Agency: 350 - Superintendent of Public Instruction

The Superintendent of Public Instruction is a statewide elected official charged with the constitutional responsibility of overseeing Washington’s public school system. Functions included in this activity are the Superintenent's office, state policy and federal liaison offices,civil rights compliance, budget and fiscal services, school apportionment servoces. communications, human resources, and agency support information technology services, and school district audit resolution.

Assessment provides all schools in Washington with tests to measure student achievement of basic academic requirements and more advanced skills. This activity develops or selects and administers all state assessments and reports achievement data for individual students, schools, districts and the overall state. This information helps districts and schools refine instructional practices and focus curriculum.

The purpose of bilingual, or language acquisition, education is to ensure that students receive grade-level instruction while they develop the English language skills needed to study at grade level in a regular English classroom. Federal programs also provude funding to meet the special needs of migrant children, including providing those students an opportunity to meet high academic standards, coordination of intra- and interstate migrant services, and encouraging family lliteracy. In addition, this activity provides for school districts receiving federal grants related to bilingual and migrant educational programs.

Educational Service Districts (ESDs) assist school districts in increasing student achievement, performing fiscal and data processing functions, and meeting state and federal requirements. State funding for ESD core services represents less than five percent of total ESD funding. The remainder of ESD funding comes from other state and federal programs, and from contracts with school districts.

The state provides basic education and necessary support services to school-aged children who reside in institutions such as county and city detention centers, group homes, institutions for neglected and delinquent children, residential rehabilitation centers, and state correctional facilities. Students are served annually in 220-day educational programs.

This activity provides the technical assistance, training, scheduling, and technical support services essential for the effective and reliable functioning of the K-12 sector of the K-20 network. These services are provided on both a state and regional basis.

The state Learning Assistance Program and federal Title I funding provide instructional help to children whose academic performance is below average. State Learning Assistance funds based on district enrollment and poverty factors to approximate student learning needs in the district. Title I funds are provided based on a complicated funding formula, which targets funding to schools and districts with higher percentages of students in poverty.

Statewide, most school districts receive a significant percent of their revenue from local voter-approved property tax levies. Since some school districts have lower property values than others, local school district levy rates vary. The lower the property values, the higher the levy rates tend to be. The state "equalizes" local funds by providing state funds in lieu of property tax collection for school districts with higher than average levy rates. School districts must pass a local maintenance and operations levy to be eligible for local effort assistance funds.

The certification process by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) requires an educator to demonstrate teaching practices that meet high and rigorous standards. Washington State supports this effort by providing bonuses for national board certified teachers. In addition, private foundations have contributed resources for assisting teachers with the fees and in preparing the materials required for the certification process.

The state and federal governments provide a wide array of grants to school districts to meet special needs.

OSPI administers professional development funds programs that are focused on developing professional educational policies and procedures to ensure that educators and educatipn support staff are best prepared to help students meet high standards. Federal support includes funding through Title II, to prepare, train, and recruit high quality teachers and principals. OSPI staff also provide training through conferences and regional institutes in collaboration with education associations such as the Association of Washington School Principals, and Washington Association of School Administrators. This activity also includes the operation of the Center for the Improvement of Student Learning and the beginning educator support programs.

The Washington Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) is a separate state agency funded within OSPI's budget. The mission charged the PESB is to establish state policies and requirements for the preparation and certification of eduction professtionals, ensuring that they are competent in the professional knowledge and practice for which they are certified; have a foundation of skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to help students with diverse needs, abilities, cultural experience, and learning styles to meet or exceed the state learning goals, and are committed to research-based practice and career-long professional development.

OSPI develops and maintains systems to ensure accurate and complete data are available for various education data users and stakeholders. This activity collects education data, conducts research and evaluations of state assessments and various education reform issues, including achievement gap, accountability, identifying low and high-performing schools, and dropouts. This activity also includes the data governance work group.

School food services are funded by both state and federal funds to provide free or reduced-price school lunches and breakfasts to eligible children. These programs are designed to promote the health and well-being of children by providing nutritious meals to children in public and private schools.

OSPI administers grant programs targeted at improving student achievement in low performing schools. These programs provide technical assistance to school staff and, in some cases, support direct services to struggling students. This area includes federal Title I School Improvement funds and state Focused Assistance funds - all designed to develop long-term capacity for improving student learning in a collaborative effort with participating districts, schools, and communities.

State and federal law requires Washington public schools to provide appropriate educational programs to over students with disabilities. School districts and educational service districts use state and federal funds to provide supplemental services through the special education program. In addition, this activity provides for statewide technical assistance for school districts receiving federal grants related to special educational programs.

The State Board of Education is a separate state agency funded within OSPI's budget. Membership of the State Board is established in statute. The State Board of Education is charged with advocacy and strategic oversight of the K-12 public education system, implementing a statewide accountability system, and providing leadership in the creation of a system that personalizes education for each student and respects diverse cultures, abilities, and learning styles, and other policies as required by law. It also establishes minimum high school graduation requirements, approves private schools, and ensures local district compliance with the basic education act program requirements.

OSPI provides statewide guidance on health and safety issues to Washington state schools and students. Programs provide various levels of service, including ensuring that students have access to health care professionals and paraprofessionals at schools and the promotion of healthy decision making during early adulthood. In addition, statewide technical assistance for federal and state programs are included in this activity on both safety and health issues affecting schools and school districts. Programs include the school safety center, nursing corps, and the teen aware program.

Each school district electing to provide student transportation to and from school is entitled to state pupil transportation funding. The formula uses basic and special student loads, school district land area, average distance to school, roadway miles, and the number of locations served to allocate funding to districts. The state also pays for the replacement of district school buses through a depreciation system. Schools transport over 480,000 students 90 million miles annually.

Career and Technical education programs provide middle and high school students an opportunity to explore career options and prepare for careers and post-secondary education utilizing relevant and often hands-on learning strategies. Students receive educational services at high schools, regional skills centers, and through work-based learning programs. State funding also leverages federal vocational funds to provide grant support to vocational student leadership programs such as DECA, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and Future Farmers of America (FFA).

The OSPI works to support and implement educational reform in all Washington schools through improvement and accountability initiatives that lead to improved teaching practices, aligned curriculum implemented with fidelity, and meaningful formative assessments. This activity includes all standards development and State Reform Plan activities. OSPI administers programs that provide additional curriculum and instruction resources to districts to enhance the learning experience of students statewide in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math - such as LASER, Pacific Science Center, Cispus, and “lighthouse” school based STEM programs.

The Washington State Constitution requires the state to define and fully fund basic public education for all school-aged children. General apportionment funding, the state's largest basic education program, is provided to the state's 295 school districts through a complex formula based on the number of enrolled students (approximately 1 million), class sizes, staffing needs, average salaries, and other factors such as adjustments for very small districts. The funds are allocated to, and spent by, the districts and their elected school boards.

The state provides a program for highly capable students under its definition of basic education

OSPI administers programs and activities that facilitate younger students being ready to learn. Included in this activity are the even start grant, all early learning activities performed in collaboration with the Department of Early Learning, transportation for early learning programs and voluntary full-day Kindergarten programs at school districts..

Dropout prevention programs provide activities that engage students in relevant curriculum or re-engage them in school after they have stopped attending. Achievement Gap Programs are targeted at struggling schools and students designed specifically to eliminate the achievement gap. These programs include strategies developed by OSPI in collaboration with key stakeholder groups including, but not limited to, the Building Bridges Workgroup and the Achievement Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee.

The Commission is an independent state agency residing in OSPI for administrative purposes that authorizes high-quality public charter schools throughout Washington, with an emphasis on authorizing schools that offer opportunities for at-risk students. It is one of two types of entities permitted to authorize public charter schools in Washington. The Commission ensures that the highest standards of accountability and oversight apply to these charter schools as provided in RCW 28A.710.070. In furtherance of its responsibilities, the Commission provides leadership and oversight that are consistent with national principles and standards as well as the provisions of the state’s charter school law.