December 17, 2015
(X) Action Required
Due Date: June 30, 2016
( ) Informational
BULLETIN NO. 069-15 TEACHING AND LEARNING/ASSESSMENT AND STUDENT
INFORMATION/INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
TO:
Educational Service District Superintendents
School District Superintendents
School Building Principals
School District Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Administrators
School District Technology Coordinators
FROM:
Randy I. Dorn, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
RE:
2015–16 Assessment and Reporting Requirements for Social Studies, The
Arts, Health, Physical Education (formerly Fitness), and Educational
Technology iGrants Form Package 408
CONTACTS: Carol Coe, Program Supervisor, Social Studies
360-725-6351, carol.coe@k12.wa.us
Anne Banks, Program Supervisor, The Arts
360-725-4966, anne.banks@k12.wa.us
Marissa Rathbone, Program Supervisor, Health and Physical Education
360-725-4977, marissa.rathbone@k12.wa.us
Dennis Small, Director, Educational Technology
360-725-6384, dennis.small@k12.wa.us
The purpose of this bulletin is to:
1. Detail the annual (2015–16) reporting requirements, process, and timelines of
assessments and other strategies in Social Studies, The Arts, Health, and Physical
Education (RCW 28A.230.095), and for Educational Technology (RCW
28A.655.075), including a description of the optional information districts are asked
to submit to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).
2. Clarify the recommended use of OSPI-Developed Assessments in the areas of
Social Studies, The Arts, Health, Physical Education, and Educational Technology.
3. Share recommendations and resources available to help teachers administer and
use the OSPI-Developed Assessments.
BULLETIN NO. 069-15 T&L/ASI/IT
Page 2
December 17, 2015
BACKGROUND
Consistent with the four State Learning Goals outlined in the Basic Education Act, OSPI
has supported student learning in Social Studies, The Arts, Health, Physical Education,
and Educational Technology through state-developed learning standards and
assessments in these areas as directed by the Legislature in 2004 (House Bill 2195) and
2007 (Senate Bill 1906). Since the 2008–09 school year, school districts have reported
their implementation of assessments in Social Studies, The Arts, Health, and Physical
Education. In addition, beginning with the 2011–12 school year, districts that choose to
implement Educational Technology assessments must report this information in addition to
the annual reporting for the other subject areas.
For ease of reporting, OSPI has combined reporting requirements for all five areas through
iGrants Form Package 408 for the 2015–16 school year. This form package will be
available online in December 2015, for districts to begin completing the report and entering
information on the assessments or other strategies implemented during the year. All
OSPI-developed assessment reporting for the 2015–16 school year is to be
submitted and finalized in iGrants no later than June 30, 2016.
Annually, OSPI compiles the results of school district reporting in these subjects and
shares a statewide summary on the OSPI website. This information is useful to the state in
determining technical assistance needed to support measuring student learning in these
areas, as well as to understand the use of OSPI-Developed Assessments in these
subjects.
REQUIREMENTS
Assessments in Social Studies, The Arts, Health, and Physical Education (formerly
Fitness)
RCW 28A.230.095 requires the following of school districts:
 To have in place assessments or other strategies at the elementary, middle
school, and high school levels chosen by the district that assure that students
have an opportunity to learn the state learning standards in Social Studies
(including civics), The Arts, Health, and Physical Education.
 To report their implementation of these assessments annually through an
implementation verification report.
For the 2015–16 school year, school districts are required to report their implementation of
assessments in the following subject areas at elementary, middle, and high school levels
in iGrants Form Package 408 no later than June 30, 2016:
 Social Studies (Note: Districts must require students to complete at least one
assessment in civics in the 4th or 5th grade, 7th or 8th grade, and 11th or 12th
grade.)
 The Arts
 Health
 Physical Education (formerly Fitness)
BULLETIN NO. 069-15 T&L/ASI/IT
Page 3
December 17, 2015
The upcoming revision of the K–12 Health and Physical Education Learning Standards will
initiate the revision of existing assessments and development of new assessments, which
will be made available starting in the 2016–17 school year. However, the current suite of
assessments are still available for use during this assessment and reporting period.
Assessments in Educational Technology
RCW 28A.655.075 requires the following:
 OSPI shall obtain or develop Educational Technology assessments that may be
administered in the elementary, middle, and high school grades to assess the
Educational Technology learning standards.
 If a school district uses the OSPI-developed Educational Technology
assessments, then the school district shall notify OSPI of the use.
For the 2015–16 school year, districts that use the OSPI-Developed Assessments for
Educational Technology must report their use through iGrants Form Package 408 no later
than June 30, 2016.
Optional Reporting
In an effort to obtain a more comprehensive picture of state implementation, OSPI asks
school districts to consider completing the optional sections of iGrants Form Package
408. The optional reporting includes which assessments or other strategies are
administered, the number of students that participate, their grade levels, and how districts
are using the assessments as part of instruction and teacher professional development to
assure student achievement on the state standards in these content areas. The data
reported here is extremely helpful in prioritizing OSPI support for districts.
RECOMMENDATIONS AND RESOURCES
OSPI recommends districts use the OSPI-Developed Assessments in Social Studies, The
Arts, Health, Physical Education, and Educational Technology to meet the requirements of
RCW 28A.230.095 and RCW 28A.655.075. If local assessments or other strategies are
used to meet the requirements, it is strongly recommended that they are reviewed for
quality and alignment to state standards, are based in research, and are able to measure
individual student achievement. In addition, school districts are encouraged to develop
policies and procedures that support the implementation of assessments in these areas,
as well as the collection, use, and retention of assessment data.
All current OSPI-Developed Assessments in Social Studies, The Arts, Health, Physical
Education, and Educational Technology have scoring guides, professional development
resources, and teacher reporting templates available for download. These materials and
resources can be accessed from the OSPI website at
http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/OSPI-DevelopedAssessments.aspx.
BULLETIN NO. 069-15 T&L/ASI/IT
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December 17, 2015
Interested educators are invited to view the webinar “Using OSPI-Developed Assessments
in Social Studies, The Arts, Health, Physical Education, and Educational Technology" that
took place on February 25. To view this informative webinar, please go to:
http://www.k12.wa.us/CurriculumInstruct/Webinars.aspx.
If you have questions, please contact:
 Carol Coe, Program Supervisor, Social Studies
360-725-6351, carol.coe@k12.wa.us
 Anne Banks, Program Supervisor, The Arts
360-725-4966, anne.banks@k12.wa.us
 Marissa Rathbone, Program Supervisor, Health and Physical Education
360-725-4977, marissa.rathbone@k12.wa.us
 Dennis Small, Director, Educational Technology
360-725-6384, dennis.small@k12.wa.us
This bulletin is available at http://www.k12.wa.us/BulletinsMemos/bulletins2015.aspx.
The agency TTY number is 360-664-3631.
K–12 EDUCATION
Gil Mendoza, Ed.D.
Deputy Superintendent
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Jessica Vavrus
Assistant Superintendent
ASSESSMENT AND STUDENT INFORMATION
Robin Munson, Ph.D.
Assistant Superintendent
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
Peter Tamayo
Chief Information Officer
OSPI provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national
origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence
of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability.
Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to the Equity and Civil Rights Director at 360-725-6162 or
P.O. Box 47200 Olympia, WA 98504-7200.