After three years of research, and with support from communities across Washington, lawmakers in the State House passed House Bill 1308 to add a performance-based option to the graduation pathways requirement. This legislation responds to feedback from students, parents, educators, and partners. They tell us that they need more relevant, engaging, and authentic options that can help students achieve their goals. 

We’re thankful for the thoughtful debate that took place in the House when considering this bill. Some lawmakers brought up concerns that HB 1308 would allow students to graduate easily and without achieving standards carefully laid out in law. It’s been rumored that, if passed, this law would allow any student to submit a social media post of themselves dancing in a video and receive their diploma (demonstrating they can fulfill art and physical education requirements). This is not true, and it does not respect the hard work our students would need to do to achieve the performance-based pathway.

Read the full statement from SBE Chair Bill Kallappa, mentor, veteran in public education, member of the Makah Tribe, and Education Liaison for the Nisqually Tribe: Full Statement.

For the first time this year, the Board met to discuss graduation requirements rules, basic education, community engagement, strategic planning, and more on February 15 and 16. The Board also approved rules for high school graduation requirements to address recent legislation on the role of computer science courses in meeting graduation requirements. Read the rest of the highlights on SBE's blog. Find the TVW streaming links and all materials on SBE's meeting site.