Grade 13

It's always interesting to see what other states are doing to reform, improve, and benchmark K-12 education. The Seattle Post Intelligencer reports on a Washington proposal to add an additional year to traditional 9-12 high schools.

The proposal is part of a 10-year plan the Legislature will mull over next winter, a biannual "High Skills, High Wages" report issued by the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board in an attempt to meld workers' skills and employer demand.

The goal is a more educated workforce by 2018.

Here's what work force training would look like in 2018, according to the plan:

· Middle and high schools would have a counseling system in place that includes community, business and labor collaboration.

· All high school students in the state would have the option to complete a sequence of career education courses that matches their interests -- resulting in industry certification when possible.

· Communities would have a dropout prevention partnership with schools, providing intervention and re-engagement services for young people who have dropped out or who are at risk of quitting school.

· Every high school student would graduate.

· The state would cover the tuition costs for the 13th year of work force education for students.

· Most working adults would be engaged in training every year, including at-work education.

· The output of midlevel degrees (fewer than four years) and certificates would rise to 36,200 annually -- an increase of 9,400.

More information is available on the board's Web site at www.wtb.wa.gov.