Read first time 01/27/2003.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to improving articulation and transfer between institutions of higher education; amending RCW 28B.80.280 and 28B.80.290; adding new sections to chapter 28B.80 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28B.50 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that:
     (a) Since 1984, institutions of higher education and the higher education coordinating agencies in Washington have maintained a policy and agreement on statewide transfer of credit;
     (b) Each year, thousands of students successfully transfer between community and technical colleges and four-year institutions of higher education by earning an associate degree under the statewide direct transfer agreement;
     (c) However, nearly one-third of transfer students transfer before completing an associate degree, which leaves the applicability of their courses to general education requirements subject to the unique policies of each four-year institution of higher education;
     (d) The general direct transfer agreement associate degree may not adequately prepare students for entrance into majors with extensive lower-division prerequisites; and
     (e) As institutions try to accommodate an increasing number of students, there will be increased demand for efficiency in transfer so that students avoid taking unnecessary courses or being required to enroll in courses they have already taken at another institution.
     (2) Therefore, the legislature intends to make improvements to the statewide transfer of credit policy and agreement through the following initiatives:
     (a) Improved ease of transfer of general education courses between institutions; and
     (b) Development of transfer degrees for specific academic majors.

Sec. 2   RCW 28B.80.280 and 1998 c 245 s 23 are each amended to read as follows:
     The board shall, in cooperation with the state institutions of higher education and the state board for community and technical colleges, establish and maintain a statewide transfer of credit policy and agreement. The policy and agreement shall, where feasible, include course and program descriptions consistent with statewide interinstitutional guidelines. The institutions of higher education shall provide support and staff resources as necessary to assist in developing and maintaining this policy and agreement. The statewide transfer of credit policy and agreement shall be effective beginning with the 1985-86 academic year. Changes to the policy as a result of section 4 of this act shall be effective beginning with the 2004-05 academic year.

Sec. 3   RCW 28B.80.290 and 1983 c 304 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The statewide transfer of credit policy and agreement shall be designed to facilitate the transfer of students and the evaluation of transcripts, to better serve persons seeking information about courses and programs, to aid in academic planning, and to improve the review and evaluation of academic programs in the state institutions of higher education. The statewide transfer of credit policy and agreement shall not require nor encourage the standardization of course content and shall not prescribe course content or the credit value assigned by any institution to the course.
     (2) The statewide transfer of credit policy and agreement shall create flexible opportunities to satisfy lower division general education requirements at public four-year institutions of higher education for students who elect to transfer without completing an associate degree, as provided in section 4 of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   A new section is added to chapter 28B.80 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The higher education coordinating board, the state board for community and technical colleges, and the council of presidents, in partnership, shall convene a work group to recommend changes to the statewide transfer of credit policy and agreement as provided in this section. The work group shall include representatives from each of the public four-year institutions of higher education and a broad sample of community and technical colleges.
     (2) The work group shall identify a general education transfer curriculum, completion of which will satisfy the lower division general education requirements at all public four-year institutions of higher education in the state.
     (3) A student who successfully completes the general education transfer curriculum shall be deemed to have met the lower division general education requirements at any public four-year institution of higher education, regardless of whether the student completes an associate degree before transfer. Students may complete courses within the general education transfer curriculum at one or more community or technical colleges or one or more four-year institutions of higher education.
     (4) Completion of the general education transfer curriculum does not guarantee a student admission into an institution of higher education or admission into a major, minor, or professional program at an institution of higher education.
     (5) The work group shall not specify individual courses within the transfer curriculum but shall describe as clearly and succinctly as possible the characteristics of the courses and the core competencies to be addressed by the general education curriculum. The intercollege relations commission shall collect and maintain the lists of courses offered by each community and technical college and public four-year institution of higher education that fall within the general education transfer curriculum.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   A new section is added to chapter 28B.80 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The higher education coordinating board, the state board for community and technical colleges, and the council of presidents, in partnership, shall convene a work group to develop transfer associate degrees that will satisfy lower division requirements at public four-year institutions of higher education for specific academic majors.
     (2) A transfer associate degree developed under this section shall meet all lower division course requirements at any public four-year institution of higher education for the academic major for which the degree was developed. Such a transfer associate degree shall also enable a student to complete the lower-division general education requirements that a nontransferring student would typically complete in the freshman and sophomore years for that academic major.
     (3) Completion of a transfer associate degree developed under this section does not guarantee a student admission into an institution of higher education or admission into a major, minor, or professional program at an institution of higher education that has competitive admission standards for the program based on grade point average or other performance criteria.
     (4) During the 2003-04 academic year, the work group shall develop transfer degrees for business administration, elementary education, and secondary education with math or science endorsements. Each year thereafter, the work group shall identify and develop additional transfer degrees. The work group shall give priority to majors in high demand by transfer students and majors where the general direct transfer agreement associate degree does not adequately prepare students to enter the major automatically upon transfer.
     (5) The intercollege relations commission shall collect and maintain lists of courses offered by each community and technical college and public four-year institution of higher education that fall within each transfer associate degree.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6   A new section is added to chapter 28B.80 RCW to read as follows:
     Beginning December 1, 2003, the board, the state board for community and technical colleges, and the council of presidents shall submit a progress report on the initiatives directed by sections 4 and 5 of this act to the higher education committees of the house of representatives and the senate. The first progress report shall include measurable benchmark indicators to monitor the effectiveness of the initiatives in improving transfer and baseline data for those indicators before the implementation of the initiatives. Subsequent reports shall be submitted by December 1st of each odd-numbered year and shall monitor progress on the indicators, describe development of additional transfer associate degrees, and provide other data on improvements in transfer efficiency.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7   A new section is added to chapter 28B.50 RCW to read as follows:
     Prior to registration, each community or technical college shall notify students regarding which of the institution's courses fall within the general education transfer curriculum under section 4 of this act or within one or more transfer associate degrees under section 5 of this act.