The Board is an advocate for all students, educators, schools and districts across our state. The Board is committed to creating policies and finding the tools and resources to help every school and every district improve student achievement. Working together, we can help all students succeed.
The sections below highlight the some of the Board's important work. We also encourage you to explore more through our initiatives and responsibilities pages.
From September 2010
To spotlight effective practices, the Washington State Board of Education (SBE) is highlighting schools that are closing achievement gaps and performing at high levels.
In 2009, SBE partnered with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to create the Washington Accountability Index. The Index is a new way to measure schools’ improvement, the degree to which they close gaps for low income students, and, starting in the 2009-2010 school year, the closing of the gap for students of color. Through the Measurement of Student Progress (Washington Assessment of Student Learning prior to 2010) as well as graduation data, the Index provides schools with a ‘snapshot’ of their achievement in language arts, math, science, and extended graduation rates. The Index takes into account improvement from the previous year and a school’s relative performance compared to demographically similar schools.
In the spring of 2010, SBE and OSPI awarded top Index performers with the Washington Achievement Award. A statewide recognition ceremony honored 174 schools for exemplary performance in language arts, math, science, graduation rate, gifted education, and Overall Excellence (top five percent statewide).
From the list of Overall Excellence award winners, SBE selected a few schools with the highest percentages of low-income students (measured by students eligible for free and reduced price meals) and students of color. These are examples of schools that are beating the odds and are closing the academic achievement gaps. The purpose of this and following case studies is to learn from Crownhill’s extraordinary success and hopefully incorporate similar professional practices in other schools.
Washington Achievement Award Winners - detail below:
Pictured: Crownhill Elementary staff and students. Crownhill is a 2009 Washington Achievement Award Winner.
Accountability Index Tool and Survey
We are always looking for ways to make our data more accessible to users. Our 2010 school lookup tool is our most recent endeavor. Note: to use this tool, right click on the link and save it to your desktop. Then, open the program from there. Be sure to maximize both the parent (Excel) and child (worksheet) windows once the program is open.
This excel program empowers users to get clear and comprehensive data on how their school is performing in reading, writing, math, science, and in the case of secondary schools, the extended graduation rate, over the last three years. That data is further broken down to show how low income and non-low income students are performing, how a school has or has not improved over time, and how a school compares to peer schools with similar demographics.
This is great tool for anyone looking for a clear measurement on their school's academic performance.
We encourage you to download the file (excel) and give it a try. We would also greatly appreciate your time in filling out a very short survey. The data you provide will greatly help us continue to create a product that will meet the needs of our most important audience - you!
Here are the winning videos from the 2010 SBE student video contest.
| For the high school category, Leah Andrews, Corrine Pruett, and Conrad Pearson from Vashon High School providedthe highest scoring video. The judges were impressed by its professionalism and ample student voice. | Our first place finishers in the middle school category are Oakland Bay Junior High School's Coreless Fletcher, Colby Fuller, and Priscilla Ramirez. In addition to the outstanding choir and perspective, the judges were especially impressed with the insight into the importance of the arts. | Honorable Mention
Claire Asplund, Rachel Kim, and Angela Page of Redmond High School. What the judges said: "I really liked the music and the opening. Very, very well done; Interesting beginning with the tape; Loved the tope with writing shown at the beginning, very cute; The color pallet used the same concept; The art does the talking; Very creative and memorable." |
The State Board holds its public, bi-monthly meetings in venues across the state. Additionally, Board members and staff participate in a variety of meetings revolving around our work. Agenda and materials made available during those meetings are available here. Click on the meeting on the left to see the materials.
| Board Meetings | Work Sessions |
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2011 Board Meetings
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2010 Board Meetings
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2009 Board Meetings
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2008 Board Meetings
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1998-2007 Minutes
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Core 24/MHSD Work Sessions
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Systems Performance Accountability
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Math Work Session
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Science Advisory Work Sessions
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The State Board will issued flyers, graphics, media releases, and op-eds pertaining to our initiatives.
Additionally, newspapers and other sources will release material relating or referring to the Board's work. The table below represents this collection, which can be sorted by subject, date, and graphic/release.
| Subject | Date | Graphic/Release |
|---|---|---|
| {Subject} | {Date} | {Graphic/Release} |
The Board has three overarching goals:
More information about SBE's goals, mission, and vision is available in our Strategic Plan (pdf). A summation of the Board's work over the last four years is also available (pdf).
The State Board of Education is one of the longest existing institutions of Washington State government. It has operated continuously since 1877, when it was created by the Legislature of the Territory of Washington.
The Board has been reconstituted by the Legislature five times: 1897, 1909, 1947, 1992, and 2005. In 2005 the Legislature established the board which exists today by passing Senate Bill 5732. Information is available on the Board's composition, membership, and elections.
The State Board of Education members, listed below, are supported by seven full time staff members.
Washington State Board of Education Members |
|||
| Dr. Bernal Baca | Amy Bragdon | Jared Costanzo | Dr. Steve Dal Porto |
Yakima |
Appointed 2006.01 |
Pasco (student) |
Quincy |
| Randy Dorn | Connie Fletcher | Dr. Sheila Fox | Phyllis Bunker Frank |
Superintendent (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction) |
Issaquah |
Bellingham |
Yakima |
| Bob Hughes | Anna Laura Kastama | Eric Liu | Dr. Kristina Mayer |
Kirkland |
Tacoma, Student |
Seattle |
Port Townsend |
| Mary Jean Ryan | Warren T. Smith | John C. Schuster | Jeff Vincent |
Seattle |
Spanaway |
Ocean Shores |
Bainbridge Island |
Capitol Building
Room 253
P.O. Box 47206 -
Olympia, Washington 98504
Phone: 360.725.6025
Fax 360.586.2357
Our initiatives, including our work on statewide accountability, graduation requirements, and world-class math and science standards.
Our responsibilities, including basic education compliance, waivers, and private schools.
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