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The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
"Board" means the state board for community and technical colleges.
"Eligible degree or certificate program" means:
Professional and technical programs that lead to a recognized postsecondary credential; or
Apprenticeship programs established pursuant to chapter 49.04 RCW and conducted in association with any community or technical college.
"Gift aid" means financial aid received from the federal Pell grant, the state need grant program under chapter 28B.92 RCW, the college bound scholarship program under chapter 28B.118 RCW, the opportunity grant program under chapter 28B.50 RCW, the opportunity scholarship program under chapter 28B.145 RCW, or any other state grant or scholarship program that provides funds for educational purposes with no obligation of repayment. "Gift aid" does not include student loans and work-study programs.
"Guarantee" means the Washington 13 free guarantee.
"Office" means the office of student financial assistance.
"Recipient" means an eligible student who has been awarded the guarantee.
"Resident student" means a student who is a resident student as defined in RCW 28B.15.012.
"Technical college" includes those public institutions of higher education with the mission of conducting workforce education, basic skills, literacy programs, and programs that meet specific industry needs.
The Washington 13 free guarantee is established to provide up to 45 credits of tuition-free technical college for eligible students regardless of income beginning in the 2027-28 academic year. The office shall implement and administer the guarantee and is authorized to establish rules necessary for implementation of the guarantee.
The value of the award is the difference between the recipient's tuition fees as defined in RCW 28B.15.020 and services and activities fees as defined in RCW 28B.15.041, less the value of any state-funded grant, scholarship, gift aid, and waiver assistance the recipient receives, for up to 45 credits to be earned within two academic years.
To be eligible for the guarantee, a resident student must:
Have graduated high school from a public high school in the state of Washington or earned a high school equivalency certificate, as described in RCW 28B.50.536, in the same or immediately preceding academic year in which the student enrolls in any technical college;
Not have previously earned an associate's degree;
Be enrolled at least part time in a technical college in an eligible degree or certificate program; and
Complete the free application for federal student aid or the Washington application for state financial aid for the academic year in which the student seeks eligibility for the guarantee.
Qualifications for receipt and renewal of the guarantee include maintaining satisfactory academic progress toward completion of an eligible degree or certificate program as determined by the office and established in rule.
Beginning in the 2027-28 academic year, each technical college must designate a staff member to provide student support and coordinate wraparound services for recipients to reduce or help to reduce barriers that threaten completion of eligible degree or certificate programs. Support and wraparound services under this section may be provided no longer than the recipient receives benefits under the guarantee.
The office and the board may adopt, and revise as necessary, rules to implement this chapter.
School districts are encouraged to facilitate one-on-one meetings between counselors and students in the 12th grade whose income status is at or below 70 percent of the state median family income for the purposes of explaining their award options under the Washington college grant created in RCW 28B.92.200 and the Washington 13 free guarantee established under section 2 of this act. Income status may be determined by the free application for federal student aid, qualification to receive free or reduced-price lunch, eligibility for the college bound scholarship program established in chapter 28B.118 RCW, or other criteria established in an institution's policy.
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Beginning with the 2020-21 school year, all school districts with a high school must provide a financial aid advising day, as defined in RCW 28A.300.815.
Districts must provide both a financial aid advising day and notification of financial aid opportunities at the beginning of each school year to parents and guardians of any student entering the twelfth grade. The notification must include information regarding:
The eligibility requirements of the Washington college grant and the Washington 13 free guarantee established under section 2 of this act;
The requirements of the financial aid advising day;
The process for opting out of the financial aid advising day; and
Any community-based resources available to assist parents and guardians in understanding the requirements of and how to complete the free application for federal student aid and the Washington application for state financial aid.
Districts may administer the financial aid advising day, as defined in RCW 28A.300.815, in accordance with information-sharing requirements set in the high school and beyond plan in RCW 28A.230.212 and 28A.230.215.
The Washington state school directors' association, with assistance from the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the Washington student achievement council, shall develop a model policy and procedure that school district board of directors may adopt. The model policy and procedure must describe minimum standards for a financial aid advising day as defined in RCW 28A.300.815.
School districts are encouraged to engage in the Washington student achievement council's financial aid advising training.
The office of the superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules for the implementation of this section.
Subject to availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the college board shall administer a free application for federal student aid and Washington application for state financial aid outreach and completion initiative pilot program.
The college board shall select community or technical colleges to participate in the pilot program. The colleges selected to participate must each be located within educational service districts that are in the bottom two for free application for federal student aid completion rates when combining their respective school districts' free application for federal student aid completion rates over the past three completed academic years prior to June 9, 2022. Colleges selected to participate shall employ outreach specialists to work directly with the high schools located in the corresponding educational service district. It is the legislature's intent that the outreach specialists be employed at a ratio of one to 600 high school seniors within the corresponding educational service district. The outreach specialists shall make significant contact with high school students and their families for the purpose of increasing free application for federal student aid and Washington application for state financial aid completion rates. The outreach specialists shall use the free application for federal student aid and Washington application for state financial aid data maintained by the student achievement council to conduct targeted outreach and free application for federal student aid and Washington application for state financial aid completion assistance to high school seniors. The outreach specialists shall also provide information on how to access private scholarships and, for eligible seniors, award options under the Washington 13 free guarantee. The outreach specialists shall conduct other outreach as appropriate, including virtual or in-person presentations with students and families, announcements on school intercoms and social media channels, outreach to recent high school graduates as peer messengers, and events at school college or career fairs.
The college board shall report annually to the appropriate committees of the legislature in accordance with RCW 43.01.036 beginning December 1, 2023, on the free application for federal student aid and Washington application for state financial aid outreach and completion initiative pilot program. The report must include details on how the colleges selected used the funding and how the initiatives worked to increase free application for federal student aid and Washington application for state financial aid completion rates. The report must also include before and after free application for federal student aid and Washington application for state financial aid completion data and specific details about the number of high school students assisted in completing the free application for federal student aid and Washington application for state financial aid.
Each student must have a high school and beyond plan to guide the student's high school experience and inform course taking that is aligned with the student's goals for education or training and career after high school.
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By grade seven, each student must be administered a career interest and skills inventory which is intended to be used to inform grade eight course taking and development of an initial high school and beyond plan. No later than grade eight, each student must have begun development of a high school and beyond plan that includes a proposed plan for first-year high school courses aligned with graduation requirements and secondary and postsecondary goals.
For each student who has not earned a score of level 3 or 4 on the middle school mathematics assessment identified in RCW 28A.655.070 by grade nine, the high school and beyond plan must be updated to ensure that the student takes a mathematics course in both grades nine and 10. These courses may include career and technical education equivalencies in mathematics adopted pursuant to RCW 28A.230.097.
With staff support, students must update their high school and beyond plan annually, at a minimum, to review academic progress and inform future course taking.
The high school and beyond plan must be updated in grade 10 to ensure student access to advanced course options per the district's academic acceleration policy in RCW 28A.320.195, assess progress toward identified goals, and revised as necessary for changing interests, goals, and needs.
Each school district shall provide students who have not met the standard on state assessments or who are behind in completion of credits or graduation pathway options with the opportunity to access interventions and academic supports, courses, or both, designed to enable students to meet all high school graduation requirements. The parents or legal guardians shall be notified about these opportunities as included in the student's high school and beyond plan, preferably through a student-led conference, including the parents or legal guardians, and at least annually until the student is on track to graduate.
For students with an individualized education program, the high school and beyond plan must be developed and updated in alignment with their school to postschool transition plan. The high school and beyond plan must be developed and updated in a similar manner and with similar school personnel as for all other students.
School districts shall involve parents and legal guardians to the greatest extent feasible in the process of developing and updating the high school and beyond plan.
High school and beyond plans must be provided to students and their parents or legal guardians in a language the students and parents or legal guardians understand and in accordance with the school district's language access policy and procedures as required under chapter 28A.183 RCW, which may require language assistance for students and parents or legal guardians with limited English proficiency.
School districts must annually provide students in grades eight through 12, and their parents or legal guardians, with comprehensive information about the graduation pathway options offered by the district and are strongly encouraged to begin providing this information to students in grade six. School districts must provide this information in a manner that conforms with the school district's language access policy and procedures as required under chapter 28A.183 RCW.
School districts are strongly encouraged to partner with student serving, community-based organizations that support career and college exploration and preparation for postsecondary and career pathways. Partnerships may include high school and beyond plan coordination and planning, data-sharing agreements, and safe and secure access to individual student's high school and beyond plans.
All high school and beyond plans must, at a minimum, include the following elements:
Identification of career goals and interests, aided by a skills and interest assessment;
Identification of secondary and postsecondary education and training goals;
An academic plan for course taking that:
Informs students about course options for satisfying state and local graduation requirements;
Satisfies state and local graduation requirements;
Aligns with the student's secondary and postsecondary goals, which can include education, training, and career preparation;
Identifies available advanced course sequences per the school district's academic acceleration policy, as described in RCW 28A.320.195, that include dual credit courses or other programs and are aligned with the student's postsecondary goals;
Informs students about the potential impacts of their course selections on postsecondary opportunities;
Identifies available career and technical education equivalency courses that can satisfy core subject area graduation requirements under RCW 28A.230.097;
If applicable, identifies career and technical education and work-based learning opportunities that can lead to technical college certifications and apprenticeships; and
If applicable, identifies opportunities for credit recovery and acceleration, including partial and mastery-based credit accrual to eliminate barriers for on-time grade level progression and graduation per RCW 28A.320.192;
Evidence that the student has received the following information on federal and state financial aid programs that help pay for the costs of a postsecondary program:
Beginning in grade nine and each academic year thereafter, the college bound scholarship program established in chapter 28B.118 RCW, the Washington college grant created in RCW 28B.92.200, the Washington 13 free guarantee established in section 2 of this act, and other scholarship opportunities;
The documentation necessary for completing state and federal financial aid applications; application timeliness and submission deadlines; and the importance of submitting applications early;
Information specific to students who are or have been the subject of a dependency proceeding pursuant to chapter 13.34 RCW, who are or are at risk of being homeless, and whose family member or legal guardian will be required to provide financial and tax information necessary to complete applications;
Opportunities to participate in advising days and seminars that assist students and, when necessary, their parents or legal guardians, with filling out financial aid applications in accordance with RCW 28A.300.815; and
A sample financial aid letter and a link to the financial aid calculator created in RCW 28B.77.280; and
Any decision on whether a student has met the state board of education's requirements for a high school and beyond plan shall remain at the local level, and a school district may establish additional, local requirements for a high school and beyond plan to serve the needs and interests of its students and the purposes of this section.
The state board of education shall adopt rules to implement this section.
This act may be known and cited as the Washington 13 free guarantee act.