HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2375

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                      Higher Education

Title:  An act relating to information and technology literacy in higher education.

Brief Description:  Addressing information technology literacy at baccalaureate institutions of higher education.

Sponsors:  Representatives Lantz, Esser, Carlson, Kenney, Dunn, O'Brien and Haigh.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Higher Education:  1/25/00, 1/28/00 [DP].

                 Brief Summary of Bill

$Establishes a work group to develop definitions, standards, strategies, and a financial assessment of requiring graduates of the baccalaureate institutions to be information and technology literate as part of an accountability program.

$If feasible, a pilot program will be implemented for the 2002-2003 academic year.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Majority Report: Do pass.  Signed by 8 members: Representatives Carlson, Republican Co-Chair; Kenney, Democratic Co-Chair; Lantz, Democratic Vice Chair; Radcliff, Republican Vice Chair; Dunn; Edmonds; Esser and Gombosky.

Staff:  Tracey Taylor (786-7196).

Background:  In 1986, Washington first began to focus on accountability in higher education with Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) master plan.  The 1997-99 budget established performance goals and targets for the institutions of higher education, which were tied to the baccalaureate's non-instructional funding.  The performance goals included an undergraduate graduation efficiency index, an undergraduate student retention rate, a five-year graduation rate, and faculty productivity measures.  The 1999-2001 budget required the baccalaureate institutions to continue to report progress on the performance goals, but did not have any funds tied to the performance.  The budget also authorized the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) to adopt mission-based accountability measures.

In 1999, accountability forums were co-sponsored by the HECB, the SBCTC and the Council of Presidents.  In 1999, the baccalaureate institutions began to examine performance measures that would represent the "value-added" of a higher education.  The focus was writing, critical thinking, information and technology literacy and quantitative and symbolic reasoning.

Summary of Bill:

The bill directs representatives from the public baccalaureate institutions, the SBCTC,  and the HECB to form a work group and develop a plan to make students information and technology literate.  This includes developing a definition, standards and a financial assessment of implementation.  If the Legislature determines that implementation is feasible, a pilot program will be used during the 2003-2004 academic year.  If the pilot program is successful, system-wide implementation will begin in the 2004-2005 academic year.  The bill also requires the baccalaureate institutions and the HECB to deliver progress reports to the Legislature.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  This is a small step in improving student learning and transitions the accountability discussion into measuring the value-added elements of higher education.  The time-frame for implementation seems reasonable.  The baccalaureate institutions support this approach.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Patricia Lantz, prime sponsor; Representative Luke Esser ; Terry Teale, Council of Presidents; Bruce Botka, Higher Education Coordinating Board; and T.K. Norman, student, Western Washington University.