28A.250.020 - Multidistrict online providers -- Approval criteria -- Advisory committee.
Multidistrict online providers — Approval criteria — Advisory committee.
(1) The superintendent of public instruction, in collaboration with the state board of education, shall develop and implement approval criteria and a process for approving multidistrict online providers; a process for monitoring and if necessary rescinding the approval of courses or programs offered by an online course provider; and an appeals process. The criteria and processes shall be adopted by rule by December 1, 2009.
(2) When developing the approval criteria, the superintendent of public instruction shall require that providers offering online courses or programs have accreditation through the Northwest association of accredited schools or another national, regional, or state accreditation program listed by the office of the superintendent of public instruction after consultation with the Washington coalition for online learning. In addition to other criteria, the approval criteria shall include the degree of alignment with state academic standards and require that all teachers be certificated in accordance with Washington state law. When reviewing multidistrict online providers that offer high school courses, the superintendent of public instruction shall assure that the courses offered by the provider are eligible for high school credit. However, final decisions regarding the awarding of high school credit shall remain the responsibility of school districts.
(3) Initial approval of multidistrict online providers by the superintendent of public instruction shall be for four years. The superintendent of public instruction shall develop a process for the renewal of approvals and for rescinding approvals based on noncompliance with approval requirements. Any multidistrict online provider that was approved by the digital learning commons or accredited by the Northwest association of accredited schools before July 26, 2009, and that meets the teacher certification requirements of subsection (2) of this section, is exempt from the initial approval process under this section until August 31, 2012, but must comply with the process for renewal of approvals and must comply with approval requirements.
(4) The superintendent of public instruction shall make the first round of decisions regarding approval of multidistrict online providers by April 1, 2010. Thereafter, the superintendent of public instruction shall make annual approval decisions no later than November 1st of each year.
(5) The superintendent of public instruction shall establish an online learning advisory committee within existing resources that shall provide advice to the superintendent regarding the approval criteria, major components of the web site, the model school district policy, model agreements, and other related matters. The committee shall include a representative of each of the following groups: Private and public online providers, parents of online students, accreditation organizations, educational service districts, school principals, teachers, school administrators, school board members, institutions of higher education, and other individuals as determined by the superintendent. Members of the advisory committee shall be selected by the superintendent based on nominations from statewide organizations, shall serve three-year terms, and may be reappointed. The superintendent shall select the chair of the committee.
[2009 c 542 § 3.]