ENGROSSED SENATE BILL 5234
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State of Washington | 65th Legislature | 2017 Regular Session |
By Senators Mullet, Palumbo, Rivers, Liias, Wilson, and Kuderer
Read first time 01/18/17. Referred to Committee on Higher Education.
AN ACT Relating to a systemwide credit policy regarding AP exams; adding a new section to chapter
28B.77 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that advanced placement coursework prepares students for postsecondary success and provides opportunities for them to earn college credit or secure placement in advanced courses. The legislature further finds that eighty-four thousand eight hundred sixty-six students took an AP exam in Washington state in 2015. The legislature further finds that six thousand six hundred sixty-seven of those students were underrepresented minority students and nine thousand four hundred seventy-one were low-income students. The legislature further finds that of the students that took an AP exam in Washington state in 2015, fifty-one thousand seven hundred twenty-five scored a 3, 4, or 5.
Therefore, the legislature intends to establish a policy for granting as many undergraduate course credits as possible to students who have earned a minimum score of 3 on their AP exams and clearly communicate credit awarding policies and course equivalencies to students. The goal of the policy is to award course credit in all appropriate instances and maximize the number of college students given college credit for AP exam scores of 3 or higher.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28B.77 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The institutions of higher education must establish a coordinated, evidence-based policy for granting as many undergraduate college credits to students who have earned minimum scores of 3 on AP exams as possible and appropriate.
(2) Credit policy regarding all AP exams must be posted on campus web sites effective for the 2017 fall academic term. The institutions of higher education must conduct biennial reviews of their AP credit policy and report noncompliance to appropriate committees of the legislature by November 1st each year beginning November 1, 2019.
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