School learning standards

AN ACT Relating to authorizing school districts to adopt 1
alternative learning standards; amending RCW 28A.150.220, 2
28A.655.070, 28A.190.140, 28A.230.055, 28A.230.300, 28A.230.305, 3
28A.300.475, 28A.320.600, 28A.400.312, 28A.415.430, 28A.700.060, and 4
28A.710.040; reenacting and amending RCW 28A.320.230; and crating new 5
sections. 6
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:7
Sec. 1. RCW 28A.150.220 and 2025 c 256 s 4 are each amended to 8
read as follows: 9
(1) In order for students to have the opportunity to develop the 10
basic education knowledge and skills under RCW 28A.150.210, school 11
districts must provide instruction of sufficient quantity and quality 12
and give students the opportunity to complete graduation requirements 13
that are intended to prepare them for postsecondary education, 14
gainful employment, and citizenship. The program established under 15
this section shall be the minimum instructional program of basic 16
education offered by school districts. 17
(2) Each school district shall make available to students the 18
following minimum instructional offering each school year:19
(a) For students enrolled in grades one through 12, at least a 20
district-wide annual average of 1,000 hours, which shall be increased 21
S-4064.1
SENATE BILL 6300
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Senators McCune, J. Wilson, Fortunato, Dozier, Braun, Short,
Torres, and Warnick
p. 1 SB 6300
beginning in the 2015-16 school year to at least 1,080 instructional 1
hours for students enrolled in grades nine through 12 and at least 2
1,000 instructional hours for students in grades one through eight, 3
all of which may be calculated by a school district using a district-4
wide annual average of instructional hours over grades one through 5
12; and 6
(b) For students enrolled in kindergarten, at least 450 7
instructional hours, which shall be increased to at least 1,000 8
instructional hours according to the implementation schedule under 9
RCW 28A.150.315. 10
(3) The instructional program of basic education provided by each 11
school district shall include: 12
(a) Instruction in the state learning standards under RCW 13
28A.655.070 or in district alternative learning standards under 14
subsection (4) of this section; 15
(b) Instruction that provides students the opportunity to 16
complete 24 credits for high school graduation. Course distribution 17
requirements may be established by the state board of education under 18
RCW 28A.230.090; 19
(c) If the state learning standards include a requirement of 20
languages other than English, the requirement may be met by students 21
receiving instruction in one or more American Indian languages;22
(d) Supplemental instruction and services for students who are 23
not meeting academic standards through the learning assistance 24
program under RCW 28A.165.005 through 28A.165.065;25
(e) Supplemental instruction and services for eligible and 26
enrolled students and exited students whose primary language is other 27
than English through the transitional bilingual instruction program 28
under RCW 28A.180.010 through 28A.180.080; 29
(f) The opportunity for an appropriate education at public 30
expense as defined by RCW 28A.155.020 for all eligible students with 31
disabilities as defined in RCW 28A.155.020; and 32
(g) Programs for highly capable students under RCW 28A.185.010 33
through 28A.185.030. 34
(4) As an alternative to the state learning standards in RCW 35
28A.655.070, a school district board of directors may develop or 36
adopt alternative learning standards for use within the school 37
district. District alternative learning standards must be:38
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(a) Consistent with the student learning goals under RCW 1
28A.150.210 as determined by the office of the superintendent of 2
public instruction; and3
(b) Published on the district's website and filed with the office 4
of the superintendent of public instruction.5
(5) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to 6
require individual students to attend school for any particular 7
number of hours per day or to take any particular courses.8
(((5))) (6)(a) Each school district's kindergarten through 12th 9
grade basic educational program shall be accessible to all students 10
who are five years of age, as provided by RCW 28A.225.160, and less 11
than 21 years of age, and shall remain accessible to students with 12
disabilities as defined in RCW 28A.155.020 from age 21 until the end 13
of the school year in which those students turn 22 years of age. The 14
program of basic education shall consist of a minimum of 180 school 15
days per school year in such grades as are conducted by a school 16
district, and 180 half-days of instruction, or equivalent, in 17
kindergarten, to be increased to a minimum of 180 school days per 18
school year according to the implementation schedule under RCW 19
28A.150.315. 20
(b) Schools administering the Washington kindergarten inventory 21
of developing skills may use up to three school days at the beginning 22
of the school year to meet with parents and families as required in 23
the parent involvement component of the inventory.24
(c) In the case of students who are graduating from high school, 25
a school district may schedule the last five school days of the 180-26
day school year for noninstructional purposes including, but not 27
limited to, the observance of graduation and early release from 28
school upon the request of a student. All such students may be 29
claimed as a full -time equivalent student to the extent they could 30
otherwise have been so claimed for the purposes of RCW 28A.150.250 31
and 28A.150.260. Any hours scheduled by a school district for 32
noninstructional purposes during the last five school days for such 33
students shall count toward the instructional hours requirement in 34
subsection (2)(a) of this section. 35
(((6))) (7) Subject to RCW 28A.150.276, nothing in this section 36
precludes a school district from enriching the instructional program 37
of basic education, such as offering additional instruction or 38
providing additional services, programs, or activities that the 39
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school district determines to be appropriate for the education of the 1
school district's students. 2
(((7))) (8) The state board of education shall adopt rules to 3
implement and ensure compliance with the program requirements imposed 4
by this section, RCW 28A.150.250 and 28A.150.260, and such related 5
supplemental program approval requirements as the state board may 6
establish. 7
Sec. 2. RCW 28A.320.230 and 2024 c 316 s 3 and 2024 c 157 s 3 8
are each reenacted and amended to read as follows: 9
(1) Every board of directors, unless otherwise specifically 10
provided by law, shall: 11
(a) In accordance with RCW 28A.345.130 or district alternative 12
learning standards adopted under RCW 28A.150.220(4), prepare, 13
negotiate, set forth in writing and adopt, policy relative to the 14
selection or deletion of instructional materials. Such policy shall:15
(i) State the school district's goals and principles relative to 16
instructional materials; 17
(ii) Delegate responsibility for the preparation and 18
recommendation of teachers' reading lists and specify the procedures 19
to be followed in the selection of all instructional materials 20
including text books; 21
(iii) Establish an instructional materials committee to be 22
appointed, with the approval of the school board, by the school 23
district's chief administrative officer. This committee shall consist 24
of: Representative members of the district's professional staff, 25
including representation from the district's curriculum development 26
committees; one or more parents of enrolled students, with the parent 27
members equaling less than one-half of the total membership of the 28
committee; and in the case of districts that operate elementary 29
school(s) only, the educational service district superintendent, one 30
of whose responsibilities shall be to assure the correlation of those 31
elementary district adoptions with those of the high school 32
district(s) which serve their children. School districts shall 33
develop and implement comprehensive outreach programs to parents of 34
enrolled students in the district for the purpose of recruiting a 35
diverse pool of parent members for instructional materials committees 36
that reflects the demographics and learning needs in the district to 37
the greatest extent possible; 38
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(iv) Instructional materials committees that are unable to 1
recruit at least one parent of an enrolled student to serve on the 2
committee must, while they are without a parent member, report 3
quarterly to the school district board of directors and the public on 4
their efforts to recruit one or more parents to serve on the 5
committee; 6
(v) Provide for reasonable notice to parents of the opportunity 7
to serve on the committee and for terms of office for members of the 8
instructional materials committee; 9
(vi) Provide a system for receiving, considering and acting upon 10
written complaints regarding instructional materials used by the 11
school district. The system required by this subsection (1)(a)(vi) 12
must: 13
(A) Require that complaints be in writing from a parent or legal 14
guardian of a student who is enrolled in the district and submitted 15
to a principal from a school where the materials that are the subject 16
of the complaint are used; 17
(B) Seek to resolve complaints through, if requested by the 18
parent or guardian, a meeting with the parent or guardian, a 19
certificated teacher who uses the materials that are the subject of 20
the complaint, and the principal to whom the complaint was submitted;21
(C) Require, if a resolution cannot be agreed upon with the 22
parent or guardian and the school principal, the instructional 23
materials committee to provide a written decision on the matter 24
within: (I) 60 days of a meeting held under (a)(vi)(B) of this 25
subsection; or (II) 90 days after the complaint was received by the 26
principal, whichever date is later. Decisions made in accordance with 27
this subsection (1)(a)(vi) must be in conformity with RCW 28A.320.233 28
and may be limited in application to only the student or students of 29
the parent or guardian who submitted the complaint; and30
(D) Provide a process for appealing decisions of the 31
instructional materials committee, by the parent or guardian, a 32
certificated teacher who uses the materials that are the subject of 33
the complaint, or a principal from a school where the materials that 34
are the subject of the complaint are used, to the superintendent of 35
the school district or a designee of the superintendent. Appeal 36
requests must be made in writing and decisions by the superintendent 37
or designee under this subsection are not subject to appeal. Final 38
decisions at any point in the process made in accordance with this 39
subsection (1)(a)(vi) may not be reconsidered for a minimum of three 40
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years unless there is a substantive change of circumstances as 1
determined by the superintendent; and 2
(vii) Provide free text books, supplies and other instructional 3
materials to be loaned to the pupils of the school, when, in its 4
judgment, the best interests of the district will be subserved 5
thereby and prescribe rules and regulations to preserve such books, 6
supplies and other instructional materials from unnecessary damage; 7
and 8
(b) Establish a depreciation scale for determining the value of 9
texts which students wish to purchase. 10
(2) Recommendation of instructional materials shall be by the 11
district's instructional materials committee in accordance with 12
district policy. Recommendations made in accordance with this section 13
must include recommendations for culturally and experientially 14
representative instructional materials including materials on the 15
study of the role and contributions of individuals or groups that are 16
part of a protected class under RCW 28A.642.010 and 28A.640.010, but 17
approval or disapproval shall be by the local school district's board 18
of directors. 19
(3) Districts may pay the necessary travel and subsistence 20
expenses for expert counsel from outside the district. In addition, 21
the committee's expenses incidental to visits to observe other 22
districts' selection procedures may be reimbursed by the school 23
district. 24
(4) Districts may, within limitations stated in board policy, use 25
and experiment with instructional materials for a period of time 26
before general adoption is formalized. 27
(5) Within the limitations of board policy, a school district's 28
chief administrator may purchase instructional materials to meet 29
deviant needs or rapidly changing circumstances. 30
Sec. 3. RCW 28A.655.070 and 2024 c 157 s 4 are each amended to 31
read as follows: 32
(1) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop state 33
learning standards that identify the knowledge and skills all public 34
school students need to know and be able to do based on the student 35
learning goals in RCW 28A.150.210, develop student assessments, and 36
implement the accountability recommendations and requests regarding 37
assistance, rewards, and recognition of the state board of education.38
(2) The superintendent of public instruction shall:39
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(a) Periodically revise the state learning standards, as needed, 1
based on the student learning goals in RCW 28A.150.210. Goals one and 2
two shall be considered primary. To the maximum extent possible, the 3
superintendent shall integrate goal four and the knowledge and skill 4
areas in the other goals in the state learning standards;5
(b) Include a screening for biased content in each development or 6
revision of a state learning standard and ensure that the concepts of 7
diversity, equity, and inclusion, as those terms are defined in RCW 8
28A.415.443, are incorporated into each new or revised state learning 9
standard. In meeting the requirements of this subsection (2)(b), the 10
superintendent of public instruction shall consult with the 11
applicable commissions established in Title 43 RCW and other persons 12
and organizations with relevant expertise; and 13
(c) Review and prioritize the state learning standards and 14
identify, with clear and concise descriptions, the grade level 15
content expectations to be assessed on the statewide student 16
assessment and used for state or federal accountability purposes. The 17
review, prioritization, and identification shall result in more focus 18
and targeting with an emphasis on depth over breadth in the number of 19
grade level content expectations assessed at each grade level. Grade 20
level content expectations shall be articulated over the grades as a 21
sequence of expectations and performances that are logical, build 22
with increasing depth after foundational knowledge and skills are 23
acquired, and reflect, where appropriate, the sequential nature of 24
the discipline. The office of the superintendent of public 25
instruction, within seven working days, shall post on its website any 26
grade level content expectations provided to an assessment vendor for 27
use in constructing the statewide student assessment.28
(3)(a) In consultation with the state board of education, the 29
superintendent of public instruction shall maintain and continue to 30
develop and revise a statewide academic assessment system in the 31
content areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science for use 32
in the elementary, middle, and high school years designed to 33
determine if each student has mastered the state learning standards 34
identified in subsection (1) of this section. School districts shall 35
administer the assessments under guidelines adopted by the 36
superintendent of public instruction. The academic assessment system 37
may include a variety of assessment methods, including criterion-38
referenced and performance-based measures. 39
p. 7 SB 6300
(b) Effective with the 2009 administration of the Washington 1
assessment of student learning and continuing with the statewide 2
student assessment, the superintendent shall redesign the assessment 3
in the content areas of reading, mathematics, and science in all 4
grades except high school by shortening test administration and 5
reducing the number of short answer and extended response questions.6
(c) By the 2014-15 school year, the superintendent of public 7
instruction, in consultation with the state board of education, shall 8
modify the statewide student assessment system to transition to 9
assessments developed with a multistate consortium, as provided in 10
this subsection: 11
(i) The assessments developed with a multistate consortium to 12
assess student proficiency in English language arts and mathematics 13
shall be administered beginning in the 2014-15 school year, and 14
beginning with the graduating class of 2020, the assessments must be 15
administered to students in the tenth grade. The reading and writing 16
assessments shall not be administered by the superintendent of public 17
instruction or schools after the 2013-14 school year.18
(ii) The high school assessments in English language arts and 19
mathematics in (c)(i) of this subsection shall be used for the 20
purposes of federal and state accountability and for assessing 21
student career and college readiness. 22
(d) The statewide academic assessment system must also include 23
the Washington access to instruction and measurement assessment for 24
students with significant cognitive challenges. 25
(4) If the superintendent proposes any modification to the state 26
learning standards or the statewide assessments, then the 27
superintendent shall, upon request, provide opportunities for the 28
education committees of the house of representatives and the senate 29
to review the assessments and proposed modifications to the state 30
learning standards before the modifications are adopted.31
(5) The assessment system shall be designed so that the results 32
under the assessment system are used by educators as tools to 33
evaluate instructional practices, and to initiate appropriate 34
educational support for students who have not mastered the state 35
learning standards at the appropriate periods in the student's 36
educational development. 37
(6) By September 2007, the results for reading and mathematics 38
shall be reported in a format that will allow parents and teachers to 39
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determine the academic gain a student has acquired in those content 1
areas from one school year to the next. 2
(7) To assist parents and teachers in their efforts to provide 3
educational support to individual students, the superintendent of 4
public instruction shall provide as much individual student 5
performance information as possible within the constraints of the 6
assessment system's item bank. The superintendent shall also provide 7
to school districts: 8
(a) Information on classroom-based and other assessments that may 9
provide additional achievement information for individual students; 10
and 11
(b) A collection of diagnostic tools that educators may use to 12
evaluate the academic status of individual students. The tools shall 13
be designed to be inexpensive, easily administered, and quickly and 14
easily scored, with results provided in a format that may be easily 15
shared with parents and students. 16
(8) To the maximum extent possible, the superintendent shall 17
integrate knowledge and skill areas in development of the 18
assessments. 19
(9) Assessments for goals three and four of RCW 28A.150.210 shall 20
be integrated in the state learning standards and assessments for 21
goals one and two. 22
(10) The superintendent shall develop assessments that are 23
directly related to the state learning standards, and are not biased 24
toward persons with different learning styles, racial or ethnic 25
backgrounds, or on the basis of gender. 26
(11) The superintendent shall review available and appropriate 27
options for competency-based assessments that meet the state learning 28
standards. In accordance with the review required by this subsection, 29
the superintendent shall provide a report and recommendations to the 30
education committees of the house of representatives and the senate 31
by November 1, 2019. 32
(12) The superintendent shall consider methods to address the 33
unique needs of special education students when developing the 34
assessments under this section. 35
(13) The superintendent shall consider methods to address the 36
unique needs of highly capable students when developing the 37
assessments under this section. 38
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(14) The superintendent shall post on the superintendent's 1
website lists of resources and model assessments in social studies, 2
the arts, and health and fitness. 3
(15) The superintendent shall integrate financial education 4
skills and content knowledge into the state learning standards 5
pursuant to RCW 28A.300.460(2)(d). 6
(16)(a) The superintendent shall notify the state board of 7
education in writing before initiating the development or revision of 8
the state learning standards under subsections (1) and (2) of this 9
section. The notification must be provided to the state board of 10
education in advance for review at a regularly scheduled or special 11
board meeting and must include the following information:12
(i) The subject matter of the state learning standards;13
(ii) The reason or reasons the superintendent is initiating the 14
development or revision; and 15
(iii) The process and timeline that the superintendent intends to 16
follow for the development or revision. 17
(b) The state board of education may provide a response to the 18
superintendent's notification for consideration in the development or 19
revision process in (a) of this subsection. 20
(c) Prior to adoption by the superintendent of any new or revised 21
state learning standards, the superintendent shall submit the 22
proposed new or revised state learning standards to the state board 23
of education in advance in writing for review at a regularly 24
scheduled or special board meeting. The state board of education may 25
provide a response to the superintendent's proposal for consideration 26
prior to final adoption. 27
(17) The state board of education may propose new or revised 28
state learning standards to the superintendent. The superintendent 29
must respond to the state board of education's proposal in writing.30
(18) The superintendent shall produce and post on its website a 31
schedule for the revision of state learning standards under 32
subsection (2) of this section by September 1, 2025. In addition to 33
notifying parents, schools, and the public of the revision schedules 34
and timelines, the website posting must be updated as necessary to 35
inform persons of the status of any pending revisions, and of any 36
plans or actions related to developing new state learning standards 37
under subsection (1) of this section. 38
(19) The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules 39
for the review of district alternative learning standards adopted 40
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under RCW 28A.150.220(4). The superintendent's review under this 1
subsection is limited to ensuring that district alternative learning 2
standards are consistent with the student learning goals under RCW 3
28A.150.210. 4
Sec. 4. RCW 28A.190.140 and 2022 c 234 s 2 are each amended to 5
read as follows: 6
(1) Subject to the availability and sufficiency of amounts 7
appropriated for this specific purpose in addition to the amounts 8
appropriated through the institutional education funding formulas 9
specified in the omnibus appropriations act, and subject to staffing 10
availability, each school district operating an institutional 11
education program for youth in state long-term juvenile institutions 12
must provide an opportunity to access an elective computer science 13
course in accordance with RCW 28A.230.300(1). 14
(2) If, due to facility or technology security limitations, a 15
school district cannot provide a computer science course that is 16
fully aligned with all state computer science learning standards or 17
district alternative learning standards adopted under RCW 18
28A.150.220(4), the school district must adapt the course curriculum 19
and instructional activities to align with as many ((state)) computer 20
science learning standards as possible. 21
(3) Each school district operating an institutional education 22
program for youth in state long-term juvenile institutions must 23
annually report the following information to the office of the 24
superintendent of public instruction: 25
(a) Data indicating the number of students who enrolled in a 26
computer science course in the prior school year, disaggregated by 27
gender, race, ethnicity, and age; 28
(b) A brief description of each computer science course and 29
whether the course is fully aligned to state computer science 30
learning standards or district alternative learning standards adopted 31
under RCW 28A.150.220(4); and 32
(c) A brief description of any facility or technology security 33
limitations that prevent the school district from offering a course 34
fully aligned with state computer science learning standards or 35
district alternative learning standards adopted under RCW 36
28A.150.220(4), and the actions the district is taking to address 37
those limitations. 38
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Sec. 5. RCW 28A.230.055 and 2017 c 80 s 1 are each amended to 1
read as follows: 2
(1) Beginning in the 2018-19 school year, all school districts 3
must conduct an annual review of their physical education programs 4
that includes: 5
(a) The number of individual students completing a physical 6
education class during the school year; 7
(b) The average number of minutes per week of physical education 8
received by students in grades one through eight, expressed in 9
appropriate reporting ranges; 10
(c) The number of students granted waivers from physical 11
education requirements; 12
(d) An indication of whether all physical education classes are 13
taught by instructors who possess a valid health and fitness 14
endorsement; 15
(e) The physical education class sizes, expressed in appropriate 16
reporting ranges; 17
(f) The frequency with which physical education is provided to 18
students; 19
(g) An indication of whether there is sufficient dedicated gym 20
space and sheltered areas to support the minimum amount of physical 21
activity required of students by law or agency rule;22
(h) An indication of whether the physical education curriculum of 23
the district addresses the Washington state K-12 learning standards 24
or the district alternative learning standards adopted under RCW 25
28A.150.220(4); 26
(i) An indication of whether, as a matter of policy or procedure, 27
the district routinely modifies and adapts its physical education 28
curriculum for students with disabilities; and 29
(j) An indication of whether the district routinely excludes 30
students from physical education classes for disciplinary reasons.31
(2) The results of the review required by this section must be 32
submitted by the school district to the district's wellness committee 33
and to the office of the superintendent of public instruction. The 34
office of the superintendent of public instruction, upon receipt of 35
the review data, must aggregate and analyze the data, summarize the 36
information provided by each district, and post the summarized 37
information, by district, on its website. 38
(3) In fulfilling the requirements of this section, the K-12 data 39
governance group established under RCW 28A.300.507 shall develop the 40
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data protocols and guidance for school districts in the collection of 1
data to provide a clearer understanding of physical education 2
instructional minutes and certification. 3
Sec. 6. RCW 28A.230.300 and 2024 c 66 s 8 are each amended to 4
read as follows: 5
(1) Beginning no later than the 2022-23 school year, each school 6
district that operates a high school must, at a minimum, provide an 7
opportunity to access an elective computer science course that is 8
available to all high school students. School districts are 9
encouraged to consider community-based or public-private partnerships 10
in establishing and administering a course, but any course offered in 11
accordance with this section must be aligned to the state learning 12
standards for computer science or mathematics or the district 13
alternative learning standards adopted under RCW 28A.150.220(4).14
(2) In accordance with the requirements of this section, 15
beginning in the 2019-20 school year, school districts may award 16
academic credit for computer science to students based on student 17
completion of a competency examination that is aligned with the state 18
learning standards for computer science or mathematics and course 19
equivalency requirements adopted by the office of the superintendent 20
of public instruction to implement this section. Each school district 21
board of directors in districts that award credit under this 22
subsection shall develop a written policy for awarding such credit 23
that includes: 24
(a) A course equivalency approval procedure; 25
(b) Procedures for awarding competency-based credit for skills 26
learned partially or wholly outside of a course; and27
(c) An approval process for computer science courses taken before 28
attending high school under RCW 28A.230.740. 29
(3) Prior to the use of any competency examination under this 30
section that may be used to award academic credit to students, the 31
office of the superintendent of public instruction must review the 32
examination to ensure its alignment with: 33
(a) The state learning standards for computer science or 34
mathematics; and 35
(b) Course equivalency requirements adopted by the office of the 36
superintendent of public instruction to implement this section.37
(4)(a) For purposes of meeting graduation requirements under RCW 38
28A.230.090, a student may substitute a computer science course 39
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aligned to state computer science learning standards or district 1
alternative learning standards adopted under RCW 28A.150.220(4) as an 2
alternative to a third year mathematics or third year science course 3
if: 4
(i) Prior to the substitution, the school counselor provides the 5
student and the student's parent or guardian with written 6
notification of the consequences of the substitution on postsecondary 7
opportunities; 8
(ii) The student, the student's parent or guardian, and the 9
student's school counselor or principal agree to the substitution; 10
and 11
(iii) The substitution is aligned with the student's high school 12
and beyond plan. 13
(b) A substitution permitted under this subsection (4) may only 14
be used once per student. 15
Sec. 7. RCW 28A.230.305 and 2022 c 250 s 3 are each amended to 16
read as follows: 17
(1) Beginning with the 2023-24 school year, school districts with 18
more than 200 enrolled students shall offer regular instruction in at 19
least one visual art or at least one performing art, throughout the 20
school year. Each student must receive instruction in at least one 21
arts discipline throughout their elementary and middle education 22
experience. For grades nine through 12, all students must be given 23
the opportunity to take arts coursework each academic year.24
(2) Every student must have access to arts education, as part of 25
basic education under RCW 28A.150.210. Arts instruction must be 26
accessible by all students, in a manner that is commensurate with 27
instruction in other core subject areas. 28
(3)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, arts 29
instruction must be provided by either: A certificated teacher with 30
an endorsement in the relevant arts discipline; or a certificated 31
teacher actively pursuing an endorsement in the relevant arts 32
discipline. 33
(b) A person holding a limited teaching certificate may provide 34
arts instruction while either: (i) The school district recruits and 35
hires a certificated teacher with the qualifications provided in (a) 36
of this subsection; or (ii) the certificated teacher with 37
qualifications provided in (a) of this subsection takes leave as 38
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provided in the school district's written leave policy required by 1
RCW 28A.400.300. 2
(4) Instruction under this section must be solely for the arts 3
discipline in the skills and craft of each specific arts discipline 4
as their own end, rather than as a vehicle to enhance learning in any 5
other nonarts subject area. If schools wish to integrate or infuse 6
the arts into other subject matter, they must do so in addition to 7
the regular, formal arts instruction required by this section.8
(5) The arts instructors in each school district, as subject 9
matter experts, shall be consulted to determine which specific visual 10
and performing arts courses to offer at given grade levels, so that 11
instruction is properly aligned to state learning standards in the 12
arts or district alternative learning standards adopted under RCW 13
28A.150.220(4) and students' developmental stages , and vertically 14
aligned to give arts-focused students the best chance for success in 15
their arts college or career pathway. 16
Sec. 8. RCW 28A.300.475 and 2020 c 188 s 1 are each amended to 17
read as follows: 18
(1)(a)(i) In accordance with the requirements of this section, 19
every public school shall provide comprehensive sexual health 20
education to each student by the 2022-23 school year. The curriculum, 21
instruction, and materials used to provide the comprehensive sexual 22
health education must be medically and scientifically accurate, age-23
appropriate, and inclusive of all students, regardless of their 24
protected class status under chapter 49.60 RCW, and must include 25
information about abstinence and other methods of preventing 26
unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Abstinence 27
may not be taught to the exclusion of other materials and instruction 28
on contraceptives and disease prevention. 29
(ii)(A) Beginning in the 2020-21 school year, any public school 30
that provides comprehensive sexual health education must ensure that 31
the curriculum, instruction, and materials include information about 32
affirmative consent and bystander training. 33
(B) The school district boards of directors of one or more public 34
schools that are not providing comprehensive sexual health education 35
in either the 2019-20 school year, the 2020-21 school year, or both, 36
must prepare for incorporating information about affirmative consent 37
and bystander training into the comprehensive sexual health education 38
curriculum, instruction, and materials required by this section. In 39
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satisfying the requirements of this subsection (1)(a)(ii)(B), school 1
district boards of directors must also, no later than the 2020-21 2
school year, consult with parents and guardians of students, local 3
communities, and the Washington state school directors' association.4
(b) A public school may choose to use separate, outside speakers 5
or prepared curriculum to teach different content areas or units 6
within its comprehensive sexual health education program if all 7
speakers, curriculum, and materials used are in compliance with this 8
section. 9
(c) Comprehensive sexual health education must be consistent with 10
the Washington state health and physical education K-12 learning 11
standards or the district alternative learning standards adopted 12
under RCW 28A.150.220(4) and the January 2005 guidelines for sexual 13
health information and disease prevention developed by the department 14
of health and the office of the superintendent of public instruction.15
(2)(a) Beginning in the 2021-22 school year, comprehensive sexual 16
health education must be provided to all public school students in 17
grades six through twelve. 18
(b) Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, comprehensive sexual 19
health education must be provided to all public school students.20
(c) The provision of comprehensive sexual health education to 21
public school students as required by (a) and (b) of this subsection 22
(2) must be provided no less than: 23
(i) Once to students in kindergarten through grade three;24
(ii) Once to students in grades four through five;25
(iii) Twice to students in grades six through eight; and26
(iv) Twice to students in grades nine through twelve.27
(3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction and 28
the department of health shall make the Washington state health and 29
physical education K-12 learning standards and the January 2005 30
guidelines for sexual health information and disease prevention 31
available to public schools, teachers, and guest speakers on their 32
websites. Within available resources, the office of the 33
superintendent of public instruction and the department of health 34
shall also, and to the extent permitted by applicable federal law, 35
make any related information, model policies, curricula, or other 36
resources available on their websites. 37
(4) The office of the superintendent of public instruction, in 38
consultation with the department of health, shall develop a list of 39
comprehensive sexual health education curricula that are consistent 40
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with the 2005 guidelines for sexual health information and disease 1
prevention, the Washington state health and physical education K-12 2
learning standards, and this section. This list, which may serve as a 3
resource for schools, teachers, or any other organization or 4
community group, must be updated at least annually, and must be made 5
available on the websites of the office of the superintendent of 6
public instruction and the department of health. 7
(5) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this 8
specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public 9
instruction shall periodically review and revise, as necessary, 10
training materials, which may be in an electronic format, for 11
classroom teachers and principals to implement the applicable 12
requirements of this section. The initial review required by this 13
subsection (5) must be completed by March 1, 2021.14
(6)(a) Public schools are encouraged to review their 15
comprehensive sexual health education curricula and choose a 16
curriculum from the list developed under subsection (4) of this 17
section. Any public school may identify, choose, or develop any other 18
curriculum if it complies with the requirements of this section.19
(b) If a public school chooses a curriculum that is not from the 20
list developed under subsection (4) of this section, the public 21
school or applicable school district, in consultation with the office 22
of the superintendent of public instruction, must conduct a review of 23
the selected or developed curriculum to ensure compliance with the 24
requirements of this section using a comprehensive sexual health 25
education curriculum analysis tool of the office of the 26
superintendent of public instruction. 27
(c) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall 28
provide technical assistance to public schools and school districts 29
that is consistent with the curricula review, selection, and 30
development provisions in (a) and (b) of this subsection (6).31
(7)(a) Any parent or legal guardian who wishes to have his or her 32
child excused from any planned instruction in comprehensive sexual 33
health education may do so upon filing a written request with the 34
school district board of directors or its designee, or the principal 35
of the school his or her child attends, or the principal's designee. 36
The person or entity to whom the request is directed must grant the 37
written request to have the student excused from this instruction in 38
accordance with this subsection. In addition, any parent or legal 39
guardian may review the comprehensive sexual health education 40
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curriculum provided in his or her child's school by filing a written 1
request with the school district board of directors, the principal of 2
the school his or her child attends, or the principal's designee.3
(b) At the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, each school 4
providing comprehensive sexual health education must notify parents 5
and guardians, in writing or in accordance with the methods the 6
school finds most effective in communicating with parents, that the 7
school will be providing comprehensive sexual health education during 8
the school year. The notice must include, or provide a means for 9
electronic access to, all course materials, by grade, that will be 10
used at the school during the instruction. 11
(8)(a) Public schools shall annually, by September 1st, identify 12
to the office of the superintendent of public instruction any 13
curricula used by the school to provide comprehensive sexual health 14
education as required by this section. Materials provided by schools 15
under this subsection (8)(a) must also describe how the provided 16
classroom instruction aligns with the requirements of this section.17
(b) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall 18
summarize and, in accordance with RCW 43.01.036, report the results 19
provided under (a) of this subsection (8) to the education committees 20
of the house of representatives and the senate biennially, beginning 21
after the 2022-23 school year. 22
(9) RCW 28A.600.480(2), which encourages school employees, 23
students, and volunteers to report harassment, intimidation, or 24
bullying, applies to this section. 25
(10) Nothing in this section expresses legislative intent to 26
require that comprehensive sexual health education, or components of 27
comprehensive sexual health education, be integrated into curriculum, 28
materials, or instruction in unrelated subject matters or courses.29
(11) For the purposes of this section: 30
(a) "Affirmative consent" means a conscious and voluntary 31
agreement to engage in sexual activity as a requirement before sexual 32
activity; 33
(b) "Comprehensive sexual health education" means recurring 34
instruction in human development and reproduction that is age-35
appropriate and inclusive of all students, regardless of their 36
protected class status under chapter 49.60 RCW. All curriculum, 37
instruction, and materials used in providing comprehensive sexual 38
health education must be medically and scientifically accurate and 39
must use language and strategies that recognize all members of 40
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protected classes under chapter 49.60 RCW. Comprehensive sexual 1
health education for students in kindergarten through grade three 2
must be instruction in social-emotional learning that is consistent 3
with learning standards and benchmarks adopted by the office of the 4
superintendent of public instruction under RCW 28A.300.478 or 5
district alternative learning standards adopted under RCW 6
28A.150.220(4). Comprehensive sexual health education for students in 7
grades four through twelve must include information about:8
(i) The physiological, psychological, and sociological 9
developmental processes experienced by an individual;10
(ii) The development of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills to 11
communicate, respectfully and effectively, to reduce health risks, 12
and choose healthy behaviors and relationships that are based on 13
mutual respect and affection, and are free from violence, coercion, 14
and intimidation; 15
(iii) Health care and prevention resources; 16
(iv) The development of meaningful relationships and avoidance of 17
exploitative relationships; 18
(v) Understanding the influences of family, peers, community, and 19
the media throughout life on healthy sexual relationships; and20
(vi) Affirmative consent and recognizing and responding safely 21
and effectively when violence, or a risk of violence, is or may be 22
present with strategies that include bystander training;23
(c) "Medically and scientifically accurate" means information 24
that is verified or supported by research in compliance with 25
scientific methods, is published in peer-reviewed journals, where 26
appropriate, and is recognized as accurate and objective by 27
professional organizations and agencies with expertise in the field 28
of sexual health including but not limited to the American college of 29
obstetricians and gynecologists, the Washington state department of 30
health, and the federal centers for disease control and prevention; 31
and 32
(d) "Public schools" has the same meaning as in RCW 28A.150.010.33
Sec. 9. RCW 28A.320.600 and 2021 c 174 s 2 are each amended to 34
read as follows: 35
By the beginning of the 2022-23 school year each school district 36
shall develop and implement a written plan for a comprehensive school 37
counseling program that is based on regularly updated standards 38
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developed by a national organization representing school counselors. 1
The written plan must: 2
(1) Establish a comprehensive school counseling program that uses 3
state and nationally recognized counselor frameworks and is 4
systemically aligned to state learning standards or district 5
alternative learning standards adopted under RCW 28A.150.220(4);6
(2) Provide a process for identifying student needs through a 7
multilevel school data review and analysis that includes, at a 8
minimum, use-of-time data, program results data, and data regarding 9
communication with administrators, parents, students, and 10
stakeholders; 11
(3) Explain how direct and indirect services will be delivered 12
through the comprehensive school counseling program; and13
(4) Establish an annual review and assessment process for the 14
comprehensive school counseling program that includes building 15
administrators and stakeholders. 16
Sec. 10. RCW 28A.400.312 and 2025 c 369 s 401 are each amended 17
to read as follows: 18
(1) School district employees and directors may not take an 19
adverse employment action against any employee of the school district 20
for: 21
(a) Supporting students in the exercise of their legal rights, 22
including their right to a learning environment with historically and 23
scientifically accurate information that: Includes the histories, 24
contributions, and perspectives of historically marginalized and 25
underrepresented groups as provided in RCW 28A.345.130; and provides 26
students with an appreciation for the contributions and perspectives 27
of diverse, global cultures; or 28
(b) Performing work in a manner consistent with RCW 28A.642.080, 29
28A.642.020, 28A.605.005, 28A.320.209, and 28A.230.005 and section 30
201, chapter 369, Laws of 2025. 31
(2) In addition to the prohibitions established in subsection (1) 32
of this section, school district employees and directors may not take 33
an adverse employment action against a teacher of the school district 34
for: 35
(a) Instructing students in a manner consistent with state 36
learning standards when the school district board of directors has 37
not adopted district alternative learning standards under RCW 38
28A.150.220(4); or 39
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(b) Using instructional materials approved in accordance with RCW 1
28A.320.230 that are culturally and experientially representative, 2
including materials on the study of the role and contributions of 3
individuals or groups that are part of a protected class under RCW 4
28A.642.010 and 28A.640.010. 5
(3) For the purposes of this section, an "adverse employment 6
action" includes termination, demotion, suspension, discipline, 7
denial of promotion, reassignment, negatively impacting the 8
evaluation of certificated staff under RCW 28A.405.100, removal from, 9
or denying access to, a supplemental contract, or otherwise taking 10
any negative employment action against the employee.11
(4) This section governs school operation and management under 12
RCW 28A.710.040 and 28A.715.020, and applies to charter schools 13
established under chapter 28A.710 RCW and state-tribal education 14
compact schools subject to chapter 28A.715 RCW to the same extent as 15
it applies to school districts. 16
Sec. 11. RCW 28A.415.430 and 2016 c 77 s 2 are each amended to 17
read as follows: 18
(1) The term "professional learning" means a comprehensive, 19
sustained, job-embedded, and collaborative approach to improving 20
teachers' and principals' effectiveness in raising student 21
achievement. Professional learning fosters collective responsibility 22
for improved student performance and must comprise learning that is 23
aligned with student learning needs, educator development needs, and 24
school district ((,)) or state improvement goals. Professional 25
learning shall have as its primary focus the improvement of teachers' 26
and school leaders' effectiveness in assisting all students to meet 27
the state learning standards or the district alternative learning 28
standards adopted under RCW 28A.150.220(4). 29
(2) Professional learning is an ongoing process that is 30
measurable by multiple indicators and includes learning experiences 31
that support the acquisition and transfer of learning, knowledge, and 32
skills into the classroom and daily practice. 33
(3) Professional learning shall incorporate differentiated, 34
coherent, sustained, and evidence-based strategies that improve 35
educator effectiveness and student achievement, including job-36
embedded coaching or other forms of assistance to support educators' 37
transfer of new knowledge and skills into their practice.38
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(4) Professional learning should include the work of established 1
collaborative teams of teachers, school leaders, and other 2
administrative, instructional, and educational services staff 3
members, who commit to working together on an ongoing basis to 4
accomplish common goals and who are engaged in a continuous cycle of 5
professional improvement that is focused on: 6
(a) Identifying student and educator learning needs using 7
multiple sources of data; 8
(b) Defining a clear set of educator learning goals based on the 9
rigorous analysis of these multiple data sources and the collective 10
and personalized learning needs of teachers and administrators;11
(c) Continuously assessing the effectiveness of the professional 12
learning in achieving identified learning goals, improving teaching, 13
and assisting all students in meeting state academic learning 14
standards or district alternative learning standards adopted under 15
RCW 28A.150.220(4) through reflection, observation, and sustained 16
support; 17
(d) Using formative and summative measures to assess the 18
effectiveness of professional learning in achieving educator learning 19
goals; 20
(e) Realizing the three primary purposes for professional 21
learning: (i) Individual improvement aligned with individual goals; 22
(ii) school and team improvement aligned with school and team 23
improvement (([goals])) goals; and (iii) program implementation 24
aligned with state, district, and school improvement goals and 25
initiatives. 26
(5) Professional learning should be facilitated by well-prepared 27
school and district leaders who incorporate knowledge, skills, and 28
dispositions for leading professional learning of adults and meet the 29
standards described in RCW ((28A.300.602)) 28A.415.432. These 30
facilitators may include but are not limited to: Curriculum 31
specialists, central office administrators, principals, coaches, 32
mentors, master teachers, and other teacher leaders.33
(6) Principals should assist staff with alignment of professional 34
learning tied to curriculum, instruction, and state and local 35
learning goals and assessments. 36
(7) Professional learning may be supported by external expert 37
assistance or additional activities that will be held to the same 38
definition and standards as internally supported professional 39
learning, and that: 40
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(a) Address defined student and educator learning goals;1
(b) Include, but are not limited to, courses, workshops, 2
institutes, networks, studio residencies, virtual learning modules, 3
and conferences provided by for-profit and nonprofit entities outside 4
the school such as universities, educational service districts, 5
technical assistance providers, networks of content specialists, and 6
other education organizations and associations; and7
(c) Advance ongoing school-based professional learning that 8
occurs throughout the year with opportunities for regular practice 9
and feedback while developing new skills. 10
Sec. 12. RCW 28A.700.060 and 2012 c 229 s 803 are each amended 11
to read as follows: 12
(1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction, the 13
workforce training and education coordinating board, the state board 14
for community and technical colleges, and the council of presidents 15
shall work with local school districts, workforce education programs 16
in colleges, tech prep consortia, and four-year institutions of 17
higher education to develop model career and technical education 18
programs of study as described by this section. 19
(2) Career and technical education programs of study:20
(a) Incorporate secondary and postsecondary education elements;21
(b) Include coherent and rigorous academic content aligned with 22
state learning standards or district alternative learning standards 23
adopted under RCW 28A.150.220(4) and relevant career and technical 24
content in a coordinated, nonduplicative progression of courses that 25
are aligned with postsecondary education in a related field;26
(c) Include opportunities for students to earn dual high school 27
and college credit; and 28
(d) Lead to an industry-recognized credential or certificate at 29
the postsecondary level, or an associate or baccalaureate degree.30
(3) During the 2008-09 school year, model career and technical 31
education programs of study shall be developed for the following 32
high-demand programs: Construction, health care, and information 33
technology. Each school year thereafter, the office of the 34
superintendent of public instruction, the state board for community 35
and technical colleges, and the workforce training and education 36
coordinating board shall select additional programs of study to 37
develop, with a priority on high -demand programs as identified under 38
RCW 28A.700.020. 39
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Sec. 13. RCW 28A.710.040 and 2023 c 356 s 3 are each amended to 1
read as follows: 2
(1) A charter school must operate according to the terms of its 3
charter contract and the provisions of this chapter.4
(2) A charter school must: 5
(a) Comply with local, state, and federal health, safety, 6
parents' rights, civil rights, and nondiscrimination laws applicable 7
to school districts and to the same extent as school districts, 8
including but not limited to chapter 28A.642 RCW (discrimination 9
prohibition), chapter 28A.640 RCW (sexual equality), chapter 28A.180 10
RCW (transitional bilingual instruction program), and chapter 28A.155 11
RCW (special education); 12
(b) Provide a program of basic education, that meets the goals in 13
RCW 28A.150.210, including instruction in the state learning 14
standards or the district alternative learning standards adopted 15
under RCW 28A.150.220(4), and participate in the statewide student 16
assessment system as developed under RCW 28A.655.070;17
(c) Comply with the screening and intervention requirements under 18
RCW 28A.320.260; 19
(d) Employ certificated instructional staff as required in RCW 20
28A.410.025. Charter schools, however, may hire noncertificated 21
instructional staff of unusual competence and in exceptional cases as 22
specified in RCW 28A.150.203(7), according to the same limited 23
exceptions that apply to other public schools. Beginning November 1, 24
2023, and annually thereafter, charter schools shall report the 25
employment of all noncertificated instructional staff hired in 26
accordance with this subsection (2)(d) during the current and 27
preceding school year to the executive director of the commission and 28
the state board of education for inclusion in the annual report 29
required by RCW 28A.710.250; 30
(e) Comply with the employee record check requirements in RCW 31
28A.400.303; 32
(f) Adhere to generally accepted accounting principles and be 33
subject to financial examinations and audits as determined by the 34
state auditor, including annual audits for legal and fiscal 35
compliance; 36
(g) Comply with the annual performance report under RCW 37
28A.655.110; 38
(h) Be subject to the performance improvement goals adopted by 39
the state board of education under RCW 28A.305.130;40
p. 24 SB 6300
(i) Comply with the open public meetings act in chapter 42.30 RCW 1
and public records requirements in chapter 42.56 RCW; and2
(j) Be subject to and comply with legislation enacted after 3
December 6, 2012, that governs the operation and management of 4
charter schools. 5
(3) Charter public schools must comply with all state statutes 6
and rules made applicable to the charter school in the school's 7
charter contract, and are subject to the specific state statutes and 8
rules identified in subsection (2) of this section. For the purpose 9
of allowing flexibility to innovate in areas such as scheduling, 10
personnel, funding, and educational programs to improve student 11
outcomes and academic achievement, charter schools are not subject 12
to, and are exempt from, all other state statutes and rules 13
applicable to school districts and school district boards of 14
directors. Except as provided otherwise by this chapter or a charter 15
contract, charter schools are exempt from all school district 16
policies. 17
(4) A charter school may not engage in any sectarian practices in 18
its educational program, admissions or employment policies, or 19
operations. 20
(5) Charter schools are subject to the supervision of the 21
superintendent of public instruction and the state board of 22
education, including accountability measures such as the Washington 23
achievement index developed by the state board of education under RCW 24
28A.657.110, to the same extent as other public schools, except as 25
otherwise provided in this chapter. 26
NEW SECTION. Sec. 14. (1) Subject to the availability of 27
amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the joint legislative 28
audit review committee shall conduct a study evaluating this policy. 29
The study must include, but is not limited to, evaluation of:30
(a) The degree of difference between alternative learning 31
standards where adopted and state learning standards under RCW 32
28A.655.070; and 33
(b) Student learning and performance in school districts that 34
adopt alternative learning standards. 35
(2) The study results must be submitted to the appropriate 36
committees of the legislature and the governor by January 1, 2030.37
p. 25 SB 6300
NEW SECTION. Sec. 15. If any part of this act is found to be in 1
conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition to 2
the allocation of federal funds to the state, the conflicting part of 3
this act is inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict and with 4
respect to the agencies directly affected, and this finding does not 5
affect the operation of the remainder of this act in its application 6
to the agencies concerned. Rules adopted under this act must meet 7
federal requirements that are a necessary condition to the receipt of 8
federal funds by the state.9
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