Ninth grade success grants

AN ACT Relating to establishing the ninth grade success grant 1
program; adding a new section to chapter 28A.175 RCW; and creating a 2
new section. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that ninth grade is 5
a pivotal year for students and that ninth grade success is one of 6
the most predictive indicators of on-time graduation. Research 7
indicates that students are more likely to fail a class in the ninth 8
grade than in any other grade, but also shows that students who pass 9
all their ninth grade classes are up to four times more likely to 10
graduate.11
The legislature further finds that targeted approaches have been 12
shown to increase ninth grade on-track scores in schools. These 13
approaches include establishing success teams that regularly review 14
data regarding student attendance, behavior, and grades to identify 15
when a student may be falling behind and intervene with strategic 16
supports. Through coaching and collaboration these success teams also 17
share best practices, evaluate outcome data, and progress towards 18
creating a sustainable framework that can be implemented in 19
subsequent school years. 20
H-0137.1
HOUSE BILL 1151
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Steele, Stonier, Scott, Corry, Cortes, Springer,
Timmons, Fosse, Parshley, Mena, Paul, Callan, Pollet, Nance, Davis,
Lekanoff, Bergquist, and Hill
Prefiled 01/02/25. Read first time 01/13/25. Referred to Committee
on Appropriations.
p. 1 HB 1151
The legislature acknowledges the impact of the ninth grade 1
success team pilot program established in 2019, which resulted in 2
four out of five school districts reporting immediate and sustained 3
increases in their ninth grade on-track rates. The program has 4
expanded to 68 participating schools in the 2024-25 school year, and 5
a recent evaluation has shown that participating schools through the 6
2023-24 school year have on-track rates that are 6.69 percentage 7
points higher than comparison schools. The legislature now intends to 8
create a permanent ninth grade success grant program to expand access 9
across Washington state. 10
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.175 11
RCW to read as follows: 12
(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this 13
specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public 14
instruction shall establish and administer the ninth grade success 15
grant program. The purpose of the grant program is to fund the 16
creation of ninth grade success teams that can identify and support 17
incoming high school students who are at risk of not graduating. The 18
office of the superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules 19
for the grant program established under this section.20
(2)(a) Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, the office of the 21
superintendent of public instruction shall award grants to eligible 22
public schools as defined in RCW 28A.150.010. When awarding grants 23
under this section, the office of the superintendent of public 24
instruction must prioritize schools with low ninth grade on-track 25
scores as identified through the Washington school improvement 26
framework and schools that have graduation rates below the statewide 27
average. The office of the superintendent of public instruction must 28
attempt to award grants to public schools in different geographic 29
regions of the state. 30
(b) The office of the superintendent of public instruction may 31
contract with a qualified nonprofit organization that has experience 32
coaching school success teams to provide individualized coaching to 33
grant recipients. 34
(3) Recipients may use grant funds for costs associated with 35
establishing and operating a ninth grade success team program 36
including, but not limited to: 37
(a) Providing additional compensation or stipends for success 38
team members; 39
p. 2 HB 1151
(b) Providing related professional development and training for 1
success team members; 2
(c) Hiring substitute teachers during periods when success team 3
members are performing program duties and training; and4
(d) Providing student supports needed to help ninth grade 5
students thrive. 6
(4) By June 30, 2026, and annually thereafter until 2030, the 7
office of the superintendent of public instruction shall report to 8
the governor and the education committees of the legislature on the 9
implementation of the grant program. The report must include:10
(a) The number of grants awarded and which schools received an 11
award, organized by geographic location; 12
(b) The demographics of the students served by recipient schools' 13
ninth grade success teams, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, 14
and the following student groups: Students receiving free or reduced-15
price lunch, students receiving special education services, students 16
receiving transitional bilingual instruction, students in foster 17
care, and students experiencing homelessness; 18
(c) Data comparing each recipient school's ninth grade on-track 19
scores before and after implementing ninth grade success teams;20
(d) Longitudinal data on graduation rates for recipient schools, 21
if available; and 22
(e) Recommendations for statutory improvements, resource needs, 23
or opportunities for scalability. 24
--- END ---
p. 3 HB 1151