Working WA high school students could have ‘more flexibility’ under new OSPI plan
.JPG "State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal talks to the media about the decision to close schools in response to COVID-19 on March 12.")
Washington high school students would be able to earn four elective credits through paid work experience under a plan proposed by Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal on Thursday.
“To our students out there, we hear you and we are asking you on a regular basis about your needs and your interests … and you were telling us you want more flexibility and we’re going to try and deliver that, at least for those of you who are seeking work,” Reykdal said during a news conference. “You’ve told us that work matters to you a lot and for some of you, you have to work to support your family’s needs. And that ought to be honored.”
High school students are required to earn 17 credits in foundational courses and four credits for elective courses in addition to other requirements in order to graduate. Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, juniors and seniors 16 and older could work to fulfill those elective credits, under the plan.
Students would earn one credit hour per 360 hours of work, and would be capped at earning two credits per school year: two for junior year and two for senior year. Students would sign up for the program like they would other classes, Reykdal said.
The superintendent noted that any type of employment would be allowed under the program, and students could have more flexibility for work hours within the school day.
Reykdal said that one-third of the 150,000 high school juniors and seniors in the state already work. The challenge, he said, is that the programs currently in place allow students to earn some credit, but that only about 6,000 or 7,000 working students are currently getting any credit for their work.
“Some have to work to support their families, some choose to work as part of their future. Every one of the students who are participating in work, however, they are learning powerful, powerful skills,” Reykdal said.
The state’s current system also is too bureaucratic now, he said, and that there are too many qualifiers in place for students to take advantage of the program, such as the type of work that counts towards credit.
Reykdal said some of the skills students learn from a job can oftentimes not be replicated in a school setting. Additionally, students who wish to go to college have more of a prescribed path than those who wish to work instead.
Schools too would have a “significant role to play,” he said. Teachers would be assigned to sign students up for the program, to verify employment and to check in periodically with students. Reykdal said he believes there is an opportunity to build meaningful relationships through these interactions.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction already has the authority to put the program in place through the rule-making process, and Reykdal said they would be moving as “expeditiously” as they can to get the process going.
However, he noted that it is still a public process to change the current system, and that OSPI would hold at least one, if not more, public hearings before the change is set to take place. He said the process will be initiated right away so OSPI can open it up for public comment sometime in the late fall.
The Legislature also would have the chance to expand or make changes to the proposal when the legislative session begins in January.
Thursday’s news conference was the second of nine in a series where OSPI will introduce new policy and budget proposals. OSPI will conclude the series in November.
This story was originally published August 4, 2022 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Working WA high school students could have ‘more flexibility’ under new OSPI plan."
