To establish the launch year act to help students progress from high school to a certificate or degree by increasing opportunities and providing a clear pathway. The bill provides for community and technical colleges and four-year higher education institutions to publish a list of high school courses and adopt uniform scores for proficiency exams that will be given credit toward certificate or degree requirements. (Companion: SB 5616).   Official Text and Analysis.

To clarify that high school courses offering an opportunity for postsecondary credit are those advanced courses that have accompanying AP, IB, or other recognized college level proficiency exams or demonstrated competencies that are used to demonstrate postsecondary knowledge and skills. The substitute bill also clarifies that the information provided by high schools to students and families must indicate that postsecondary credit is earned only if the student earns the qualifying score on the proficiency exam or through demonstrated competencies. Finally, the substitute bill makes clear that the college courses that can be fulfilled in this way are lower division general education requirements.

Requires information provided to students and their families about opportunities for earning postsecondary credit to include information with respect to credit earned through demonstrated competencies in a career or technical program or through earning the qualifying score on a proficiency exam. The master list to be developed by the higher education institutions must include courses that can be fulfilled by taking exams and meeting the agreed upon score or demonstrated competencies for lower division credit or postsecondary professional technical requirements. An institution such as The Evergreen State College (TESC) is excused from collaboratively developing a master list of courses in recognition of the fact that it does not offer courses, but instead offers programs, and has in place a policy for awarding credit toward degree requirements. An institution such as TESC that does not have to develop a master list of courses must still include on its website and in its admissions materials the credits that can be fulfilled by proficiency examinations or demonstrated competencies.

To make several changes and additions, including to remove the requirement that institutions adopt agreed upon uniform examination scores or demonstrated competencies for lower division general education requirements or postsecondary professional technical requirements and instead requires them to agree on such scores and demonstrated competencies to the maximum extent possible. The amendment also clarifies that the qualifying scores must be included in each institution's published list, among other things.

To require all public high schools in the state to work toward the goal of offering a sufficient number of dual credit courses to give students the opportunity to earn the equivalent of one year's worth of postsecondary credit and inform students and their families about these opportunities.

Requires all public high schools in the state to work toward the goal of offering a sufficient number of dual credit courses to give students the opportunity to earn the equivalent of one year's worth of postsecondary credit and inform students and their families about these opportunities.

Requires all public high schools in the state to work toward the goal of offering a sufficient number of dual credit courses to give students the opportunity to earn the equivalent of one year's worth of postsecondary credit and inform students and their families about these opportunities.