wa-law.org > bill > 2023-24 > SB 5243 > Substitute Bill
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.
Any course in Washington state history and government used to fulfill high school graduation requirements shall consider including information on the culture, history, and government of the American Indian peoples who were the first inhabitants of the state.
Except as provided otherwise in this subsection, the certificate of academic achievement requirements under RCW 28A.655.061 or the certificate of individual achievement requirements under RCW 28A.155.045 are required for graduation from a public high school but are not the only requirements for graduation. The requirement to earn a certificate of academic achievement to qualify for graduation from a public high school concludes with the graduating class of 2019. The obligation of qualifying students to earn a certificate of individual achievement as a prerequisite for graduation from a public high school concludes with the graduating class of 2021.
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
as provided for under 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 shall remain 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)(d). 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. The rules must also provide that the content of the third credit of mathematics and the content of the third credit of science may be chosen by the student based on the student's interests and high school and beyond plan with agreement of the student's parent or guardian or agreement of the school counselor or principal, or as provided in RCW 28A.230.300(4).
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)(d) to an applying school district at the next subsequent meeting of the board after receiving an application.
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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 report such findings to the legislature in a timely manner as determined by the state board.
The state board shall reevaluate the graduation requirements for students enrolled in vocationally intensive and rigorous career and technical education programs, particularly those programs that lead to a certificate or credential that is state or nationally recognized. The purpose of the evaluation is to ensure that students enrolled in these programs have sufficient opportunity to complete the program and earn the program's certificate or credential, and complete other state and local graduation requirements.
The state board 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 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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Beginning in the seventh grade, each student must be administered a career interest and skills inventory which is intended to be used to inform eighth grade course taking and development of a high school and beyond plan. No later than eighth grade, each student must have a high school and beyond plan that includes a proposed plan for first-year high school courses aligned with graduation requirements and secondary and postsecondary goals.
For each student who has not earned a score of level 3 or 4 on the middle school mathematics assessment identified in RCW 28A.655.070 by ninth grade, the high school and beyond plan must be updated to ensure that the student takes a mathematics course in both ninth and 10th grades. These courses may include career and technical education equivalencies in mathematics adopted pursuant to RCW 28A.230.097.
Each student's high school and beyond plan must be updated annually, at a minimum, to review academic progress and inform future course taking.
The high school and beyond plan must be updated in 10th grade to reflect high school assessment results in RCW 28A.655.061, ensure student access to advanced course options per the district's academic acceleration policy in RCW 28A.320.195, assess progress toward identified goals, and revised as necessary for changing interests, goals, and needs.
Each school district shall provide students who have not met the standard on state assessments or who are behind in completion of credits or graduation pathway options with the opportunity to access interventions and academic supports, courses, or both, designed to enable students to meet all 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.
For students with an individualized education program, the high school and beyond plan must be developed and updated in alignment with their school to postschool transition plan. The high school and beyond plan must be developed and updated in a similar manner and with similar school personnel as for all other students.
School districts shall involve parents and legal guardians to the greatest extent feasible in the process of developing and updating the high school and beyond plan, adhering to the principles outlined in RCW 28A.183.020.
The plan must be provided to the student and the students' parents or legal guardians in a language the student and parents or legal guardians understand and in accordance with the school district's language access policy and procedures as required under chapter 28A.183 RCW, which may require language assistance for students and parents or legal guardians with limited English proficiency.
School districts must annually provide students in grades eight through 12 and their parents or legal guardians with comprehensive information about the graduation pathway options offered by the district and are strongly encouraged to begin providing this information beginning in sixth grade. School districts must provide this information in a manner that conforms with the school district's language access policy and procedures as required under chapter 28A.183 RCW.
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;
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;
Identifies available advanced course sequences per the school district's academic acceleration policy, as described in RCW 28A.320.195, that include dual credit courses or other programs and are aligned with the student's goals;
Includes information on the potential impacts of their course selections on postsecondary opportunities;
Identifies available career and technical education equivalency courses that can satisfy core subject area graduation requirements under RCW 28A.230.097; and
If applicable, identifies opportunities for partial credit accrual, including accrual of mastery-based credit, to eliminate barriers for on-time grade level progression and graduation per RCW 28A.320.192;
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:
The college bound scholarship program established in chapter 28B.118 RCW, the Washington college grant, and other scholarship opportunities;
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, who are or are at risk of being homeless, and whose family member or legal guardian will be required to provide financial and tax information necessary to complete applications; and
Opportunities to participate in advising days and seminars that assist students and, when necessary, their family members or legal guardians, with filling out financial aid applications in accordance with RCW 28A.300.815; and
In accordance with RCW 28A.230.090(1)(c) 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.
The state board of education shall adopt rules to implement this section.
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 other staff who support students' 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, and counselors 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, at such a time as those materials are finalized;
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; and
To the extent possible, include platforms in use by school districts during the 2018-19 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 shall facilitate the transition to and adoption of a common statewide online platform that will support the implementation of a high school and beyond plan that meets the requirements of this section. The office must develop an inventory of existing vendors who can provide a platform that meets the criteria outlined in (a) of this subsection and that supports the existing high school and beyond plan elements identified in section 2 of this act and the new elements identified in section 4 of this act. The office must submit the inventory of existing vendors and costs associated with statewide implementation of an online platform to the governor and the education policy and fiscal committees of the legislature by January 1, 2024, and must include an estimated transition timeline for completing full statewide implementation of a statewide online platform that does not exceed two years.
In addition to the requirements outlined in subsection (2) of this section and section 2 of this act, the statewide platform must include the following elements and capabilities to ensure equity in high school and beyond plans implementation and engagement across the state:
Seamless integration between high school and beyond plan course planning capabilities and most commonly used student information data platforms across the state;
A way to incorporate and express meaningful, high quality career exploration opportunities beyond the traditional college, career, and aptitude assessments that includes a way for students to share their interests and engage with peers and mentors in order to obtain ongoing feedback and includes the ability for approved entities to share approved learning opportunities in an online directory that can be accessed by students;
The ability for staff, parents or guardians, and mentors to make notes and for staff to develop support and recovery plans for students, if needed;
Accessibility options for students needing accommodations including, but not limited to, visual aids and voice dictation for students with limited literacy skills;
The ability to print and download high school and beyond plans in one document, without requiring students to access multiple screens;
The capability to auto pull from the school district's student information system enrolled courses and grades earned to allow for ease of access and portability;
The ability to facilitate connections between students and potential employers, including industry associations, trade associations, labor unions, service branches of the military, nonprofit organizations, and other community organizations in order to allow students to hear from experts in different occupational fields and learn about internship or preapprenticeship opportunities;
The ability to allow a student to develop and organize a portfolio of evidence that allows a student to demonstrate what they know and can do beyond simply listing a grade or credit accrual. Evidence should be able to include videos, student essays, art, screencasts, and letters of recommendation and should include the ability to recognize work-integrated learning experiences and achievements that may fall outside of the standard school curriculum. The platform should include the ability for students to submit their portfolio in its entirety or in selected parts to third parties, including higher education institutions and potential employers or preapprenticeship opportunities;
ix. The ability of school districts and other relevant community partners, employers, or institutions of higher education to constantly update content in a way that promotes meaningful partnerships with community organizations, institutions of higher education, and employers and allows students to explore different opportunities and gain new skills;
The ability for school districts to customize or add features to align with local needs and local graduation requirements including the capability to auto pull in the local school districts' graduation requirements or the ability to enter those requirements manually;
The ability to include opportunities for credit-recovery options that are available to students; and
All necessary privacy protections of student information and the ability for students to opt in or opt out of portions of the platform related to third-party information sharing.
The office must also include considerations around how the statewide tool will operate in alignment with school to postschool transition plans required for students with an individualized education program transition plan to create efficiencies and reduce redundancy with the high school and beyond plan process and statewide tool.
The cost estimates submitted under this subsection (4) must include costs for statewide technical assistance and professional development to support the transition to a statewide tool.
Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must develop or adopt a universal high school and beyond planning tool by June 1, 2024.
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Within two years of adoption of a statewide tool, school districts must transition to the adopted universal platform.
The office of the superintendent of public instruction will develop and provide technical assistance for school districts in transitioning to the statewide platform.
In carrying out subsections (4) and (5) of this section, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall seek input from the state board of education, educators, school and district administrators, school counselors, families, students, higher education, and community partners who support students' career and college preparation.
The office of the superintendent of public instruction may adopt and revise rules as necessary to implement this section.
After selection of the vendor for the universal high school and beyond planning online platform as required in RCW 28A.230.215(4), the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop proposed legislation that establishes a new high school and beyond plan that, in addition to the existing high school and beyond plan elements identified in section 2 of this act, meets the following criteria:
Begins in no later than the fifth grade;
Is updated multiple times per year;
Is engaging to students and both allows and encourages students to meaningfully explore their strengths and interests on an ongoing basis;
Supports mastery-based learning programs and mastery-based crediting; and
Identifies the graduation pathway option or options the student has selected to complete and how the selected option or options align with the student's individual career and postsecondary education goals.
The proposed legislation required under subsection (1) of this section shall be submitted to the governor and the education committees of the legislature by November 1, 2024.
This section expires August 1, 2025.
Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall work with school districts, including teachers, principals, and school counselors, educational service districts, the Washington state school directors' association, institutions of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016, students, and parents and guardians to identify best practices for high school and beyond plans that districts and schools may employ when complying with high school and beyond plan requirements adopted in accordance with section 2 of this act. The identified best practices, which must consider differences in enrollment and other factors that distinguish districts from one another, must be posted on the website of the office of the superintendent of public instruction by September 1, 2019, and may be revised periodically as necessary.
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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.
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.
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, 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.
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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.