.
(7) Private school curriculum shall include instruction of the
basic skills of occupational education, science, mathematics, language,
social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and the
development of appreciation of art and music, all in sufficient units
for meeting state board of education graduation requirements.
(8) Each school or school district shall be required to maintain
up-to-date policy statements related to the administration and
operation of the school or school district.
All decisions of policy, philosophy, selection of books, teaching
material, curriculum, except as in subsection (7) of this section
provided, school rules and administration, or other matters not
specifically referred to in this section, shall be the responsibility
of the administration and administrators of the particular private
school involved.
Sec. 8 RCW 28A.200.010 and 2004 c 19 s 107 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) Each parent whose child is receiving home-based instruction
under RCW 28A.225.010(4) shall have the duty to:
(a) File annually a signed declaration of intent that he or she is
planning to cause his or her child to receive home-based instruction.
The statement shall include the name and age of the child, shall
specify whether a certificated person will be supervising the
instruction, and shall be written in a format prescribed by the
superintendent of public instruction. Each parent shall file the
statement by September 15th of the school year or within two weeks of
the beginning of any public school quarter, trimester, or semester with
the superintendent of the public school district within which the
parent resides or the district that accepts the transfer, and the
student shall be deemed a transfer student of the nonresident district.
Parents may apply for transfer under RCW 28A.225.220;
(b) Ensure that test scores or annual academic progress assessments
and immunization records, together with any other records that are kept
relating to the instructional and educational activities provided, are
forwarded to any other public or private school to which the child
transfers. At the time of a transfer to a public school, the
superintendent of the local school district in which the child enrolls
may require a standardized achievement test to be administered and
shall have the authority to determine the appropriate grade and course
level placement of the child after consultation with parents and review
of the child's records; and
(c) Ensure that a standardized achievement test approved by the
state board of education is administered annually to the child by a
qualified individual or that an annual assessment of the student's
academic progress is written by a certificated person who is currently
working in the field of education. The state board of education shall
not require these children to meet the student learning goals, master
the essential academic learning requirements((,)) or to take the
assessments((, or to obtain a certificate of academic achievement or a
certificate of individual achievement pursuant to RCW 28A.655.061 and
28A.155.045)) under RCW 28A.655.070. The standardized test
administered or the annual academic progress assessment written shall
be made a part of the child's permanent records. If, as a result of
the annual test or assessment, it is determined that the child is not
making reasonable progress consistent with his or her age or stage of
development, the parent shall make a good faith effort to remedy any
deficiency.
(2) Failure of a parent to comply with the duties in this section
shall be deemed a failure of such parent's child to attend school
without valid justification under RCW 28A.225.020. Parents who do
comply with the duties set forth in this section shall be presumed to
be providing home-based instruction as set forth in RCW 28A.225.010(4).
Sec. 9 RCW 28A.230.090 and 2006 c 114 s 3 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The state board of education shall establish high school
graduation requirements or equivalencies for students, except those
equivalencies established by local high schools or school districts
under RCW 28A.230.097.
(a) Any course in Washington state history and government used to
fulfill high school graduation requirements shall consider including
information on the culture, history, and government of the American
Indian peoples who were the first inhabitants of the state.
(b) ((The certificate of academic achievement requirements under
RCW 28A.655.061 or the certificate of individual achievement
requirements under RCW 28A.155.045 are required for graduation from a
public high school but are not the only requirements for graduation.)) Any decision on whether a student has met the state board's
high school graduation requirements for a high school and beyond plan
shall remain at the local level.
(c)
(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. The
state board shall reevaluate the graduation requirements for students
enrolled in vocationally intensive and rigorous career and technical
education programs, particularly those programs that lead to a
certificate or credential that is state or nationally recognized. The
purpose of the evaluation is to ensure that students enrolled in these
programs have sufficient opportunity to ((earn a certificate of
academic achievement)) meet the state's essential academic learning
requirements, complete the program and earn the program's certificate
or credential, and complete other state and local graduation
requirements. The board shall ((reports [report])) report its findings
and recommendations for additional flexibility in graduation
requirements, if necessary, to the legislature by December 1, 2007.
(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.
(6) At the college or university level, five quarter or three
semester hours equals one high school credit.
Sec. 10 RCW 28A.230.125 and 2006 c 263 s 401 and 2006 c 115 s 6
are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
(1) The superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with
the higher education coordinating board, the state board for community
and technical colleges, and the work force training and education
coordinating board, shall develop for use by all public school
districts a standardized high school transcript. The superintendent
shall establish clear definitions for the terms "credits" and "hours"
so that school programs operating on the quarter, semester, or
trimester system can be compared.
(2) ((The standardized high school transcript shall include a
notation of whether the student has earned a certificate of individual
achievement or a certificate of academic achievement.)) Transcripts are important documents to students who will
apply for admission to postsecondary institutions of higher education.
Transcripts are also important to students who will seek employment
upon or prior to graduation from high school. It is recognized that
student transcripts may be the only record available to employers in
their decision-making processes regarding prospective employees. The
superintendent of public instruction shall require school districts to
inform annually all high school students that prospective employers may
request to see transcripts and that the prospective employee's decision
to release transcripts can be an important part of the process of
applying for employment.
(3)
Sec. 11 RCW 28A.305.130 and 2006 c 263 s 102 are each amended to
read as follows:
The purpose of the state board of education is to provide advocacy
and strategic oversight of public education; implement a standards-based accountability system to improve student academic achievement;
provide leadership in the creation of a system that personalizes
education for each student and respects diverse cultures, abilities,
and learning styles; and promote achievement of the goals of RCW
28A.150.210. In addition to any other powers and duties as provided by
law, the state board of education shall:
(1) Hold regularly scheduled meetings at such time and place within
the state as the board shall determine and may hold such special
meetings as may be deemed necessary for the transaction of public
business;
(2) Form committees as necessary to effectively and efficiently
conduct the work of the board;
(3) Seek advice from the public and interested parties regarding
the work of the board;
(4) For purposes of statewide accountability:
(a) Adopt and revise performance improvement goals in reading,
writing, science, and mathematics, by subject and grade level, once
assessments in these subjects are required statewide; academic and
technical skills, as appropriate, in secondary career and technical
education programs; and student attendance, as the board deems
appropriate to improve student learning. The goals shall be consistent
with student privacy protection provisions of RCW 28A.655.090(7) and
shall not conflict with requirements contained in Title I of the
federal elementary and secondary education act of 1965, or the
requirements of the Carl D. Perkins vocational education act of 1998,
each as amended. The goals may be established for all students,
economically disadvantaged students, limited English proficient
students, students with disabilities, and students from
disproportionately academically underachieving racial and ethnic
backgrounds. The goals shall include improvements in individual
student achievement from one year to the next consistent with a growth
model of school accountability. The board may establish school and
school district goals addressing high school graduation rates and
dropout reduction goals for students in grades seven through twelve.
The board shall adopt the goals by rule. However, before each goal is
implemented, the board shall present the goal to the education
committees of the house of representatives and the senate for the
committees' review and comment in a time frame that will permit the
legislature to take statutory action on the goal if such action is
deemed warranted by the legislature;
(b) Identify the scores students must achieve in order to meet the
standard on the Washington assessment of student learning ((and, for
high school students, to obtain a certificate of academic
achievement)). The board shall also determine student scores that
identify levels of student performance below and beyond the standard.
((The board shall consider the incorporation of the standard error of
measurement into the decision regarding the award of the
certificates.)) The board shall set such performance standards and
levels in consultation with the superintendent of public instruction
and after consideration of any recommendations that may be developed by
any advisory committees that may be established for this purpose.
((The initial performance standards and any changes recommended by the
board in the performance standards for the tenth grade assessment shall
be presented to the education committees of the house of
representatives and the senate by November 30th of the school year in
which the changes will take place to permit the legislature to take
statutory action before the changes are implemented if such action is
deemed warranted by the legislature.)) The legislature shall be
advised of the initial performance standards and any changes made to
the ((elementary level)) performance standards ((and the middle school
level performance standards));
(c) Adopt objective, systematic criteria to identify successful
schools and school districts and recommend to the superintendent of
public instruction schools and districts to be recognized for two types
of accomplishments, student achievement and improvements in student
achievement. Recognition for improvements in student achievement shall
include consideration of one or more of the following accomplishments:
(i) An increase in the percent of students meeting standards. The
level of achievement required for recognition may be based on the
achievement goals established by the legislature and by the board under
(a) of this subsection;
(ii) Positive progress on an improvement index that measures
improvement in all levels of the assessment; and
(iii) Improvements despite challenges such as high levels of
mobility, poverty, English as a second language learners, and large
numbers of students in special populations as measured by either the
percent of students meeting the standard, or the improvement index.
When determining the baseline year or years for recognizing individual
schools, the board may use the assessment results from the initial
years the assessments were administered, if doing so with individual
schools would be appropriate;
(d) Adopt objective, systematic criteria to identify schools and
school districts in need of assistance and those in which significant
numbers of students persistently fail to meet state standards. In its
deliberations, the board shall consider the use of all statewide
mandated criterion-referenced and norm-referenced standardized tests;
(e) Identify schools and school districts in which state
intervention measures will be needed and a range of appropriate
intervention strategies after the legislature has authorized a set of
intervention strategies. After the legislature has authorized a set of
intervention strategies, at the request of the board, the
superintendent shall intervene in the school or school district and
take corrective actions. This chapter does not provide additional
authority for the board or the superintendent of public instruction to
intervene in a school or school district;
(f) Identify performance incentive systems that have improved or
have the potential to improve student achievement;
(g) Annually review the assessment reporting system to ensure
fairness, accuracy, timeliness, and equity of opportunity, especially
with regard to schools with special circumstances and unique
populations of students, and a recommendation to the superintendent of
public instruction of any improvements needed to the system; and
(h) Include in the biennial report required under RCW 28A.305.035,
information on the progress that has been made in achieving goals
adopted by the board;
(5) Accredit, subject to such accreditation standards and
procedures as may be established by the state board of education, all
private schools that apply for accreditation, and approve, subject to
the provisions of RCW 28A.195.010, private schools carrying out a
program for any or all of the grades kindergarten through twelve:
PROVIDED, That no private school may be approved that operates a
kindergarten program only: PROVIDED FURTHER, That no private schools
shall be placed upon the list of accredited schools so long as secret
societies are knowingly allowed to exist among its students by school
officials;
(6) Articulate with the institutions of higher education, work
force representatives, and early learning policymakers and providers to
coordinate and unify the work of the public school system;
(7) Hire an executive director and an administrative assistant to
reside in the office of the superintendent of public instruction for
administrative purposes. Any other personnel of the board shall be
appointed as provided by RCW 28A.300.020. The executive director,
administrative assistant, and all but one of the other personnel of the
board are exempt from civil service, together with other staff as now
or hereafter designated as exempt in accordance with chapter 41.06 RCW;
and
(8) Adopt a seal that shall be kept in the office of the
superintendent of public instruction.
Sec. 12 RCW 28A.600.310 and 2005 c 125 s 1 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) Eleventh and twelfth grade students or students who have not
yet received the credits required for the award of a high school
diploma and are eligible to be in the eleventh or twelfth grades may
apply to a participating institution of higher education to enroll in
courses or programs offered by the institution of higher education. A
student receiving home-based instruction enrolling in a public high
school for the sole purpose of participating in courses or programs
offered by institutions of higher education shall not be counted by the
school district in any required state or federal accountability
reporting if the student's parents or guardians filed a declaration of
intent to provide home-based instruction and the student received home-based instruction during the school year before the school year in
which the student intends to participate in courses or programs offered
by the institution of higher education. Students receiving home-based
instruction under chapter 28A.200 RCW and students attending private
schools approved under chapter 28A.195 RCW shall not be required to
meet the student learning goals((, obtain a certificate of academic
achievement or a certificate of individual achievement to graduate from
high school,)) or to master the essential academic learning
requirements. However, students are eligible to enroll in courses or
programs in participating universities only if the board of directors
of the student's school district has decided to participate in the
program. Participating institutions of higher education, in
consultation with school districts, may establish admission standards
for these students. If the institution of higher education accepts a
secondary school pupil for enrollment under this section, the
institution of higher education shall send written notice to the pupil
and the pupil's school district within ten days of acceptance. The
notice shall indicate the course and hours of enrollment for that
pupil.
(2) The pupil's school district shall transmit to the institution
of higher education an amount per each full-time equivalent college
student at statewide uniform rates for vocational and nonvocational
students. The superintendent of public instruction shall separately
calculate and allocate moneys appropriated for basic education under
RCW 28A.150.260 to school districts for purposes of making such
payments and for granting school districts seven percent thereof to
offset program related costs. The calculations and allocations shall
be based upon the estimated statewide annual average per full-time
equivalent high school student allocations under RCW 28A.150.260,
excluding small high school enhancements, and applicable rules adopted
under chapter 34.05 RCW. The superintendent of public instruction, the
higher education coordinating board, and the state board for community
and technical colleges shall consult on the calculation and
distribution of the funds. The institution of higher education shall
not require the pupil to pay any other fees. The funds received by the
institution of higher education from the school district shall not be
deemed tuition or operating fees and may be retained by the institution
of higher education. A student enrolled under this subsection shall
not be counted for the purpose of determining any enrollment
restrictions imposed by the state on the institution of higher
education.
Sec. 13 RCW 28A.655.090 and 1999 c 388 s 301 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) By ((September 10, 1998, and by)) September 10th each year
((thereafter)), the superintendent of public instruction shall report
to schools, school districts, and the legislature on the results of the
Washington assessment of student learning ((and state-mandated norm-referenced standardized tests)).
(2) The reports shall include the assessment results by school and
school district, and include changes over time. For the Washington
assessment of student learning, results shall be reported as follows:
(a) The percentage of students meeting the standards;
(b) The percentage of students performing at each level of the
assessment; ((and))
(c) A learning improvement index that shows changes in student
performance within the different levels of student learning reported on
the Washington assessment of student learning; and
(d) Indicators of growth in individual student achievement from
year to year, reported in such a way to protect the privacy of
individual students.
(3) The reports shall contain data regarding the different
characteristics of schools, such as poverty levels, percent of English
as a second language students, dropout rates, attendance, percent of
students in special education, and student mobility so that districts
and schools can learn from the improvement efforts of other schools and
districts with similar characteristics.
(4) The reports shall contain student scores on mandated tests by
comparable Washington schools of similar characteristics.
(5) The reports shall contain information on public school choice
options available to students, including vocational education.
(6) The reports shall be posted on the superintendent of public
instruction's internet web site.
(7) To protect the privacy of students, the results of schools and
districts that test fewer than ten students in a grade level shall not
be reported. In addition, in order to ensure that results are reported
accurately, the superintendent of public instruction shall maintain the
confidentiality of statewide data files until the superintendent
determines that the data are complete and accurate.
(8) The superintendent of public instruction shall monitor the
percentage and number of special education and limited English-proficient students exempted from taking the assessments by schools and
school districts to ensure the exemptions are in compliance with
exemption guidelines.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 14 The following acts or parts of acts are
each repealed:
(1) RCW 28A.155.045 (Certificate of individual achievement) and
2004 c 19 s 104;
(2) RCW 28A.655.010 (Washington commission on student learning--Definitions) and 1993 c 336 s 201;
(3) RCW 28A.655.063 (Mathematics assessments -- Reimbursement of
costs) and 2006 c 115 s 5;
(4) RCW 28A.655.065 (Objective alternative assessment methods--Appeals from assessment scores -- Waivers and appeals from assessment
requirements -- Rules) and 2006 c 115 s 1; and
(5) RCW 28A.230.195 (Test or assessment scores -- Adjustments to
instructional practices -- Notification to parents) and 2005 c 217 s 1,
1999 c 373 s 603, & 1992 c 141 s 401.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 15 Section 1 of this act is necessary for the
immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or
support of the state government and its existing public institutions,
and takes effect immediately.