State of Washington | 60th Legislature | 2007 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 02/28/07.
AN ACT Relating to the Washington assessment of student learning; amending RCW 28A.655.061, 28A.655.065, and 28A.155.045; adding new sections to chapter 28A.655 RCW; creating new sections; providing expiration dates; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 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.
(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 or section 6 of this act, 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)) as provided
in this section. 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)) 2011, 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 that is separate from
the appeals process through the educational service districts
established in section 2 of this act, 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 not provided in (b) of this
subsection through the omnibus appropriations act or by statute or
concurrent resolution.
(b) This subsection (10)(b) provides the only legislatively
approved objective alternative assessments for which the state must
provide funding.
(i) A student's score on the mathematics, reading or English, or
writing 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)) state standards for the certificate of academic
achievement. The state board of education shall identify the scores
students must achieve on the ((mathematics)) relevant portion of the
PSAT, SAT, or ACT to meet or exceed the state standard ((for
mathematics)) in the relevant content area on the Washington assessment
of student learning. The state board of education shall identify the
first reading, English, and writing scores by December 1, ((2006))
2007, and thereafter may increase but not decrease the scores required
for students to meet or exceed the state ((standard for mathematics))
standards.
(ii) A student who scores at least a three on the grading scale of
one to five for selected advance placement examinations may use the
score as an objective alternative assessment under this section for
demonstrating that a student has met or exceeded state standards for
the certificate of academic achievement. A score of three on the
advance placement examinations in calculus or statistics may be used as
an alternative assessment for the mathematics portion of the Washington
assessment of student learning. A score of three on the advance
placement examinations in English language and composition may be used
as an alternative assessment for the writing portion of the Washington
assessment of student learning. A score of three on the advance
placement examinations in English literature and composition,
macroeconomics, microeconomics, psychology, United States history,
world history, United States government and politics, or comparative
government and politics may be used as an alternative assessment for
the reading portion of the Washington assessment of student learning.
(iii) The state board of education shall approve three tenth
grade-level standardized norm-referenced student achievement tests in
each content area to serve as objective alternative assessments under
this section for demonstrating that a student has met or exceeded state
standards for the certificate of academic achievement. Upon the
request of a student who is seeking to use one of the designated tests
as an objective alternative, a school district shall obtain and
administer the test to the student. By September 1, 2007, the state
board of education shall determine the score that a student must obtain
on each designated test for the test for the student to obtain a
certificate of academic achievement.
(iv) The end-of-course assessments as provided in section 7 of this
act may be used as objective alternative assessments.
(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) To help assure continued progress in academic achievement as
a foundation for high school graduation 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).))
(a) 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) 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) 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, 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) The parent or guardian of a student described in this
subsection (12)(b) 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) 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. 2 RCW 28A.655.065 and 2006 c 115 s 1 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The legislature has made a commitment to rigorous academic
standards for receipt of a high school diploma. The primary way that
students will demonstrate that they meet the standards in reading((,))
and writing((, mathematics, and science)) is through the Washington
assessment of student learning. Once the end-of-course examinations
are developed for mathematics and science, as provided in section 7 of
this act, then these end-of-course examinations shall be the primary
way that students demonstrate they meet the standards in mathematics
and science. Only objective assessments that are comparable in rigor
to the state assessment are authorized as an alternative assessment.
Before seeking an alternative assessment, the legislature expects
students to make a genuine effort to meet state standards, through
((retaking the Washington assessment of student learning;)) regular and
consistent attendance at school((;)) and participation in extended
learning and other assistance programs.
(2) Under RCW 28A.655.061, beginning in the 2006-07 school year,
the superintendent of public instruction shall implement 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 an
alternative if the student meets applicable eligibility criteria in RCW
28A.655.061 and other eligibility criteria established by the
superintendent of public instruction, including but not limited to
attendance criteria and participation in the remediation or
supplemental instruction contained in the student learning plan
developed under RCW 28A.655.061. A school district may waive
attendance and/or remediation criteria for special, unavoidable
circumstances.
(3) For the purposes of this section, "applicant" means a student
seeking to use one of the alternative assessment methods in this
section.
(4) One alternative assessment method shall be 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. The superintendent of public instruction
shall determine which high school courses are applicable to the
alternative assessment method and shall issue guidelines to school
districts.
(a) 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.
(b) 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.
(c) An applicant may not use the alternative assessment under this
subsection (4) if there are fewer than six students in the comparison
cohort.
(5) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop an
alternative assessment method that shall be 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 (6) of this section.
(a) 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 of 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. The superintendent shall submit the guidelines for approval
by the state board of education.
(b) 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. The
superintendent shall submit the protocols for approval by the state
board of education.
(c) The superintendent shall develop uniform scoring criteria for
evaluating the collection of work samples and submit the scoring
criteria for approval by the state board of education. 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.
(d) Using an open and public process that includes consultation
with district superintendents, school principals, and other educators,
the state board of education shall consider the guidelines, protocols,
scoring criteria, and other information regarding the collection of
work samples submitted by the superintendent of public instruction.
The collection of work samples may be implemented as an alternative
assessment after the state board of education has approved the
guidelines, protocols, and scoring criteria and determined that the
collection of work samples: (i) Will meet professionally accepted
standards for a valid and reliable measure of the grade level
expectations and the essential academic learning requirements; and (ii)
is comparable to or exceeds the rigor of the skills and knowledge that
a student must demonstrate on the Washington assessment of student
learning in the applicable content area. The state board shall make an
approval decision and determination no later than December 1, 2006, and
thereafter may increase the required rigor of the collection of work
samples.
(e) By September of 2006, the superintendent of public instruction
shall develop informational materials for parents, teachers, and
students regarding the collection of work samples and the status of its
development as an alternative assessment method. The materials shall
provide specific guidance regarding the type and number of work samples
likely to be required, include examples of work that meets the state
learning standards, and describe the scoring criteria and process for
the collection. The materials shall also encourage students in the
graduating class of 2008 to begin creating a collection if they believe
they may seek to use the collection once it is implemented as an
alternative assessment.
(6)(a) For students enrolled in a career and technical education
program approved under RCW 28C.04.110, the superintendent of public
instruction shall develop additional guidelines for a 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.
(b) To meet the state standard on the alternative assessment under
this subsection (6), an applicant must also attain the state or
nationally recognized certificate or credential associated with the
approved career and technical program.
(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.
(7) 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.
(8) 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.
(9)(a) Each educational service district shall establish an appeals
panel comprised of educators of the relevant content areas on the
Washington assessment of student learning to review and decide appeals
submitted by students who did not meet the state standard on the tenth
grade Washington assessment of student learning or an objective
alternative assessment. The appeal shall not be an appeal established
in subsection (8) of this section, but an appeal by a student to
demonstrate that he or she has a level of understanding of a content
area assessed on the Washington assessment of student learning to meet
the state standard, but due to certain circumstances was unable to
demonstrate this level of understanding on the assessment.
(b) The state board of education shall establish criteria for the
panels to use to make the determinations.
(c) A student is eligible to access the appeal process if the
student has retaken the Washington assessment of student learning or
has taken an alternative assessment in the content area in which the
student is appealing.
(d) The educational service districts jointly shall annually submit
a report to the legislature on the number and types of appeals that are
received and the number and type of appeals that are approved.
(10)(a) Except for rules implementing subsection (9) of this
section, the superintendent of public instruction ((may)) shall adopt
rules to implement this section.
(b) The state board of education shall adopt rules to implement
subsection (9) of this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 A new section is added to chapter 28A.655
RCW to read as follows:
English language learners who score at the intermediate level two
or below on the Washington language proficiency test or the equivalent
level of the evaluation used by the superintendent of public
instruction to assess the English and academic proficiency of English
language learners under RCW 28A.180.090, shall not be required to take
the Washington assessment of student learning, except as required by
federal law. However, these students are still subject to the
graduation requirements established in RCW 28A.655.061.
Sec. 4 RCW 28A.155.045 and 2004 c 19 s 104 are each amended to
read as follows:
Beginning with the graduating class of 2008, students served under
this chapter, who are not appropriately assessed by the high school
Washington assessment system as defined in RCW 28A.655.061, even with
accommodations, may earn a certificate of individual achievement. The
certificate may be earned using multiple ways to demonstrate skills and
abilities commensurate with their individual education programs. The
determination of whether the high school assessment system is
appropriate shall be made by the student's individual education program
team. Except as provided in section 6 of this act, for these students,
the certificate of individual achievement is required for graduation
from a public high school, but need not be the only requirement for
graduation. When measures other than the high school assessment system
as defined in RCW 28A.655.061 are used, the measures shall be in
agreement with the appropriate educational opportunity provided for the
student as required by this chapter. The superintendent of public
instruction shall develop the guidelines for determining which students
should not be required to participate in the high school assessment
system and which types of assessments are appropriate to use.
When measures other than the high school assessment system as
defined in RCW 28A.655.061 are used for high school graduation
purposes, the student's high school transcript shall note whether that
student has earned a certificate of individual achievement.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to deny a student the
right to participation in the high school assessment system as defined
in RCW 28A.655.061, and, upon successfully meeting the high school
standard, receipt of the certificate of academic achievement.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 A new section is added to chapter 28A.655
RCW to read as follows:
(1)(a) To help assure continued progress in academic achievement as
a foundation for high school graduation and to assure that students are
on track for high school graduation, each school district shall prepare
student success plans for all 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 be a comprehensive intervention plan to assist
the student in continued academic progress and 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.
(b) The plan shall require the school district to offer and the
student to take a required class or sequence of classes in the content
area in which the student did not meet state standards on the
Washington assessment of student learning until the student does meet
the state standard or graduates or reaches the age of twenty-one. The
plan may require the following:
(i) The school district to offer and the student to take before-or-after school sessions, Saturday school, and/or summer school; and
(ii) A test preparation class to assist the student in preparation
for the assessment the student will be taking to earn the certificate
of achievement.
(c) The parent or guardian of each student with a student success
plan 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.
(d) The student success plan shall include semiannual academic
growth benchmarks for the student to meet. Progress made on the plan
and any adjustments to be made to maintain or increase the student's
academic growth shall be reported to the student's parents or guardian
and the superintendent of public instruction at least semiannually.
(e) The school shall develop a more intensive plan for any student
who does not meet the semiannual benchmarks in consecutive periods.
The student, the student's parent or guardian, the student's classroom
teacher or teachers, the counselor, and the principal shall meet to
develop the plan.
(f) If at least ten percent of the students with a student success
plan within a school district do not meet the semiannual benchmarks
established in the plan as required by this section, then the state
board of education shall develop a tiered intervention plan for the
school district that provides a graduated series of increasingly
intensive intervention strategies for the district and the schools in
which the benchmarks are not being met.
(2)(a) All fifth and sixth grade students who were not successful
in one or more of the content areas of the Washington assessment of
student learning shall have a student success plan.
(b) The parent or guardian of a student described in this
subsection (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.
(c) Progress made on the student plan shall be reported to the
student's parents or guardian at least semiannually and adjustments to
the plan made as necessary.
(3) All students who are English language learners who score at the
intermediate level two or below on the Washington language proficiency
test or equivalent level of the evaluation used by the superintendent
of public instruction to assess English and academic proficiency shall
have a student success plan. The student success plan shall be a
comprehensive intervention plan and shall include the courses,
competencies, and other steps needed to be taken by the student,
school, and school district to assist the student in continued progress
towards English and academic proficiency, including obtaining a
certificate of academic achievement up to the time the student is age
twenty-one. The plan may include before-or-after school sessions,
Saturday school, and/or summer school.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6 A new section is added to chapter 28A.655
RCW to read as follows:
(1) For the graduating classes of 2008 and 2009, students may
graduate from high school without earning a certificate of academic
achievement or a certificate of individual achievement if they:
(a) Have not successfully met the mathematics standard on the high
school Washington assessment of student learning, an approved objective
alternative assessment in mathematics, or an alternate assessment
developed for eligible special education students;
(b) Have successfully met the state standard in the other content
areas required for a certificate under RCW 28A.655.061 or 28A.155.045;
(c) Have met all other state and school district graduation
requirements; and
(2) In addition to the requirements under subsection (1) of this
section, for the graduating classes of 2008 and 2009, students must:
(a) Continue to annually take high school mathematics courses or
career and technical courses designed to increase the individual
student's mathematics proficiency toward meeting or exceeding the
mathematics standards assessed on the high school Washington assessment
of student learning. The student and his or her parents or guardians
shall meet with one of the student's classroom instructors for the
content area in which the student failed to successfully meet the
standard and the student's guidance counselor, advisor, or mentor to
determine the appropriate coursework and include the information in the
student success plan required under RCW 28A.655.061;
(b) Obtain at least the equivalent of a C grade in each of the
mathematics courses taken; and
(c) Continue to take the Washington assessment of student learning
or appropriate objective alternative mathematics assessment until
graduation.
(3) This section expires July 1, 2010.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 7 A new section is added to chapter 28A.655
RCW to read as follows:
(1)(a) The state board of education, in consultation with the
superintendent of public instruction, shall select statewide end-of-course assessments for high school mathematics and high school science
that measure student achievement of the state mathematics and science
standards. Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, the
assessments shall be scored outside of the school district at the state
level or by a third party chosen by the state board of education.
(b) To facilitate ease of scoring and timely return of results, the
assessments may rely on multiple choice questions. The assessments
that are multiple choice questions may be administered online and may
be scored at the district level.
(c) When making the selection, the state board shall consider that
the results and scores should be returned in time for the information
to be used when developing the student plans under RCW 28A.655.061.
(d) School districts shall administer the assessments according to
a uniform assessment schedule and guidelines adopted by the
superintendent to ensure appropriate security of the assessment.
(e) Neither the state board of education nor the office of the
superintendent of public instruction shall develop any end-of-course
examinations for the purposes of this section.
(2) The legislature's intent is that students receive instruction
through credited high school courses in the content areas to be
assessed and have their knowledge and skills assessed after they
complete the courses. However, school districts shall be responsible
for designing and implementing the courses. School districts may
provide instruction in the content areas through integrated courses.
(3) The end-of-course assessments in high school mathematics shall
cover algebra I and geometry. The superintendent shall make the end-of-course assessments in algebra I available to school districts as an
objective alternative assessment to the Washington assessment of
student learning in the 2008-09 school year. The superintendent shall
make the end-of-course assessments in geometry available to school
districts as an objective alternative assessment to the Washington
assessment of student learning in the 2009-10 school year. The end-of-course assessment in algebra I implemented under this section shall be
the Washington assessment of student learning in mathematics for
purposes of the certificate of academic achievement under RCW
28A.655.061, beginning with the graduating class of 2013. The end-of-course assessment in algebra I and the end-of-course assessment in
geometry implemented under this section shall be the Washington
assessment of student learning in mathematics for purposes of the
certificate of academic achievement under RCW 28A.655.061, beginning
with the graduating class of 2014.
(4) The end-of-course assessment in high school science shall cover
biology. The superintendent shall make the science assessment
available to school districts as an objective alternative assessment to
the Washington assessment of student learning in the 2009-10 school
year. The end-of-course assessment in biology implemented under this
section shall be the Washington assessment of student learning in
science for purposes of the certificate of academic achievement under
RCW 28A.655.061, beginning with the graduating class of 2013.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8 (1) Beginning in 2007, the state board of
education and the superintendent of public instruction shall report
annually by December 1st to the education committees of the legislature
on the status and progress of implementation of their responsibilities
under this act.
(2)(a) By January 5, 2009, the state board of education shall
submit a finding to the governor and the legislature regarding whether
the implementation timelines established under section 7 of this act
can be feasibly met. The board shall consider the following factors in
making such a finding:
(i) The expected validity, reliability, and rigor of the end-of-
course assessments for use in making individual student high school
graduation determinations, based on information from independent
national assessment experts;
(ii) Adequate notice to the graduating class of students who will
be required to meet state standards on the end-of-course assessments
for purposes of the certificate of academic achievement; and
(iii) Other possible factors that are supported by clear and
convincing evidence.
(b) If the state board of education finds that one or more of the
timelines cannot be met, the board shall:
(i) State the reasons for the finding, along with the supporting
evidence;
(ii) Recommend a revised timeline or timelines, with specific
dates; and
(iii) Recommend specific actions that must be taken by the board,
the superintendent of public instruction, school districts, the
legislature, or other entities to ensure that a revised timeline can be
met.
(3) This section expires June 30, 2010.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 9 If specific funding for the purposes of
section 2 of this act, referencing section 2 of this act by bill or
chapter number and section number, is not provided by June 30, 2007, in
the omnibus appropriations act, section 2 of this act is null and void.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 10 If specific funding for the purposes of
section 5 of this act, referencing section 5 of this act by bill or
chapter number and section number, is not provided by June 30, 2007, in
the omnibus appropriations act, section 5 of this act is null and void.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 11 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.