Background:

Comprehensive Career Guidance and Planning Curriculum.

Legislation enacted in 2006 encouraged each middle school, junior high school, and high school to implement a comprehensive guidance and planning program for all students. The purpose of the program is to: support students as they navigate their education and plan their future; encourage an ongoing and personal relationship between each student and an adult in the school; and, involve parents in students' educational decisions and plans.

A comprehensive guidance and planning program is defined in statute as one that contains at least the following components:

a curriculum that could include analysis of students' test results; assessments of student interests and aptitudes; diagnostic assessments of students' academic strengths and weaknesses; use of assessment results in developing students' plans; goal setting skills; planning for high school course selection; independent living skills; and postsecondary options and how to access them;

regular meetings with a teacher who serves as the student's advisor throughout his or her enrollment at the school;
student-led parent-teacher conferences for the purpose of demonstrating the student's accomplishments, identifying weaknesses, planning and course selection, and long-term goal setting; and

data collection that allows schools to monitor student's progress.

According to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), Career Guidance Washington is a new career and college readiness program model designed to prepare all students for their future with support from an advisor or a counselor, and guidance curriculum and tools to develop the High School & Beyond Plan (HSBP). The OSPI indicates that this statewide guidance and life-planning program for middle and high school students has been distilled from earlier college and career planning curricula and incorporates lessons geared to provide tools and templates for the new graduation "Personalized Pathway Requirement" starting with the class of 2019 related to a specific post high school career or educational outcome chosen by the student based on the student's interests and HSBP. The new lessons align with the Common Core State Standards, and are customized to the graduation and course admission requirements for Washington schools.

Jobs for Washington Graduates.

The statewide Jobs for Washington Graduates (JWG) assists young people in staying in school through graduation, as well as reconnecting those students who have dropped out, by providing them an opportunity to attend high school, or a skill center, work toward graduation, and get a job.

The JWG is part of Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG), a state-based national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing dropouts among young people who are most at-risk. According to JAG, there are ten common elements in the model: student selection; classroom instruction; adult mentoring; leadership development; guidance and counseling; job and postsecondary education placement services; linkages to school and community-based services; 12-month follow-up services; accountability system; and technical assistance and professional development.

The JWG uses the national model that relies heavily on data collection. A dedicated staff person, or "specialist", is responsible for creating a student profile, identifying barriers, and delivering a series of model services, including instruction and interventions, that assist in eliminating student barriers. The data collection system tracks not only the student, but also the barrier removal process for each student. Since its pilot year in 2010-11, the JWG model has grown from 16 to 41 participating schools.

The JWG has been the subject of budget provisos in the omnibus appropriations act, but the program is not codified in statute.

Longitudinal Student Data System.

The Comprehensive Education Data and Research System (CEDARS) is a longitudinal data warehouse of educational data. Districts report data on courses, teachers, and students to the OSPI. CEDARS' primary purpose is to aid research into programs and interventions that are most effective in improving student performance, better understand the state's public educator workforce, and provide information on areas within the educational system that need improvement.

Summary of Bill:

Comprehensive Career Guidance and Planning Curriculum.

Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this purpose, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) shall develop a comprehensive career and college readiness program model. Called Career Guidance Washington, the model is designed to help students make choices through their high school and beyond plans (HSBPs) regarding course selection, goal setting, career planning, and postsecondary options, including financial aid. All middle school, junior high schools, and high schools are encouraged to implement the Career Guidance Washington program model.

The definition and minimum components of the earlier comprehensive guidance and planning program model are stricken.

Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the OSPI shall provide support for Career Guidance Washington programs in the schools, including providing ongoing development and improvement of the program model. In partnership with the educational service districts (ESDs), OSPI must provide professional development, technical assistance, and guidance for districts to implement the program.

In consultation with the State Board of Education (SBE), the OSPI shall develop and make available an electronic tool for use in developing and maintaining HSBPs.

Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this purpose, the OSPI shall:

allocate grants to districts to implement the program;
allocate supplemental grants to implementing districts that demonstrate a need for additional staff members to provide strategic support and intervention for struggling students; and
allocate supplemental grants to schools for the development and implementation of behavioral health service coordination and delivery for struggling students. Allowable uses of this grant money includes coordinating school-based and community-based mental health and substance abuse evidence-based programming, screening, referral, and case management processes for individual students, and providing mental health promotion and substance abuse prevention through student, staff, family and community education and awareness efforts.

Jobs for Washington Graduates.

Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the OSPI shall administer the Jobs for Washington Graduates (JWG) program, including providing professional development, technical assistance, and guidance for school districts, and allocating grants to districts for the purpose of establishing school based JWG programs.

School district grant recipients must meet all of the following criteria:

Designate at least one full time equivalent employee as a graduation coach.
Provide group instruction and individual student support designed to reduce students' social, emotional, and health barriers to success.
Offer a competency based curriculum that includes employability competencies and intensive career exploration and development opportunities.
Make employment opportunities available for participating students, and provide assistance to students in the exploration of postsecondary education opportunities.
Offer 12-month follow up services for students and support to graduates for employment or postsecondary enrollment.

Longitudinal Student Data System.

The longitudinal student data system must be designed to allow efficient delivery of reports that enable school districts to direct program activities to achieve greater success for students, including increasing graduation rates.