Financial aid applications

AN ACT Relating to the completion of postsecondary financial aid 1
applications; and amending RCW 28A.230.212 and 28A.300.815.2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:3
Sec. 1. RCW 28A.230.212 and 2024 c 66 s 7 are each amended to 4
read as follows: 5
(1) Each student must have a high school and beyond plan to guide 6
the student's high school experience and inform course taking that is 7
aligned with the student's goals for education or training and career 8
after high school. 9
(2)(a) By grade seven, each student must be administered a career 10
interest and skills inventory which is intended to be used to inform 11
grade eight course taking and development of an initial high school 12
and beyond plan. No later than grade eight, each student must have 13
begun development of a high school and beyond plan that includes a 14
proposed plan for first-year high school courses aligned with 15
graduation requirements and secondary and postsecondary goals.16
(b) For each student who has not earned a score of level 3 or 4 17
on the middle school mathematics assessment identified in RCW 18
28A.655.070 by grade nine, the high school and beyond plan must be 19
updated to ensure that the student takes a mathematics course in both 20
grades nine and 10. These courses may include career and technical 21
S-3460.1
SENATE BILL 5841
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Senators Boehnke, Dozier, and Nobles
Prefiled 12/05/25. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on Early Learning & K-12 Education.
p. 1 SB 5841
education equivalencies in mathematics adopted pursuant to RCW 1
28A.230.097. 2
(3) With staff support, students must update their high school 3
and beyond plan annually, at a minimum, to review academic progress 4
and inform future course taking. 5
(a) The high school and beyond plan must be updated in grade 10 6
to reflect high school assessment results in RCW 28A.655.061, ensure 7
student access to advanced course options per the district's academic 8
acceleration policy in RCW 28A.320.195, assess progress toward 9
identified goals, and revised as necessary for changing interests, 10
goals, and needs. 11
(b) Each school district shall provide students who have not met 12
the standard on state assessments or who are behind in completion of 13
credits or graduation pathway options with the opportunity to access 14
interventions and academic supports, courses, or both, designed to 15
enable students to meet all high school graduation requirements. The 16
parents or legal guardians shall be notified about these 17
opportunities as included in the student's high school and beyond 18
plan, preferably through a student-led conference, including the 19
parents or legal guardians, and at least annually until the student 20
is on track to graduate. 21
(c) For students with an individualized education program, the 22
high school and beyond plan must be developed and updated in 23
alignment with their school to postschool transition plan. The high 24
school and beyond plan must be developed and updated in a similar 25
manner and with similar school personnel as for all other students.26
(4) School districts shall involve parents and legal guardians to 27
the greatest extent feasible in the process of developing and 28
updating the high school and beyond plan. 29
(a) High school and beyond plans must be provided to students and 30
their parents or legal guardians in a language the students and 31
parents or legal guardians understand and in accordance with the 32
school district's language access policy and procedures as required 33
under chapter 28A.183 RCW, which may require language assistance for 34
students and parents or legal guardians with limited English 35
proficiency. 36
(b) School districts must annually provide students in grades 37
eight through 12, and their parents or legal guardians, with 38
comprehensive information about the graduation pathway options 39
offered by the district and are strongly encouraged to begin 40
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providing this information to students in grade six. School districts 1
must provide this information in a manner that conforms with the 2
school district's language access policy and procedures as required 3
under chapter 28A.183 RCW. 4
(5) School districts are strongly encouraged to partner with 5
student serving, community-based organizations that support career 6
and college exploration and preparation for postsecondary and career 7
pathways. Partnerships may include high school and beyond plan 8
coordination and planning, data-sharing agreements, and safe and 9
secure access to individual student's high school and beyond plans.10
(6) All high school and beyond plans must, at a minimum, include 11
the following elements: 12
(a) Identification of career goals and interests, aided by a 13
skills and interest assessment; 14
(b) Identification of secondary and postsecondary education and 15
training goals; 16
(c) An academic plan for course taking that: 17
(i) Informs students about course options for satisfying state 18
and local graduation requirements; 19
(ii) Satisfies state and local graduation requirements;20
(iii) Aligns with the student's secondary and postsecondary 21
goals, which can include education, training, and career preparation;22
(iv) Identifies available advanced course sequences per the 23
school district's academic acceleration policy, as described in RCW 24
28A.320.195, that include dual credit courses or other programs and 25
are aligned with the student's postsecondary goals;26
(v) Informs students about the potential impacts of their course 27
selections on postsecondary opportunities; 28
(vi) Identifies available career and technical education 29
equivalency courses that can satisfy core subject area graduation 30
requirements under RCW 28A.230.097; 31
(vii) If applicable, identifies career and technical education 32
and work-based learning opportunities that can lead to technical 33
college certifications and apprenticeships; and 34
(viii) If applicable, identifies opportunities for credit 35
recovery and acceleration, including partial and mastery-based credit 36
accrual to eliminate barriers for on-time grade level progression and 37
graduation per RCW 28A.320.192; 38
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(d) Evidence that the student has received the following 1
information on federal and state financial aid programs that help pay 2
for the costs of a postsecondary program: 3
(i) The college bound scholarship program established in chapter 4
28B.118 RCW, the Washington college grant created in RCW 28B.92.200, 5
and other scholarship opportunities; 6
(ii) The documentation necessary for completing state and federal 7
financial aid applications; application timeliness and submission 8
deadlines; and the importance of submitting applications early;9
(iii) Information specific to students who are or have been the 10
subject of a dependency proceeding pursuant to chapter 13.34 RCW, who 11
are or are at risk of being homeless, and whose family member or 12
legal guardian will be required to provide financial and tax 13
information necessary to complete applications; 14
(iv) Opportunities to participate in advising days and seminars 15
that assist students and, when necessary, their parents or legal 16
guardians, with filling out financial aid applications in accordance 17
with RCW 28A.300.815; and 18
(v) A sample financial aid letter and a link to the financial aid 19
calculator created in RCW 28B.77.280; ((and))20
(e) Evidence that the student has completed at least one state or 21
federal financial aid application or that their parent or legal 22
guardian has opted the student out of this requirement; and23
(f) By the end of grade 12, a current resume or activity log that 24
provides a written compilation of the student's education, any work 25
experience, extracurricular activities, and any community service 26
including how the school district has recognized the community 27
service pursuant to RCW 28A.320.193. 28
(7) Any decision on whether a student has met the state board of 29
education's requirements for a high school and beyond plan shall 30
remain at the local level, and a school district may establish 31
additional, local requirements for a high school and beyond plan to 32
serve the needs and interests of its students and the purposes of 33
this section. 34
(8) The state board of education shall adopt rules to implement 35
this section. 36
Sec. 2. RCW 28A.300.815 and 2020 c 307 s 5 are each amended to 37
read as follows: 38
p. 4 SB 5841
(1)(a) Beginning with the 2020-21 school year, within existing 1
resources, and in collaboration with the Washington student 2
achievement council, the office of the superintendent of public 3
instruction shall coordinate a financial aid advising day with all 4
school districts with a high school. 5
(b) For the purposes of this section and RCW 28A.230.310, a 6
"financial aid advising day" means a day or series of days between 7
September 1st and December 1st of each year that includes, but is not 8
limited to, dedicated time during regular school hours for staff to:9
(i) Provide information to twelfth grade students on the free 10
application for federal student aid, the Washington application for 11
state financial aid, and the college board's CSS profile;12
(ii) As appropriate and whenever possible, assist twelfth grade 13
students in completing the free application for federal student aid 14
and the Washington application for state financial aid; and15
(iii) In conjunction with the Washington student achievement 16
council, distribute information on the Washington college grant and 17
demonstrate the use of the college financial aid calculator created 18
in RCW 28B.77.280. 19
(c) Each school district may choose the date or series of dates 20
on which to hold a financial aid advising day. 21
(2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall 22
coordinate with the Washington student achievement council whenever 23
possible to assist districts in facilitating opportunities outside of 24
regular school hours for parents to take part in seminars on 25
completing the free application for federal student aid and the 26
Washington application for state financial aid. Whenever possible, 27
districts shall provide spoken language interpreter services for 28
limited English-speaking families. 29
(3) Schools must allow students over the age of eighteen to opt 30
out and parents or guardians of students under the age of eighteen to 31
opt their student out of scheduled financial aid advising day 32
activities. 33
(4) A student may not be penalized for ((failing to complete 34
financial aid applications or for )) opting out of activities under 35
subsection (3) of this section. 36
(5) Educational staff, including instructional, administrative, 37
and counseling staff, may not be assessed or penalized on the basis 38
of students' completion of financial aid forms or students' decisions 39
to opt out under subsection (3) of this section. 40
p. 5 SB 5841
(6) In the administration of the financial aid advising day, 1
personally identifiable student or family information must be 2
protected in accordance with state and federal privacy laws.3
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