OSPI Reports to the Legislature

Every school year, each school district in Washington state is required to make a minimum of 180 days and 1,027 average annual hours of instructional time available to students. In some circumstances, OSPI has authority to grant a waiver to districts if they do not meet these requirements – whether that is planned or due to an emergency school closure. This report provides information about various waivers received and approved for the 2021–22 school year.

To support post-pandemic workforce needs, the 2022 Legislature tasked OSPI and the apprenticeship section of the Department of Labor & Industries with identifying opportunities and challenges with expansion, enhancement, and sustainability of high-quality career and technical education (CTE). This report provides information about the identified opportunities and challenges.

Dual credit courses give high school students the potential to earn both college and high school credit simultaneously, either through completion of a college-level course or through performance on an exam. Multiple state and national reports have demonstrated that the cost of dual credit courses, books and materials, and exam fees is a significant barrier to participation, with students from low-income families participating in dual credit at a 14.5% lower rate than their peers in the 2020–21 school year. As directed by the Legislature, this report includes research on the options for entering into statewide agreements with companies providing dual credit exams to reduce costs to all students and eliminate them for students from low-income families.

State law requires school districts to screen students in grades K–2 for indications or areas of weakness associated with dyslexia. If a student is identified as needing support, the district must provide evidence-based structured literacy interventions specifically targeting the student's area of weakness, and communicate with the student's family about the results of the screener and the intervention plan. Districts are to report data to OSPI on the number of students identified as at risk, as well as the interventions provided. This report includes data from the 2021–22 school year.

In 2021, the Legislature passed HB 1365 to accelerate student access to learning devices and related goods and services; expand training programs and technical assistance on using technology to support student learning; and build the capacity of schools and districts to support digital navigation services for students and their families. As a result of this legislation, OSPI established an Educational Technology team that collaborated with partners on initiatives addressing the objectives listed in HB 1365. This report provides information on the work completed and in progress, as well as lists recommendations for continuing to fund these initiatives and areas that could use additional support.

In 2019, the Legislature established different pathways for students to meet state graduation requirements in a manner consistent with their postsecondary interests and goals. In the Class of 2021, 58.4% of students completed a math and English language arts course or exam pathway, 43.5% completed a CTE pathway, and 4.4% completed a military pathway (note: students may complete more than one pathway). This report contains information and data about the pathways available in each school district; the number of students who utilized each graduation pathway; as well as student participation in each pathway disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, and income status.

The 2019 Legislature established a framework to prepare and make instructional materials on the Holocaust and other genocides available to students and educators in Washington state. The bill required OSPI, in partnership with a non-profit organization who is an expert in this area, develop and distribute instructional materials, best practices, guidelines, and training for educators. The legislation also required OSPI and the selected non-profit organization to develop recommendations for further implementation. This report contains an update on the work to date, as well as those recommendations.

*This report was produced jointly with the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). Aiming to make progress in addressing the education and related support needs of youth in secure facilities, the 2021 Legislature passed House Bill 1295. The legislation required OSPI and DCYF to convene a workgroup to develop recommendations for the establishment, implementation, and funding of a reformed institutional education system. This report provides the workgroup's final recommendations, as well as a letter by the leaders of OSPI and DCYF calling for transformative changes in governance, oversight and accountability, and continuity of education for youth.

The 2020 Legislature created an innovative learning pilot program to explore options to break away from traditional credits and course requirements and to provide new and more equitable access to learning options that prepare students for post-high school pathways. In collaboration with the State Board of Education (SBE), OSPI must report to the Legislature the efficiency, cost, and impacts of the funding model or models used under the pilot program. The research indicated that costs of the programs had many similarities to traditional education models. OSPI reviewed data on state assessments, attendance, and graduation rates. While performance on these varied between pilots, analysis suggests that these were even with or improved from programs serving similar populations of students.

The 2021 Legislature tasked OSPI with convening a workgroup to develop recommendations to support recruiting and retaining a multicultural and multilingual educator workforce with state salary allocations that are competitive and reflective of current economic conditions. This report includes the Committee's comprehensive recommendations, as well as OSPI's streamlined recommendations.

Each year, data are collected from former students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) about their post-school outcomes in their first year out of school – how they have been engaged in the workforce and/or higher education. This report includes data from students who left school in the 2019–20 school year.

To promote survivor-centered and trauma-informed responses to sexual assault and to support survivors of sexual assault in Washington's public schools, the 2022 Legislature required OSPI to complete research on best practices, review mandatory reporting laws, conduct listening sessions, update model protocols, and develop a training plan for schools. This preliminary report outlines the work that has begun and is planned for 2023.

The 2022 Legislature tasked OSPI, in collaboration with Career Connect Washington (CCW), with describing requirements for, options for, and any barriers to Washington's high schools having a Career Pathways Day once per year for students in their junior year. This report details their findings, including their recommendation that career exploration should begin sooner than a student's junior year in order to have the most impact.

The Legislature established the Running Start Summer School Pilot program in 2020 to determine whether there is enough student interest for the summer Running Start term should be funded. The participating colleges reported an average completion rate of 90% and an 87% summer-to-fall Running Start retention rate. OSPI collaborated with the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) to implement the pilot and produce this report, and based on the results of the pilot, both OSPI and SBCTC support the expansion of Running Start into the summer term.

The 2019 Legislature tasked OSPI with convening a workgroup to to promote and expand the implementation of social emotional learning in a manner that helps students build awareness and skills in managing emotions, setting goals, establishing relationships, and making responsible decisions that support success in school and life. This report contains recommendations to the Legislature to meet the legislative intent.

The 2021 Legislature tasked OSPI with convening a technical advisory workgroup to explore residency options for pre-service educators, with a focus on educators of color and educators who are multilingual. This report contains the workgroup's final recommendations to the Legislature, including establishing a sustainable infrastructure, determining requirements, expanding mentor capacity, and more.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) course equivalencies provide students with the opportunity to meet the learning standards for a specific core subject while earning credit for the aligned CTE course within a single CTE class. This report reflects the CTE equivalency course data collected during the 2021–22 school year. The number of offered state and local equivalency courses and the number of students enrolled in approved high school equivalency courses continued to increase.

Dual credit courses provide high school students the potential to earn both high school and college credit at the same time, either through completion of a college-level course or through performance on an exam. Research shows students who complete dual credit courses are more likely to graduate on time, enroll and persist in post-secondary education, or transition into a career. This annual report provides updates on dual credit enrollment from the 2020–21 school year.

Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 28A.320.270 requires school districts to “screen students for indicators of, or areas of weakness associated with, dyslexia.” In this report, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) provides data on students in grades K–2 who were screened for risks associated with reading difficulties for the 2021–22 school year. This includes dyslexia, the number of students who were identified at risk, and the interventions provided.

*This report was produced by the Financial Education Public-Private Partnership (FEPPP), an agency separate from, but administratively housed within, OSPI. FEPPP is a partnership between public and private stakeholders to improve and advocate for financial education within Washington's K–12 schools. FEPPP provides professional development and instructional tools for teachers, and works to raise awareness about the importance of personal finance education. This report highlights the work of the FEPPP since its last report in December 2018.

Washington schools and school districts are required to identify students’ reading levels according to evidence-based state and district selected assessments. OSPI received data on 82% of elementary students in grades K–4 for the 2021–22 school year showing that 38.3% of students in reporting districts were reading below grade level. In addition, 198 school districts reported data on the reading interventions utilized to support students in 2021–22.

Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of students, schools, and school districts participating in online learning increased. In the 2020–21 school year, 60.35% more students participated in online courses than the prior year. This report provides information about online learning participation in the 2020–21 school year.

The Legislature provides Safety Net funding for local education agencies (LEAs) who need additional funds to provide special education services beyond what the state has provided. Each year, OSPI surveys LEAs about their satisfaction with the Safety Net process in order to improve the process. More than 500 people from LEAs that applied for Safety Net received the survey in September 2022. The survey included 13 questions and was open for two weeks. OSPI received 97 responses.

House Bill 2242 (2017) requires school districts to annually report to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) on supplemental contracts entered into subject to Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 28A.400.200 (4) for additional time, responsibility, or incentive. Total school district estimated expenditures on supplemental contracts is $961 million, inclusive of all staff and all fund sources.

In 2019, at the direction of the Legislature, OSPI created the School Safety and Student Well-Being Advisory Committee to advise the State Superintendent and our state's public and private schools on all matters related to comprehensive school safety and student well-being. This report includes an overview of the Committee's work from 2020–22, as well as four recommendations to the Legislature to improve school safety and student well-being in Washington.

Each year, school districts receive an efficiency rating of their student transportation operations using previous school year data recorded in the transportation funding system. Data was not available to determine efficiency ratings because of lack of ridership in the 2020–21 school year due to the pandemic.

This report outlines the method used in determining the funding provided to school districts to cover the costs of student transportation to and from school.

Every year on January 16, Washington's public schools participate in "Temperance and Good Citizenship Day" (TAGCD), as required by state law. On TAGCD, social studies teachers provide high school seniors the opportunity to register to vote during class time. Combined with efforts by the Secretary of State and the Department of Licensing, between March 1, 2021 and February 28, 2022, 45,717 Washingtonians aged 17 and 18 registered to vote. This report contains more data, as well as recommendations for expanding youth voter registrations.

During the 2021–22 school year, Washington’s public and tribal schools served 70,356 students that identified as American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN). The Office of Native Education (ONE), established in the 1960s and housed within OSPI, assists AI/AN students to achieve basic education goals and meet state standards while supporting cultural identity. This report addresses the accomplishments and recommendations of ONE from July 2021 through June 2022.

Multilingual/English learners (MLs) – students whose primary language is not English and who are eligible for English language development services – receive TBIP services until they become proficient in English. During the 2020–21 school year, over 131,730 students were identified as MLs, speaking 230 different languages at home. This report includes information about how the TBIP program operated in the 2020–21 school year and academic achievement of students who had exited the program.

This report provides a summary of truancy data reported to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) through the Comprehensive Education Data and Research System (CEDARS). The report highlights data and trends from the past three school years 2019–20, 2020–21, and 2021–22. This report also provides a summary of OSPI’s programmatic efforts to support schools, districts, and communities to support youth and families and increase attendance, as well as highlights known gaps and opportunities for addressing them.

The AIM program is intended to support community-based youth development organizations that deliver educational services, mentoring, and recreational activities for youth ages 6–18. Following a competitive grant process in spring 2021, OSPI approved the Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington State Association for a two-year AIM grant, which provided funding to 12 sites across the state. This report includes outcomes from those sites.

OSPI and the State Board of Education (SBE) are required to report on state standardized assessments. This report provides state assessment data for the 2021–22 school year, during which state assessments were administered twice. One test administration took place in the fall as a result of the U.S. Department of Education offering flexibility to extend statewide testing windows, and is considered part of the 2020–21 testing year. The other test administration took place in the spring. This report also includes a summary of SBE activities concerning the state assessment system and OSPI and SBE actions that are anticipated for the 2022–23 school year.

Washington’s students embody a heritage of many cultures and languages. The Legislature created the Washington State Seal of Biliteracy (the Seal) in 2014 to recognize the importance of multilingual communication skills and the value of the cultural backgrounds of the state’s students. The Seal is an award earned by graduating seniors who meet certain proficiency standards in both English and a second language. In the 2021–22 school year, 4,689 high school seniors earned the Seal in 120 school districts.