Student voice panel save the date, graduation requirement rules webinar, partner highlights + more! 🍎

Weekly Update | August 3

Save the Date: Student Voice Panel

The State Board of Education will host a student voice panel on August 24 from 12:30-2:00 p.m. facilitated by Margarita Amezcua (SBE's west-side student Board member). The session is entitled "Modern Day Racism in Education."

The goal of this panel is to give policymakers a better understanding of the problems that students of color face in the education system and the broader world, so that policy actions can be informed by student voice. Look for more details in the coming weeks.

Partner Highlights

Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) update (WSSDA)
Continuous Learning Support (Washington AESD)
Equity Resources (AWSL)
Navigating Educator Assignment for the Reopening of Schools (PESB)
Teacher Voices: State of Readiness (Ready Washington)
Funding Approved for Statewide Training in Technology for Educators (OSPI)

Broad View

Re-engaging Disconnected Students Online and at School: Focus on Intrinsic Motivation (UCLA)
When Learning Starts: Playbook for Healthy School Communities (Kaiser Permanente)
On Being: Robin DiAngelo and Resmaa Menakem in Conversation (The On Being Project)

Around Washington

Will a national movement demanding racial justice help expand ethnic studies in Washington? (Seattle Times)
'There's no good solution': Spokane parents anxiously await decision on school reopening (KREM)
Clark County school districts weigh remote learning for fall (The Columbian)
Catch up on the latest guidance and research on reopening schools amid COVID-19 (Seattle Times)

SBE to Host Webinar on Graduation Requirements Rules

At the July meeting, the State Board adopted proposed changes to graduation requirements rules.

The proposed permanent rules :

Clarify that districts can award credit based on demonstration of mastery.
Recognize that districts may offer courses that meet more than one subject area graduation requirement.
Increase flexibility for districts to waive Washington state history for students impacted by school closures or other disruptions due to COVID-19 or other emergencies.

Join the State Board of Education staff on August 6 from 12:30-2:00 p.m. as we briefly describe these proposed changes to graduation requirement rules and answer questions from the field. SBE plans to build an FAQ page based on this session.

Have questions? Send them to us today at sbe@k12.wa.us .

This is part of public comment period to collect input to inform rules. The Board will hold a public hearing on August 27 via Zoom, and the Board will consider adoption of final rules at the September meeting. Find more information about meetings at sbe.wa.gov/meetings .

Students’ Pandemic Experiences

Every Learner Everywhere has been sharing the experiences of students and how they're dealing with the pandemic. A recent post on the Every Learner blog details the experience of Jerius Smith, a computer science student at Georgia Tech University, who explains how he adapted to remote learning and coordinated a two-semester-long group project from a distance. (Courtesy of Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education).

The SBE Vision:

An education system where students are engaged in personalized education pathways that prepare them for civic engagement, careers, postsecondary education, and lifelong learning.