HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1526

As Reported by House Committee On:

Education

Title: An act relating to increasing enrollment of underrepresented students in running start through a middle school, high school, and running start college partnership pilot project.

Brief Description: Creating a pilot project to increase enrollment of underrepresented students in the running start program.

Sponsors: Representatives Orwall, Reykdal, Santos, Goodman, Upthegrove, Maxwell, Seaquist, Freeman, Bergquist, Lytton, Ryu, Kagi, Tarleton, Jinkins, Fey and Pollet.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Education: 2/12/13, 2/22/13 [DPS].

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 17 members: Representatives Santos, Chair; Stonier, Vice Chair; Dahlquist, Ranking Minority Member; Magendanz, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Bergquist, Fagan, Haigh, Hayes, Hunt, Lytton, Maxwell, McCoy, Orwall, Parker, Pollet, Seaquist and Warnick.

Minority Report: Do not pass. Signed by 4 members: Representatives Hargrove, Hawkins, Klippert and Pike.

Staff: Luke Wickham (786-7146).

Background:

The Running Start Program (Running Start) allows juniors and seniors in high school to enroll in college courses offered at a community or technical college or a participating public baccalaureate, and receive both high school and college credit. Students must demonstrate that they are ready for college-level work, usually through a placement test administered by the participating institution. Institutions may use different tests or have different readiness standards.

The Running Start students do not pay tuition. Instead, the student is reported as enrolled in the school district for purposes of state funding allocations, and the district pays the institution an amount equal to the statewide average basic education allocation, minus 7 percent, which is retained by the district. The allocation amount for the 2012-13 school year is $4,961.76 per full time equivalent student for regular courses, and $5,856.48 for vocational courses.

Students must purchase textbooks, provide for their own travel, and pay any fees associated with the course. Since 2009 students have also been required to pay other mandatory fees. Institutions must waive the mandatory fees for low-income students.

In the 2011-12 academic year, 18,604 students participated in Running Start, primarily through a community or technical college.

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Summary of Substitute Bill:

This bill creates one partnership pilot project involving middle schools, high schools, and higher education institutions that participate in Running Start. The pilot project would last for four years, beginning in the 2014-15 school year. The grant for this project may not exceed $180,000. This pilot project has the following characteristics:

1. The pilot must include at least one partnering middle school, high school, and participating institution.

2. The schools and institution must purchase curriculum emphasizing college preparation in writing, inquiry collaboration, and reading.

3. Some teachers and faculty from each of the schools and the participating institution must attend a summer institute geared toward both closing the opportunity gap and college preparation of students.

4. Each school must identify and provide part-time funding for a lead teacher, whose duties must include:

   1. conducting regular meetings with the other lead teachers to discuss the effectiveness of the pilot and identify supports for students;

   2. interacting with and providing outreach to prospective students;

   3. visiting the other partnering school or schools and participating institution to observe programming and develop ideas for improving collaboration; and

   4. attending a summer institute geared toward both closing the opportunity gap and college preparation of students.

5. Each partnering school and participating institution must incorporate the college preparatory curriculum into its instruction.

6. Each partnering school and institution must collect and report data on the demographics of its participating students.

7. The school district must provide outreach to students regarding Running Start.

8. The school district must provide incentives to students participating in the Running Start component of the pilot, which may include money to help pay for required Running Start textbooks, classroom fees, or transportation.

The curriculum and summer institute programming required for this pilot project must be provided by an organization that has at least 30 years of experience in secondary and postsecondary instructional services that have been implemented nationwide and evaluated, tested, and proven to be successful.

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) shall develop a competitive grant process for school districts and allocate one grant. Eligibility is limited to school districts that have already offered the college preparatory program as described.

Participating institutions, in consultation with partnering school districts, may establish an alternative admission process for students participating in the pilot project who apply to Running Start.

Each pilot must submit an annual progress report to the OSPI by December 1. The report must include demographic data of students involved in the pilot project and demographic data of students enrolled in Running Start. The OSPI shall compile and summarize the reports in a standard format and forward them to the Legislature each year.

A second component of the pilot requires meetings between participating Running Start institutions that have over 50 Running Start students and school districts to develop a plan for increasing enrollment of underrepresented students in Running Start. The plans must include strategies to provide outreach to underrepresented populations at middle and high schools regarding Running Start. The plans must also include details regarding coordination between high schools and participating institutions to provide academic guidance to underrepresented students. School districts without a high school or with fewer than 2,000 students do not have to participate in these meetings. Plans identified by the school district and participating institution must be provided to the OSPI by August 1, 2014. The OSPI must then provide guidelines to the appropriate committees of the Legislature regarding outreach and collaboration based on the plans provided by districts. The OSPI must collect current demographic data from each school district related to student participation in Running Start and compare that with data collected after two years of collaboration and submit that data to the Legislature by December 1, 2017.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:

The substitute bill changes the pilot to provide a four-year term with one grant recipient that must already offer a college preparatory program as described and the grant is specified not to be more than $180,000. The substitute bill also removes the evaluation component of the pilot. The substitute bill adds a second component of the pilot involving school districts and participating Running Start institutions with more than 50 students, requiring that they meet to develop a plan for increasing Running Start enrollment of underrepresented students and report their plan to the OSPI by August 1, 2014. The OSPI must then provide guidelines to the Legislature for improving outreach to underrepresented students based on those plans by December 1, 2014. The substitute bill directs that the OSPI collect current demographic data from each school district related to Running Start participation and compare that to data collected two years after the collaboration described and submit that to the Legislature by December 1, 2016.

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Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Preliminary fiscal note available. New fiscal note requested on February 23, 2013.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) Students of color are underrepresented in Running Start. This bill has an outreach component. For students of color, it is difficult to join Running Start because there are not other students that look like them. The students in the middle need outreach to increase their enrollment in Running Start. Many low-income students and students of color do not get the opportunities they need to succeed. High school students of color often feel like Running Start is not right for them. The lack of communication between Running Start institutions and high schools creates a barrier for many low-income students to enroll in Running Start. High schools often do not understand Running Start requirements and higher education institutions often do not understand graduation requirements. Many students cannot pay the extra fees for books and transportation required for participation in Running Start. This bill helps students who cannot pay for these fees or other costs. This bill addresses the graduation gap between students of color and others. This bill is an effective way to address the enrollment of underrepresented populations in Running Start.

(With concerns) There is not a support network for a lot of students in Running Start. High school counselors do not always have the time or means to help students. Students should be given the assistance they need at the high school campus instead of moving them to a different campus. Students should remain on campus and can receive other dual credit courses.

(Opposed) None.

Persons Testifying: (In support) Representative Orwall, prime sponsor; Rashad Norris, Highline Community College; Shaline John and Elaha Bashizada, Green River Community College; Erin Jones, Federal Way Public Schools; and Mike Hubert, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

(With concerns) Patty Wood, Kelso School Board.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: Barbara Dittrich, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.