Expedited Assessment Appeals Waiver

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The passage of Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill (ESHB) 1599 in May 2019 extended the expedited appeal process for waiving specific assessment graduation requirements for eligible students in the classes of 2014 through 2020.

Some students in the Classes of 2014 through 2020 may be eligible to have their assessment graduation requirements (English language arts (ELA), math, or both) waived. The waiver requires that the student, through one of several pathways, demonstrate that the student has attained the skills and knowledge to meet the high school standards and possesses the skills necessary to successfully achieve the college or career goals established in their high school and beyond plan.

Expedited Assessment Appeal Process

To pursue a waiver for one or more of the content areas, a student's district/State-Tribal Education Compact (STEC) must follow the Expedited Assessment Appeal (EAA) process.

This process requires the following steps:

  1. The student must meet eligibility criteria AND demonstrated the necessary skills and knowledge to meet the high school ELA and/or Mathematics assessment standards and to successfully achieve their college or career goals.
  2. The student or the student's parent, guardian, or principal initiates an appeal with the district.
    • If pathway B is indicated, please indicate whether or not consent has been obtained from student/student's guardian for OSPI to disclose student information to SBCTC (see Consent Information and Sample Document).
  3. The district/STEC determines which appeals are submitted to OSPI for review and approval.
  4. District Assessment Coordinators (or their Designees) are the only personnel in the district authorized to submit Expedited Assessment Appeals to OSPI.
    • Submissions are through the Expedited Assessment Appeals tab, in the Graduation Alternatives application (in EDS).
  5. OSPI reviews and (if appropriate) approves submissions that meet eligibility AND approval requirements.
    • Submissions will typically take one business day to be reflected in the graduation pathways database.
  6. Once the appeal is approved, a "Print Letter" button will appear at the end of the student record's row of the Expedited Assessment Appeals tool.
    • District Assessment Coordinators (or their Designees) are the only personnel in the district authorized to submit Expedited Assessment Appeals to OSPI.

Student Eligibility Requirements

EAA eligibility requirements must be met before a student may attempt an appeal. A student must ALSO meet EAA Approval Requirements (see section below) to be granted an EAA waiver.

A student's graduation requirement year (as identified in CEDARS) determines their EAA eligibility requirements:

  • For the Classes of 2014-2017 and 2019-2020: An eligible student must have completed all other applicable graduation requirements (e.g., all graduation credits, High School and Beyond Plan, etc.).
  • For the Class of 2018: An eligible student must:
    1. Have completed all other applicable graduation requirements (e.g., all graduation credits, High School and Beyond Plan, etc.);
      -AND-
    2. Have attempted an alternative assessment option prior to submitting a waiver request. Alternative assessment options include SAT, ACT, AP, or IB tests; Second attempt on the Smarter Balanced Assessments; GPA comparison; Collections of Evidence submitted by June 2017; or Certificate of Individual Achievement options (for applicable students with IEPs). Documentation may be required to verify an attempt at an alternative.

Approval Requirements

RCW 28A.655.065 states that an Expedited Assessment Appeals Waiver can only be approved if the eligible student has, through use of the pathways listed below, demonstrated the "the necessary skills and knowledge to meet the high school graduation standard and that the student has the skills necessary to successfully achieve the college or career goals established in their high school and beyond plan."

Pathways for demonstrating include, but are not limited to:

(A) Completion of a college-level course in the relevant subject area (that does not meet Dual Credit graduation pathway criteria)
(B) Admission to a higher education institution or career preparation program
(C) Scholarship for higher education
(D) Military enlistment
(E) Other demonstration of student's skills and knowledge
(F) Other - Student was enrolled in a 2020 course that would have met a graduation pathway, but the credit was waived.
(G) Other - Student intended to take a test (such as Smarter Balanced, ACT, SAT, ASVAB, or LDA) to demonstrate proficiency, but the test session was cancelled in spring 2020.

Students may have demonstrated the skills and knowledge to meet the graduation standard in various ways outside the defined EAA categories. Evidence for the “Other” category could be a student statement describing the (math or ELA) skills needed for their post-secondary plans and career goals, and how their courses have prepared them for those plans. Similarly, the student’s High School and Beyond Plan may contain enough specific information regarding the student’s plans, goals, and achievements. Student projects, writings, or other accomplishments exhibiting their knowledge and skills in the content area may also be sufficient to demonstrate they have achieved the graduation standard.

Documentation Required for Expedited Assessment Appeals

Districts/STECs are expected to retain all verifying documentation supporting the student’s EAA waiver, but do not need to submit information to OSPI. Instead, district/STEC staff will certify that the student has the “necessary skills and knowledge to meet the high school graduation standard and that the student has the skills necessary to successfully achieve the college or career goals established in their high school and beyond plan.”

Resources Related to Expedited Assessment Appeals