HOUSE BILL REPORT
HB 1642
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
As Reported by House Committee On:
Education
Title: An act relating to establishing policies to support academic acceleration for high school students.
Brief Description: Establishing policies to support academic acceleration for high school students.
Sponsors: Representatives Pettigrew, Springer, Habib, Holy, Ryu and Magendanz.
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
Education: 2/15/13, 2/21/13 [DPS].
Brief Summary of Substitute Bill |
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION |
Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 21 members: Representatives Santos, Chair; Stonier, Vice Chair; Dahlquist, Ranking Minority Member; Magendanz, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Bergquist, Fagan, Haigh, Hargrove, Hawkins, Hayes, Hunt, Klippert, Lytton, Maxwell, McCoy, Orwall, Parker, Pike, Pollet, Seaquist and Warnick.
Staff: Barbara McLain (786-7383).
Background:
There are a number of different programs that provide high school students the opportunity to earn both high school and college credit. For example:
Advanced Placement (AP) courses are recognized by the College Board as having a college-level curricula. Most colleges and universities award students college credit for achieving a certain score on the AP course exam.
International Baccalaureate (IB) is a series of academically rigorous courses, activities, and examinations. Students may take individual courses, or attempt to complete an IB diploma based on the full program. Like the AP, colleges and universities award credit based on exam scores.
The Cambridge Program is similar to the IB in offering an internationally recognized rigorous set of courses and examinations.
College in the High School is a program in which a high school and a college or university enter a contract to have a course that is taught by a high school teacher generate college credit. Whether the student or the high school pays the tuition for the course depends on the contract.
Tech Prep offers students the opportunity to apply to a community or technical college to have high school career and technical education (CTE) courses recognized for college credit.
Running Start is a program where high school students may enroll in a participating public institution of higher education in Washington and earn both high school and college credit. For the most part, students attend class on the college campus. State funding is transferred from the high school to the college in lieu of tuition.
The following data is from the 2011-12 Dual Credit Program report from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI):
Program | # Schools | # Students |
Advanced Placement | 304 | 47,565 |
International Baccalaureate | 15 | 5,696 |
Cambridge Program | 2 | 1,138 |
College in the High School | 112 | 12,742 |
Tech Prep (Dual Credit Earned) | 379 | 28,946 |
Running Start | 440 | 17,505 |
The OSPI posts information about dual credit program enrollment by school district and high school on the School Report Card website. The information does not indicate pass-rates on program examinations.
The statewide assessment system measures whether a student meets the state learning standard in a particular subject area. High school students take state assessments in reading, writing, mathematics, and science. The state standard for mathematics is measured using an end-of-course test in Algebra I and Geometry. The standard for science is measured using an end-of-course test in Biology. The reading and writing assessments are administered in 10th grade.
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Summary of Substitute Bill:
Academic Acceleration Policy.
Each school district is encouraged to adopt an Academic Acceleration Policy (Policy) where students who meet the state standard on the high school state assessment are automatically enrolled in the next most rigorous advanced course offered by the high school. Students who are successful in that course are then automatically enrolled in the next most rigorous course, with the objective that these students will eventually be automatically enrolled in dual credit courses.
The subject of the course depends on the subject of the state assessment. Students must pass end-of-course tests in both Algebra I and Geometry to meet the standard in mathematics. Students who meet the standard in reading and writing qualify for advanced English, Social Studies, Humanities, and other related courses.
Under the Policy, school districts must notify students and parents about the Policy, and must provide parents an opportunity to opt out and enroll the student in alternative courses.
Academic Acceleration Incentive Program.
Subject to funding, the Academic Acceleration Incentive Program is created. Half of the appropriated funds are allocated on a competitive basis as one-time grants for high schools to expand the availability of dual credit courses. To be eligible, a school district must have adopted a Policy. The OSPI must give priority to high schools with a high proportion of low-income students and high schools seeking to develop new capacity for dual credit courses.
The other half of the appropriated funds are allocated as an incentive award to school districts for each student who earned dual credit in specified courses offered by a high school in the previous year. The amount of the award for low-income students is 125 percent of the base amount. Each student counts once, even if they earned more than one credit. The award must go to the high school that generated it. The Legislature intends that funds be used to support teacher training, curriculum, exam fees, and other costs of dual credit courses.
The award is based on the number of students who:
earned a score of three or higher on an AP exam;
earned a score of four or higher on an IB exam;
successfully complete a Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education exam;
earned college credit through a College in the High School course; or
earned college credit through a Tech Prep course.
Online dual credit courses count as being offered by the high school if the high school offers them at no charge to the student. Enrollment in Running Start does not count toward an award.
The OSPI must include information on dual credit exam pass-rates and college credits awarded in the School Report Card.
Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:
School districts are authorized rather than required to adopt a Policy. The Academic Acceleration Incentive Program is divided into two parts. Half of the appropriated funds are allocated on a competitive basis as one-time grants for high schools to expand the availability of dual credit courses. The other half are allocated as an incentive award as provided in the original bill.
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Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Preliminary fiscal note available. New fiscal note requested on February 22, 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) The idea for this bill stems from work being done in Federal Way. They have seen tremendous success by simply allowing admission to the AP courses if students pass the state assessment. This elevates the visibility of dual credit and sets high expectations for students and staff throughout the district. There has been significant expansion in the enrollment of diverse students in advanced courses. There will be concerns about requiring a policy, but it is important to have this concept move forward.
This Policy has opened opportunities for children of color in the Federal Way School District in ways that nothing else has. The sad thing is that some believe not all children can learn and that not all have the capacity to be challenged. Instead, the experience has been that children are eager, excited, and excelling in advanced courses. The proper parallel would be 40 years ago when people believed that women could not keep up in science and math and were destined only to be teachers and nurses.
Acceleration interrupts hopelessness for underrepresented students. Many of these students avoid enrolling in challenging classes because they are told they can not succeed or their peers are not enrolling. More students pursue a decision to go to college, which is something they would not have thought of before. These are capable and intelligent students who might not otherwise have selected the AP classes.
Students say the AP classes have a bad rap and that they are too hard. But the principal required students to stay enrolled, and it turned out not to be as bad as everybody said. There were resources and the teacher helped and stayed after class. Some students did not even know they were opted-in to an AP class. It was a shock. They were told it would require a lot of work and be hard. Other classes were easy; being in an advanced class provided more skills. Without the automatic enrollment, this would not have been the students' choice, but now they see the benefit.
There is gatekeeping by schools. Parents have to demand that their children be enrolled. There is discrimination by teachers and counselors based on a child's skin color. When the Policy was being adopted, the school board had to listen to testimony from teachers that having "those" students in class would dumb down the curriculum. Parents in the community said having "those" students in class would make more competition for their children to gain access to college. Parents of color are here to be heard and look forward to support for this bill.
In order for every student to be globally competitive, there is an obligation to ensure opportunity. Students of poverty have traditionally been locked out of advanced courses. This is a civil rights issue. Use of the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) test should be considered as an alternative trigger. Advanced courses should be able to supplant other graduation requirements.
(With concerns) There are not any school directors who would not be excited about eliminating disparities in opportunity for students. The only concern is that different schools want to approach the solution in different ways. The challenge is not that students are not capable, but that our systems are not capable of providing each and every option for students. There must be latitude for districts to meet student needs in the way that works for them.
(Opposed) None.
Persons Testifying: (In support) Representative Pettigrew, prime sponsor; Tony Moore, Randy Kazor, KJ Harris-Hogan, Erin Jones, Jamie Sproul, Sofia Cedeño, and Angela Griffin, Federal Way Public Schools; Abigail Mendez; and Josh Garcia, Tacoma Public Schools.
(With concerns) Mari Taylor, Washington State School Directors' Association.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.