NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. "(1) The legislature finds that there have been significant legislative efforts dedicated to providing opportunities for the academic acceleration of students. An example of these efforts is the enactment of legislation encouraging school districts to adopt policies that automatically enroll students in the most rigorous advanced courses available, with the objective being that students will eventually enroll in dual credit courses.

(2) However, the legislature recognizes that, contrary to acceleration preferences, students may have disincentives for taking more rigorous coursework, including honors courses, AP courses, international baccalaureate courses, and dual credit courses, for fear of diminishing their ability to enroll in the postsecondary school of their choice. The legislature finds that one aspect of this disincentive may be that districts are not authorized to use a weighted grade point average system that appropriately recognizes student achievement in accelerated courses, or a standardized high school transcript that would reflect this system.

(3) The legislature therefore intends to convene a task force to examine the policy considerations of authorizing school districts to use a weighted grade point average system and a modified high school transcript that would accompany the weighted system.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1)(a) A legislative task force on weighted grade point average systems is established, with members as provided in this subsection.

(i) The president of the senate shall appoint one member from each of the two largest caucuses of the senate. Members appointed under this subsection (1)(a)(i) must be from different political parties.

(ii) The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint one member from each of the two largest caucuses of the house of representatives.

(iii) The president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives shall jointly appoint one nonvoting member from each of the following organizations:

(A) The state board of education;

(B) The Washington state school directors' association;

(D) The workforce training and education coordinating board;

(E) The Washington student achievement council;

(F) The Washington association of school administrators;

(G) The association of Washington school principals;

(H) The Washington state council of presidents; and

(I) The independent colleges of Washington.

(iv) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall cooperate with the task force and maintain a liaison representative, who shall be a nonvoting member.

(b) The task force shall choose its cochairs from among its legislative membership. The appointee from the largest caucus of the house of representatives shall, on or before July 15, 2016, convene the initial meeting of the task force.

(2) The task force shall review the following issues:

(a) The implementation of weighted grade point average systems in other states;

(b) How weighted grade point average systems have affected college admissions practices and considerations in other states, and how such systems might affect college admissions practices and considerations in Washington, both for in-state and out-of-state applicants;

(d) Technical considerations associated with the implementation of a weighted grade point average system in Washington, including:

(i) Requirements that may need to be adopted by rule;

(ii) The development of appropriate technical guidance for school districts;

(iii) The appropriate level of standardization for a weighted grade point average system;

(iv) A determination of what criteria to apply, and what level of local discretion to permit, when determining whether a course qualifies as an accelerated course under a weighted grade point average system;

(e) How dual credit programs should be addressed in a weighted grade point average system;

(f) If recommended, whether the implementation of a weighted grade point average system in Washington should be optional or mandatory;

(g) The development of a timeline for the implementation of a weighted grade point average system in Washington, including the development of a multiphase pilot program in school districts located east and west of the crest of the Cascade mountains; and

(h) Other related issues the task force deems appropriate.

(3) Staff support for the task force must be provided by senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research.

(4) Legislative members of the task force are reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members are not entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses if they are elected officials or are participating on behalf of an employer, governmental entity, or other organization. Any reimbursement for other nonlegislative members is subject to chapter 43.03 RCW.

(5) The expenses of the task force must be paid jointly by the senate and the house of representatives. Task force expenditures are subject to approval by the senate facilities and operations committee and the house of representatives executive rules committee, or their successor committees.

(6) The task force shall report its findings and recommendations to the governor, the superintendent of public instruction, and, in accordance with RCW 43.01.036, the appropriate education committees of the house of representatives and the senate. Preliminary recommendations of the task force must be provided to recipients in accordance with this subsection by September 1, 2016, with final recommendations, which may include minority recommendations, submitted by December 1, 2016.

(7) This section expires August 1, 2017."