BySenate Higher Education & Workforce Development (originally sponsored by Senators Holy, Lovick, Mullet, Nguyen, Shewmake, Valdez, and C. Wilson; by request of Student Achievement Council)

AN ACT Relating to improving equitable access to postsecondary education by improving data sharing between the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the Washington student achievement council, and institutions of higher education; and amending RCW 28B.10.041 and 28A.150.515.

(1) ((Institutions))The Washington student achievement council and institutions of higher education must enter into data-sharing agreements with the office of the superintendent of public instruction to facilitate the transfer of high school student directory information collected under RCW 28A.150.515 for the purposes of informing Washington high school students of postsecondary financial aid and educational opportunities available in the state.

(2) Data-sharing agreements entered into under this section must provide for the sharing of student enrollment and outcome information from institutions of higher education, including federally designated minority serving institutions of higher education that are participating in data-sharing agreements under subsection (4) of this section, to the office of the superintendent of public instruction. Information provided in accordance with this subsection (2) must include the statewide student identifier for each student. To the extent possible, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall transmit student enrollment information to the enrolled students' host districts for the current year.

(3)(a) Data-sharing agreements entered into by a community college or technical college as defined in RCW 28B.50.030 are limited to informing Washington high school students of postsecondary educational opportunities available within a college's service district as enumerated in RCW 28B.50.040.

(b) The state board for community and technical colleges may coordinate with all of the community and technical colleges to develop a single data-sharing agreement between the community and technical colleges and the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

(4) ((Federally designated minority-serving))Other institutions of higher education, as defined under RCW 28B.92.030, that are bachelor degree-granting institutions and not subject to subsection (1) of this section may enter into data-sharing agreements with the office of the superintendent of public instruction to facilitate the transfer of high school student directory information collected under RCW 28A.150.515 for the purpose of informing Washington high school students of postsecondary educational opportunities available in the state.

(5) Agreements entered into under this section must obligate the Washington student achievement council and institutions that will receive information through an agreement to maintain the statewide student identifier for each student.

(6) For the purposes of this section, "statewide student identifier" means the statewide student identifier required by RCW 28A.320.175 that is included in the longitudinal student data system established under RCW 28A.300.500.

(1) Beginning in 2024, each school district that operates a high school shall annually transmit directory information for all enrolled high school students to the office of the superintendent of public instruction by November 1st.

(2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction must hold the high school student directory information collected under this section and make the information available for the Washington student achievement council and institutions of higher education in accordance with RCW 28B.10.041.

(3) By no later than the beginning of the 2025-26 school year, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall identify a process for making information provided in accordance with RCW 28B.10.041(2) on a student's enrollment in an institution of higher education available to the student's school district. The process identified under this subsection (3) must require that information provided to school districts include the statewide student identifier for each student.

(4) In transmitting student information under this section, school districts must comply with the consent procedures under RCW 28A.605.030, the federal family educational and privacy rights act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232g), and all applicable rules and regulations.

(a) Providing information related to college awareness and admissions at institutions of higher education in accordance with RCW 28B.10.041; ((and))

(c) Providing enrollment and outcome information to the office of the superintendent of public instruction and to school districts related to students from their respective school district under subsection (3) of this section.

(a) "Directory information" means the names, addresses, email addresses, and telephone numbers of students and their parents or legal guardians; and