READ FIRST TIME 03/01/13.   

     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; adding a new section to chapter 28A.630 RCW; creating a new section; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that low-income students and students of color often do not have access to dual-credit programs that allow students to earn both high school and college credits. Low-income students and students of color are underrepresented in running start. Running start provides a cost-effective way for high school students to obtain college credits. It also accelerates their progress through the education system. Because low-income students and students of color are underrepresented in running start, they are unable to take advantage of its benefits. Therefore, a pilot project is necessary to improve enrollment among those populations and to ensure that running start is accessible to all students.
     The purpose of this pilot project is to provide coordination between middle schools, high schools, and running start college programs to help address the existing opportunity gap.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.630 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The increasing enrollment of underrepresented students in the running start pilot project shall be facilitated by the office of the superintendent of public instruction and involve close collaboration and coordination between the participating institutions of higher education as defined in RCW 28A.600.300 that have over fifty students participating in the running start program and school districts with students participating in that program. School districts of the second class and nonhigh districts are not required to participate. School districts must meet with participating institutions of higher education located within their district and identify a plan for increasing enrollment of underrepresented students in the running start program. These meetings may include more than one school district or participating institution of higher education. A plan identified by each school district and partnering running start institution must be provided to the office of the superintendent of public instruction by August 1, 2014. The plan must include a focus on:
     (a) Identifying and implementing strategies to provide outreach regarding the running start program to underrepresented populations at middle schools and high schools to ensure that students and families have information on the program. These strategies should include outreach efforts conducted by students from underrepresented populations, representatives from participating institutions of higher education visiting local high schools, and school districts providing explicit information sessions regarding running start;
     (b) Ensuring better coordination between middle schools, high schools, and participating institutions of higher education to provide academic guidance to students who have been underrepresented in the running start program so that these students are better able to participate in that program.
     (2) By December 1, 2014, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must provide to appropriate committees of the legislature guidelines for improving outreach to students who have been underrepresented in the running start program and collaboration among middle schools, high schools, and participating institutions of higher education based on the plans that were reported by school districts and participating institutions of higher education.
     (3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall collect current demographic data from each school district related to student participation in running start. This data shall be compared with data collected after two years of collaboration as described in subsection (1) of this section, and submitted to appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2016.
     (4) This section expires August 1, 2017.