OSPI Explains: What Are State Learning Standards, and How Are They Maintained?

Every day in every classroom in Washington, educators are working to ensure that all students’ learning is on track for their grade level.

This process is informed by the state’s learning standards. State law requires the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to create, maintain, and periodically review these standards, and to update them as needed (RCW 28A.655.070).

OSPI is currently working with educators to understand how educators use the learning standards in their work, to review standards that are due for review, and to potentially revise standards that need an update. Below, OSPI provides more information about the learning standards and the project to review them.

What are learning standards?

Learning standards define what students need to know and be able to do at each grade level, based on learning goals defined by state law (RCW 28A.150.210). OSPI is responsible for developing Washington state’s learning standards.

The earliest version of learning standards were established by the Washington State Legislature in 1975. The Student Learning Objectives (SLO) law, as it was known, created a program requiring school districts to identify SLOs. In 1994, the law was repealed and the State Legislature assigned the creation, maintenance, and updating of the learning standards to OSPI.

How do educators use learning standards?

By and large, classroom teachers use learning standards to guide their instruction. Teachers also use learning standards to select instructional materials and plan course requirements and sequencing, according to responses to an OSPI survey of teachers across the state administered in February of this year.

Educators also indicated that they use the learning standards to develop goals for students in alignment with their Individualized Education Program (IEP), which is a plan to guide a student’s learning while they are receiving special education services.

“When diagnostic results come back, we use them to know where the gaps are, and which content strand to target instruction,” wrote one teacher in response to the survey.

Why do learning standards need to be updated?

OSPI must “periodically revise” the learning standards on an “as needed” basis, according to state law (RCW 28A.655.070). While some learning standards have been updated within the last 3 years, others have not been updated in a decade or more and are due for review.

Which learning standards are up for review?

The learning standards for English language arts (ELA), mathematics, and science are currently up for review. The learning standards for ELA and mathematics were last updated in 2011, and the learning standards for science were last updated in 2013. Along with the ELA standards, standards for Spanish language arts (which are used for Spanish literacy instruction and in Spanish-English dual language instruction) will also be reviewed.

Are the learning standards being totally rewritten?

No. OSPI will refine and clarify the learning standards, not rewrite or upend them.

As indicated in the OSPI survey, educators believe that there are too many learning standards:

• Of more than 3,000 ELA teachers who responded to the survey, 74% reported that there are too many ELA standards.
• Of more than 2,700 math teachers, 68% reported that there are too many math standards.
• And of more than 2,100 science teachers, 63% reported that there are too many science standards.

Across the three surveys distributed to educators of the three content areas under review, nearly 90% reported that it would be helpful or very helpful for OSPI to simplify the language in the learning standards.

What is the process for reviewing and updating the learning standards?

OSPI is working with classroom teachers and school district leaders to review and update the learning standards.

In the anonymous survey OSPI administered in February, thousands of educators provided information about how they currently use the state’s learning standards, how they find and use instructional materials aligned with the learning standards, and what resources would be most useful for using the learning standards more effectively.

OSPI has also been focusing on how learning standards can be integrated with other content areas to make them more useful and usable, and how to develop standards-based classroom assessments that are culturally responsive.

Since the survey was completed, OSPI staff have been reviewing the results to determine how the learning standards could be revised to better meet educator and student needs. Through February 2024, OSPI’s subject matter experts will be working to review, clarify, and streamline the learning standards and develop resources for teachers. OSPI will then consult with educators to review drafts of the updated standards and the resources.

At this point in the project, OSPI staff anticipate releasing the updated ELA, math, and science learning standards in the 2024–25 school year. For more current updates, stay tuned to the learning standards review project on the OSPI website.

What is the connection between the state’s learning standards and state assessments?

The project to review the state’s learning standards is not being done in response to student performance on state assessments. The learning standards must be reviewed and updated because doing so is required by state law, and because it is a best practice to ensure that learning standards can be — and are being — used effectively.

This information was compiled by Chelsea Embree, Director of Publications and Engagement Strategy at OSPI, with support from OSPI staff. You can contact the Communications Team at commteam@k12.wa.us.