BILL REQ. #:  H-0470.2 

Read first time 01/24/2007.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to aligning standards for high school graduation, college readiness, and college admission; amending 2006 c 263 s 405 (uncodified); and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that too many students graduate from high school unprepared for college or entrance into the workforce. There is no clear relation between the coursework required for a high school diploma and the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in college, whether the college program is academic or technical in nature. There is also no common standard among the state's two and four-year institutions of higher education as to what constitutes readiness for college-level work as opposed to placement in remedial courses. Therefore the legislature intends to direct the responsible state agencies to work together to define and align standards for high school graduation, college readiness, and college admission.

Sec. 2   2006 c 263 s 405 (uncodified) is amended to read as follows:
     (1) The state board of education shall develop and propose a revised definition of the ((purpose and)) expectations for high school diplomas issued by public schools in Washington state. The revised definition shall ((address whether attainment of a high school diploma is intended to)) signify that a student is ready for success in college((,)) as well as ready for successful and gainful employment in the workplace((, or some combination of these and other objectives)). In addition to identifying necessary courses and course content, the revised definition shall ((focus on)) address the knowledge, skills, and abilities that students are expected to ((demonstrate)) achieve to receive a high school diploma, as well as the various methods to be used to measure student performance((, rather than focusing on courses, credits, seat time, and test scores)). The board shall recommend college preparatory and career and technical pathways of equal rigor for students to obtain a diploma. The board shall also recommend enhancements to the college preparatory and career and technical pathways for highly capable students.
     (2) ((In developing the revised definition of the high school diploma,)) The state board of education shall examine options for creating endorsements on the standard diploma or creating honors diplomas for students who successfully complete an advanced college preparatory pathway or an advanced career and technical education pathway.
     (3) The state board of education shall consult with educators, parents, institutions of higher education, employers, and community leaders. The board shall also work with the state board for community and technical colleges, the higher education coordinating board, and the workforce training and education coordinating board.
     (((3))) (4) The state board of education shall submit the proposed revised definition of the high school diploma, recommended pathways for students to obtain the diploma, and recommendations regarding endorsements or honors diplomas, along with any necessary revisions to state statutes and rules, to the education committees of the legislature by December 1, 2007.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   The higher education coordinating board and the state board for community and technical colleges, in consultation with the public four-year institutions of higher education, shall develop common college placement tests, one each in the areas of mathematics and English. The boards shall also set common cutoff scores for determining student qualifications for college-level coursework in mathematics and English. All public two and four-year institutions of higher education shall use the common college placement tests and the common cutoff scores when determining student qualifications for college-level coursework in mathematics and English. The tests and scores shall be developed and implemented by the beginning of the 2008-09 academic year.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   The higher education coordinating board, in consultation with the state board of education, the state board for community and technical colleges, and the public four-year institutions of higher education, shall examine and revise minimum admissions standards for four-year institutions of higher education so that the standards are aligned with state minimum high school graduation requirements and aligned with the standards and expectations for college readiness, particularly in core academic subjects such as math, science, and English. Revised minimum admissions standards shall be implemented no later than September 1, 2008.