Statewide Indicators of Educational System Health. State law establishes the following statewide indicators of educational system health:

• the percentage of students demonstrating the characteristics of entering kindergartners in all six areas identified by the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills; 
• the percentage of students meeting the standard on the fourth grade statewide reading assessment administered; 
• the percentage of students meeting the standard on the eighth grade statewide mathematics assessment administered;
• the four-year cohort high school graduation rate;
• the percentage of high school graduates who during the second quarter after graduation are either enrolled in postsecondary education or training or are employed, and the percentage during the fourth quarter after graduation who are either enrolled in postsecondary education or training or are employed; and
• the percentage of students enrolled in precollege or remedial courses in college.

The statewide indicators must be disaggregated by specified groups.

Disaggregation of Data. School districts must submit to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) all student-level data using the federal 2007 race and ethnicity reporting guidelines and must further disaggregate this data by specified subgroups. All student data-related reports required of OSPI must be disaggregated by at least the following subgroups of students: White, Black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, Pacific Islander/Hawaiian Native, low income, highly capable, transitional bilingual, migrant, special education, and students covered by section 504 of the federal rehabilitation act of 1973.

P20W Public-Private Partnership Account. A non-appropriated P20W public-private partnership account, which retains its own interest, is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts from gifts, grants, or endowments from public or private sources, federal funds, any appropriations made by the Legislature, or other sources for the specified purposes of the account must be deposited in the account. Nothing requires state funding be provided to the account. The director of the Office of Financial Management (OFM) or their designee may authorize expenditures from the account, subject to allotment procedures, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.

"P20W" means prekindergarten to grade 20 to workforce and encompasses the transitions from early learning to K-12 education to postsecondary education and career pathways to workforce. Career pathways include, but are not limited to, apprenticeships, certification, and licensure programs.

Expenditures from the account may be used only for two purposes: (1) P20W system coordination and recommendations, and (2) a P20W data dashboard. OFM may contract with the same nonprofit organization for both purposes but is not required to do so. OFM and any selected nonprofit organization must negotiate specific performance expectations.

P20W System Coordination and Recommendations. OFM must contract with a nonprofit organization with expertise in national and Washington State comparative education policy development to identify ongoing and historical work undertaken by state agencies, councils, advisory boards, and the philanthropic community related to the P20W system. The nonprofit organization must facilitate increased coordination and alignment between the state and the philanthropic community in support of implementing the state's P20W vision. Then nonprofit organization may not have any rule-making or policy-making authority. All recommendations of the nonprofit organization must be submitted to the Legislature and are subject to legislative action for implementation.

The nonprofit organization must convene an advisory committee with stakeholders representing the P20W system. In developing specified recommendations, the advisory committee must engage with representatives of tribes and subgroups representing the regional, racial, and cultural diversity of all children and families in Washington State, including those with specialized needs.

The advisory committee must develop recommendations related to the state's P20W education vision including:

• developing a plan for coordinating new philanthropic contributions in a manner that best complements the state's ongoing P20W investments and ensuring resources are used effectively to advance shared statewide goals;
• aligning systems and existing efforts within each sector of the P20W system to improve academic achievement;
• increasing postsecondary access and economic mobility opportunities;
• improving the use of existing data and measurements, including reviewing the statewide indicators of educational system health and other relevant performance indicators and determining if these indicators could be updated;
• increasing public transparency and identifying ways to better communicate the state's P20W education vision to students, families, and the broader community;
• fostering innovative approaches to education; and
• easing the transition from early learning to K-12 education to postsecondary education and career pathways to workforce.

By July 1, 2027, the nonprofit organization must submit a report with these recommendations to the relevant committees of the Legislature and the philanthropic community. The advisory committee, with support from the contracted nonprofit organization, must develop and approve the recommendations in the final report.

P20W Data Dashboard. OFM, through the Education Data Center, must contract with a nonprofit organization with relevant expertise related to Washington data systems to provide assistance with creating a public-facing P20W formative performance and outcomes data dashboard by November 1, 2027. The dashboard must connect existing data systems and makes this data more accessible for the public to see how the state is making progress on its P20W education vision. The  data dashboard must, to the extent possible, incorporate or reference the relevant work already under way at state agencies and any existing state data or data dashboards available.

The dashboard must:

• report on students' educational outcomes for diverse student populations, including students with disabilities, English learners, students of color, and students from low-income families;
• include multiple measures of system inputs, milestones, student well-being, early learning, and student progress toward career and college readiness, to the extent data is available;
• be disaggregated by specified groups; and
• incorporate safeguards to protect confidential information consistent with the requirements of the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy, as in effect on January 1, 2025 and applicable state laws.

• Adds intent language that the state and the philanthropic community will work together with relevant stakeholders from the early learning, K-12 education, post-secondary education and workforce communities including labor, business and community-based organizations to strengthen existing initiatives and communicate shared priorities in a clear and coordinated manner to the broader public.
• Adds that nothing requires state funding be provided to the P20W account.
• Provides that the contracted nonprofit organization shall not have any rulemaking or policy-making authority and all recommendations of the nonprofit organization shall be submitted to the Legislature and are subject to legislative action for implementation.
• Specifies that the advisory committee, with support from the contracted nonprofit organization, will develop and approve the recommendations in the final report.
• Directs OFM through the Education Data Center to contract with a nonprofit organization to provide assistance and support with creating a public-facing P20W formative performance and outcomes data dashboard.
• Specifies that the data dashboard must, to the extent possible, incorporate or reference the relevant work already under way at state agencies and any existing state data or data dashboards available.
• Adds that the data dashboard must incorporate safeguards to protect confidential student information consistent with the requirements of FERPA as in effect on January 1, 2025, and applicable state laws.

The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard. PRO: Washington's education and workforce systems are strongest when they work together and oftentimes this is not happening and is even more important as technology changes. Students do not experience education as separate systems, but it is built and funded that way. The concept of preschool through grade 20 to workforce is inspiring because it can connect different sectors and helps build on a vision of where the state wants to go. The transitions between these systems are critical points, and students who are low-income and first generation college students can fall off during these transitions. Early learning is at risk of not being fully included in this vision even though this is a critical time and when investments yield the strongest returns. Philanthropy wants to help with education funding and the huge needs that this system is facing but needs to know the state's vision to move forward. This bill will take a practical step and will help prompt timely and important conversations. It helps create an infrastructure and partnerships but leaves the policy making to the Legislature. When data and metrics are not connected, it is difficult to understand what is happening within the educational system. The data dashboard will help make the vision transparent and how the state is progressing.

OTHER: There is some concern about the public-private partnership model. There should be more guardrails to ensure that private funding does not influence policy making and accountability. The educational system is first and foremost accountable to students, families, legislators, and the public. These groups need to be part of the decision-making and not just play an advisory role. There is concern about a nonprofit organization creating the dashboard and the protection of student data. This bill should not duplicate existing efforts and work.

PRO: Senator Vandana Slatter, Prime Sponsor; Karina Cruz, Communities For Our Colleges; Arik Korman, League of Education Voters; Jenee Myers Twitchell, Washington STEM; Darin Reynaud Knapp, Equity Manager- Puget Sound ESD; Soleil Boyd, Children's Alliance; Sienna Jarrard, Washington Student Association; Terri Standish-Kuon, Ph.D., Independent Colleges of Washington.