Public Notice for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Amendment Request to U.S. Department of Education
Notice to school districts and community members of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s intent to submit an amendment to Washington’s Consolidated State Plan pursuant to Section 8302 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) will submit an amendment to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to request approval of technical changes. The public comment period opens Friday, November 17th, and will close at 11:59 pm on Tuesday, November 28th. Comments may be submitted through OSPI’s public comment survey.
Background Information
OSPI’s ESSA Consolidated Plan was originally approved in January 2018 and amended in February 2020. Additionally, in June 2022, OSPI received ED approval for an addendum to account for short-term changes due to extraordinary circumstances related to the pandemic. This current proposed amendment contains technical changes resulting from: (1) OSPI’s change to the WIDA English language proficiency assessment, (2) shifts in the long-term goals timeline resulting from the pandemic, and (3) clarifications stemming from ED’s Consolidated Performance Review of Washington which occurred between September 2022 and July 2023.
Questions and Answers
Why is the amendment needed?
Several circumstances have prompted revisions to the existing plan. The proposed changes are limited to those that are necessary given:
OSPI’s transition to the WIDA K–12 English Language Development Standards, which included a change to the WIDA English language proficiency assessment. Because the ELP assessment itself changed, the measures using ELP data also needed to be updated.
A two-year shift in the timeline for long-term goals, as described and approved in the 2022 addendum. The new timeline is 2029 instead of 2027.
ED conducted ESEA Consolidated Monitoring of Washington in 2022–23. Following the monitoring, ED required some clarifications within Washington’s plan.
What is the timing for the changes?
The proposed changes will start early 2024 when OSPI calculates the Washington School Improvement Framework (WSIF). At that time, schools will be identified for support that begins in the 2024–25 school year.
What is being proposed to change?
OSPI seeks to minimize the number of changes to the plan in order to provide as much continuity as possible within the accountability system. Changes include:
A. English Language Proficiency Progress measure. Washington now uses the WIDA K–12 English Language Development Standards and the WIDA English language proficiency assessment. As a result of changing the test itself from ELPA21 to WIDA, Washington needed a new indicator for progress that uses WIDA scores. Accompanying that change is also a new long-term goal based on the available progress data.
B. Long-Term Goals Timeline. Given COVID-19 related data collection disruptions, ED allowed states flexibility on the timeline for long-term goals. OSPI shifted timing by two years (moving target dates from 2027 to 2029); this change was in the addendum that was approved by ED in June 2022.
C. Long-Term Goals for Extended-Year Graduation Cohorts. ED recommended including long-term goals for the 5, 6, and 7-year graduation rates because the rates are included (although indirectly) in the WSIF. The goal for the 4-year graduation cohort is 90%; Washington now plans to include goals of 91%, 92%, and 93% respectively for the extended-year rates.
D. Educator Equity Qualifications (Ineffective Teachers). Changes to the existing ESSA plan include:
a. Standardization of the definition of “ineffective” (unsatisfactory) across the teacher continuum.
b. Reporting requirements on the state Report Card and a standard minimum reporting size.
c. Adding the 2019 paraeducator fundamental course of study requirements in our plan.
What is staying the same?
The general methodology and approach will remain the same. WSIF will be a combination of multiple measures, with each school receiving a score between 1–10 on the measures and rolling into an aggregate score. As noted above, OSPI is only proposing edits that were necessitated due to the change to WIDA, the approved long-term goal timeline shift, or other technical clarifications required by ED.
What is the submission plan?
OSPI is gathering public input between November 17th and November 28th. Superintendent Reykdal will then review input and determine whether to make modifications. OSPI intends to submit a completed amendment to ED by December 4th.
For more information, visit our website.