BILL REQ. #:  H-1648.1 

Read first time 02/08/2007.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to providing students with knowledge about their readiness for college-level course work; adding new sections to chapter 28B.10 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.320 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 many high school students are unaware until they enroll in an institution of higher education and take college placement tests of what the entry-level college expectations are for mathematics, reading, writing, and English. The legislature further finds that an unacceptably high number of students entering institutions of higher education are unprepared to do college-level mathematics, reading, or writing, and require remedial instruction. This remedial instruction imposes additional costs and burdens on students by increasing the time it takes for them to reach their educational goals, and increases the state's costs associated with higher education.
     The legislature further finds that while five out of the six public baccalaureate institutions use the mathematics placement test, developed by the University of Washington, to determine whether enrolled students are prepared for college-level mathematics, each community and technical college uses a different combination of placement tests. Even if two community or technical colleges use the same placement tests, they may have different cut scores for determining eligibility for college-level mathematics and other courses.
     The legislature intends to provide students with more certainty and predictability regarding their readiness for college-level mathematics, reading, writing, and English.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28B.10 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) By January 1, 2008, the University of Washington, in consultation with the state board for community and technical colleges, shall examine, and revise if necessary, the mathematics placement test to make the test applicable to the college entry expectations in mathematics for both the four-year and two-year institutions of higher education.
     (2)(a) Each four-year institution of higher education that requires students to take a standardized test to demonstrate college readiness in mathematics and each community or technical college shall adopt a minimum score for each of the mathematics placement test (MPT), the mathematics portion of scholastic aptitude test (SAT), and the mathematics portion of the American college test (ACT), and shall allow students to demonstrate college readiness in mathematics by achieving a score equal to or greater than the minimum score set by the institution for any of the tests.
     (b) Each four-year institution of higher education that requires students to take a standardized test to demonstrate college readiness in writing, reading, or English and each community or technical college shall adopt a minimum score for both the verbal portion of scholastic aptitude test (SAT) and the verbal portion of the American college test (ACT), and shall allow students to demonstrate college readiness in reading, writing, or English by achieving a score equal to or greater than the minimum score set by the institution for either of the tests.
     (c) Four-year institutions of higher education that require standardized test scores to demonstrate college readiness and the community and technical colleges may allow, but shall not require, students to demonstrate college readiness in mathematics, reading, writing, or English by other means, including but not limited to scores on other standardized tests and courses completed in high school or at other postsecondary institutions.
     (3) Each four-year institution of higher education that requires students to take a standardized test to demonstrate college readiness in mathematics, reading, writing, or English and each community and technical college shall publish its minimum required scores on its web site and shall submit its minimum required scores, and any changes to the scores, to the higher education coordinating board. Each community and technical college shall also provide its minimum required scores, and any changes to the scores, to the state board for community and technical colleges.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 28B.10 RCW to read as follows:
     The four-year institutions of higher education shall not provide precollege level course work in mathematics, reading, writing, or English, except for English courses for English language learners. The four-year institutions of higher education shall notify enrolled students who do not place into college-level course work in mathematics, reading, writing, or English that they may enroll in precollege-level course work at a community or technical college or an independent institution of higher education.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   A new section is added to chapter 28A.320 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Beginning in the fall of 2008, school districts shall provide all high school students enrolled in the district the option of taking the mathematics placement test (MPT) developed by the University of Washington and the scholastic aptitude test (SAT) or the American college test (ACT) once at no cost to the students. Districts shall encourage, but not require, students to take these tests in their junior or senior year of high school.
     (2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall reimburse each district for the costs incurred by the district in providing students the opportunity to take the MPT and the SAT or ACT once. The superintendent of public instruction is encouraged to work with the test publishers to secure fee waivers for the administration of the tests.