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 Program, or at a high school, for example the College in the High School program and the Career and Technical Education Dual Credit Program (previously called Tech Prep).  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 a percent of all students enrolled in grades 9 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 which includes information on students across time and multiple sectors.  These sectors include early learning, kindergarten through grade 12, postsecondary 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.  The State Board of Education is added to the list of entities that must be collaborated with in preparing the report.

The list of data that must be in the report is expanded to include:  award of high school credit and award of postsecondary credit at an institution of higher education.  In addition to other disaggregation requirements, the data in the report must be disaggregated by:  students who are dependent, students who are homeless, and Multilingual/English learners. 

The report must also recommend additional categories of data reporting and disaggregation.  For each additional category, the report must describe:  (1) the purpose for reporting on, or disaggregating by, the category; (2) the specific metric or indicator to be used; (3) whether the specific metric or indicator is a new data point; and (4) which educational entities should be responsible for collecting the data.  The 2022 report must recommend whether to require:  (1) reporting of data related to application of postsecondary credits earned through a dual credit program towards postsecondary credentials and degrees; and (2) comparison of postsecondary credential and degree attainment between students who did or did not participate in a dual credit program, and between students who participated in different dual credit programs.

(In support) Dual credit programs are intended to prepare students for family-wage jobs, provide opportunities for credit acceleration and a way to catch up on credits, and ultimately prepare students for whatever is next, including college, apprenticeship programs or a family-wage job directly out of high school.  Access to dual credit data to inform systems change is essential to removing barriers to credit attainment, potential attainment, and to create pathways to long-term economic security. 
 
Data should be analyzed to determine whether dual credit programs are doing what they are intended to do.  Currently, the dual credit data that is reported is about participation, which is important, but it can make it seem like students are actually using the dual credits.  Public reports do not include data related to students attempting but not completing dual credit courses, earning credits, or using credits to make progress towards postsecondary goals. 
 
Students can earn credits in a variety of dual credit programs, but often it is unknown how these credits apply at the postsecondary level or how the credits prepare students for trade school.  The data should show whether students are actually using dual credits they have earned, and if they are, then the programs that are most beneficial to students and the workforce should be expanded.  The bill requires the report to include course completion, successful transcription of credit, and ensures that the data is disaggregated by race, income, gender, geography, and other demographics. 
 
The Education Research and Data Center is the best entity to author the report because it has access to cross-sector data, which is what is needed to make systems change.  State agencies already collect this data.  This report will make the data available in a user-friendly format.
 
Information about student financials is not available to institutions of higher education.  It would be helpful to the institutions to know the income status of students in College in the High School (CHS) classrooms, which would help determine whether students qualify for a low-income subsidy.  It would be good to know how many students in CHS are not enrolled for college credit.  It would also be helpful to know whether the CHS students who are not enrolled for college credit are academically qualified to enroll for college credit if they could pay the fees.
 
(Opposed) None.