NEWS RELEASE: New Website Marks the Beginning of a New Era at OSPI

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 07/01/2019 01:13 PM PDT

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New Website Marks the Beginning of a New Era at OSPI

OLYMPIA—July 1, 2019—When the last Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) website launched, President Bill Clinton was nearing the end of his second term in the White House. A gallon of gas cost $1.26. Superintendent Chris Reykdal was about to earn his Master of Public Administration degree.

Finally, after decades of hope, years of planning, and months of work, OSPI has finished a complete redesign of its website.

“The new OSPI website underscores our commitment to accessibility and continuous improvement,” said Superintendent Reykdal. “The new site was developed with the input of parents, families, educators, school district administrators, and community members to create a site that is accessible and easy to navigate.”

In developing the site, OSPI conducted surveys with hundreds of respondents from across the state to find out what they thought of the agency’s current site, how they thought content should be organized, if they liked the new design and layout, and more. All major decisions about the design and structure of the new site was driven by this user feedback.

Based on their input as well as discussions within the agency and with experts, OSPI sorted content into six main categories:

Student Success (graduation, learning standards and materials, special education, health and safety, support programs, and more).
Certification (certification requirements, National Board Certification, fingerprint and background check requirements, and more).
Educator Support (mentoring and supporting beginning teachers, the Teacher/Principal Evaluation Program, educator awards, and more).
Policy & Funding (school apportionment, special education funding, legislative priorities, grants, school facilities funding, and more).
Data & Reporting (the School Report Card, logging into the Education Data System, student data privacy, and more).
About OSPI (the superintendent and the agency, contacting OSPI, news releases, and more).

The second phase of the redesign process is an overhaul of content on the website. Agency staff will work to make content easier to read and understand.

To provide feedback on the new site or ask a question about something you can’t find, please fill out the Ask OSPI form.

The OSPI Website Through the Years

Since the launch of the first OSPI website in 1997, the website has had numerous renovations and updates. Here are just a few, from the Archive.org Wayback Machine:

January 1997:

OSPI’s first website, launched in 1997, was a directory of links to site content.

July 2002:

The OSPI website in 2002 featured the red and black color scheme, and would have largely the same layout for the next 18 years.

Most Recent Site, June 2019:

By the end, OSPI’s website had moved back to the blue color scheme, and was sorted by program and division.

Current Site, July 2019:

OSPI’s new website, launched in July 2019, features user-centered navigation and design, as well as an accessible and mobile-friendly layout.

ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.

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OSPI provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to the Equity and Civil Rights Director, P.O. Box 47200, Olympia, WA 98504-7200, 360-725-6162 (TTY: 360-664-3631), equity@k12.wa.us.