AN ACT Relating to college in the high school programs; amending RCW 28A.600.290, 28A.300.560, 28A.320.196, 28B.10.035, 28B.76.730, and 28B.95.020; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.600 RCW.

(1) College in the high school is a dual credit program located on a high school campus or in a high school environment in which a high school student is able to earn both high school and college credit by completing college level courses with a passing grade. A college in the high school program must meet the accreditation requirements in RCW 28B.10.035 and the requirements in this section.

(3) Ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students, and students who have not yet received a high school diploma or its equivalent and are eligible to be in the ninth, 10th, 11th, or 12th grades, may participate in a college in the high school program.

(4) A college in the high school program must be governed by a local contract between an institution of higher education and a school district, charter school, or state-tribal compact school, in compliance with the rules adopted by the superintendent of public instruction under this section. The local contract must include the qualifications for students to enroll in a program course.

(b)(i) The maximum per college credit tuition fee for a program course is $65 per college credit adjusted for inflation using the implicit price deflator for that fiscal year, using fiscal year 2021 as the base, as compiled by the bureau of labor statistics, United States department of labor for the state of Washington.

(ii) Annually by July 1st, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must calculate the maximum per college credit tuition fee and post the fee on its website.

(c) The funds received by an institution of higher education under this subsection (5) are not tuition or operating fees and may be retained by the institution of higher education.

(6) Enrollment information on persons registered under this section must be maintained by the institution of higher education separately from other enrollment information and may not be included in official enrollment reports, nor may such persons be considered in any enrollment statistics that would affect higher education budgetary determinations.

(7) Each school district, charter school, and state-tribal compact school must award high school credit to a student enrolled in a program course if the student successfully completes the course. If no comparable course is offered by the school district, charter school, or state-tribal compact school, the chief administrator shall determine how many credits to award for the successful completion of the program course. The determination must be made in writing before the student enrolls in the program course. The awarded credit must be applied toward graduation requirements and subject area requirements. Evidence of successful completion of each program course must be included in the student's high school records and transcript.

(8) An institution of higher education must award college credit to a student enrolled in a program course if the student successfully completes the course. The awarded college credit must be applied toward general education requirements or degree requirements at the institution of higher education. Evidence of successful completion of each program course must be included in the student's college transcript.

(9)(a) A high school that offers a college in the high school program must provide general information about the program to all students in grades eight through 12 and to the parents and guardians of those students.

(b) A high school that offers a college in the high school program must include the following information about program courses in the high school catalogue or equivalent:

(i) There is no fee for students to enroll in a program course to earn only high school credit. Fees apply for students who choose to enroll in a program course to earn both high school and college credit;

(iv) A notification that paying for college credit automatically starts an official college transcript with the institution of higher education offering the program course regardless of student performance in the program course, and that college credit earned upon successful completion of a program course may count only as elective credit if transferred to another institution of higher education.

(11) Students enrolled in a program course may pay college in the high school fees with advanced college tuition payment program tuition units at a rate set by the advanced college tuition payment program governing body under chapter 28B.95 RCW.

(12) The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules for the administration of this section. The rules must be jointly developed by the superintendent of public instruction, the state board for community and technical colleges, the student achievement council, and the public baccalaureate institutions. The association of Washington school principals must be consulted during the rules development. The rules must outline quality and eligibility standards that are informed by nationally recognized standards or models. In addition, the rules must encourage the maximum use of the program and may not narrow or limit the enrollment options.

(c) "Institution of higher education" has the same meaning as in RCW 28B.10.016, and also means a public tribal college located in Washington and accredited by the Northwest commission on colleges and universities or another accrediting association recognized by the United States department of education.

(1)(a) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose and commencing with the 2015-16 school year, funding may be allocated at an amount per college credit for eleventh and twelfth grade students ((or)), and students who have not yet received a high school diploma or its equivalent and are eligible to be in the eleventh or twelfth grade, who are enrolled in college in the high school courses under ((this)) section 1 of this act as specified in the omnibus appropriations act and adjusted for inflation from the 2015-16 school year. The maximum annual number of allocated credits per participating student shall be specified in the omnibus appropriations act, which must not exceed ten credits. Funding shall be prioritized in the following order:

(i) High schools offering a running start in the high school program in school year 2014-15. These schools shall only receive prioritized funding in school year 2015-16;

(ii) Students whose residence or the high school in which they are enrolled is located twenty driving miles or more as measured by the most direct route from the nearest eligible institution of higher education offering a running start program, whichever is greater; and

(b)(i) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose and commencing with the 2015-16 school year, and only after the programs in (a) of this subsection are funded, a subsidy may be provided per college credit for eleventh and twelfth grade students ((or))and students who have not yet received a high school diploma or its equivalent and are eligible to be in the eleventh or twelfth grade, who have been deemed eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and are enrolled in college in the high school courses under ((this)) section 1 of this act as specified in the omnibus appropriations act and adjusted for inflation from the 2015-16 school year. The maximum annual number of subsidized credits per participating student shall be specified in the omnibus appropriations act, which must not exceed five credits.

(ii) Districts wishing to participate in the subsidy program must apply to the office of the superintendent of public instruction by July 1st of each year and report the preliminary estimate of eligible students to receive the subsidy and the total number of projected credit hours.

(iii) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall notify districts by September 1st of each school year if the district's students will receive the subsidy. If more districts apply than funding is available, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall prioritize the district applications. The superintendent shall develop factors to determine priority including, but not limited to, the number of dual credit opportunities available for low-income students in the districts.

(c) Districts shall remit any allocations or subsidies on behalf of participating students under (a) and (b) of this subsection to the participating institution of higher education and those students shall not be required to pay for the credits.

(((d) The minimum allocation and subsidy under this section is sixty-five dollars per quarter credit for credit-bearing postsecondary coursework. The office of the superintendent of public instruction, the student achievement council, the state board for community and technical colleges, and the public baccalaureate institutions shall review funding levels for the program every four years beginning in 2017 and recommend changes.

(e) Students may pay college in the high school fees with advanced college tuition payment program tuition units at a rate set by the advanced college tuition payment program governing body under chapter 28B.95 RCW.

(2) For the purposes of funding students enrolled in the college in the high school program in accordance with subsection (1) of this section, college in the high school is defined as a dual credit program located on a high school campus or in a high school environment in which a high school student is able to earn both high school and postsecondary credit by completing postsecondary level courses with a passing grade.

(4) College in the high school programs shall each be governed by a local contract between the district and the participating institution of higher education, in compliance with the rules adopted by the superintendent of public instruction under this section.

(a) The high school and participating institution of higher education together shall define the criteria for student eligibility. The institution of higher education may charge tuition fees to participating students. If specific funding is provided in the omnibus appropriations act for the per credit allocations and per credit subsidies under subsection (1) of this section, the maximum per credit fee charged to any enrolled student may not exceed the amount of the per credit allocation or subsidy.

(b) The funds received by the participating institution of higher education may not be deemed tuition or operating fees and may be retained by the institution of higher education.

(c) Enrollment information on persons registered under this section must be maintained by the institution of higher education separately from other enrollment information and may not be included in official enrollment reports, nor may such persons be considered in any enrollment statistics that would affect higher education budgetary determinations.

(d) A school district must grant high school credit to a student enrolled in a program course if the student successfully completes the course. If no comparable course is offered by the school district, the school district superintendent shall determine how many credits to award for the course. The determination shall be made in writing before the student enrolls in the course. The credits shall be applied toward graduation requirements and subject area requirements. Evidence of successful completion of each program course shall be included in the student's secondary school records and transcript.

(e) A participating institution of higher education must grant college credit to a student enrolled in a program course if the student successfully completes the course. The college credit shall be applied toward general education requirements or degree requirements at institutions of higher education. Evidence of successful completion of each program course must be included in the student's college transcript.

(f) Tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students or students who have not yet received a high school diploma or its equivalent and are eligible to be in the tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grades may participate in the college in the high school program.

(g) Participating school districts must provide general information about the college in the high school program to all students in grades nine through twelve and to the parents and guardians of those students.

(6) The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules for the administration of this section. The rules shall be jointly developed by the superintendent of public instruction, the state board for community and technical colleges, the student achievement council, and the public baccalaureate institutions. The association of Washington school principals must be consulted during the rules development. The rules must outline quality and eligibility standards that are informed by nationally recognized standards or models. In addition, the rules must encourage the maximum use of the program and may not narrow or limit the enrollment options.

(a) "Institution of higher education" has the definition in RCW 28B.10.016, and also includes a public tribal college located in Washington and accredited by the Northwest commission on colleges and universities or another accrediting association recognized by the United States department of education.

In addition to data on student enrollment in dual credit courses, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall collect and post on the Washington state report card website the rates at which students earn college credit through a dual credit course, using the following criteria:

(4) Students who successfully complete a course through the college in the high school program under ((RCW 28A.600.290))section 1 of this act and are awarded credit by the partnering institution of higher education; ((and))

(1) Subject to funds appropriated specifically for this purpose, the academic acceleration incentive program is established as provided in this section. The intent of the legislature is that the funds awarded under the program be used to support teacher training, curriculum, technology, examination fees, textbook fees, and other costs associated with offering dual credit courses to high school students, including transportation for running start students to and from the institution of higher education as defined in RCW 28A.600.300.

(2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall allocate half of the funds appropriated for the purposes of this section on a competitive basis to provide one-time grants for high schools to expand the availability of dual credit courses. To be eligible for a grant, a school district must have adopted an academic acceleration policy as provided under RCW 28A.320.195. In making grant awards, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must give priority to grants for high schools with a high proportion of low-income students and high schools seeking to develop new capacity for dual credit courses rather than proposing marginal expansion of current capacity.

(3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall allocate half of the funds appropriated for the purposes of this section to school districts as an incentive award for each student who earned dual high school and college credit, as described under subsection (4) of this section, for courses offered by the district's high schools during the previous school year. School districts must distribute the award to the high schools that generated the funds. The award amount for low-income students eligible to participate in the federal free and reduced-price meals program who earn dual credits must be set at one hundred twenty-five percent of the base award for other students. A student who earns more than one dual credit in the same school year counts only once for the purposes of the incentive award.

(d) Students who successfully complete a course through the college in the high school program under ((RCW 28A.600.290))section 1 of this act and are awarded credit by the partnering institution of higher education; and

(5) If a high school provides access to online courses for students to earn dual high school and college credit at no cost to the student, such a course is considered to be offered by the high school.

(6) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall report to the education policy committees and the fiscal committees of the legislature, by January 1st of each year, information about the demographics of the students earning dual credits in the schools receiving grants under this section for the prior school year. Demographic data shall be disaggregated pursuant to RCW 28A.300.042.

(1) To establish a uniform standard by which concurrent enrollment programs and professional development activities may be measured, any college or university offering concurrent enrollment program courses at a public high school, or college in the high school programs ((under RCW 28A.600.290)), must receive accreditation by a national accrediting body for concurrent enrollment by the 2027-28 school year.

(2) Any college or university engaged in concurrent enrollment program courses at a public high school, or college in the high school programs ((under RCW 28A.600.290)), during or before the 2019-20 academic year that are not accredited by a national accrediting body for concurrent enrollment must continue to meet the same quality and eligibility standards and obtain approval in a manner consistent with the procedure established by rules adopted ((under RCW 28A.600.290)) for the college in the high school program until the program is accredited by a national accrediting body for concurrent enrollment.

(3) After the 2027-28 school year, any college or university with concurrent enrollment program courses in place at a public high school, or college in the high school programs ((under RCW 28A.600.290)), during or before the 2019-20 academic year that have not been accredited in accordance with subsection (1) of this section or do not have an application pending further action by the accrediting body under subsection (1) of this section may not offer a concurrent enrollment program course at a public high school or college in the high school program ((under RCW 28A.600.290)).

(4) New college and university concurrent enrollment program courses that are implemented after the 2019-20 academic year have seven years from the beginning of the first term of classes to submit an application for accreditation for review by a national accrediting body for concurrent enrollment to comply with this section.

(5) All colleges and universities are encouraged to provide institutional resources to support the transition to accreditation, including professional development, engage with national associations focused on concurrent enrollment accreditation, and collaboration with the state board for community and technical colleges or an organization that represents the public, four-year universities, and colleges.

(b) "Concurrent enrollment program" means a partnership between K-12 schools and postsecondary education institutions through which credit-bearing college courses offered by public or private institutions of higher education and taught by appropriately qualified high school teachers are taken in high school by high school students who have not yet received the credits required for the award of a high school diploma, and for which earned credits are recorded on a college or university transcript. "Concurrent enrollment program" does not include programs under RCW 28B.50.531 or the running start program.

(1) The legislature recognizes that dual credit programs reduce both the cost and time of attendance to obtain a postsecondary degree. The legislature intends to reduce barriers and increase access to postsecondary educational opportunities for low-income students by removing the financial barriers for dual enrollment programs for students.

(2) The office, in consultation with the institutions of higher education and the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall create the Washington dual enrollment scholarship pilot program. The office shall administer the Washington dual enrollment scholarship pilot program and may adopt rules as necessary.

(4) Subject to availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, beginning with the 2019-20 academic year, the office may award scholarships to eligible students. The scholarship award must be as follows:

(iii) A textbook voucher to be used at the institution of higher education's bookstore where the student is enrolled. For every credit per quarter the student is enrolled, the student shall receive a textbook voucher for ten dollars, up to a maximum of fifteen credits per quarter, or the equivalent, per year; and

(iv) Apprenticeship materials as determined appropriate by the college or university to pay for specific course-related material costs, which may include occupation-specific tools, work clothes, rain gear, or boots.

(b) An eligible student enrolled in a college in the high school program may receive a scholarship for tuition fees as set forth under ((RCW 28A.600.290(5)(a)))section 1 of this act.

(5) The Washington dual enrollment scholarship pilot program must apply after the fee waivers for low-income students under RCW 28A.600.310 and subsidies under RCW 28A.600.290 are provided for.

(2) "Account" means the Washington advanced college tuition payment program account established for the deposit of all money received by the office from eligible purchasers and interest earnings on investments of funds in the account, as well as for all expenditures on behalf of eligible beneficiaries for the redemption of tuition units and for the development of any authorized college savings program pursuant to RCW 28B.95.150.

(3) "Advisor sold" means a channel through which a broker dealer, investment advisor, or other financial intermediary recommends the Washington college savings program established pursuant to RCW 28B.95.010 to eligible investors and assists with the opening and servicing of individual college savings program accounts.

(5) "Committee on advanced tuition payment and college savings" or "committee" means a committee of the following members: The state treasurer, the director of the office of financial management, the director of the office, or their designees, and two members to be appointed by the governor, one representing program participants and one private business representative with marketing, public relations, or financial expertise.

(6) "Contractual obligation" means a legally binding contract of the state with the purchaser and the beneficiary establishing that purchases of tuition units in the advanced college tuition payment program will be worth the same number of tuition units at the time of redemption as they were worth at the time of the purchase, except as provided in RCW 28B.95.030 (7) and (8).

(7) "Dual credit fees" means any fees charged to a student for participation in college in the high school under ((RCW 28A.600.290))section 1 of this act or running start under RCW 28A.600.310.

(8) "Eligible beneficiary" means the person designated as the individual whose education expenses are to be paid from the advanced college tuition payment program or the college savings program. Qualified organizations, as allowed under section 529 of the federal internal revenue code, purchasing tuition unit contracts as future scholarships need not designate a beneficiary at the time of purchase.

(9) "Eligible contributor" means an individual or organization that contributes money for the purchase of tuition units, and for an individual college savings program account established pursuant to this chapter for an eligible beneficiary.

(10) "Eligible purchaser" means an individual or organization that has entered into a tuition unit contract with the governing body for the purchase of tuition units in the advanced college tuition payment program for an eligible beneficiary, or that has entered into a participant college savings program account contract for an eligible beneficiary. The state of Washington may be an eligible purchaser for purposes of purchasing tuition units to be held for granting Washington college bound scholarships.

(11) "Full-time tuition charges" means resident tuition charges at a state institution of higher education for enrollments between ten credits and eighteen credit hours per academic term.

(12) "Governing body" means the committee empowered by the legislature to administer the Washington advanced college tuition payment program and the Washington college savings program.

(14) "Institution of higher education" means an institution that offers education beyond the secondary level and is recognized by the internal revenue service under chapter 529 of the internal revenue code.

(16) "Investment manager" means the state investment board, another state, or any other entity as selected by the governing body, including another college savings plan established pursuant to section 529 of the internal revenue code.

(18) "Owner" means the eligible purchaser or the purchaser's successor in interest who shall have the exclusive authority to make decisions with respect to the tuition unit contract or the individual college savings program contract. The owner has exclusive authority and responsibility to establish and change the asset investment options for a beneficiaries' individual college savings program account.

(19) "Participant college savings program account contract" means a contract to participate in the Washington college savings program between an eligible purchaser and the office.

(21) "Tuition and fees" means undergraduate tuition and services and activities fees as defined in RCW 28B.15.020 and 28B.15.041 rounded to the nearest whole dollar. For purposes of this chapter, services and activities fees do not include fees charged for the payment of bonds heretofore or hereafter issued for, or other indebtedness incurred to pay, all or part of the cost of acquiring, constructing, or installing any lands, buildings, or facilities.

(22) "Tuition unit contract" means a contract between an eligible purchaser and the governing body, or a successor agency appointed for administration of this chapter, for the purchase of tuition units in the advanced college tuition payment program for a specified beneficiary that may be redeemed at a later date for an equal number of tuition units, except as provided in RCW 28B.95.030 (7) and (8).

(23) "Unit cash value price" means the total value of assets under management in the advanced college tuition payment program on a date to be determined by the committee, divided by the total number of outstanding units purchased by eligible purchasers before July 1, 2015, and any outstanding units accrued by eligible purchasers as a result of the July 2017 unit rebase. For purposes of this calculation, the total market value of assets shall exclude the total accumulated market value of proceeds from units purchased after June 30, 2015.

(24) "Unit purchase price" means the minimum cost to purchase one tuition unit in the advanced college tuition payment program for an eligible beneficiary. Generally, the minimum purchase price is one percent of the undergraduate tuition and fees for the current year, rounded to the nearest whole dollar, adjusted for the costs of administration and adjusted to ensure the actuarial soundness of the account. The analysis for price setting shall also include, but not be limited to consideration of past and projected patterns of tuition increases, program liability, past and projected investment returns, and the need for a prudent stabilization reserve.