Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout RCW *
28A.630.885 and
28A.300.130.
(1) "Commission" means the commission on student learning created in *RCW
28A.630.885.
(2) "Student learning goals" mean[s] the goals established in RCW
28A.150.210.
(3) "Essential academic learning requirements" means more specific academic and technical skills and knowledge, based on the student learning goals, as determined under *RCW
28A.630.885(3)(a). Essential academic learning requirements shall not limit the instructional strategies used by schools or school districts or require the use of specific curriculum.
(4) "Performance standards" or "standards" means the criteria used to determine if a student has successfully learned the specific knowledge or skill being assessed as determined under *RCW
28A.630.885(3)(b). The standards should be set at internationally competitive levels.
(5) "Assessment system" or "student assessment system" means a series of assessments used to determine if students have successfully learned the essential academic learning requirements. The assessment system shall be developed under *RCW
28A.630.885(3)(b).
(6) "Performance-based education system" means an education system in which a significantly greater emphasis is placed on how well students are learning, and significantly less emphasis is placed on state-level laws and rules that dictate how instruction is to be provided. The performance-based education system does not require that schools use an outcome-based instructional model. Decisions regarding how instruction is provided are to be made, to the greatest extent possible, by schools and school districts, not by the state.