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• Introduced by Rep. Marcie Maxwell, (Renton) (D) on January 21, 2011, removes provisional language from current law and allows the Superintendent of Public Instruction to implement the revisions to the essential academic learning requirements. This act requires the Superintendent to provide resources to school districts according to a new formula. This act gives the Superintendent some discretion in implementing certain programs, depending on availability of federal funding. This act modifies qualifications for and requirements of certain programs, such as the highly capable program and the learning assistance program. This act also provides for a working group to examine issues related to hiring and retaining teachers, principals, and staff. This act takes effect September 1, 2011.
  • Referred to the House Education Committee on January 21, 2011.
    • Substitute offered in the House on February 10, 2011, removes an amendment to current law that expressly authorizes adoption of Common Core by the OSPI. Before implementing revisions to state learning standards, the OSPI must ensure that a fairness and bias review has been conducted. School districts must adopt a policy defining a high school credit by July 1, 2012, rather than August 1, and the SBE repeals its rule on this topic as of May 31, 2012, rather than August 1. Schools under state Required Action and other schools receiving federal school improvement grants must use Family Engagement Coordinators to improve student achievement. Additional information about performance of students in the TBIP is added to the school report card. A legislative finding is added to the HCP. Graduates of the RWT may participate in the Pipeline scholarship if there is unused capacity. Partnerships offering the RWT may be considered consortia for purposes of the OIP. The substitute passed by voice vote in the House on February 10, 2011.
  • Referred to the House Education Appropriations & Oversight Committee on February 15, 2011.
    • Substitute offered in the House on February 21, 2011, requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to ensure that a fairness and bias review has been conducted before implementing revisions to the state Essential Academic Learning Requirements. Requires school districts to adopt a policy defining a high school credit and authorizes the State Board of Education to repeal a seat-time based definition. Authorizes the SPI to require use of a kindergarten readiness assessment in low-performing schools receiving federal school improvement grants. Allows Learning Assistance Program (LAP) funds to be used to support students in science and requires a study of the impact of remediation strategies funded by the LAP on student achievement. Requires student performance data from the Transitional Bilingual Instructional Program to be reported online through the Washington State Report Card. Adopts a definition of a highly capable student and directs the SPI to adopt consistent procedures for school districts to identify, assess, and select their most highly capable students for purposes of the Highly Capable Program. Allows qualified graduates of the Recruiting Washington Teachers Program in high schools to participate on a space-available basis in an alternative route teacher preparation scholarship program. Directs a Compensation Working Group to conduct a comprehensive analysis of educator professional development and mentoring needs. The substitute passed by voice vote in the House on February 21, 2011.
  • Referred to the House Rules Committee on February 24, 2011.
    • Amendment offered by Rep. Glenn Anderson, (R-Fall City) (R) on March 2, 2011, to among other things, remove the "provisional" adoption of the Common Core standards by the SPI, but prohibits implementation of the standards before the end of the 2013 legislative session. The amendment failed by voice vote in the House on March 2, 2011.
    • Amendment offered by Rep. Bruce Dammeier (R) on March 2, 2011, to provide that the increase in minimum instructional hours under Basic Education from a district average of 1,000 hours across all grades to 1,000 hours in grades one through six and 1,080 hours in grades seven through twelve, continues to occur according to an implementation schedule adopted by the Legislature, but does not occur before the 2014-15 school year. The amendment passed by voice vote in the House on March 2, 2011.
    • Amendment offered by Rep. Brad Klippert, (R-Kennewick) (R) on March 2, 2011, to among other things, authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction to adopt learning standards developed by a multistate consortium (Common Core) no earlier than July 1, 213, and prohibits any implementation of the Common Core before July 1, 2013. The amendment failed by voice vote in the House on March 2, 2011.
• Passed 83 to 14 in the House on March 2, 2011, to require the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to ensure that a fairness and bias review has been conducted before implementing revisions to the state Essential Academic Learning Requirements. Allows Learning Assistance Program (LAP) funds to be used to support students in science and requires a study of the impact of remediation strategies funded by the LAP on student achievement.
  Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
• Received in the Senate on March 4, 2011.
  • Referred to the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee on March 4, 2011.
    • Amendment offered in the Senate on March 25, 2011, to permit a technical subgroup of the Compensation Working Group to conduct the comprehensive analysis of educator professional development and mentoring needs for principals, teachers, educational staff associates, and classified staff. Requires school districts to award credit for online high school courses successfully completed by a student that meet the school district's graduation requirements and are provided by an approved multidistrict online provider. The amendment failed by voice vote in the Senate on March 25, 2011.
  • Referred to the Senate Ways & Means Committee on March 25, 2011.
    • Amendment offered in the Senate on April 1, 2011, to provide that unless specific funding of at least $750,000 is provided to school districts for this act, the act is null and void. The amendment failed by voice vote in the Senate on April 1, 2011.
  • Referred to the Senate Rules Committee on April 11, 2011.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Phil Rockefeller, (D-Kitsap County) (D) on April 12, 2011, to make the performance pay reduction in force provision of the striking amendment not applicable to those teachers who are already in a 60-day probationary period for unsatisfactory performance. The amendment passed by voice vote in the Senate on April 12, 2011.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Maralyn Chase (D) on April 12, 2011, to provide legislative recognition of the importance of well-trained teachers and small class sizes. Provides that the teacher and principal evaluation systems should take class size into account and not penalize teachers and principals where the class size is large. The amendment failed by voice vote in the Senate on April 12, 2011.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe (D) on April 12, 2011, to add principals to the performance-based process created in the bill for a reduction in force due to enrollment decline or revenue loss. The amendment passed by voice vote in the Senate on April 12, 2011.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe (D) on April 12, 2011, to clarify that beginning in the 2012-13 school year and through the 2015-16 school year, if a student does not pass the statewide high school science assessment then the student must successfully earn one additional high school science credit or CTE equivalent to graduate from high school. OSPI must administer a comprehensive science high school assessment and shall not implement any high school science end-of-course assessments. The amendment passed by voice vote in the Senate on April 12, 2011.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe (D) on April 12, 2011, to require WSSDA and SBE to develop a model policy regarding the definition of high school credits that districts can use instead of incurring the cost of developing their own. The amendment passed by voice vote in the Senate on April 12, 2011.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe (D) on April 12, 2011, to require the performance-based reduction in force process to be applicable only to school districts that use a two-tier evaluation system. Expires the section August 31, 2013, since under current law all school districts must implement a 4-tier teacher and principal evaluation system beginning with the 2013-14 school year. The amendment failed by voice vote in the Senate on April 12, 2011.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Sharon Nelson (D) on April 12, 2011, to provide a legislative intent section. The amendment also provides that the principal and vice principal of a school in which more than two teachers have been terminated due to receiving the lowest evaluation rating pursuant to the evaluation criteria will be terminated within thirty days of the teacher terminations and provides that OSPI can recall any school board member of a district in which two or more teachers have been terminated due to receiving the lowest evaluation rating pursuant to the evaluation criteria. The amendment failed by voice vote in the Senate on April 12, 2011.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Rodney Tom (D) on April 12, 2011, to offer a striking amendment to require schools districts conducting layoffs to lay off teachers (and principals) who receive the lowest evaluation ratings first, instead of laying off the youngest teachers first. Seniority-based layoffs imposed by collective bargaining rules are hereby prohibited, and districts must change their contracts to make them consistent with this amendment. It also directs the technical working group revamping the teacher compensation model to include the use of performance bonuses to encourage and reward great teachers and requires collective bargaining agreements to allow school principals of Struggling schools, the lowest tier of the state board of education's accountability index, to decide which teachers will work at their schools. Collective bargaining rules which force school principals at Struggling schools to accept the assignment of teachers to their schools are prohibited. The amendment passed by voice vote in the Senate on April 12, 2011.
• Passed 30 to 17 in the Senate on April 12, 2011.
  Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
• Received in the House on January 12, 2012.
  • Referred to the House Rules Committee on January 12, 2012.