FINAL BILL REPORT

ESHB 2586

C 51 L 12

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Regarding the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills.

Sponsors: House Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Representatives Kagi, Maxwell, Ladenburg, Dammeier, Kenney and Tharinger; by request of Department of Early Learning and Superintendent of Public Instruction).

House Committee on Education

House Committee on Ways & Means

Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education

Senate Committee on Ways & Means

Background:

In 2009 the Legislature provided $100,000 over the biennium, contingent on an equal match from private sources, for the Department of Early Learning (DEL) to work with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and others to identify and test a kindergarten assessment process and tools in geographically diverse school districts. During the fall of 2010, the OSPI piloted the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) with 2,600 incoming kindergarteners in 115 classrooms around the state. The purpose of the WaKIDS is to gather information about the child in order to better inform teacher instruction.

State-supported all-day kindergarten is in the process of being phased in across the state, beginning with schools with the highest poverty levels. Beginning with the 2011-12 school year, on a voluntary basis and to the extent funds were available, schools receiving all-day kindergarten state support administered the WaKids.

Beginning in the 2012-13 school year, to the extent funds are available, the WaKIDS must be administered to all students enrolled in state-funded all-day kindergarten programs. Parents and guardians may excuse their students from participating in the WaKIDS.

Until full implementation of state-funded all-day kindergarten, the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), in consultation with the Director of the DEL, may grant annually renewable waivers in order to allow the administration of kindergarten assessments other than the WaKIDS. An application for such a waiver must include specified components:

• a description of the assessment and transition processes that it proposes to administer;

• an explanation as to why administering the WaKIDS would be unduly burdensome; and

• an explanation of how the alternative assessment will support social-emotional, physical, and cognitive growth and development of individual children, support early learning provider and parent involvement, and inform instruction.

Summary:

Legislative intent is expressed that administration of the WaKIDS replace administration of other assessments being required by school districts. Only if they seek to obtain information not covered by the WaKIDS, should other assessments be administered.

The OSPI, in consultation with the DEL, continues to be charged with directing the administration of the WaKIDS but, in doing so, must also collaborate with the private-public partnership which is focused on supporting investments in early learning and ensuring that every child in the state is prepared to succeed in school and in life.

Unchanged from current law, and still to the extent funds are available, beginning in the 2012-13 school year, the WaKIDS must be administered at the beginning of the school year to all students enrolled in state-funded full-day kindergarten, except those students who are excused by their parents or guardians. To the extent funds are available, additional support in the form of implementation grants must be offered to schools on a schedule to be determined by the OSPI in consultation with the DEL.

The OSPI is tasked with convening a workgroup to provide recommendations with respect to:

• implementation of the WaKIDS;

• the optimum way to administer the WaKIDS to students in half-day kindergarten; and

• replacing assessments currently used by districts with the WaKIDS.

The workgroup is to be comprised of the following:

• one representative from the OSPI;

• one representative from the DEL;

• one representative from the private-public partnership that is focused on supporting investments in early learning and ensuring that every child in the state is prepared to succeed in school and in life;

• five representatives, including teachers and principals, from districts that participated in the WaKIDS pilot program, with every effort made to make sure that there is representation from across the state;

• two parents who participated in the WaKIDS pilot program during the 2010-11 school year; and

• one representative from an independent, nonprofit children and family services organization with a main campus in North Bend.

By December 1, 2012, the workgroup must submit a preliminary report and recommendations to the Education committees of the Legislature. Subsequent reports and recommendations are due annually thereafter. The workgroup terminates upon full statewide implementation of all-day kindergarten.

Votes on Final Passage: