SENATE BILL REPORT

ESSB 5410

As Passed Senate, March 1, 2019

Title: An act relating to a systemwide credit policy regarding advanced placement, international baccalaureate, and Cambridge international exams.

Brief Description: Concerning a systemwide credit policy regarding advanced placement, international baccalaureate, and Cambridge international exams.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Higher Education & Workforce Development (originally sponsored by Senators Mullet, Rivers, Palumbo, Liias and Wilson, C.).

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Higher Education & Workforce Development: 1/29/19, 2/05/19 [DPS].

Floor Activity:

Passed Senate: 3/01/19, 46-0.

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5410 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

Signed by Senators Palumbo, Chair; Randall, Vice Chair; Holy, Ranking Member; Brown, Liias and Wellman.

Staff: Alicia Kinne-Clawson (786-7407)

Background: There are several dual credit opportunities for students in high school to earn college credits. National examination based options include the Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Cambridge Assessment International Examination (CAIE).

In 2017, legislation was enacted requiring higher education institutions to establish a coordinated, evidence-based policy for granting undergraduate college credits to students who earn minimum scores of three on AP examinations. Institutions must post the policy on campus websites effective for the 2017 fall academic term, and conduct reviews of the policy and report noncompliance in annual reports to the Legislature beginning November 1, 2019.

In 2018, ESB 5917 was enacted requiring higher education institutions to establish a coordinated, evidence-based policy for granting as much undergraduate credit as practicable for students who earn passing scores on IB and CI examinations. The institutions must post the policy on campus websites effective for the 2018 fall academic term, and conduct reviews of the policy and report noncompliance in annual reports to the Legislature beginning November 1, 2020.

Summary of Engrossed First Substitute Bill: Requires the institutions of higher education to award as much credit as possible and appropriate for scores of:

• three on an AP exam;

• four on a standard-level or higher-level IB exam; or

• E on a CAIE exam.

Each higher education institution must develop a process for retroactively awarding IB credit for students who first enrolled in the 2018-19 academic year.

If an institution is unable to award general education course equivalency, the student may request in writing an evidence-based reason as to why the course equivalency can not be granted.

Institutions of higher education must conduct biennial reviews of their credit awarding policies, including reporting demographic data on students who requested and were awarded or denied credit for AP, IB, and CAIE exams.

The institutions must provide an update on credit awarding policies to JLARC by December 31, 2019.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony on Original Bill: The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard. PRO: A few years ago the Legislature passed a bill requiring institutions to give credit for passing scores on AP exams. We then heard from IB students that wanted access to the same opportunity. We ended with a lot of students who thought the IB problem had been solved after last session when if fact it had not. My goal is to guarantee that next fall we are not in this same position and that all students get credit for earning a passing score on AP or IB exams. The AP and IB curriculums are rigorous. Participating in these courses have numerous benefits to students. The curriculum is research based and many states requires that institutions award credits for passing these exams. AP has research showing students who perform well on exams perform well in college. Successfully passing these exams and earning college credit saves students money and helps them graduate sooner. If you do not give credit for a three you disproportionately impact students of color.

OTHER: We are strong supporters of dual credit programs and we know that students who come to our institutions with these programs are well prepared and do well in our institutions. We support a number of the elements in this bill and are actively working to develop a policy that awards credit for these programs. We believe that our faculty must have a say in determining our own institutional credit policies and ensuring that our students are prepared to be successful in our courses. Last year you assigned us work in articulating credit for IB and Cambridge exams. We are in the process of a rigorous, evidence-based review of all policies and anticipate having new policies to you in the next couple months. We would like to see the current process through in evaluating existing policies. We believe establishing credit policy is outside the charge of the WSAC and should remain with our institutions. Taking credit awarding policy away from the institutions could jeopardize accreditation.

Persons Testifying: PRO: Senator Mark Mullet, Prime Sponsor; Heidi Bennett, Washington State PTA; Jason Langdon, College Board; Terry Whitney, Senior Director, College Board. OTHER: Joe Dacca, University of Washington; Chris Mulick, Washington State University; Steve Bollens, Washington State University Faculty/Council of Faculty Representatives; Bill Lyne, United Faculty of Washington State.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: No one.