BILL REQ. #:  H-3908.1 

Prefiled 01/07/10. Read first time 01/11/10.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to secondary career and technical courses; amending RCW 28B.50.531 and 28A.230.097; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   In 2008, the legislature enacted comprehensive legislation in support of rigorous, high-quality secondary career and technical education. It is the legislature's intent to continue this support and address lingering issues regarding recognition of career and technical courses by community and technical colleges and equitable standards for determining academic and career and technical course equivalencies.

Sec. 2   RCW 28B.50.531 and 2008 c 170 s 108 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) It is the legislature's intent to recognize and support the work of community and technical colleges, high schools, and skill centers in creating articulation and dual credit agreements for career and technical education students, in part by codifying current practice.
     (2) Community and technical colleges shall create agreements with high schools and skill centers to offer dual high school and college credit for secondary career and technical courses. Agreements shall be subject to approval by the chief instructional officer of the college and the principal and the career and technical education director of the high school or the executive director of the skill center.
     (3) Community and technical colleges may create dual credit agreements with high schools and skill centers that are located outside the college district boundary or service area.
     (4)(a) If a community or technical college has created an agreement with a high school or skill center to offer college credit for a secondary career and technical course, all community and technical colleges shall accept the course for an equal amount of college credit.
     (b) A college may not charge a student more than a standard transcription fee to accept a course under (a) of this subsection for college credit. If a high school or skill center believes that a community or technical college is not following the requirements of this subsection (4), the affected high school or skill center may request assistance from the college board. The college board, after consideration of the facts presented by the high school or skill center and the college, may direct the college to follow the requirements of this subsection (4).

Sec. 3   RCW 28A.230.097 and 2008 c 170 s 202 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Each high school or school district board of directors shall adopt course equivalencies for career and technical high school courses offered to students in high schools and skill centers. A career and technical course equivalency may be for whole or partial credit. Each school district board of directors shall develop a course equivalency approval procedure, both for those career and technical courses determined to be equivalent to academic courses and for those academic courses determined to be equivalent to career and technical courses, including for purposes of meeting graduation requirements.
     (2) Career and technical courses determined to be equivalent to academic core courses, in full or in part, by the high school or school district shall be accepted as meeting core requirements, including graduation requirements, if the courses are recorded on the student's transcript using the equivalent academic high school department designation and title. Full or partial credit shall be recorded as appropriate. The high school or school district shall also issue and keep record of course completion certificates that demonstrate that the career and technical courses were successfully completed as needed for industry certification, college credit, or preapprenticeship, as applicable. The certificate shall be either part of the student's high school and beyond plan or the student's culminating project, as determined by the student. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop and make available electronic samples of certificates of course completion.