BILL REQ. #:  H-1833.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/17/11.   

     AN ACT Relating to high school assessments as graduation requirements; amending RCW 28A.655.066; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that acquiring mathematical skills and knowledge is critical for the future financial and personal success of public school graduates. However, the legislature finds that requiring students in the classes of 2013 and 2014 to meet the standards on two high school mathematics end-of-course assessments to graduate would not be fair to students or a valid use of the new end-of-course assessments. Specifically, a majority of these students will have taken algebra I or integrated mathematics one or more years before taking the end-of-course assessments. However, the legislature intends to provide a reasonable transition period and require students in the classes of 2013 and 2014 to meet the standard on only one assessment. Students in subsequent classes will be required to meet the standards on both assessments.

Sec. 2   RCW 28A.655.066 and 2009 c 310 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1)(a) In consultation with the state board of education, the superintendent of public instruction shall develop statewide end-of-course assessments for high school mathematics that measure student achievement of the state mathematics standards. The superintendent shall take steps to ensure that the language of the assessments is responsive to a diverse student population. The assessments shall be implemented statewide in the 2010-11 school year.
     (b) The superintendent shall develop end-of-course assessments for the first year of high school mathematics that include the standards common to algebra I and integrated mathematics I and for the second year of high school mathematics that include the standards common to geometry and integrated mathematics II. The assessments under this subsection (1)(b) shall be used to demonstrate that a student meets the state standard on the mathematics content area of the high school Washington assessment of student learning for purposes of RCW 28A.655.061.
     (c) The superintendent of public instruction shall also develop subtests for the end-of-course assessments that measure standards for the first two years of high school mathematics that are unique to algebra I, integrated mathematics I, geometry, and integrated mathematics II. The results of the subtests shall be reported at the student, teacher, school, and district level.
     (2) For the graduating classes of 2013 and 2014 and for purposes of the certificate of academic achievement under RCW 28A.655.061, a student may use: (a) Results from the end-of-course assessment for the first year of high school mathematics ((plus)) or the results from the end-of-course assessment for the second year of high school mathematics; or (b) results from ((the comprehensive mathematics assessment to demonstrate that a student meets the state standard on the mathematics content area of the high school Washington assessment of student learning)) a high school mathematics retake assessment.
     (3) Beginning with the graduating class of 2015 and for purposes of the certificate of academic achievement under RCW 28A.655.061, the mathematics content area of the Washington assessment of student learning shall be assessed using the end-of-course assessment for the first year of high school mathematics plus the end-of-course assessment for the second year of high school mathematics, or results from a high school mathematics retake assessment for the end-of-course assessments in which the student did not meet the standard.
     (4) All of the objective alternative assessments available to students under RCW 28A.655.061 and 28A.655.065 shall be available to any student who has taken the sequence of end-of-course assessments once but does not meet the state mathematics standard on the sequence of end-of-course assessments.
     (((4))) (5) The superintendent of public instruction shall report at least annually or more often if necessary to keep the education committees of the legislature informed on each step of the development and implementation process under this section.