BILL REQ. #:  Z-0679.1 

Read first time 01/20/14.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to establishing career and technical course equivalencies in science and mathematics; amending RCW 28A.700.070, 28A.230.097, and 28A.230.010; creating a new section; and providing an effective date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that an increasing number of career opportunities in high-demand fields will require solid knowledge and skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including opportunities at all levels of postsecondary education from apprenticeship to industry certification to postbaccalaureate degrees.
     (2) The legislature further finds that career and technical courses can be designed to offer rigorous academic content through applied learning that is relevant and engaging for students. However, although there is a requirement that school districts adopt policies regarding granting academic credit for equivalent career and technical courses, in practice these policies are not applied in a consistent fashion across the state.
     (3) Therefore, in order to offer high school students increased flexibility and expanded opportunities to gain critical knowledge and skills and meet high school graduation requirements in mathematics and science, the legislature intends to require establishment of a standardized set of career and technical course equivalents through a process that assures the courses are both rigorous and relevant for students. Further, the legislature intends to offer high school students the opportunity to access career and technical education course equivalencies for mathematics and science.

Sec. 2   RCW 28A.700.070 and 2008 c 170 s 201 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall support school district efforts under RCW 28A.230.097 to adopt course equivalencies for career and technical courses by:
     (a) Recommending career and technical curriculum suitable for course equivalencies;
     (b) Publicizing best practices for high schools and school districts in developing and adopting course equivalencies; and
     (c) In consultation with the Washington association for career and technical education, providing professional development, technical assistance, and guidance for school districts seeking to expand their lists of equivalent courses.
     (2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide professional development, technical assistance, and guidance for school districts to develop career and technical course equivalencies that also qualify as advanced placement courses.
     (3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with one or more technical working groups convened for this purpose, shall develop curriculum frameworks for a selected list of career and technical courses that may be offered by high schools or skill centers whose content in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is considered equivalent in full or in part to science or mathematics courses that meet high school graduation requirements. The content of the courses must be aligned with state essential academic learning requirements and industry standards. The office shall submit the list of equivalent career and technical courses and their curriculum frameworks to the state board of education for review, an opportunity for public comment, and approval. The first list of courses under this subsection must be developed and approved before the 2015-16 school year. Thereafter, the office may periodically update or revise the list of courses using the process in this subsection.
     (4) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall allocate grant funds to school districts to increase the integration and rigor of academic instruction in career and technical courses. Grant recipients are encouraged to use grant funds to support teams of academic and technical teachers using a research-based professional development model supported by the national research center for career and technical education. The office of the superintendent of public instruction may require that grant recipients provide matching resources using federal Carl Perkins funds or other fund sources.

Sec. 3   RCW 28A.230.097 and 2013 c 241 s 2 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. Boards of directors must approve AP computer science courses as equivalent to high school mathematics or science, and must denote on a student's transcript that AP computer science qualifies as a math-based quantitative course for students who take the course in their senior year. In order for a board to approve AP computer science as equivalent to high school mathematics, the student must be concurrently enrolled in or have successfully completed algebra II. Beginning no later than the 2015-16 school year, a school district board of directors must, at a minimum, grant academic course equivalency in mathematics or science for a high school career and technical course from the list of courses approved by the state board of education under RCW 28A.700.070, but is not limited to the courses on the list. If the list of courses is revised after the 2015-16 school year, the school district board of directors must grant academic course equivalency based on the revised list beginning with the school year immediately following the revision.
     (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.

Sec. 4   RCW 28A.230.010 and 2003 c 49 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) School district boards of directors shall identify and offer courses with content that meet or exceed: (((1))) (a) The basic education skills identified in RCW 28A.150.210; (((2))) (b) the graduation requirements under RCW 28A.230.090; (((3))) (c) the courses required to meet the minimum college entrance requirements under RCW 28A.230.130; and (((4))) (d) the course options for career development under RCW 28A.230.130. Such courses may be applied or theoretical, academic, or vocational.
     (2) School district boards of directors shall ensure high school students are provided the opportunity to access career and technical education course equivalencies for mathematics and science adopted by the school board under RCW 28A.230.097. Students may access such courses at high schools, interdistrict cooperatives, skill centers or branch or satellite skill centers, or applicable running start vocational courses.
     (3) School district boards of directors of school districts with fewer than two thousand students may apply to the state board of education for a waiver from the provisions of subsection (2) of this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   Section 4 of this act takes effect September 1, 2015.