Official Text and Analysis.

Effective with the graduating class of 2020, decouples graduation requirements from statewide high school assessments by discontinuing the Certificate of Academic Achievement and the Certificate of Individual Achievement.

(1) Removes a requirement that obligates students in the graduating class of 2019 to attempt at least one alternative assessment before being eligible for an expedited waiver process of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. (2) Extends the certificate of individual achievement as a graduation requirement for qualifying students in the graduating classes of 2020 and 2021, and makes related changes to statutory expiration dates established in the underlying bill. (3) Establishes that students who meet specified requirements toward the completion of an international baccalaureate diploma programme have satisfied a specific graduation pathway option for demonstrating career and college readiness. (4) Makes numerous changes to the graduation pathway options established in the underlying bill, including: (a) Requiring students who use certain pathway options to meet standard in English language arts and mathematics, rather than one or the other; (b) Removing certain pathway options as stand-alone options for demonstrating career and college readiness, including being accepted into an institution of higher education, being employed in an occupation identified in the student's high school and beyond plan, earning high school credit through an apprenticeship preparation program, and passing an industry-based credential exam; (c) Modifying provisions related to career and technical education (CTE) course sequences by specifying that completing a sequence of CTE courses, including those leading to workforce entry, state or nationally approved apprenticeships, or postsecondary education, that meet specified requirements also satisfies the obligation to demonstrate career and college readiness through a graduation pathway option; and (d) Requiring the state board of education to adopt rules to implement the graduation pathway options. (5) Requires the statewide academic assessment system to include the Washington Access to Instruction and Measurement (WA-AIM) Assessment for students with significant cognitive challenges. (6) Removes provisions establishing and related to optional assessments for demonstrating career and college readiness that would be available beginning with the class of 2022. (7)(a) Directs the State Board of Education to convene a work group on barriers to mastery-based learning, rather than competency- based learning. (b) Modifies duties of the work group. (c) Changes the membership of the work group by adding four legislators and removing three representatives from business or industry. (8) Changes the effective date of a section relating to high school and beyond plans, rules of the State Board of Education pertaining to individual student credit waivers, and provisions governing the earning of credit before high school by removing the section from being subject to an emergency clause. (9) Adds intent language. (10) Makes technical changes, including correcting references to "individualized education programs" and references to "spaces" sciences, and changing a continued applicability clause for students in previous graduating classes from "2019 and prior graduating classes" to "2018 and prior graduating classes.".

Extends the expedited appeal process for waiving specific graduation requirements through the Class of 2020. (2) Requires OSPI to consult the State Special Education Advisory Council in developing guidelines for certificates of individual achievement and graduation pathways. (3) Modifies provisions relating to the career and technical education graduation pathway. (4) Requires OSPI to collect and report information on the availability of graduation pathways. (5) Requires the SBE to survey interested parties regarding potential additional pathways and report to the Legislature. (6) Requires the SBE to survey school districts regarding barriers to implementation of pathways and report to the Legislature. (7) Directs school districts to provide intervention and academic supports to students who do not meet or exceed state standard. (8) Requires districts to prepare student learning plans for eighth grade students who were not successful on any or all of the state content assessments. (9) Modifies provisions of the mastery-based learning work group to include consulting previously approved pathways and to require the SBE to develop enrollment reporting guidelines. (10) Changes requirements for online platforms for high school and beyond plans to include platforms already in place. (11) Modifies provisions relating to academic acceleration programs, including identification of eligibility as a required element for high school and beyond plans, and requires all school districts to adopt an academic acceleration policy by the 2021-22 school year. (12) Corrects internal cross-references and makes technical modifications. (13) Specifies that career and technical courses taken as a graduation pathway must be completed in a sequence. (14) Provides that section 102 of the act is to take effect on May 15, 2019. (15) Changes the date by which the mastery-based learning work group must convene to August 1, 2019.

Removes requirement that students receive a certificate of academic achievement to graduate, beginning with the class of 2020. ? Modifies provisions relating to high school and beyond plans. ? Removes testing requirements for high school graduation. ? Replaces certain graduation requirements with pathway framework. ? Extends, through the class of 2020, an expedited appeal process for waiving assessment requirements. ? Directs the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to contract with a vendor to implement a statewide online platform for high school and beyond plans. ? Requires the State Board of Education to convene a work group on mastery-based learning.

Includes being employed in an occupation identified in a student's high school and beyond plan as a graduation pathway.