BILL REQ. #:  H-4899.1 

Read first time 01/28/08.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to dual credit strategic planning; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that:
     (1) The economy of the state of Washington requires a well-prepared workforce. To meet that need, more Washington students must be prepared for postsecondary education and training. Further, the personal enrichment and success of Washington citizens increasingly depends on their ability to use the state's postsecondary education and training system. To accomplish these ends, the legislature intends to blur the lines between college and high school and increase the number of students who begin earning college credits while still in high school.
     (2) Many Washington high school students may not realize that they are capable of college-level work, and not all students have ready and affordable access to college-level courses. The legislature finds that, by creating new opportunities to earn college credit in high school and exposing students to the rigor of college-level work, students are more likely to believe they can succeed in higher education and thus, are more likely to enroll in the state's postsecondary education system.
     (3) The legislature also finds that several different types of dual credit programs are currently available to students, each employing a different model of instruction. While the programs all serve high school students who are interested in earning college credit, eligibility requirements and costs to students vary. Further, there is no established statewide plan to coordinate these programs.
     (4) Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature to expand access to dual credit programs and ensure that each is administered in a cost-effective manner, for students, schools, institutions of higher education, and the state. The first step in expanding access and increasing efficiency is to identify a statewide strategic direction for the further development and funding of dual credit programs.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) The superintendent of public instruction shall convene a work group that includes representatives from the state board for community and technical colleges, the public four-year institutions of higher education, the workforce training and education coordinating board, the higher education coordinating board, and the council of presidents to develop a strategic plan for statewide coordination of dual credit programs.
     (2) The work group shall examine dual credit programs including but not limited to running start, college in the high school, tech prep, advanced placement, and international baccalaureate. The examination shall clearly articulate the purpose and definition of each program, the goals associated with each program, the personnel required both to administer and teach each program, the benefits to students, and the barriers to access. The examination shall also specify, for each program, the average cost to students as well as the cost to the state, the school, and the institutions of higher education.
     (3) The work group shall recommend a strategic plan for coordinating the administration of dual credit programs based on the findings of the examination in this section. The strategic plan shall identify goals for increased student enrollments, strategies to increase access and efficiency, options for addressing costs to the state, schools, and institutions of higher education, and strategies to contain costs for students and their families.
     (4) The superintendent of public instruction shall submit the strategic plan to the education and higher education policy committees of the legislature by December 1, 2008.