H-2118.1

HOUSE BILL 2155

ByRepresentatives Reeves, Slatter, Reed, and Ormsby

AN ACT Relating to creating the Washington credential registry; and adding a new section to chapter 28C.18 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28C.18 RCW to read as follows:

(1)(a) The Washington credential registry is created to provide users, such as students, workers, employers, educators, and others, the ability to understand, evaluate, and access essential information about educational and occupational credentials, such as diplomas, certificates, digital badges, certifications, licenses, apprenticeships, military training, and degrees.

(b) The board shall develop and administer the Washington credential registry.

(c) The Washington credential registry must be developed based on the data within career bridge and, to the extent possible, may not duplicate data collection and aggregation.

(d) To develop and administer the Washington credential registry, the board shall consult with agencies that oversee and certify credentials to workers and students, such as the student achievement council, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the state board for community and technical colleges, the department of licensing, the department of health, and the professional educator standards board.

(e) The Washington credential registry must include information about, but is not limited to, the following:

(i) Occupational and educational credentials, such as diplomas, certificates, digital badges, certifications, licenses, apprenticeships, military training, and degrees;

(ii) Providers and owners, if proprietary, of credentials;

(iii) Competencies associated with and required for credentials, such as knowledge, skills, abilities, related experiences, and mastery levels;

(iv) Programs, courses, learning content, and assessments associated with and required for credentials, including requirements for entry;

(v) Costs of instruction, length of training, physical location, and online availability;

(vi) Process-based and outcomes-based quality and performance information, including employment and earnings outcomes for credential holders that can be measured against accepted standards;

(vii) Educational and career pathways that show how credentials can be stacked and transferred;

(viii) The recommended, recognized, and accepted transfer value of credentials from one provider and sector to another, including the transfer value of credentials earned in the military to civilian education and occupational opportunities; and

(ix) Links to specific occupational and job skills.

(f) The Washington credential registry must be a repository of linked, open data about credentials and may not contain information about an individual credential holder.

(g) The board shall work with state credential oversight agencies to establish a technical assistance team and set of resources to support credential providers and owners to publish data to the Washington credential registry.

(h) The Washington credential registry must be publicly available, searchable, and comparable using open specifications and linked, interoperable data formats. Such formats must be aligned with widely recognized and adopted standards and must allow for open access across state and national borders, sectors, and platforms. Such information must be human-readable, machine-actionable, current, accurate, and maintained on each provider's website and on an open national repository accessible to the public. Such requirements may be met through utilization of the credential transparency description language specifications.

(2) Subject to appropriations, grant funding shall be provided to support credential pathway transparency on the following initial topics:

(a) Equitable pathways from secondary to postsecondary education, training, and employment, including populations that have demonstrated evidence of being underemployed, undereducated, or underpaid;

(b) Education, training, and upskilling pathways for workers in the child care, early childhood, and prekindergarten sectors;

(c) Pathways for corrections-involved individuals to maximize the likelihood of successful skills and credential attainment and stable, family-supporting employment with opportunities for advancement;

(d) Successful transitions for individuals in the military, military spouses, and veterans;

(e) Creating and piloting skill and competency validation protocols to ensure that learning is recognized and valued regardless of where or how learning occurs; and

(f) Integration of data from the Washington credential registry into users' digital and portable learning and employment records.

(3) The Washington credential registry must be operational by July 1, 2025.

(4) The board shall report progress on the implementation of the Washington credential registry, and its value and uses for residents and employers in the state, to the legislature annually pursuant to RCW 43.01.036, and provide recommendations for further expansion and improvements.

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