Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research | BILL ANALYSIS |
Higher Education Committee |
HB 1445
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
Brief Description: Using computer sciences to satisfy world language college admission requirements.
Sponsors: Representatives Reykdal and Magendanz.
Brief Summary of Bill |
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Hearing Date: 2/4/15
Staff: Megan Mulvihill (786-7304).
Background:
Washington has a set of academic core requirements known as the College Academic Distribution Requirements (CADR) that all students must meet in order to qualify for admission into one of the state's public four-year institutions as a freshman. Admission requirements differ for non-traditional students, such as transfer or adult students over the age of 25. The CADR reflect the minimum number of credits required in six subject areas: English, mathematics, social sciences, world language, science, and the arts. The freshman admission policy also requires students to maintain a 2.0 grade point average and have official SAT or ACT scores. These minimum admission requirements do not guarantee admission into a public four-year institution.
The world language requirement for admissions into a public four-year institution is two credits (two years). This means that the student must complete two years devoted to a single language, one year of which was a second-year level course. Any natural language that was formally studied satisfies this requirement, including a Native American language, American Sign Language, Latin, or ancient Greek. Computer languages do not count towards this requirement.
Summary of Bill:
The Student Achievement Council (Council), the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and an organization that represents the public four-year institutions must facilitate a conversation with the state universities, regional universities, and The Evergreen State College about accepting two years of computer sciences to count towards two years of world language requirements for admission purposes into a four-year institution of higher education. A report is due to the Legislature by November 1, 2017, regarding the curriculum, courses, and course sequencing necessary in the K-12 schools for computer sciences to count as a world language.
The act expires July 1, 2018.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.