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April 2025 Recap: Highlighted Updates from SBE |
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Welcome to the April edition of the SBE Round-Up!
Here's a recap of some things the Board has been up to this month:
The 2025 Washington State legislative session ended on Sunday, April 27. This year, lawmakers had the challenging task of passing a balanced budget that overcame a historic multi-billion-dollar deficit. While some progress was made, continued work is needed to ensure that all schools have the resources necessary to provide every student with the high-quality education they deserve.
Throughout the session, the State Board tracked 156 bills that align closely with policy priorities in our 2025 Legislative Platform. Of those, 30 bills (approximately 19%) passed both chambers and are now awaiting action by the Governor.
A few legislative wins this session include:
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ESHB 1296, which promotes a safe and supportive public education system.
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E2SSB 5263, which increases the amount of money a district receives from the state for providing special education services to students and removes the enrollment cap for special education. It also directs OSPI to develop and maintain a statewide Individualized Education Program (IEP) system
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SB 5189, which supports schools that choose to use competency-based education—a personalized approach that promotes deeper learning—by directing state agencies to develop the tools and systems needed to implement it.
All three bills have been sent to the Governor for consideration. Visit the Governor’s Bill Action webpage for updates on bill signings and other actions.
On April 16–17, the State Board of Education met in Olympia for its regularly scheduled meeting. The Board discussed updates to its FutureReady initiative to modernize graduation requirements, designated five districts for Required Action, reviewed proposed standardized tests for home-based instruction, received an update on the 2025 Washington School Recognition Program, and approved updated rules related to private school accreditation.
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The Washington State Board of Education is proud to announce that 406 public schools in 154 school districts across Washington are being honored by the Washington School Recognition Program for their work in closing opportunity gaps and supporting students' growth and academic achievement during the 2023-24 school year.
We have started the process of notifying school principals and district superintendents who have received recognition this year. A complete list of schools will be publicly posted to the recognition program webpage on May 6.
The program is jointly operated by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), State Board of Education (SBE), and Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC).
There are three ways for schools to be honored by the Washington School Recognition Program. A school can earn recognition for multiple categories each year. Of the schools who have received recognition this year, 50 schools are being recognized three years in a row.
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Closing Gaps: Recognized for significant progress in areas needing improvement, such as assessment scores, English learner progress, dual credit completion, or graduation rates.
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Growth: Schools with at least one student group making some of the state’s largest annual gains in performance measures like attendance, assessments, dual credit completion, or graduation rates.
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Achievement: These schools have some of the state's highest performance in at least two key areas, including attendance, dual credit completion, assessment scores in English language arts or math, graduation rates, or ninth-grade credit attainment, and are above average across all reportable student groups on the 2024 Washington School Improvement Framework.
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Closing Gaps + Achievement
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Closing Gaps + Achievement + Growth
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The Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) is now open for Washington residents planning to enroll in an in-state college fall 2025 through spring 2026. WASFA is for people who choose not to file a federal FAFSA application. People who complete a WASFA application are applying only for state aid. If an applicant is eligible for federal aid, completing the FAFSA could maximize their potential financial aid awards.
There are various reasons people may choose to complete a WASFA instead of a FAFSA. For example:
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An applicant or their parent(s) are undocumented or do not qualify for federal financial aid because of your immigration status.
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An applicant’s parent(s) or family member(s) do not wish to file a FAFSA.
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An applicant has privacy concerns about filing a FAFSA.
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An applicant or their parent(s) do not and will not file federal income taxes.
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An applicant has federal loans that are in default.
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An applicant owes a repayment on federal grants.
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Upcoming Events & Meetings
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June Board Meeting
The Board's next meeting is scheduled for June 24-26.
Find the agenda and materials for all SBE meetings. New ones will be posted one week in advance of the meeting on SBE’s meetings page.
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FutureReady Task Force May Meeting
The next FutureReady Task Force Meeting is set for May 22, 2025.The meeting will be held virtually. Check the task force's webpage for more information.
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