BILL REQ. #:  H-5563.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/12/08.   

     AN ACT Relating to providing enhanced counseling and learning opportunities for certain high school students; adding new sections to chapter 28A.320 RCW; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   It is likely that more than eighty-five percent of students in the class of 2008 who had accumulated sufficient course credits by the time they entered their senior year will complete all high school graduation requirements by June of 2008, including meeting the state standard in reading and writing on the high school Washington assessment of student learning or an approved alternative. However, it is also likely that as many as ten thousand or more students across the state will not be ready to graduate in June as a result of not meeting the state standard in reading, writing, or both. Furthermore, it is likely that each year in the future, some proportion of students will simply not be ready to graduate after twelve years of school. These students will need additional instruction so they can earn their diplomas. New courses and instructional strategies must be developed that are appropriate for these students. Perhaps more important, these students will need support, encouragement, guidance, and access to learning opportunities that will help them transition beyond high school and make progress in a career pathway that will lead to additional education and a family wage job. Such learning opportunities exist, but they need to be expanded, and more effort must be made to inform students about them.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.320 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop information and training for counselors and mentor teachers on providing guidance to students who have completed required course credits but will not be ready to graduate with their class because they need additional skills in key academic areas, including meeting state standards on the Washington assessment of student learning. Guidance and counseling programs for these students must include encouragement and support for high school completion and specific assistance with entering and making progress in a career pathway that will lead to additional education and a family wage job. The programs must also provide information on the local availability of options and programs for these students, including:
     (a) Options for students who are not ready to graduate with their class to continue receiving instruction geared to high school completion or obtaining a GED, or both, and certification through high schools, skill centers, and community and technical colleges;
     (b) Skills training and tutoring options for young adults offered through local community-based organizations;
     (c) Online learning opportunities targeted to basic skills acquisition;
     (d) Workforce education and training options and pathways, especially in occupations that will lead to family wage jobs and are in demand by employers; and
     (e) Availability of financial aid for postsecondary education and assistance for students and families in accessing financial aid, including the opportunity grant program under RCW 28B.50.271.
     (2) Beginning in the summer of 2008, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall create and offer a training module through the summer institutes for high school counselors and mentor teachers on the topics described in subsection (1) of this section.
     (3) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall allocate funds to school districts and educational service districts to provide the enhanced guidance, counseling, support, and assistance described in this section, which shall be targeted first to students who have completed required course credits but will not be ready to graduate with their class. Funds shall be allocated as specified in the omnibus appropriations act. The legislature's intent is that funding under this subsection be allocated primarily on the basis of the anticipated number of students in the target population in a district, with funds allocated to educational service districts where regional outreach is a more feasible method of service delivery due to small numbers of students dispersed among multiple school districts. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall annually collect and report statistics on the number of students served by the enhanced programs under this subsection and the number of subsequent high school or certificate completions among students in the target population.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 28A.320 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall allocate grants to school districts, skill centers, and educational service districts to create high school plus programs targeted to students who have completed required course credits but are not ready to graduate with their class because they need additional skills in key academic areas, including meeting state standards on the Washington assessment of student learning.
     (2) High school plus programs must include, at a minimum:
     (a) Skill instruction and tutoring for students in the key academic areas necessary for them to meet state standards on the Washington assessment of student learning, offered using alternative service delivery methods such as flexible scheduling, evening and weekend classes, self-paced and outcome-based curriculum, or online courses;
     (b) Assistance with development of a collection of evidence alternative assessment;
     (c) Enhanced guidance, counseling, support, and assistance; and
     (d) Opportunities for students to enroll in additional courses, work-based learning, internships, or other programs that provide entry to a career pathway that will lead to additional education and a family wage job. Grant recipients may offer the career pathway opportunities directly or in partnership with community-based organizations and community and technical colleges.
     (3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall allocate the grants under this section on a competitive basis but rely on a simple application and allocate funds largely on the number of students in the target population. In order to provide services to students in the class of 2008, the first grant recipients shall be announced no later than June 15, 2008, with an additional round of applications possible if there are an insufficient number of initial respondents. To maximize available resources, school districts are encouraged to submit collaborative applications that coordinate services across multiple districts.
     (4) Grants under this section may be used for program design and development, start-up costs, curriculum, and capacity to operate and sustain a special program for small numbers of students. To support high school plus programs, school districts may also use funding for programs under RCW 28A.150.22O for students under the age of twenty-one who are enrolled for the purpose of completing a high school diploma, any enhanced funding for guidance and counseling such as that described under section 2 of this act, and other available resources.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall submit a report on the program design and outcomes of high school plus programs created under section 3 of this act to the education committees of the legislature by September 15, 2009. The office shall also recommend a funding mechanism for high school plus programs that does not rely on competitive grants and any additional changes to improve the effectiveness of the programs.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   If specific funding for the purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not provided by June 30, 2008, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act is null and void.