HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 728

BYRepresentatives Ebersole, Pruitt, Holland, Cole, Peery, Sanders, P. King, Unsoeld, Spanel and Todd; by request of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Establishing the learning assistance program.

House Committe on Education

Majority Report:     The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (20)

     Signed by Representatives Ebersole, Chair; Spanel, Vice Chair; Appelwick, Betrozoff, Cole, Cooper, Fuhrman, Holland, Holm, P. King, Peery, Pruitt, Rasmussen, Rayburn, Rust, Schoon, L. Smith, Todd, Valle and Walker.

House Staff:Susan Patrick (786-7111)

Rereferred House Committee on Ways & Means

Majority Report:     The second substitute bill be substituted therefor and the second substitute bill do pass.  (31)

     Signed by Representatives Grimm, Chair; Bristow, Vice Chair; Allen, Appelwick, Basich, Belcher, Braddock, Brekke, Ebersole, Fuhrman, Grant, Hine, Holland, Locke, Madsen, McLean, McMullen, Nealey, Niemi, Peery, Rust, Sayan, Schoon, Silver, L. Smith, H. Sommers, Sprenkle, Taylor, Valle, B. Williams and Winsley.

House Staff:    Janet Peterson (786-7143)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS MARCH 7, 1987

BACKGROUND:

In addition to special education programs, the state currently funds a remediation assistance program for students in grades two through nine who are below grade level in basic skills.  At the grades two through six level, the remediation program may only be used to support instruction of students in groups of five or fewer, causing most schools to pull students out of regular classes for this purpose.

In 1986, the legislature directed the Superintendent of Public Instruction to conduct a study of categorical programs for students with learning problems or special needs.  Recommendations of this study were submitted to the legislature in January of 1987.

SUMMARY:

SECOND SUBSTITUTE:  The bill repeals the current remediation program and replaces it with the Learning Assistance Program, providing a broader range of program options.  Also, the program is expanded to serve students in kindergarten through ninth grade.

Services which may be supported under this program include:  (1) consultant teachers;  (2) instructional support staff;  (3) inservice training in teaching students with special needs;  (4) specialized instructional programs; and (5) other program plans developed by the district.

Districts shall develop program plans based on a biennial needs assessment, and shall include input from an advisory committee of parents, parents of children served by the program, teachers, principals, administrators, and school directors.  The district's program shall be approved by the school board and by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and shall be evaluated annually.  Students who are behind grade level in basic skills may be selected to participate.  State funding shall be allocated according to district test scores in the lowest quartile in comparison with national norms.  Learning disabled students who are generating state funds for special education allocations shall be deducted in distributing remediation funding.

SECOND SUBSTITUTE COMPARED TO FIRST SUBSTITUTE:  Clarifies language and intent.

SUBSTITUTE BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  The grade levels to be served are reduced from kindergarten through twelfth grade, to kindergarten through ninth grade.  The goal of the program is to provide assistance within the regular classroom through the hiring of consulting teachers, instructional support staff, in-service training and specialized instruction for participating students.  This does not preclude other modes of service delivery to students who are below grade level in the basic skill areas.

The program shall be revised and evaluated biennially.

CHANGES PROPOSED BY COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS:  Second substitute proposed.

Fiscal Note:    Requested March 7, 1987.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:     (Education)  John Pearson, Committee on Categoricals; Al Rasp, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction; Judy Hartmann, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction; Dr. Abby Adams, Issaquah School District.

Substitute:  (Ways & Means)  Karen Davis, Washington Education Association; Janet Wozniak, Washington Association of Citizens with Learning Disabilities;  Larry Ash, Association of Washington School Principals and John Pearson, Committee on Categorical Programs.

House Committee - Testified Against: (Education)  None Presented.

Substitute:  (Ways & Means)  None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:     (Education)  The lines have been drawn by legislation which make it impossible for school districts to efficiently serve students with special needs.  This program would allow a school to maximize its efforts to meet the needs of individual students rather than drawing artificial lines for programs which require us to label a student or be unable to provide the assistance that student needs.

Substitute:  (Ways & Means)  School districts need more support for programs to serve students with special needs, and more flexibility in designing these programs.

House Committee - Testimony Against: (Education)  None Presented.

Substitute:  (Ways & Means)  None Presented.