Statewide Indicators of Education System Health: 2018 Summary Report &amp; Recommendations
Author: Washington State Board of Education
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Educational Indicators,Educational Change,School Readiness,Reading Achievement,Grade 4,Mathematics Achievement,Grade 8,Graduation Rate,College Readiness,Educational Attainment,Employment,Young Children,Access to Education,Educational Quality,High School Graduates,Educational Opportunities,Elementary Secondary Education

The Washington State Board of Education (SBE), with assistance from other state education agencies, reports on the statewide indicators of educational system health established in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 28A.150.550 and recommends evidence-based reforms to improve the status of the indicators. The legislation was meant to help the legislature understand whether reform efforts and investments are making positive progress in the overall education of students and whether adjustments are necessary. This process is not merely to report on the results of each indicator, but to make recommendations about appropriate reforms in the system. The Board has intentionally aligned the recommendations of this report with the 2019-23 Strategic Plan. At the fall 2016 SBE meetings, members spoke of the importance of aligning the performance goals of the statewide indicators to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) long-term goals. Also at that time and during discussions at prior meetings, members suggested that the peer states utilized in the comparisons be updated periodically to reflect the changing characteristics of Washington. Finally, members expressed the desire for staff to engage with partner agencies earlier in the reporting year to ensure that the partner agencies have ample time to provide input and to guide the development of the report. In response to member discussions and in consultation with partner agencies, the following changes were implemented for December 2018: (1) The SBE convened a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to advance the work on the Statewide Indicators of the Educational System Health report; (2) Performance goals were revised and reset in a manner that aligns each with the (ESSA) goal setting methodology; (3) The annual targets and long-term goals for students with a disability were recalculated following guidance from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) that eliminates the reporting of Level-2 Basic proficiency; (4) The list of peer states has been revised to better match the characteristics and structure of Washington's economy; and (5) This report proposes evidence-based reforms or recommendations put forth for the purpose of improving Washington's educational system, each of which are explicitly aligned with the SBE strategic plan for 2019-23. They include: (1) Expand access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education for all of Washington's children, particularly children of color and children in poverty; (2) Improve early learning and transitions within the K-12 continuum; (3) Promote programs and policies that enable and encourage meaningful family and community engagement at every level of the education system to ensure schools are responsive to the needs of communities; (4) Develop a statewide framework for school safety and mental health to provide all schools with access to mental health professionals in schools with links to community-based mental health and other healthcare providers, wrap-around supports for students, professional development to support mental health, social emotional learning, trauma-informed instruction, positive behavioral interventions and support (PBIS), and emergency preparedness for all educators and other school staff; (5) Increase investments to expand high quality, publicly funded learning opportunities including extended day, summer learning opportunities and extracurricular activities as well as transportation and other supports necessary to ensure equitable access; and (6) Provide targeted funding to schools and students who need it most, including support for increased access to mental health services, wrap-around supports, Special Education, and English Language Learners. The supplemental data tables and figures show that the overall performance on nearly all of the indicators is incrementally improving, but like many other states, large performance gaps based on race, poverty, and other characteristics persist.