FINAL BILL REPORT

ESB 5917

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.

Background: There are several dual credit opportunities for students in high school to earn college credits. National examination based options include the Advanced Placement (AP) Program, International Baccalaureate IB, and the College Level Examination Program.

The IB Diploma Program is a two-year university preparation program for students aged 16 to 19. However, not all students seek to earn an IB diploma. Many students take individual IB classes. Students must pass an examination at the end of each course. The scoring for these examinations ranges from one to seven points. The minimum passing score is a three. According to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, there are 23 high schools in Washington that offer the IB Diploma Program; and, in 2015-16 there were 8223 students taking IB courses.

Each institution of higher education has its own policy for how to award credit for IB examinations. Some of the institutions only award college credit for higher level courses, and some provide more credits for students who earned the IB diploma.

During the 2017 legislative session, ESB 5234 was enacted requiring the institutions of higher education to establish a coordinated, evidence-based policy for granting undergraduate college credits to students who earn minimum scores of three on AP examinations. The institutions are required to post the policy on campus websites effective for the 2017 fall academic term, and conduct reviews of the policy and report noncompliance in annual reports to the Legislature beginning November 1, 2019.

Summary: The institutions of higher education must establish a coordinated, evidence-based policy for granting credit to students with who successfully complete International Baccalaureate and Cambridge International examinations.

The credit policy for all IB and Cambridge International exams must be posted on each institution of higher education's website effective for the 2018 fall academic term. The institutions of higher education must conduct biennial reviews of the IB and Cambridge International policy and report noncompliance to the appropriate committees of the Legislature by November 1, beginning November 1, 2020.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate	48	0
House	87	11	(House amended)
Senate	47	2	(Senate concurred)