Dual Credit Programs.
Dual credit programs allow high school students to earn high school and postsecondary credit at the same time. Dual credit programs can be course-based or exam-based. Course-based dual credit programs can be offered at:
Exam-based dual credit programs allow students to take an exam and apply to receive postsecondary credit, for example: Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Cambridge International.
Career and Technical Education Dual Credit.
A CTE dual credit course is: taught at a high school or skill center by a high school teacher; approved by a partner institution of higher education; and formalized through an articulation agreement that specifies the competencies needed to meet postsecondary course requirements, minimum student grades for awarding postsecondary credit, and a standardized transcription process.
Data Management. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) maintains a longitudinal data warehouse that includes student enrollment information and student class credit information, including information on enrollment and credits in CTE dual credit courses, called the Comprehensive Education Data and Research System. The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) operates a separate CTE dual credit student registration and course database called the Statewide Enrollment and Reporting System.
Agreements in Support of CTE Dual Credit. In 2008 legislation was enacted that directed community and technical colleges (CTCs) to create agreements with high schools and skill centers to offer dual credit for CTE courses. It permits CTCs to create agreements with high schools and skill centers located outside the college district boundary or service area. The legislation also required that, when a CTC has created an agreement with a high school or skill center to offer college credit for a CTE course, all CTCs must accept the course for an equal amount of college credit.
Pilot Program to Increase CTE Dual Credit Access and Attainment. The 2023-25 State Omnibus Operating Appropriations Act provided $700,000 to the SBCTC to administer a two-year pilot program to increase CTE dual credit participation and credential attainment in professional technical programs. The SBCTC, with the OSPI, was required to select up to three CTCs, in the same educational service district (ESD), to participate in the pilot program. Allowable uses for the funding are student cost subsidies, outreach, curriculum alignment, and necessary equipment and supplies.
As required, a preliminary report of the pilot program was published in December 2024. The final report is due by December 10, 2025. The SBCTC is required to establish a stakeholder committee that is representative of students, faculty, staff, and agency representatives to inform this work. The report must include recommendations on eight topics, for example: course articulation and identification of priority courses, data collection and reporting, credit transcription and transfer, student advising, CTE dual credit course alignment with other pathways, funding for industry-recognized credentials, and evaluation of the statewide enrollment and data system.
Regional Efforts to Support Dual Credit Access and Attainment.
Each educational service district (ESD) must collaborate with the following entities to streamline regional efforts that support students' dual credit access and attainment: The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), regional participating public institutions of higher education, regional skill centers, regional registered apprenticeship programs, local public high schools, and each school district operating within the ESD.
Subject to appropriation, the regional efforts must include nine specified activities, for example:
Plan and Report on Dual Credit Data Management.
The SBCTC is required to develop a plan for improving or replacing its online, statewide system for tracking enrollment and reporting CTE dual credit. The plan must include an estimated timeline and cost projections needed to: (1) improve compatibility with SBCTC and OSPI administrative data systems; (2) create tracking and alerts for articulation agreement updates; (3) implement searchable course title fields; (4) improve student account verification; and (5) add data validation features.
In developing the plan, the SBCTC is required to: (1) review its June 2022 report on CTE dual credit; (2) conduct a cost-benefit analysis of moving to a single statewide system for either all dual credit programs or only the CTE dual credit program; and (3) consult with other states that have implemented a single statewide system. The SBCTC is required to report to the Legislature with the results of its study and its recommendations by October 1, 2026.
Creation of Statewide Articulation Agreements.
The SBCTC must create, and publish on its website, statewide articulation agreements for CTE dual credit courses, with agreements for the five most common CTE dual credit courses published by December 1, 2026. A multiyear workplan must be published on the SBCTC website and updated annually. These activities must be conducted in collaboration with the OSPI and other relevant stakeholders. Community and technical colleges, high schools, and skill centers are strongly encouraged to use available statewide articulation agreements.
Joint Legislative Report.
The OSPI, the SBCTC, and the Association of ESDs are required to jointly report to the Legislature on the implementation of this bill and with recommendations for additional improvements to state dual credit policies. The preliminary report is due by December 10, 2025, and the final report is due by December 10, 2026.
One or both reports must include the following information:
The final report must also provide recommendations for future amendments to state dual credit policies, including statutory and rule changes and approaches for supporting equitable student access to, and the effectiveness of, a variety of dual credit programs statewide.