BILL REQ. #:  H-0759.1 

Read first time 01/27/09.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to higher education accountability; amending RCW 43.41.400; and creating a new section.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 43.41.400 and 2007 c 401 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) An education data center shall be established in the office of financial management. The education data center shall jointly, with the legislative ((education [evaluation])) evaluation and accountability program committee, conduct collaborative analyses of early learning, K-12, and higher education programs and education issues across the P-20 system, which includes the department of early learning, the superintendent of public instruction, the professional educator standards board, the state board of education, the state board for community and technical colleges, the workforce training and education coordinating board, the higher education coordinating board, public and private nonprofit four-year institutions of higher education, and the employment security department. The education data center shall conduct collaborative analyses under this section with the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee and provide data electronically to the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee, to the extent permitted by state and federal confidentiality requirements. The education data center shall be considered an authorized representative of the state educational agencies in this section under applicable federal and state statutes for purposes of accessing and compiling student record data for research purposes.
     (2) The education data center shall:
     (a) Coordinate with other state education agencies to compile and analyze education data, including data on student demographics that is disaggregated by distinct ethnic categories within racial subgroups, and complete P-20 research projects;
     (b) Collaborate with the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee and the education and fiscal committees of the legislature in identifying the data to be compiled and analyzed to ensure that legislative interests are served;
     (c) Track enrollment and outcomes through the public centralized higher education enrollment system;
     (d) Assist other state educational agencies' collaborative efforts to develop a long-range enrollment plan for higher education including estimates to meet demographic and workforce needs; ((and))
     (e) Provide research that focuses on student transitions within and among the early learning, K-12, and higher education sectors in the P-20 system;
     (f) Beginning December 1, 2010, and annually thereafter, report to the higher education committees of the legislature on the percentage of graduates, from public baccalaureate institutions of higher education, who are employed in Washington. The report shall include:
     (i) Employment rates at three quarters after graduation and at fifteen quarters after graduation;
     (ii) Employment rates by industry by major line of study;
     (iii) Employment rates disaggregated by student characteristic including race and ethnicity, gender, and receipt of student financial assistance;
     (g) Beginning on December 1, 2010, and every even-numbered year thereafter, report to the higher education committees of the legislature regarding student progress to degree. The public institutions of higher education shall submit any additional data to the education data center, under appropriate data sharing agreements, that may be necessary to conduct the analysis. The report shall include, but not be limited to:
     (i) Longitudinal data analysis of resident undergraduate students' major selection and course-taking behavior and the impact of those factors on total credits earned upon graduation;
     (ii) Analysis of progress to degree disaggregated by student characteristic including race and ethnicity, gender, and prior academic preparation. The analysis shall include students who enter baccalaureate institutions of higher education directly from high school and those who transfer from community and technical colleges.
     (3) The department of early learning, superintendent of public instruction, professional educator standards board, state board of education, state board for community and technical colleges, workforce training and education coordinating board, higher education coordinating board, public four-year institutions of higher education, and employment security department shall work with the education data center to develop data-sharing and research agreements, consistent with applicable security and confidentiality requirements, to facilitate the work of the center. Private, nonprofit institutions of higher education that provide programs of education beyond the high school level leading at least to the baccalaureate degree and are accredited by the Northwest association of schools and colleges or their peer accreditation bodies may also develop data-sharing and research agreements with the education data center, consistent with applicable security and confidentiality requirements. The education data center shall make data from collaborative analyses available to the education agencies and institutions that contribute data to the education data center to the extent allowed by federal and state security and confidentiality requirements applicable to the data of each contributing agency or institution.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) The higher education coordinating board shall convene a work group that includes representatives from the education data center, the state board for community and technical colleges, the workforce education training and coordinating board, and the employment security department. Representatives from the independent colleges of Washington and the private vocational colleges may participate. The work group shall:
     (a) Recommend a process and timeline for creating and implementing an online service through which employers could verify the completion of a higher education degree or certificate, conferred by a public institution of higher education, for individual employees or individuals seeking employment. The service may be expanded to include degrees conferred by private institutions of higher education;
     (b) Identify potential issues with disclosure of personally identifiable information and propose potential solutions; and
     (c) Identify the resources necessary to create and maintain the service, including but not limited to, contributions from employers using the service.
     (2) The higher education coordinating board shall report to the appropriate committees of the legislature by September 1, 2010.