Higher Education Attainment Goal.  The Student Achievement Council (Council) provides strategic planning, oversight, and advocacy, and administers programs to support students and higher education in the state.  The Council is statutorily required to propose educational attainment goals and priorities to meet the state's higher education needs.  In 2013, the Council established the following two educational attainment goals for 2023 that the Legislature adopted in 2014:

• all adults in Washington, ages 25-44, will have a high school diploma or equivalent; and
• at least 70 percent of Washington adults, ages 25-44, will have a postsecondary credential.

Washington Fund for Innovation and Quality.  The Washington Fund for Innovation and Quality in Higher Education Program is administered by the Council and College Board to award incentive grants to public institutions of higher education, or consortia of institutions to encourage cooperative programs designed to address specific system problems.  Strong priority will be given to proposals that involve more than one sector of education and to proposals that show substantive institutional commitment. 

The Washington Career and College Pathways Innovation Challenge Program (program) is created and will be administered by the Council.  The purpose of the program is to meet statewide attainment goals through the use of local and regional partnerships. 

The program must be administered using a competitive grant process and must consider, among other initiatives, those that:

• raise educational attainment and decrease opportunity gaps;
• engage community-based organizations;
• provide financial support or other services and supports for enrollment and completion;
• expand the use of integrated work-based learning models; and
• include local funds.

The Council must consult with representatives of the public two and four-year institutions, the state's ethnic commissions, the Governor's Office of Indian Affairs, the LGBTQ Commission and the Women's Commission, on the design and administration of the grant program.

The Council may hire staff to support grant oversight and provide technical assistance to grantees.  The Council must provide a report to the Legislature annually regarding the grants that were awarded and the progress of each project.

The Washington Career and College Pathways Innovation Account replaces the Washington Fund for Innovation and Quality and is established in the custody of the state treasurer.  The Council may accept public and private gifts, grants, and endowments for the program.