OLYMPIA, Wash. – The State Board of Education (SBE) will hold a meeting January 4 at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to finalize plans for a new system of statewide accountability, one designed to address Washington’s lowest achieving schools.

SBE will submit legislation this session to allow for state intervention in five percent of the lowest achieving schools and their districts. The proposed legislation opens the doors for a state/local partnership designed to direct resources to the schools whose students continually fall short in reading and math state assessments.

Though Washington state schools have largely improved in state assessments over the last decade, there are schools that have failed to keep up. The new legislation is designed to target state resources to turn around these schools, requiring the district to then use these resources and new intervention models to create lasting change in student achievement.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. and will conclude at 3:30 p.m.

The meeting agenda and materials are now available at: sbe.wa.gov/materials.

Time for public comment will be provided. The public and news media are invited to attend.

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Contact: Edie Harding, Executive Director

About the State Board of Education: The State Board of Education provides advocacy and strategic oversight of public education. The board is comprised of 16 members: five are elected by school board directors, seven are appointed by the Governor, two serve as student representatives, and one serves as a private school representative. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is also a member.

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