College in HS/private school

AN ACT Relating to expanding access to college in the high school 1
to private school students; and amending RCW 28B.10.058 and 2
28A.600.287. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
Sec. 1. RCW 28B.10.058 and 2023 c 314 s 1 are each amended to 5
read as follows: 6
(1) Beginning on September 1, 2023, institutions of higher 7
education must provide enrollment and registration in college in the 8
high school courses in which a student is eligible to receive college 9
credit available at no cost for students in the ninth, 10th, 11th, or 10
12th grade ((at public)) attending high school((s)).11
(2) Beginning with the 2023-2025 omnibus operating appropriations 12
act, the legislature must pass an omnibus operating appropriations 13
act that appropriates to the state board of community and technical 14
colleges and each of the public four-year institutions of higher 15
education state funding for college in high school courses 16
administered at public or private secondary schools.17
(3) State appropriations for the college in the high school 18
program to the institutions of higher education shall be calculated 19
as follows: The total college in the high school courses administered 20
H-0596.1
HOUSE BILL 1618
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Low and Dufault
Read first time 01/27/25. Referred to Committee on Education.
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in the prior academic year, funded at $300 per student up to a 1
maximum rate of: 2
(a) $6,000 per college in the high school course administered by 3
a state university as defined in RCW 28B.10.016; 4
(b) $5,000 per college in the high school course administered by 5
a regional university or the state college; or 6
(c) $3,500 per college in the high school course administered by 7
a community or technical college. 8
(4) Beginning with fiscal year 2025 the rate per college in the 9
high school course administered must be adjusted annually for 10
inflation as measured by the consumer price index.11
(5) State appropriations must be based on the total number of 12
college in the high school courses administered by an institution of 13
higher education for the academic year immediately prior to the 14
current fiscal year. The state appropriation is based on course 15
administration data submitted annually by October 15th to the office 16
of financial management and legislative fiscal staff.17
(6) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this 18
section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.19
(a) "Community or technical college" has the same meaning as 20
provided for under RCW 28B.50.030. 21
(b) "Course" means a class taught under a contract between an 22
institution of higher education and a single high school teacher on 23
an articulated subject in which the student is eligible to receive 24
college credit. 25
(c) "High school" means a public school ((,)) as defined in RCW 26
28A.150.010((,)) or a state-approved private school regulated under 27
chapter 28A.195 RCW that serves students in any of grades nine 28
through 12. 29
(d) "Institutions of higher education" has the same meaning as 30
provided for under RCW 28B.10.016. 31
(e) "College in the high school" is the program created under RCW 32
28A.600.287. 33
Sec. 2. RCW 28A.600.287 and 2023 c 314 s 2 are each amended to 34
read as follows: 35
(1) College in the high school is a dual credit program located 36
on a high school campus or in a high school environment in which a 37
high school student is able to earn both high school and college 38
credit by completing college level courses with a passing grade. A 39
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college in the high school program must meet the accreditation 1
requirements in RCW 28B.10.035 and the requirements in this section.2
(2) A college in the high school program may include both 3
academic and career and technical education. 4
(3) Ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students, and students who 5
have not yet received a high school diploma or its equivalent and are 6
eligible to be in the ninth, 10th, 11th, or 12th grades, may 7
participate in a college in the high school program.8
(4) A college in the high school program must be governed by a 9
local contract between an institution of higher education and a 10
school district, charter school, ((or)) state-tribal compact school, 11
or private school, in compliance with the rules adopted by the 12
superintendent of public instruction under this section. The local 13
contract must include the qualifications for students to enroll in a 14
program course. 15
(5) Enrollment information on persons registered under this 16
section must be maintained by the institution of higher education 17
separately from other enrollment information and may not be included 18
in official enrollment reports, nor may such persons be considered in 19
any enrollment statistics that would affect higher education 20
budgetary determinations. 21
(6) Each school district, charter school, ((and)) state-tribal 22
compact school, and private school must award high school credit to a 23
student enrolled in a program course if the student successfully 24
completes the course. If no comparable course is offered by the 25
school district, charter school, ((or)) state-tribal compact school , 26
or private school , the chief administrator shall determine how many 27
credits to award for the successful completion of the program course. 28
The determination must be made in writing before the student enrolls 29
in the program course. The awarded credit must be applied toward 30
graduation requirements and subject area requirements. Evidence of 31
successful completion of each program course must be included in the 32
student's high school records and transcript. 33
(7) Each institution of higher education offering college in the 34
high school must: 35
(a) Award college credit to a student enrolled in a program 36
course and provide evidence of completion of each program course on 37
the student's college transcript; 38
(b) Grant undergraduate college credit as appropriate and 39
applicable to the student's degree requirements; and40
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(c) Provide course equivalencies for college in the high school 1
courses and policy for awarding credit on the institution's website.2
(8)(a) A high school that offers a college in the high school 3
program must provide general information about the program to all 4
students in grades eight through 12 and to the parents and guardians 5
of those students. 6
(b) A high school that offers a college in the high school 7
program must include the following information about program courses 8
in a notification to parents and guardians of students in grades 9
eight through 12, including by email and in beginning of the year 10
packets, and in the high school catalogue or equivalent:11
(i) There is no fee for students to enroll in a program course 12
for high school credit or for students to enroll in a program course 13
for both high school and college credit; and 14
(ii) A notification that enrolling in a program course for 15
college credit automatically starts an official college transcript 16
with the institution of higher education offering the program course 17
regardless of student performance in the program course, and that 18
college credit earned upon successful completion of a program course 19
may count only as elective credit if transferred to another 20
institution of higher education. 21
(9) Full-time and part-time faculty at institutions of higher 22
education, including adjunct faculty, are eligible to teach program 23
courses. 24
(10) The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules 25
for the administration of this section. The rules must be jointly 26
developed by the superintendent of public instruction, the state 27
board for community and technical colleges, the student achievement 28
council, ((and)) the public baccalaureate institutions , and an 29
organization representing the interests of private schools on agency 30
boards and working groups and serving as the liaison organization for 31
independent schools . The association of Washington school principals 32
must be consulted during the rules development. The rules must 33
outline quality and eligibility standards that are informed by 34
nationally recognized standards or models. In addition, the rules 35
must encourage the maximum use of the program and may not narrow or 36
limit the enrollment options. 37
(11)(a) State universities, regional universities, and the state 38
college, as defined in RCW 28B.10.016, offering college in the high 39
school courses shall coordinate with an organization representing the 40
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presidents of the public four-year institutions of higher education, 1
and the community and technical colleges offering college in the high 2
school courses shall coordinate with the state board for community 3
and technical colleges to each prepare a report, each disaggregated 4
by institution of higher education, that includes: 5
(i) Data about student participation rates, award of high school 6
credit, award of postsecondary credit at an institution of higher 7
education, academic performance, and subsequent enrollment in an 8
institution of higher education; 9
(ii) Geographic data on college in the high school courses, 10
including the name, number, location of courses, and student 11
enrollment disaggregated by school districts and high schools;12
(iii) Data on college in the high school student demographics, 13
including race, ethnicity, gender, and receipt of free or reduced 14
price lunch; and 15
(iv) Recommendations on additional categories of data reporting 16
and disaggregation. 17
(b) Beginning September 1, 2024, and each year thereafter, the 18
reports must be submitted to the appropriate committees of the 19
legislature in accordance with RCW 43.01.036. 20
(12) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this 21
section((,)) unless the context clearly requires otherwise.22
(a) "Charter school" means a school established under chapter 23
28A.710 RCW. 24
(b) "High school" means a public school ((,)) as defined in RCW 25
28A.150.010((,)) or a state-approved private school regulated under 26
chapter 28A.195 RCW that serves students in any of grades nine 27
through 12. 28
(c) "Institution of higher education" has the same meaning as in 29
RCW 28B.10.016, and also means a public tribal college located in 30
Washington and accredited by the northwest commission on colleges and 31
universities or another accrediting association recognized by the 32
United States department of education. 33
(d) "Program course" means a college course offered in a high 34
school under a college in the high school program.35
(e) "State-tribal compact school" means a school established 36
under chapter 28A.715 RCW. 37
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