This section modifies existing section 28A.230.090. Here is the modified chapter for context.
The state board of education shall establish high school graduation requirements or equivalencies for students, except as provided in RCW 28A.230.122 and 28A.655.250 and except those equivalencies established by local high schools or school districts under RCW 28A.230.097. The purpose of a high school diploma is to declare that a student is ready for success in postsecondary education, gainful employment, and citizenship, and is equipped with the skills to be a lifelong learner.
b.
Each student must have a high school and beyond plan to guide the student's high school experience and inform course taking that is aligned with the student's goals for education or training and career after high school under the provisions of section 2 of this act. Any decision on whether a student has met the state board's high school graduation requirements for a high school and beyond plan must be made at the local level. Effective with the graduating class of 2015, the state board of education may not establish a requirement for students to complete a culminating project for graduation. A district may establish additional local requirements for a high school and beyond plan to serve the needs and interests of its students and the purposes of this section.
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i. The state board of education shall adopt rules to implement the career and college ready graduation requirement proposal adopted under board resolution on November 10, 2010, and revised on January 9, 2014, to take effect beginning with the graduating class of 2019 or as otherwise provided in this subsection (1)(c). The rules must include authorization for a school district to waive up to two credits for individual students based on a student's circumstances, provided that none of the waived credits are identified as mandatory core credits by the state board of education. School districts must adhere to written policies authorizing the waivers that must be adopted by each board of directors of a school district that grants diplomas.
ii. School districts may apply to the state board of education for a waiver to implement the career and college ready graduation requirement proposal beginning with the graduating class of 2020 or 2021 instead of the graduating class of 2019. In the application, a school district must describe why the waiver is being requested, the specific impediments preventing timely implementation, and efforts that will be taken to achieve implementation with the graduating class proposed under the waiver. The state board of education shall grant a waiver under this subsection (1)(c) to an applying school district at the next subsequent meeting of the board after receiving an application.
iii. (A) **The state board of education shall adopt rules, to take effect beginning with the graduating class of 2022, that incorporate, at a minimum, the following credit requirements for graduation:**
(I) Seven combined credits of social studies and English language arts, with no less than three credits in either social studies or English language arts;
(II) Six combined credits of mathematics and science, with no less than two credits in either mathematics or science.
(B) Rules adopted under this subsection (1)(c)(iii) may not increase the overall credit amount required for graduation established by rule making under (c)(i) of this subsection, nor does this subsection alter the graduation pathway options under RCW 28A.655.250.
(C) The rules adopted under this subsection (1)(c)(iii) must also provide that the content of any credits beyond the first two credits in mathematics and the first two credits of science may be chosen by the student based on the student's interests and high school and beyond plan with the agreement of the student's parent or legal guardian, an agreement of the school counselor or principal, or as provided in RCW 28A.230.300(4).
(D) In selecting courses to meet the graduation requirements under this subsection (1)(c)(iii), each student's high school and beyond plan must be updated to assess progress toward identified goals, and revised as necessary for changing interests, goals, and needs, as required under section 2(2)(a) of this act. The school counselor or other designated staff must also document and provide the student and student's parent or legal guardian with notification of the impacts of the credit selection on postsecondary opportunities.
In recognition of the statutory authority of the state board of education to establish and enforce minimum high school graduation requirements, the state board shall periodically reevaluate the graduation requirements and shall forward any proposed changes to the high school graduation requirements to the education committees of the legislature for review. The legislature shall have the opportunity to act during a regular legislative session before the changes are adopted through administrative rule by the state board. Changes that have a fiscal impact on school districts, as identified by a fiscal analysis prepared by the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall take effect only if formally authorized and funded by the legislature through the omnibus operating appropriations act or other enacted legislation.
Pursuant to any requirement for instruction in languages other than English established by the state board of education or a local school district, or both, for purposes of high school graduation, students who receive instruction in American sign language or one or more American Indian languages shall be considered to have satisfied the state or local school district graduation requirement for instruction in one or more languages other than English.
Unless requested otherwise by the student and the student's family, a student who has completed high school courses before attending high school shall be given high school credit which shall be applied to fulfilling high school graduation requirements if:
The course was taken with high school students, if the academic level of the course exceeds the requirements for seventh and eighth grade classes, and the student has successfully passed by completing the same course requirements and examinations as the high school students enrolled in the class; or
The academic level of the course exceeds the requirements for seventh and eighth grade classes and the course would qualify for high school credit, because the course is similar or equivalent to a course offered at a high school in the district as determined by the school district board of directors.
Students who have taken and successfully completed high school courses under the circumstances in subsection (4) of this section shall not be required to take an additional competency examination or perform any other additional assignment to receive credit.
At the college or university level, five quarter or three semester hours equals one high school credit.
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A high school and beyond plan must be initiated for each student during the seventh or eighth grade. Each student must be administered a career interest and skills inventory and develop a proposed plan for first-year high school courses aligned with graduation requirements and secondary and postsecondary goals. The initial development of the high school and beyond plan must take into consideration: Assessment results in RCW 28A.655.070(3)(b); students' interests, goals, and needs; and available interventions and academic supports, courses, or both, that are designed for students entering high school who are potentially not on track to graduate, to enable them to fulfill high school graduation requirements.
Each school district shall provide students who have not met the standard on state assessments with the opportunity to access interventions and academic supports, courses, or both, designed to enable students to meet high school graduation requirements. The parent or legal guardian shall be notified about these opportunities as included in the student's high school and beyond plan, preferably through a parent conference and at least annually until the student is on track to graduate.
A school district must update the high school and beyond plan for each student who has not earned a score of level three or level four on the middle school mathematics assessment identified in RCW 28A.655.070 by ninth grade, to ensure that the student takes a mathematics course in both ninth and 10th grades. This course may include career and technical education equivalencies in mathematics adopted pursuant to RCW 28A.230.097.
To the extent feasible, schools serving students whose home language is a language other than English shall translate the high school and beyond plan into the primary language of the family.
For students with an individualized education program, the high school and beyond plan must be developed and subsequently updated in alignment with their school to postschool transition plan in a similar manner and with similar school personnel as for all other students.
Each student's high school and beyond plan must be updated annually to account for students' changing interests, progress toward graduation and postsecondary goals, and to inform course taking decisions for the following year.
To inform junior year course taking, the high school and beyond plan must also reflect high school assessment results in RCW 28A.655.070(3)(b) and include a review of transcripts.
The plan must identify available interventions and academic supports, courses, or both, that are designed for students who are not on track to graduate, to enable them to fulfill high school graduation requirements.
The plan must reflect student and parent or legal guardian understanding of the potential impacts of their course selections on postsecondary opportunities.
School districts are encouraged to involve parents and legal guardians in the process of developing and updating the high school and beyond plan, and the plan must be provided to the students' parents or legal guardians in their native language if that language is one of the two most frequently spoken non-English languages of students in the district. Nothing in this section prevents districts from providing high school and beyond plans to parents and legal guardians in additional languages that are not required by this subsection.
All high school and beyond plans must, at a minimum, include the following elements:
Identification of career goals, aided by a skills and interest assessment;
Identification of educational goals;
Identification of dual credit programs and the opportunities they create for students, including eligibility for automatic enrollment in advanced classes under RCW 28A.320.195, such as career and technical education, running start, advanced placement, international baccalaureate, Cambridge International, and college in the high school programs;
Information about the college bound scholarship program established in chapter 28B.118 RCW, the Washington college grant, and other scholarship opportunities;
An academic plan for course taking that:
Includes information about options for satisfying state and local graduation requirements;
Satisfies state and local graduation requirements;
Aligns with the student's secondary and postsecondary goals, which can include education, training, and career preparation; and
Identifies course sequences to inform academic acceleration, as described in RCW 28A.320.195 that include dual credit courses or programs and are aligned with the student's goals;
Evidence that the student has received the following information on federal and state financial aid programs that help pay for the costs of a postsecondary program:
Information about the documentation necessary for completing the applications; application timeliness and submission deadlines; the importance of submitting applications early; information specific to students who are or have been in foster care; information specific to students who are, or are at risk of, experiencing homelessness; information specific to students whose family member or legal guardians will be required to provide financial and tax information necessary to complete applications; and
Opportunities to participate in sessions that assist students and, when necessary, their family members or guardians, with filling out financial aid applications in accordance with RCW 28A.300.815; and
By the end of the 12th grade, a current resume or activity log that provides a written compilation of the student's education, any work experience, extracurricular activities and any community service and how the school district has recognized the community service pursuant to RCW 28A.320.193.
In accordance with RCW 28A.230.090(1)(b), any decision on whether a student has met the state board's high school graduation requirements for a high school and beyond plan shall remain at the local level, and a school district may establish additional, local requirements for a high school and beyond plan to serve the needs and interests of its students and the purposes of this section.
This section modifies existing section 28A.230.300. Here is the modified chapter for context.
Beginning no later than the 2022-23 school year, each school district that operates a high school must, at a minimum, provide an opportunity to access an elective computer science course that is available to all high school students. School districts are encouraged to consider community-based or public-private partnerships in establishing and administering a course, but any course offered in accordance with this section must be aligned to the state learning standards for computer science or mathematics.
In accordance with the requirements of this section, beginning in the 2019-20 school year, school districts may award academic credit for computer science to students based on student completion of a competency examination that is aligned with the state learning standards for computer science or mathematics and course equivalency requirements adopted by the office of the superintendent of public instruction to implement this section. Each school district board of directors in districts that award credit under this subsection shall develop a written policy for awarding such credit that includes:
A course equivalency approval procedure;
Procedures for awarding competency-based credit for skills learned partially or wholly outside of a course; and
An approval process for computer science courses taken before attending high school under RCW 28A.230.090 (4) and (5).
Prior to the use of any competency examination under this section that may be used to award academic credit to students, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must review the examination to ensure its alignment with:
The state learning standards for computer science or mathematics; and
Course equivalency requirements adopted by the office of the superintendent of public instruction to implement this section.
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For purposes of meeting graduation requirements under RCW 28A.230.090, a student may substitute a computer science course aligned to state computer science learning standards as an alternative to a third year mathematics or third year science course if:
Prior to the substitution, the school counselor or other designated staff provides the student and the student's parent or guardian with written notification of the potential impacts of the substitution on postsecondary opportunities;
The student, the student's parent or guardian, and the student's school counselor or principal agree to the substitution; and
The substitution is aligned with the student's high school and beyond plan.
A substitution permitted under this subsection (4) may only be used once per student.
A student may not substitute a computer science course for a mathematics or science course if the substitution would prevent the student from obtaining the minimum mathematics and science credit requirements under RCW 28A.230.090(1)(c)(iii).
This section modifies existing section 28A.230.215. Here is the modified chapter for context.
The legislature finds that fully realizing the potential of high school and beyond plans as meaningful tools for articulating and revising pathways for graduation will require additional school counselors and family coordinators. The legislature further finds that the development and implementation of an online electronic platform for high school and beyond plans will be an appropriate and supportive action that will assist students, parents and guardians, educators, school counselors**, and staff who support student's career and college preparation** as the legislature explores options for funding additional school counselors.
Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall facilitate the creation of a list of available electronic platforms for the high school and beyond plan. Platforms eligible to be included on the list must meet the following requirements:
Enable students to create, personalize, and revise their high school and beyond plan as required by section 2 of this act;
Grant parents or guardians, educators, school counselors**, and staff who support student's career and college preparation** appropriate access to students' high school and beyond plans;
Employ a sufficiently flexible technology that allows for subsequent modifications necessitated by statutory changes, administrative changes, or both, as well as enhancements to improve the features and functionality of the platform;
Include a sample financial aid letter and a link to the financial aid calculator created in RCW 28B.77.280;
Comply with state and federal requirements for student privacy;
Allow for the portability between platforms so that students moving between school districts are able to easily transfer their high school and beyond plans;
Allow for downloading and printing of all high school and beyond plan components as a single document; and
To the extent possible, include platforms in use by school districts during the 2021-22 school year.
Beginning in the 2020-21 school year, each school district must ensure that an electronic high school and beyond plan platform is available to all students who are required to have a high school and beyond plan.
The office of the superintendent of public instruction may adopt and revise rules as necessary to implement this section.
This section modifies existing section 28A.230.310. Here is the modified chapter for context.
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Beginning with the 2020-21 school year, all school districts with a high school must provide a financial aid advising day, as defined in RCW 28A.300.815.
Districts must provide both a financial aid advising day and notification of financial aid opportunities at the beginning of each school year to parents and guardians of any student entering the twelfth grade. The notification must include information regarding:
The eligibility requirements of the Washington college grant;
The requirements of the financial aid advising day;
The process for opting out of the financial aid advising day; and
Any community-based resources available to assist parents and guardians in understanding the requirements of and how to complete the free application for federal student aid and the Washington application for state financial aid.
Districts may administer the financial aid advising day, as defined in RCW 28A.300.815, in accordance with information-sharing requirements set in the high school and beyond plan in section 2 of this act.
The Washington state school directors' association, with assistance from the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the Washington student achievement council, shall develop a model policy and procedure that school district board of directors may adopt. The model policy and procedure must describe minimum standards for a financial aid advising day as defined in RCW 28A.300.815.
School districts are encouraged to engage in the Washington student achievement council's financial aid advising training.
The office of the superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules for the implementation of this section.
This section modifies existing section 28A.230.320. Here is the modified chapter for context.
Beginning with the class of 2020, the state board of education may authorize school districts to grant individual student emergency waivers from credit and subject area graduation requirements established in RCW 28A.230.090, the graduation pathway requirement established in RCW 28A.655.250, or both if:
The student's ability to complete the requirement was impeded due to a significant disruption resulting from a local, state, or national emergency;
The school district demonstrates a good faith effort to support the individual student in meeting the requirement before considering an emergency waiver;
The student was reasonably expected to graduate in the school year when the emergency waiver is granted; and
The student has demonstrated skills and knowledge indicating preparation for the next steps identified in their high school and beyond plan under section 2 of this act and for success in postsecondary education, gainful employment, and civic engagement.
A school district that is granted emergency waiver authority under this section shall:
Maintain a record of courses and requirements waived as part of the individual student record;
Include a notation of waived credits on the student's high school transcript;
Maintain records as necessary and as required by rule of the state board of education to document compliance with subsection (1)(b) of this section;
Report student level emergency waiver data to the office of the superintendent of public instruction in a manner determined by the superintendent of public instruction in consultation with the state board of education;
Determine if there is disproportionality among student subgroups receiving emergency waivers and, if so, take appropriate corrective actions to ensure equitable administration. At a minimum, the subgroups to be examined must include those referenced in RCW 28A.300.042(3). If further disaggregation of subgroups is available, the school district shall also examine those subgroups; and
Adopt by resolution a written plan that describes the school district's process for students to request or decline an emergency waiver, and a process for students to appeal within the school district a decision to not grant an emergency waiver.
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By November 1, 2021, and annually thereafter, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide the data reported under subsection (2) of this section to the state board of education.
The state board of education, by December 15, 2021, and within existing resources, shall provide the education committees of the legislature with a summary of the emergency waiver data provided by the office of the superintendent of public instruction under this subsection (3) for students in the graduating classes of 2020 and 2021. The summary must include the following information:
The total number of emergency waivers requested and issued, by school district, including an indication of what requirement or requirements were waived. Information provided in accordance with this subsection (3)(b)(i) must also indicate the number of students in the school district grade cohort of each student receiving a waiver; and
An analysis of any concerns regarding school district implementation, including any concerns related to school district demonstrations of good faith efforts as required by subsection (1)(b) of this section, identified by the state board of education during its review of the data.
The state board of education shall adopt and may periodically revise rules for eligibility and administration of emergency waivers under this section. The rules may include:
An application and approval process that allows school districts to apply to the state board of education to receive authority to grant emergency waivers in response to an emergency;
Eligibility criteria for meeting the requirements established in subsection (1) of this section;
Limitations on the number and type of credits that can be waived; and
Expectations of the school district regarding communication with students and their parents or guardians.
For purposes of this section:
"Emergency" has the same meaning as "emergency or disaster" in RCW 38.52.010. "Emergency" may also include a national declaration of emergency by an authorized federal official.
"School district" means any school district, charter school established under chapter 28A.710 RCW, tribal compact school operated according to the terms of state-tribal education compacts authorized under chapter 28A.715 RCW, private school, state school established under chapter 72.40 RCW, and community and technical college granting high school diplomas.
This section modifies existing section 28A.655.250. Here is the modified chapter for context.
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Beginning with the class of 2020, except as provided in RCW 28A.230.320, graduation from a public high school and the earning of a high school diploma must include the following:
Satisfying the graduation requirements established by the state board of education under RCW 28A.230.090 and any graduation requirements established by the applicable public high school or school district;
Satisfying credit requirements for graduation;
Demonstrating career and college readiness through completion of the high school and beyond plan as required by section 2 of this act; and
Meeting the requirements of at least one graduation pathway option established in this section. The pathway options established in this section are intended to provide a student with multiple pathways to graduating with a meaningful high school diploma that are tailored to the goals of the student. A student may choose to pursue one or more of the pathway options under (b) of this subsection, but any pathway option used by a student to demonstrate career and college readiness must be in alignment with the student's high school and beyond plan.
The following graduation pathway options may be used to demonstrate career and college readiness in accordance with (a)(iv) of this subsection:
Meet or exceed the graduation standard established by the state board of education under RCW 28A.305.130 on the statewide high school assessments in English language arts and mathematics as provided for under RCW 28A.655.070;
Complete and qualify for college credit in dual credit courses in English language arts and mathematics. For the purposes of this subsection, "dual credit course" means a course in which a student qualifies for college and high school credit in English language arts or mathematics upon successfully completing the course;
Earn high school credit in a high school transition course in English language arts and mathematics, an example of which includes a bridge to college course. For the purposes of this subsection (1)(b)(iii), "high school transition course" means an English language arts or mathematics course offered in high school where successful completion by a high school student ensures the student college-level placement at participating institutions of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016. High school transition courses must satisfy core or elective credit graduation requirements established by the state board of education. A student's successful completion of a high school transition course does not entitle the student to be admitted to an institution of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016;
Earn high school credit, with a C+ grade, or receiving a three or higher on the AP exam, or equivalent, in AP, international baccalaureate, or Cambridge international courses in English language arts and mathematics; or receiving a four or higher on international baccalaureate exams. For English language arts, successfully completing any of the following courses meets the standard: AP English language and composition literature, macroeconomics, microeconomics, psychology, United States history, world history, United States government and politics, or comparative government and politics; or any of the international baccalaureate individuals and societies courses. For mathematics, successfully completing any of the following courses meets the standard: AP statistics, computer science, computer science principles, or calculus; or any of the international baccalaureate mathematics courses;
Meet or exceed the scores established by the state board of education for the mathematics portion and the reading, English, or writing portion of the SAT or ACT;
Meet any combination of at least one English language arts option and at least one mathematics option established in (b)(i) through (v) of this subsection (1);
Meet standard in the armed services vocational aptitude battery; and
Complete a sequence of career and technical education courses that are relevant to a student's postsecondary pathway, including those leading to workforce entry, state or nationally approved apprenticeships, or postsecondary education, and that meet either: The curriculum requirements of core plus programs for aerospace, maritime, health care, information technology, or construction and manufacturing; or the minimum criteria identified in RCW 28A.700.030. Nothing in this subsection (1)(b)(viii) requires a student to enroll in a preparatory course that is approved under RCW 28A.700.030 for the purposes of demonstrating career and college readiness under this section.
While the legislature encourages school districts to make all pathway options established in this section available to their high school students, and to expand their pathway options until that goal is met, school districts have discretion in determining which pathway options under this section they will offer to students.
The state board of education shall adopt rules to implement the graduation pathway options established in this section.
This section modifies existing section 28A.300.900. Here is the modified chapter for context.
Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the state board for community and technical colleges and the Washington state apprenticeship and training council, shall examine opportunities for promoting recognized preapprenticeship and registered youth apprenticeship opportunities for high school students.
In accordance with this section, by November 1, 2018, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall solicit input from persons and organizations with an interest or relevant expertise in registered preapprenticeship programs, registered youth apprenticeship programs, or both, and employer-based preapprenticeship and youth apprenticeship programs, and provide a report to the governor and the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate that includes recommendations for:
Improving alignment between college-level vocational courses at institutions of higher education and high school curriculum and graduation requirements, including high school and beyond plans required by section 2 of this act. Recommendations provided under this subsection may include recommendations for the development or revision of career and technical education course equivalencies established in accordance with RCW 28A.700.080(1)(b) for college-level vocational courses successfully completed by a student while in high school and taken for dual credit;
Identifying and removing barriers that prevent the wider exploration and use of registered preapprenticeship and registered youth apprenticeship opportunities by high school students and opportunities for registered apprenticeships by graduating secondary students; and
Increasing awareness among teachers, school counselors, students, parents, principals, school administrators, and the public about the opportunities offered by registered preapprenticeship and registered youth apprenticeship programs.
As used in this section, "institution of higher education" has the same meaning as defined in RCW 28A.600.300.