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Hello, and welcome to the March edition of the SBE Round-Up!
This month, the Board has been hard at work advocating for schools during the legislative session while continuing to shape a strong foundational vision for updating and modernizing high school graduation requirements through its FutureReady initiative.
Here's a recap of some things the Board has been up to this month:
The FutureReady Task Force held its second meeting on March 21 at Highline College. Task force members heard from community liaisons across the state and worked to build a shared vision for graduation requirements that will guide future policy discussions. To read a summary of the meeting when it's available, subscribe to our FutureReady newsletter.
The Board has produced a video of the second meeting. Click the thumbnail below to watch the video (or click this link to watch the video).
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Earlier in the month, on March 11, SBE Board staff hosted two virtual community listening sessions and heard from nearly 100 parents, educators, school administrators, students, and community advocates from across Washington.
During these sessions, attendees reflected on qualities that contribute to a successful life and shared their perspectives on the knowledge, skills, and experiences students need to thrive after high school—whether in the workforce, higher education, or as engaged community members.
Links to the session recordings and word clouds created during the discussions are included below.
Afternoon Session
Evening Session
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Time is running out for interested students to apply for a position on the State Board of Education!
Students interested in applying for a position on the Board of Education have until end of day Friday March 28 to submit an application — that's three days away! The board seeks a student eager to make a difference in the state’s education system for the 2025–2027 term.
As a reminder, eligible students must meet the following criteria:
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Reside in and attend a public or private school in Washington State through the 2025–2027 academic years.
- Be a current sophomore (rising junior) at the time of selection.
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Demonstrate a commitment to improving K–12 public education and possess strong communication, listening, observational, and input skills on educational policy issues in Washington State.
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Be prepared to devote sufficient time to Board responsibilities, including attending all scheduled State Board of Education meetings. While some weeks may require only a few hours of engagement, meeting weeks can demand up to 20 hours of participation. Click here for a list of 2025 meeting dates. Special meetings may also be scheduled to address urgent topics outside the regular meeting calendar.
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Have a positive record in academics and/or extracurricular activities, which may be demonstrated through grades, achievements, and recommendations from peers, educators, or community members.
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Be willing to make up any missed schoolwork while attending Board meetings and events. The selected student will miss approximately 16 school days per year.
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Students from MBLC schools across the state joined SBE staff for a House Education Committee work session on Thursday March 13 to discuss Mastery-based learning.
During the work session, students and staff from Quincy Innovation Academy (Quincy School District), Edgemont Junior High (Puyallup School District) and La Conner School District talked about the positive changes they have seen in their schools as a result of their implementation of mastery-based learning.
Each year, the Washington State School Recognition Program highlights schools that demonstrate exceptional progress in key areas of student success. Program administrators will notify 2023-2024 honored schools in late April/early May. Keep an eye out for more information!
The program is a joint effort between the State Board of Education (SBE), the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC). Its purpose is to celebrate effective practices, support student success, and promote continuous improvement in schools across Washington.
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Washington is one of six states in National Association of State Boards of Education’s (NASBE) . To support this work, NASBE is surveying stakeholders on how state policies impact high schools’ ability to foster strong relationships, create positive school climates, engage communities, and support student well-being.
We invite you to take this 13-question , which takes about 10-15 minutes. You don’t need to be an education expert—just someone who cares about high school success. The survey is open through Monday, March 31.
(Note: This is separate from SBE’s initiative, but we believe our participation in NASBE’s network will support that work.)
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