READ FIRST TIME 02/12/08.   

     AN ACT Relating to transfer and articulation between institutions of higher education; adding new sections to chapter 28B.10 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28B.76 RCW; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that students are accessing higher education differently than they have in previous years. Rather than attending a single institution and attaining their degree, many students now attend multiple institutions, sometimes simultaneously.
     The legislature also finds that learning occurs throughout a person's lifetime. Whether citizens need different training to change careers or need further education for career advancement, people exit and reenter institutions of higher education multiple times and for various reasons.
     The legislature also finds that current policies and practices do not provide clear, consistent, easily accessible information to ease transition in and among the state's colleges and universities. Often, courses taken at some career and technical schools as well as private for-profit institutions are not accepted in transfer because these schools are not accredited by a regional accrediting body. Students often do not understand that these courses are not transferrable. Students must retake courses once they have transferred into a regionally accredited institution, costing the student additional time and money.
     Therefore, it is the legislature's intent to improve statewide communication and coordination of transfer and articulation policies and practices. Students should be provided clear, consistent information regarding the courses required for their degrees and how those courses will be treated when a student moves between colleges and universities. This information should be communicated to students and their families in one easily accessible place in a format that is common among all colleges and universities in the state.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28B.10 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The higher education coordinating board shall convene a work group of representatives from the state board for community and technical colleges, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the council of presidents, and two-year and four-year institutions of higher education to develop a list of rights guaranteed to students who have earned a transfer associate degree under the direct transfer agreement. The work group may be an existing work group that addresses policy issues related to transitions among public and private institutions of higher education and may also include representatives from the independent colleges of Washington.
     (2) The list in subsection (1) of this section shall be known as the transfer student bill of rights and shall include statements of institutional policy regarding transfer and articulation to assist students who have earned a transfer associate degree in their academic planning. The list shall include but is not limited to:
     (a) Admission to each public and private two-year and four-year institution of higher education that participates in the direct transfer agreement;
     (b) The number of credits that will transfer;
     (c) Academic requirements fulfilled by the degree at the receiving institution;
     (d) Acceptance of credit earned in dual enrollment and accelerated programs such as advanced placement, running start, and international baccalaureate;
     (e) Acceptance of credits earned at nonregionally accredited institutions; and
     (f) Advance knowledge of selection criteria for limited access programs.
     (3) The work group shall determine which elements in this section are guaranteed to students entering a four-year institution of higher education and which elements differ based on admission requirements at a specific institution or program. The work group must determine the clearest manner in which to communicate this information to students and their families as part of the transfer student bill of rights.
     (4) The transfer student bill of rights shall be displayed prominently in a user-friendly area of each institution's web site. Admissions offices, transfer planning offices, recruiting offices and other relevant offices at public and private institutions of higher education shall also make the transfer student bill of rights available to prospective and enrolled students. Public institutions of higher education shall make the bill of rights available by September 2009. The transfer student bill of rights may also be used by private institutions of higher education participating in direct transfer agreements.
     (5) For purposes of this section, "nonregionally accredited institutions" means only those institutions that are fully accredited by a national accrediting agency recognized by the United States department of education.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 28B.10 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Consistent with the statewide strategic master plan for higher education and to the extent necessary following implementation of web-based academic planning tools developed under section 6 of this act, the higher education coordinating board shall convene a work group identified in section 2(1) of this act to develop a common set of course numbers for lower division general education courses that are generally accepted in transfer between two-year and four-year institutions of higher education as well as between four-year institutions of higher education. The independent colleges of Washington may participate in this process. The work group shall determine the best manner by which to identify equivalent courses using the common number. The common number may be added to existing course numbers and does not need to replace existing course numbers.
     (2) The common course number shall include the same course abbreviation and course number shared among four-year institutions of higher education for equivalent courses. To the extent possible, common course numbers within four-year institutions of higher education should match common course numbers used in the community and technical college system.
     (3) Common course numbering at the four-year level does not require standardized course content. The work group must take into account the unique nature of the curriculum of The Evergreen State College in developing the common course numbering system.
     (4) The system of common course numbering must be implemented and available for public use by September 2011.
     (5) The higher education coordinating board, in collaboration with the work group and four-year institutions of higher education, shall provide a progress report to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 2011.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   A new section is added to chapter 28B.10 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Consistent with the statewide strategic master plan for higher education and to the extent necessary following implementation of web-based academic planning tools developed under section 6 of this act, the higher education coordinating board shall convene a work group identified in section 2(1) of this act to develop a system of identification that distinguishes the lower division general education courses that are generally transferrable as lower division general education, major or preparation for a major, or elective courses from two-year institutions of higher education to four-year institutions of higher education from courses that do not generally transfer outside an academic transfer degree in order to enable students to identify generally transferable courses at the time of registration.
     (2) The system may include an intermediate identifier for courses that may transfer to particular institutions of higher education or programs. Whether and to what extent each lower division, general education course published in an institutional catalog is transferrable as lower division general education, major or preparation for a major, or elective courses must be identified in a manner mutually agreed upon by the two-year institutions of higher education and four-year institutions of higher education.
     (3) Institutions of higher education must publish this information either in physical course catalogs or those published on the internet.
     (4) The system of identification in this section shall be implemented by September 2009.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   A new section is added to chapter 28B.76 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The higher education coordinating board must convene a work group including representatives from the state board for community and technical colleges, the workforce training and education coordinating board, the council of presidents, two-year institutions of higher education, and four-year institutions of higher education to develop a plan to monitor the progress and success of transfer students. The workgroup may be an existing work group that addresses policy issues related to transitions across institutions of higher education.
     (2) The plan shall contain data that measures student progress through the higher education system that can be monitored over time. This information shall include, but not be limited to:
     (a) The number of students who indicate their intent to transfer at the time of enrollment and the percentage of those students who actually transfer or earn an associate degree within three years;
     (b) Educational outcomes for students who declare their intent to transfer, earn at least fifteen academic credits, and transfer within three years;
     (c) The percentage of students who earn their four-year degree within three years of earning their associate degree;
     (d) The average time and credits to completion of an academic transfer degree including the direct transfer agreement, the associate of science-transfer, and all major related programs; and
     (e) The average grade point average for students who attain their transfer associate degrees.
     (3) The plan shall also include analysis regarding the barriers that transfer students face in pursuit of their four-year degree and recommendations to address those barriers.
     (4) The higher education coordinating board, in collaboration with the work group and the state board for community and technical colleges, shall report to the appropriate committees of the legislature by January 2009, and thereafter on a time schedule consistent with reporting related to monitoring progress toward the higher education coordinating board master plan goals.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6   (1) Consistent with the schedule and work plans for implementation of the strategic master plan for higher education, the higher education coordinating board shall convene a work group or assign an existing work group that includes broad representation from the workforce training and education coordinating board, the state board for community and technical colleges, institutions of higher education, the independent colleges of Washington, the center for information services, and the office of the superintendent of public instruction to create a detailed plan for developing and implementing a statewide web- based academic planning tool. The web-based academic planning tool would be used by current, prospective, and returning students to plan their path from high school through the attainment of their higher education goals.
     (2) The plan shall contain information including, but not limited to:
     (a) Functions that will be included in the web site;
     (b) Options for development including, but not limited to: Purchasing the entire system from a vendor; purchasing parts of the system from a private vendor; building parts of the system with Washington informational technology resources; and building the entire system with Washington information technology resources; and
     (c) Costs associated with each of the options in this subsection.
     (3) The higher education coordinating board shall report to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 15, 2008. The report shall include recommendations on the most robust yet cost-effective options for the web-based academic planning tool.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7   If specific funding for the purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not provided by June 30, 2008, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act is null and void.