READ FIRST TIME 03/05/07.   

     AN ACT Relating to educational data and data systems; amending RCW 28A.410.070; adding new sections to chapter 28A.300 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that:
     (1) Reliable data on student progress, characteristics of students and schools, and teacher qualifications and mobility is critical for accountability to the state and to the public;
     (2) Educational data should be made available as widely as possible while appropriately protecting the privacy of individuals as provided by law;
     (3) School districts and the office of the superintendent of public instruction need robust and compatible data systems and programs to reduce inefficiencies caused by the lack of connectivity and to minimize or eliminate multiple data entry; and
     (4) Schools and districts should be supported in their management of educational data and should have access to user-friendly programs and reports that can be readily used by classroom teachers and building principals to improve instruction.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) As a first step in establishing a framework and baseline information for better linking data on students, teachers, and student achievement, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall, to the extent funds are appropriated for this purpose, conduct a feasibility study on establishing a statewide longitudinal student-teacher data system. The primary purpose of the data system is to better aid research into programs and interventions that are most effective in improving student performance, better understand the state's public educator workforce, and to provide information on areas within the educational system that need improvement.
     (2) A preliminary set of data elements shall be developed by the office of the superintendent of public instruction in collaboration with the professional educator standards board, the state board of education, and the joint legislative audit and review committee by December 2007. The feasibility study shall include conducting pilot studies on the collection of this preliminary set of identified data elements in two school districts, with one over twenty thousand in full-time equivalent enrollment and the other less than two thousand in full-time equivalent enrollment.
     (3) By November 1, 2008, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide a final report on the results of the feasibility study, including the results from the pilot studies, to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the legislature.
     (4) The topics covered in the feasibility study shall include, but are not limited to:
     (a) Detailed estimates on the cost of the development and implementation of the data system;
     (b) A final list of specific data elements that are necessary to allow effective and efficient research on an individual school, district, and statewide basis, and of those data elements, identification of what data is currently reported by schools and school districts and what is not reported;
     (c) The standards needed for validation and verification of data entered into the systems to ensure accuracy and compatibility of data; and
     (d) The staffing and related impacts on schools and school districts from the collection of the recommended data elements and consideration of ways to reduce duplicate reporting of data.
     (5) In conducting the feasibility study, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall consult with the Washington state institute for public policy, the professional educator standards board, the state board of education, the joint legislative audit and review committee, the center for analysis of longitudinal data in education research, other research organizations as appropriate, the association of Washington school principals, the Washington association of school administrators, the Washington education association, the Washington association of school business officials, Washington association of colleges for teacher education, and the Washington state school directors' association about the needed data elements for an effective statewide longitudinal student-teacher data system.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The office of superintendent of public instruction is authorized to establish a longitudinal student data system for and on behalf of school districts in the state. Personally identifiable student data will be safeguarded consistent with the requirements of the federal family educational rights privacy act and any relevant state laws. Consistent with privacy protections in the above-referenced laws, data may be disclosed for educational purposes and studies, including but are not limited to:
     (a) Educational studies authorized or mandated by the state legislature;
     (b) Studies initiated by other state educational authorities and authorized by the office of superintendent of public instruction;
     (c) Studies initiated by other state agencies and authorized by the office of superintendent of public instruction;
     (d) Studies initiated by private study groups authorized by the office of superintendent of public instruction.
     (2) Any group or agency that utilizes this data shall adhere to federal and state laws protecting student data and safeguarding the confidentiality and privacy of student records.
     (3) Nothing in this section precludes the office of superintendent of public instruction from collecting and distributing nonstudent level data, nor student level data without personally identifiable information.