PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY
Subject of Possible Rule Making: WAC 180-51-063 Certificate of mastery -- High school graduation requirement -- Effective date.
Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 28A.230.090.
Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: To do one or more of the following, as deemed appropriate: Make technical adjustments, clarify existing provisions, repeal unnecessary wording, repeal provisions unsupported by rule-making authority, or provide greater flexibility or discretion to persons or entities subject to the rules.
Process for Developing New Rule: Early solicitation of public comments and recommendations respecting new, amended or repealed rules, and consideration of the comments and recommendations in the course of drafting rules.
Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by sending written comments to Rules Coordinator, State Board of Education, P.O. Box 47206, Olympia, WA 98504-7206, fax (360) 586-2357, TDD (360) 664-3631. For telephone assistance contact Larry Davis at (360) 753-6715.
February 9, 2001
Larry Davis
Executive Director
OTS-4645.1
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 00-13-039, filed 6/14/00,
effective 7/15/00)
WAC 180-51-063
Certificate of mastery -- High school
graduation requirement -- Effective date.
(1) Pursuant to RCW 28A.655.060 (3)(c):
(a) The certificate of mastery shall be a graduation requirement, but not the only requirement for graduation from high school; and
(b) The state board of education is responsible for determining when the secondary Washington assessment of student learning has been implemented and is sufficiently valid and reliable.
(2)(a) The state board of education establishes the 2007-08 school year as the first year in which graduating high school students shall be required to have attained the state certificate of mastery in order to graduate, in addition to other state and local graduation requirements.
(b) The state board of education fully recognizes that a higher standard of validity and reliability must be applied when the result of the assessment affects the ability of an individual student to receive a high school diploma. Therefore, the state board of education will continue to monitor the high school level Washington assessment of student learning. If the board finds that the assessment is lacking in this higher level of validity or reliability, or both, by the beginning of the 2004-05 school year, the state board may change the effective date of the certificate of mastery, for state graduation purposes, to a later school year.
(c) Beginning the 2007-08 school year, the certificate of mastery shall consist of the subject areas under the student learning goals for which a Washington assessment of student learning secondary assessment has been implemented and declared valid and reliable for graduation purposes. It is expected that the initial certificate of mastery will be comprised of reading, writing, communications, and mathematics.
(d) Beginning the 2009-10 school year, the certificate of mastery shall include science if a Washington assessment of student learning secondary assessment has been implemented and declared valid and reliable for this subject area.
(e) As determined by the state board of education, in consultation with the legislature and the academic achievement and accountability commission, successful completion of the Washington assessment of student learning secondary assessment in social studies may be required to achieve the certificate of mastery or may lead to an endorsement on the high school transcript.
(f) As determined by the state board of education, in consultation with the legislature and the academic achievement and accountability commission, successful completion of the Washington assessment of student learning secondary assessment in arts and health and fitness may lead to an endorsement on the high school transcript.
(g) ((Beginning)) Effective with students ((in 2001)) who
begin the ninth grade in 2003 (the graduating class of 2007),
students who take the secondary Washington assessment of student
learning and earn the certificate of mastery and/or meet the
standard, attainment of the state certificate of mastery and/or
meeting the standard shall be noted on the student's transcript
pursuant to WAC 180-57-070.
(3) Notwithstanding WAC 180-18-055 and 180-51-107, subsection (2) of this section shall not be waived.
(4) The certificate of mastery shall not be a graduation requirement for students who receive home-based instruction under RCW 28A.200.101(3) nor for students attending private schools under RCW 28A.195.010(6).
[Statutory Authority: RCW 28A.230.090. 00-13-039, 180-51-063, filed 6/14/00, effective 7/15/00; 00-04-047, 180-51-063, filed 1/27/00, effective 2/27/00.]