"Sec. 1   RCW 28A.150.315 and 2011 c 340 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Beginning with the 2007-08 school year, funding for voluntary all-day kindergarten programs shall be phased-in beginning with schools with the highest poverty levels, defined as those schools with the highest percentages of students qualifying for free and reduced-price lunch support in the prior school year. During the 2011-2013 biennium, funding shall continue to be phased-in each year until full statewide implementation of all-day kindergarten is achieved in the 2017-18 school year. Once a school receives funding for the all-day kindergarten program, that school shall remain eligible for funding in subsequent school years regardless of changes in the school's percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunches as long as other program requirements are fulfilled. Additionally, schools receiving all-day kindergarten program support shall agree to the following conditions:
     (a) Provide at least a one thousand-hour instructional program;
     (b) Provide a curriculum that offers a rich, varied set of experiences that assist students in:
     (i) Developing initial skills in the academic areas of reading, mathematics, and writing;
     (ii) Developing a variety of communication skills;
     (iii) Providing experiences in science, social studies, arts, health and physical education, and a world language other than English;
     (iv) Acquiring large and small motor skills;
     (v) Acquiring social and emotional skills including successful participation in learning activities as an individual and as part of a group; and
     (vi) Learning through hands-on experiences;
     (c) Establish learning environments that are developmentally appropriate and promote creativity;
     (d) Demonstrate strong connections and communication with early learning community providers; and
     (e) Participate in kindergarten program readiness activities with early learning providers and parents.
     (2)(a) In addition to the requirements in subsection (1) of this section and to the extent funds are available, beginning with the 2011-12 school year on a voluntary basis, schools must identify the skills, knowledge, and characteristics of kindergarten students at the beginning of the school year in order to support social-emotional, physical, and cognitive growth and development of individual children; support early learning provider and parent involvement; and inform instruction. Kindergarten teachers shall administer the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills, as directed by the superintendent of public instruction in consultation with the department of early learning and in collaboration with the nongovernmental private-public partnership designated in RCW 43.215.070, and report the results to the superintendent. The superintendent shall share the results with the director of the department of early learning. Beginning with the 2012-13 school year and thereafter, schools shall be subject to the provisions of section 2 of this act.
     (b) School districts shall provide an opportunity for parents and guardians to excuse their children from participation in the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills.
     (((c) To the extent funds are available, beginning in the 2012-13 school year, the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills shall be administered at the beginning of the school year to all students enrolled in state-funded full-day kindergarten programs with the exception of students who have been excused from participation by their parents or guardians.
     (d) Until full implementation of state-funded all-day kindergarten, the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the director of the department of early learning, may grant annual, renewable waivers from the requirement of (c) of this subsection to administer the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills. A school district seeking a waiver for one or more of its schools must submit an application to the office of the superintendent of public instruction that includes:
     (i) A description of the kindergarten readiness assessment and transition processes that it proposes to administer instead of the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills;
     (ii) An explanation of why the administration of the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills would be unduly burdensome; and
     (iii) An explanation of how administration of the alternative kindergarten readiness assessment will support social-emotional, physical, and cognitive growth and development of individual children; support early learning provider and parent involvement; and inform instruction.))
     (3) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the superintendent of public instruction shall designate one or more school districts to serve as resources and examples of best practices in designing and operating a high-quality all-day kindergarten program. Designated school districts shall serve as lighthouse programs and provide technical assistance to other school districts in the initial stages of implementing an all-day kindergarten program. Examples of topics addressed by the technical assistance include strategic planning, developing the instructional program and curriculum, working with early learning providers to identify students and communicate with parents, and developing kindergarten program readiness activities.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.655 RCW to read as follows:
     (1)(a) To the extent funds are available, beginning in the 2012-13 school year, the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills shall be administered at the beginning of the school year to all students enrolled in state-funded full-day kindergarten programs under RCW 28A.150.315 with the exception of students who have been excused from participation by their parents or guardians.
     (b) To the extent funds are available, administration of the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills to kindergarten students in addition to those under (a) of this subsection shall be phased in beginning in the 2012-13 school year as directed by the superintendent of public instruction in consultation with the department of early learning, until the 2014-15 school year and thereafter when the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills must be administered to all students enrolled in kindergarten programs in the public schools with the exception of students who have been excused from participation by their parents or guardians.
     (2)(a) The superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the department of early learning, shall convene a work group to provide:
     (i) Input and recommendations with respect to implementation of the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills; and
     (ii) Recommendations regarding the optimum way to administer the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills to children in half-day kindergarten while ensuring that they receive the maximum instruction as required in RCW 28A.150.205.
     (b) The work group shall include:
     (i) One representative from the office of the superintendent of public instruction;
     (ii) One representative from the department of early learning;
     (iii) One representative from the nongovernmental private-public partnership defined in RCW 43.215.010;
     (iv) Five representatives, including both teachers and principals, from school districts that participated in the pilot project, with every effort made to make sure that there is representation from across the state;
     (v) Two parents who are familiar with and participated in the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills pilot during the 2010-11 school year; and
     (vi) A representative from an independent, nonprofit children's and family services organization with a main campus in North Bend, Washington.
     (3) To the extent funds are available, additional support in the form of implementation grants shall be offered to schools on a schedule to be determined by the office of superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the department of early learning.
     (4) Until full statewide implementation of the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills, the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the director of the department of early learning, may grant annual, renewable waivers from the requirement of subsection (1) of this section to administer the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills. A school district seeking a waiver for one or more of its schools must submit an application to the office of the superintendent of public instruction that includes:
     (a) A description of the kindergarten readiness assessment and transition processes that it proposes to administer instead of the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills;
     (b) An explanation of why the administration of the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills would be unduly burdensome; and
     (c) An explanation of how administration of the alternative kindergarten readiness assessment will support social-emotional, physical, and cognitive growth and development of individual children; support early learning provider and parent involvement; and inform instruction.
     (5) A waiver from the requirement to administer the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills obtained by a school district may become an ongoing waiver if the school district can show, on an annual basis:
     (a) That the data derived from the administration of the alternative kindergarten readiness assessment supports the goals of the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills as determined by the department of early learning and the office of the superintendent of public instruction; and
     (b) That the same information is reported to the superintendent as required under RCW 28A.150.315(2)(a).

Sec. 3   RCW 28A.150.205 and 1992 c 141 s 502 are each amended to read as follows:
     Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definition in this section applies throughout RCW 28A.150.200 through 28A.150.295.
     "Instructional hours" means those hours students are provided the opportunity to engage in educational activity planned by and under the direction of school district staff, as directed by the administration and board of directors of the district, inclusive of intermissions for class changes, recess, and teacher/parent-guardian conferences that are planned and scheduled by the district for the purpose of discussing students' educational needs or progress, and exclusive of time actually spent for meals. Until the 2017-18 school year, instructional hours may include time spent by classroom teachers in half-day kindergarten programs meeting with students and families as part of the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills.

Sec. 4   RCW 28A.150.203 and 2009 c 548 s 102 are each amended to read as follows:
     The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
     (1) "Basic education goal" means the student learning goals and the student knowledge and skills described under RCW 28A.150.210.
     (2) "Certificated administrative staff" means all those persons who are chief executive officers, chief administrative officers, confidential employees, supervisors, principals, or assistant principals within the meaning of RCW 41.59.020(4).
     (3) "Certificated employee" as used in this chapter and RCW 28A.195.010, 28A.405.100, 28A.405.210, 28A.405.240, 28A.405.250, 28A.405.300 through 28A.405.380, and chapter 41.59 RCW, means those persons who hold certificates as authorized by rule of the Washington professional educator standards board.
     (4) "Certificated instructional staff" means those persons employed by a school district who are nonsupervisory certificated employees within the meaning of RCW 41.59.020(8).
     (5) "Class size" means an instructional grouping of students where, on average, the ratio of students to teacher is the number specified.
     (6) "Classified employee" means a person who does not hold a professional education certificate or is employed in a position that does not require such a certificate.
     (7) "Classroom teacher" means a person who holds a professional education certificate and is employed in a position for which such certificate is required whose primary duty is the daily educational instruction of students. In exceptional cases, people of unusual competence but without certification may teach students so long as a certificated person exercises general supervision, but the hiring of such classified employees shall not occur during a labor dispute, and such classified employees shall not be hired to replace certificated employees during a labor dispute.
     (8) "Instructional program of basic education" means the minimum program required to be provided by school districts and includes instructional hour requirements and other components under RCW 28A.150.220.
     (9) "Program of basic education" means the overall program under RCW 28A.150.200 and deemed by the legislature to comply with the requirements of Article IX, section 1 of the state Constitution.
     (10) "School day" means each day of the school year on which pupils enrolled in the common schools of a school district are engaged in academic and career and technical instruction planned by and under the direction of the school. Until the 2017-18 school year, up to three school days used by classroom teachers in half-day kindergarten programs to meet with students and families or otherwise administer the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills may be considered school days.
     (11) "School year" includes the minimum number of school days required under RCW 28A.150.220 and begins on the first day of September and ends with the last day of August, except that any school district may elect to commence the annual school term in the month of August of any calendar year and in such case the operation of a school district for such period in August shall be credited by the superintendent of public instruction to the succeeding school year for the purpose of the allocation and distribution of state funds for the support of such school district.
     (12) "Teacher planning period" means a period of a school day as determined by the administration and board of ((the)) directors of the district that may be used by teachers for instruction-related activities including but not limited to preparing instructional materials; reviewing student performance; recording student data; consulting with other teachers, instructional assistants, mentors, instructional coaches, administrators, and parents; or participating in professional development.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   Sections 3 and 4 of this act expire September 1, 2017.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6   If specific funding for the purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not provided by June 30, 2012, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act is null and void."