Highly Capable Learning Bill Advances; Put Your Two Cents In

 Via the Washington Coalition for Gifted Education, a call to let your reps in the Washington State legislature know that you support highly capable for services to find and serve students who may not have been found in the past.

HB 1611 would:

- add supplemental funds to support these students 

- have districts do universal screening at around 2nd grade and again around 6th grade

- districts would have to submit to OSPI demographic information on who is being served by their own programs by race, ethnic background, Special Education, homeless, etc. 

- Would require any testing to happen during the school day at the student's school 

- changes the nomenclature from "nomination" to "referral"

- removes the words "the most" in front of "highly capable.

Here's the WA state PTA on the bill. There's a LOT of great data in this document. 

I support this bill and I hope you will as well.

From the group:

What Can You Do?

Contact your two Representatives and ask them to vote "Yes" on HB 1611. There are several ways to do this:

1. Email both of your Representatives asking for a yes vote on HB 1611. 
      a) Look up your Representative's email here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/
      b) Unsure of your Representative? Find out here:https://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/
    
2. Use the Comment on This Bill function on the legislature website to show your support for HB 1611.
    
3. Use the Legislative Hot Line. Operators take down your message and send it on to Legislators. Write out your message and read it carefully to the operator. The Hot Line number is 1.800.562.6000 

Regardless of the method you choose, your message should be the same. Here is a sample message you can use: 

I urge you to vote YES for HB 1611. HB 1611 is an act to advance equity in programs for highly capable students. The bill will require districts to have more equitable identification practices and OSPI to have more transparency in data recording. Your support will mean that more students will have access to highly capable services across the state and that systemic barriers, currently present for our marginalized communities, will be removed. 

Thank you!

Reminders

⭐️ Encourage your friends and colleagues to join this free mailing list!  The link to join is http://tinyurl.com/joinWAcoalition

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⭐️  Legislative Districts are being reconfigured but the new ones will not take effect until the fall 2022 election. Until then, you remain in the district you are currently registered in. Don’t know what it is? Go to https://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/