BILL REQ. #:  H-1617.1 

Read first time 02/06/2007.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to higher education accountability; amending RCW 28B.76.310 and 28B.76.270; adding a new section to chapter 43.41 RCW; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that the public has the following interests in higher education:
     (a) Enhancing the supply of professional and technical skills in fields of public importance that would not be adequate without public subsidy;
     (b) Offering opportunities for citizens to achieve the skills and knowledge necessary for self-sufficiency; and
     (c) Providing learning opportunities for citizens that encourage academic excellence.
     (2) The legislature further finds that efficiency and quality service to citizens are important objectives that state policymakers must be able to consider when deciding how best to provide for the public interest. Since 1997, public institutions of higher education have developed and maintained a system of performance measures to monitor progress in improving graduation efficiency, faculty productivity, student achievement of degrees and certifications, and other topics. However, the current performance measurement system is too limited in scope and scale. Additionally, certain data that are necessary for a complete dialogue between state policymakers, institution leaders, and governing and coordinating boards, regarding the challenges facing colleges and universities and the outcomes expected by the public and the state, are not routinely available. The state, institutions, and governing and coordinating boards must jointly discuss and establish clear priorities and ensure progress in meeting those priorities.
     (3) Therefore, the legislature intends to explore a new relationship between the state, public institutions of higher education, governing and coordinating boards, and other related entities that includes uniform data collection, coordination, and assessment, uniform cost accounting, and the development and publication of a consumer report card.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 101   A new section is added to chapter 43.41 RCW to read as follows:
     HIGHER EDUCATION DATA CENTER. (1) The higher education data center shall be established in the office of financial management and act in collaboration with legislative committee staff. The higher education data center shall conduct analyses of higher education issues, and issues that pertain to student transition into higher education. The higher education data center shall be considered an education research agency under applicable federal and state statutes for purposes of receiving and processing student record data for research purposes.
     (2) The higher education data center shall:
     (a) Coordinate with other state education agencies to compile education data and complete higher education focused research projects;
     (b) Implement a common student identification number used within K-12 and higher education to track outcomes within all of higher education and between K-12 and higher education;
     (c) Provide research support that focuses on student transitions from K-12 into higher education and within the higher education system;
     (d) Track higher education enrollment and outcomes including, but not limited to: (i) Application acceptance rates; (ii) enrollment data; (iii) entrance placement examination scores; (iv) enrollment by field of study in both lower and upper-division classes; (v) program-specific acceptance rates for freshman; (vi) program-specific acceptance rates applying to a major after freshman year; (vii) financial aid use; (viii) graduation rates; and (ix) employment rates in general fields of study.
     (3) The superintendent of public instruction, state board for community and technical colleges, workforce training and education coordinating board, higher education coordinating board, public baccalaureate institutions, and employment security department shall work with the higher education data center to develop data sharing and research agreements, consistent with applicable confidentiality requirements, to facilitate the work of the center. The higher education data center shall make data from collaborative analyses available to the education agencies and institutions that contribute data to the higher education data center to the extent allowed by federal and state security and confidentiality requirements applicable to the data of each contributing agency or institution.

Sec. 201   RCW 28B.76.310 and 2004 c 275 s 15 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The board, in consultation with the house of representatives and senate committees responsible for higher education, the respective fiscal committees of the house of representatives and senate, the office of financial management, the state board for community and technical colleges, and the state institutions of higher education, shall develop standardized methods and protocols for measuring the direct and indirect undergraduate and graduate educational costs for the state universities, regional universities, and community colleges, including but not limited to ((the costs of instruction, costs to provide degrees in specific fields, and costs for precollege remediation)):
     (a) Cost per enrolled undergraduate and graduate student;
     (b) Cost per undergraduate and graduate degree;
     (c) Cost per degree by field of study;
     (d) Precollege remediation costs;
     (e) All financial aid and institutional aid per student;
     (f) Average faculty, administrator, and classified staff salaries including those funded by state moneys and moneys from other sources;
     (g) Percentage of budget spent on faculty, administration, and staff; and
     (h) Cost per student for support services.
     (2) ((By December 1, 2004, the board must propose a schedule of regular)) Beginning December 1, 2007, and every two years thereafter, the board shall submit cost study reports intended to meet the information needs of the governor's office and the legislature and the requirements of RCW 28B.76.300 ((and submit the proposed schedule)) to the higher education and fiscal committees of the house of representatives and the senate for their review.
     (3) The institutions of higher education shall participate in the development of cost study methods and shall provide all necessary data in a timely fashion consistent with the board's reporting requirements and consistent with the protocols developed.

Sec. 301   RCW 28B.76.270 and 2004 c 275 s 11 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The board shall establish an accountability monitoring and reporting system as part of a continuing effort to make meaningful and substantial progress towards the achievement of long-term performance goals in higher education.
     (2) Based on guidelines prepared by the board, each four-year institution and the state board for community and technical colleges shall submit a biennial plan to achieve measurable and specific improvements each academic year on statewide and institution-specific performance measures. Plans shall be submitted to the board along with the biennial budget requests from the institutions and the state board for community and technical colleges. Performance measures established for the community and technical colleges shall reflect the role and mission of the colleges.
     (3) The board shall approve biennial performance targets for each four-year institution and for the community and technical college system and shall review actual achievements annually. The state board for community and technical colleges shall set biennial performance targets for each college or district, where appropriate.
     (4) The board shall submit a report on progress towards the statewide goals, with recommendations for the ensuing biennium, to the fiscal and higher education committees of the legislature along with the board's biennial budget recommendations.
     (5) The board, in collaboration with the four-year institutions and the state board for community and technical colleges, shall periodically review and update the accountability monitoring and reporting system.
     (6) The board shall develop measurable indicators and benchmarks for its own performance regarding cost, quantity, ((quality,)) and timeliness and including the performance of committees and advisory groups convened under this chapter to accomplish such tasks as improving transfer and articulation, improving articulation with the K-12 education system, measuring educational costs, or developing data protocols. The board shall submit its accountability plan to the legislature concurrently with the biennial report on institution progress.
     (7)(a) The board shall develop a consumer report card that provides data for educational consumers to assess educational quality. The data shall focus on the nature of the learning environment at public institutions of higher education including, but not limited to:
     (i) All data collected under section 101(2)(d) of this act;
     (ii) Class size;
     (iii) Instructor qualifications;
     (iv) Teaching and learning assessment practices;
     (v) Faculty availability and employment status; and
     (vi) Other institutional resources such as research, athletics, and student services available.
     (b) Freshman and seniors attending public baccalaureate degree-granting institutions at least half time shall be assessed on the scores on the collegiate learning assessment or college level examination program tests. Freshman and senior scores shall be included in the report card.
     (c) The consumer report card shall be submitted to the higher education and fiscal committees of the house of representatives and senate, and made available for the public by December 15, 2008, and every two years thereafter.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 401   Part headings and captions used in this act are not any part of the law.