BILL REQ. #:  H-0353.1 

Read first time 01/28/13.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to establishing a performance-based grading system for schools and school districts; amending RCW 28A.657.110; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that the state board of education is directed to establish an accountability index for schools and districts that is "fair, consistent, and transparent." However, the legislature further finds that transparency is an elusive quality, and that the public would best be served by an accountability index that is clear, plain, and uses the commonly understood terminology of a letter A through F grading system to indicate the performance of schools and school districts.

Sec. 2   RCW 28A.657.110 and 2010 c 235 s 111 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The state board of education shall continue to refine the development of an accountability framework that creates a unified system of support for challenged schools, that aligns with basic education, increases the level of support based upon the magnitude of need, and uses data for decisions.
     (2) The state board of education shall develop an accountability index to identify schools and school districts for recognition, for continuous improvement, and for additional state support. The index shall be based on criteria that are fair, consistent, and transparent. Performance shall be measured using multiple outcomes and indicators including, but not limited to, graduation rates and results from statewide assessments. The index shall be developed in such a way as to be easily understood by both employees within the schools and school districts, as well as parents and community members. The index must identify five categories of schools and school districts, which must be labeled using a letter A through F grading system based on relative performance on the criteria used in the index. It is the legislature's intent that the index provide feedback to schools and school districts to self-assess their progress, and enable the identification of schools with ((exemplary student)) A-level performance and those that need assistance to overcome challenges in order to achieve ((exemplary student)) A-level performance.
     (3) The state board of education, in cooperation with the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall annually recognize schools ((for exemplary)) with A-level performance as measured on the state board of education accountability index. The state board of education shall have ongoing collaboration with the ((achievement)) educational opportunity gap oversight and accountability committee regarding the measures used to measure the closing of the achievement gaps and the recognition provided to the school districts for closing the achievement gaps.
     (4) In coordination with the superintendent of public instruction, the state board of education shall seek approval from the United States department of education for use of the accountability index and the state system of support, assistance, and intervention, to replace the federal accountability system under P.L. 107-110, the no child left behind act of 2001. The state system of support, assistance, and intervention must be designed to reflect the five categories of schools and school districts in the A through F letter grading system.
     (5) The state board of education shall work with the education data center established within the office of financial management and the technical working group established in section 112, chapter 548, Laws of 2009 to determine the feasibility of using the prototypical funding allocation model as not only a tool for allocating resources to schools and school districts but also as a tool for schools and school districts to report to the state legislature and the state board of education on how the state resources received are being used.