BILL REQ. #:  Z-0813.1 

Read first time 12/08/11.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to demonstrating college level skills; and amending RCW 28B.10.053.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 28B.10.053 and 2011 c 77 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) By December 1, 2011, and by June of each odd-numbered year thereafter, the institutions of higher education shall collaboratively develop a master list of postsecondary courses that can be fulfilled by taking the advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or other recognized college-level proficiency examinations, including but not limited to project lead the way examinations, and meeting the qualifying examination score or demonstrated competencies for lower division general education requirements or postsecondary professional technical requirements. The master list of postsecondary courses fulfilled by proficiency examinations or demonstrated competencies are those that fulfill lower division general education requirements or career and technical education requirements and qualify for postsecondary credit. From the master list, each institution shall create and publish a list of its courses that can be satisfied by successful proficiency examination scores or demonstrated competencies for lower division general education requirements or postsecondary professional technical requirements. The qualifying examination scores and demonstrated competencies shall be included in the published list. The requirements to develop a master list under this section do not apply if an institution has a clearly published policy of awarding credit for the advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or other recognized college-level placement exams and does not require those credits to meet specific course requirements but generally applies those credits towards degree requirements.
     (2) To the maximum extent possible, institutions of higher education shall agree on examination qualifying scores and demonstrated competencies for the credits or courses under subsection (3) of this section, with scores equivalent to qualified or well-qualified. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent an institution of higher education from adopting policies using higher scores for additional purposes.
     (3) Each institution of higher education, in designing its certificate, technical degree program, two-year academic transfer program, or freshman and sophomore courses of a baccalaureate program or baccalaureate degree, must recognize the equivalencies of at least one year of course credit and maximize the application of the credits toward lower division general education requirements that can be earned through successfully demonstrating proficiency on examinations, including but not limited to advanced placement and international baccalaureate examinations. The successful completion of the examination and the award of credit shall be noted on the student's college transcript.
     (4) Each institution of higher education must clearly include in its admissions materials and on its web site the credits or the institution's list of postsecondary courses that can be fulfilled by proficiency examinations or demonstrated competencies and the agreed-upon examination scores and demonstrated competencies that qualify for postsecondary credit. Each institution must provide the information to the higher education coordinating board and state board for community and technical colleges in a form that the superintendent of public instruction is able to distribute to school districts.