Brief Summary of Second Substitute Bill

Recognizes the importance of dual credit programs.
Imposes dual credit program reporting requirements, including disaggregation of data.
Codifies College in the High School and requires the development of rules.
Outlines College in the High School requirements.
Requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to work with the Higher Education Coordinating Board to develop guidelines for students and parents regarding the possible impact of dual credit upon financial aid eligibility.
Allows community and technical colleges, but not four year institutions, to charge Running Start students certain fees and provides for low-income fee waivers.
Provides that Running Start students shall be counted for purposes of meeting enrollment targets but shall not be counted for purposes of higher education funding and shall not displace students.
Tasks the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to develop long-term funding proposals for Running Start and report recommendations to the Legislature.

Background:

A variety of education programs allow high school students to earn post-secondary course credit while also earning credit toward high school graduation. Students who participate in these dual credit programs have the opportunity to graduate from high school with all or a portion of college course work already completed as well as enhance their chances of entry into a chosen trade or profession. Running Start students have the opportunity to study on a college campus while acquiring credits that count toward both high school and college graduation. If the student passes the college course, he or she receives the same amount of credit as any other college student taking the course. The students do not pay tuition for Running Start classes. Rather, for a full-time Running Start student, a school district retains 7 percent of the basic education allocation and provides the remainder to the higher education institution. A Running Start student cannot be charged fees except for consumable supplies, textbooks, and other materials to be retained by the student.

College in the High School permits students to complete college level work while staying on their high school campuses. High school teachers typically form a relationship with a college or university and receive adjunct, extension, or lecturer status. They work with a professor to align a particular high school course with a college level course published in the college catalog. The college course is then taught to high school students by the high school teacher during the regular school day. Students usually pay a fee for this program that varies based on the area of study. Other funding, fees, and eligibility requirements are negotiated by participating schools through a local contract. Tech Prep is a cooperative effort between K-12 schools, community and technical colleges, and the business community to develop applied integrated, academic and technical programs. These professional technical courses are taught on high school campuses by high school instructors. The instructors work with local colleges to assure the courses are taught at the college-level and articulate to the college program. Each of the state's 22 Tech Prep consortia have developed competency-based articulation agreements between high schools and colleges that help students transition from high school into post-secondary professional technical programs. Through Tech Prep articulation agreements, colleges award credit to students who successfully complete college-equivalent courses and programs with a "B" or better while still in high school.

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate allow students to take college-level courses while staying on their high school campuses. For both of these programs, students complete courses taught by high school teachers but then must pass a standardized examination at the end of the course. Whether college credit is awarded depends upon a student's score on the exam. For Advanced Placement, students score from zero to five points. Minimum scores to qualify for college credit vary by college and by subject area. Students pay the exam fees.

Running Start for the Trades began in 2006 with the purpose of expanding apprenticeship opportunities for high-school students. High schools work closely with local apprenticeship programs to prepare students to enter apprenticeships immediately after graduation. Depending upon the program, students may earn direct entry into an apprenticeship program or enhance their chances of entry into a program.

Summary of Second Substitute Bill:

The Legislature recognizes the need for a well-prepared workforce and the value of the various dual credit programs to the state, its workforce, and the individual students and their families. It is important to increase the number of students in dual credit programs as well as the availability of the various programs.

Dual Credit Reporting Requirements.

By September 1, 2010, and annually thereafter, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), in collaboration with the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, the Apprenticeship Council, the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB), and the public baccalaureate institutions must report to the higher education committees in the Legislature regarding participation in dual credit programs. The report must include the following data, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, and receipt of free or reduced-price lunch:

student participation rates and academic performance;
the total unduplicated head count of students enrolled in at least one dual credit program; and
the percentage of students who enrolled in at least one dual credit program as a percent of all students enrolled in grades 9 through 12.

College in the High School Rules Development and Governance.

The OSPI, the SBCTC, the HECB, and the public baccalaureate institutions must jointly develop, and each adopt, rules governing College in the High School. In developing these rules, the Association of Washington School Principals must be consulted. These rules must be written to encourage the maximum use of the program and may not narrow or limit enrollment options. College in the High School programs are to be governed by a local contract between a school district and an institution of higher education. The following requirements apply:

Student eligibility is determined by the high school and the institution of higher education.
Tuition may be charged.
No student may be reported for more than one full-time equivalent.
Funds received by the institution of higher education may not be deemed tuition or operating fees; they may be retained by the institution.
Enrollment information must be maintained separately from other information, may not be included in official enrollment reports, and high school students so enrolled may not be considered in any enrollment statistics that would affect higher education budgetary determinations.
School districts must award high school credit for successful completion and these credits shall be applied toward graduation and subject area requirements.
Institutions of higher education must grant college credit for successful completion and these credits shall be applied toward general education or major requirements.
Eleventh and 12th grade students and those who have not yet received a high school diploma and are eligible to be in these grades may participate.
Participating school districts must provide information about the College in the High School program to the parents and guardians of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders.
Full-time and part-time faculty at the institutions of higher education are eligible to teach courses in the program.

Dual Credit Advising Guidelines.

The OSPI and the HECB must develop advising guidelines to assure that students and parents understand that college credits earned in high school dual credit programs may impact eligibility for financial aid.

Running Start.

The Running Start statutes are amended to reflect that such programs are not found just at the community and technical colleges but also may be offered by a public tribal college located in Washington that meets accreditation requirements and some of the four year public institutions.

Running Start students attending community and technical colleges shall pay mandatory fees as established by community and technical college, with such fees to be prorated based upon credit load. Institutions of higher education must make available fee waivers for low-income students. A Running Start student must be considered low-income, and eligible for a fee waiver, upon proof that the student is currently qualified to receive free or reduced-price lunch. The four year schools may not require a Running Start student to pay any fees.

Students enrolled in Running Start shall be counted for the purpose of meeting enrollment targets imposed by the state on the institution of higher education but shall not be counted for purposes of higher education funding. Running Start students shall not displace any students currently enrolled.

The SBCTC is charged with developing long-term funding proposals for Running Start and reporting recommendations to the Legislature by December 1, 2010.

EFFECT OF SENATE AMENDMENT(S):

Several changes are made with respect to the Running Start program:

(1) Rather than prohibiting state and regional universities and The Evergreen State College from charging Running Start students any fees, these institutions are allowed to charge technology fees.

(2) Since all institutions may charge at least some fees, all institutions of higher education, and not just community and technical colleges, must make fee waivers available.

(3) Running Start students shall be counted for the purpose of meeting enrollment targets in accordance with terms and conditions specified in the omnibus appropriations act. The explicit prohibitions on counting such enrollments for purposes of funding and not displacing currently enrolled students are deleted.

(4) Additional requirements with respect to developing long term funding proposals are imposed. The SBCTC is specifically required to collaborate with other institutions of higher education that offer Running Start and the OSPI. The report is due by September 1, 2010 rather than December 1, 2010. Funding alternatives that must be considered include student tuition, increased support from local school districts, and reallocation of existing state financial support among the community and technical college system to account for differential Running Start enrollment levels and impacts.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony (Education):

(In support) There are currently about 80,000 students in dual credit programs. A dual credit work group met over the last interim and many of the ideas for this bill came from that work group. The community and technical colleges need additional support. Currently, they receive 93 percent of the basic education allocation (BEA). If the dollar amount of the BEA increases, the community and technical colleges will receive more dollars. It is important that students not be displaced. Principals should be included in the group which will be writing the rules for College in the High School. Traditional students do not understand why Running Start students do not have to pay parking and lab fees. Even if Running Start students are charged these fees, they will still receive great savings by virtue of the fact that they do not pay tuition. Coordinating dual credit programs has something in it for all high schools, large or small. The issue of counting Running Start students is very important. Green River Community College has over 1,000 Running Start students. It is appropriate to charge fees to Running Start students. Running Start is an important and efficient program and there is a tremendous demand but it does have long-term funding implications that need to be addressed. The community and technical colleges do not want to take more money from the K-12 system but there does need to be more funding provided for Running Start. By counting Running Start students toward enrollment targets it will be seen where there is over-enrollment. Counting will not result in more money to the colleges.

(Opposed) None.