Dual Credit Programs. Dual credit programs allow high school students to earn high school and postsecondary credit at the same time. Dual credit programs can be course-based or exam-based. Course-based dual credit programs can be offered at an institution of higher education, for example the Running Start (RS) Program, or at a high school, for example the College in the High School (CHS) program and the Career and Technical Education (CTE, previously called Tech Prep) Dual Credit Program. Exam-based dual credit programs allow students to take an exam and apply to receive postsecondary credit with a score of 3 or better for Advanced Placement course exams, a score of 4 or better for International Baccalaureate course exams, and a score of E or better in Cambridge International course exams.
Dual Credit Report. Annually, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in collaboration with the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council, the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, the Washington Student Achievement Council, the public baccalaureate institutions, and the Education Research and Data Center (ERDC), must report to the Legislature regarding student participation in dual credit programs. The report must include: (1) Data about student participation rates and academic performance in dual credit programs; (2) data on the total unduplicated head count of students enrolled in at least one dual credit program course; and (3) the percentage of students who enrolled in at least one dual credit program as percent of all students enrolled in grades nine through 12. The data on student participation must be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, and receipt of free or reduced-price lunch.
Student Data Disaggregation. Beginning with the 2018-19 school year, the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) began collecting additional student race and ethnicity categories, although school districts have through the 2021-22 school year to fully implement the new categories. The race categories include 38 subcategories for American Indian/Alaskan Native, 28 subcategories for Asian, 22 subcategories for Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, 100 subcategories for Black/African American, and 37 subcategories for White. The ethnicity categories include non Hispanic/Latino and 29 subcategories for Hispanic/Latino.
All student data-related reports required of the SPI must be disaggregated by at least the following subgroups of students: American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, Hispanic, Pacific Islander/Hawaiian Native, Black, White, low income, transitional bilingual, migrant, special education, and section 504 of the federal rehabilitation act of 1973.
Education Research and Data Center. The ERDC, within the Office of Financial Management, maintains a longitudinal data system includes information on students across time and multiple sectors. These sectors include early learning, kindergarten through grade 12, post-secondary education, and the workforce. Data is shared with the ERDC by partnering agencies and institutions across the state. The longitudinal data system facilitates cross-sector data sharing, analysis, research, and reporting.
The Education Data and Research Center, rather than the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, is required to collaborate with the other entities to prepare the annual dual credit report to the Legislature. Added to the list of entities that must be collaborated with in preparing the report are the State Board of Education and a statewide organization with expertise in promoting and supporting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
The list of data that must be in the report is expanded to include: award of high school credit, credit usage, and award of postsecondary credit at an institution of higher education. "Academic performance" means evaluation of whether students who take courses in one dual credit program persist and complete postsecondary education compared to students who take courses in another dual credit program or who do not take any courses in dual credit programs. "Credit usage" means the completion of additional steps that high school students need to take for their earned credit to be accepted by an institution of higher education.
In addition to other disaggregation requirements, the data in the report must be disaggregated by: rurality, ability, students who are dependent, students experiencing homelessness, and English learners.