Spring 2015
TO:
Student Services Commission and Councils
FROM:
Student Services Team
Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC)
RE:
2015 Spring State Board Report
LEGISLATIVE NEWS
2015 Legislative Session
As is State Board guidance and practice with all education bills, specifically higher education
bills, our executive director and government relations director work in tandem with our
Board, Presidents, and the Trustees, before taking positions on bills. We strive for a unified
message to best serve our system and our students. These decisions may include, but are not
limited to, securing campus leadership, campus subject matter experts, and oftentimes students to assist with
testimony—all vetted through our leadership. We are recognized by the legislature for our superb research
and data, also used extensively in testimony and work sessions. If you have a particular viewpoint on a bill,
please work through your campus administration to voice your opinion and ideas. Of course testifying as a
private citizen is your constitutional right.
The legislature has begun budget negotiations. To keep up to date with changes, follow the action with our
weekly Legislative News. Here’s the link to subscribe
CTC System Legislative Agenda, Bill Status Reports are available on SBCTC’s website at
http://www.sbctc.edu/college/l_index.aspx
Washington MESA Community College Program (MCCP)
SBCTC currently supports six community and technical colleges that operate a pilot Mathematics, Engineering,
Science Achievement (MESA) program. These colleges seek to increase the participation and completion of
under-represented students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs.
Our system has requested funds to expand the program to 20 CTCs across the state. Governor Inslee included
partial funding for this initiative in his budget to the Washington Legislature. The Operating Budget released by
the House of Representatives includes partial MESA expansion funding, appropriating funds in the second year
of the biennium. The Senate Operating Budget does not fund the expansion. The six current programs are at
these CTCs: Columbia Basin, Edmonds, Highline, Olympic, Seattle Central, and Yakima Valley. SBCTC is currently
working with Washington MESA on a draft Request for Applications (RFA) and process, pending available
funds.
2015 Spring State Board Report
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POLICY UPDATES
Competency-Based Education (CBE) Projects
Eight colleges continue to work on the CBE business degree pilot: Bellevue, Centralia, Columbia Basin (Lead),
Everett, Olympic, both Pierce College, and Tacoma. CBC plans to begin teaching students this summer. The
beginning date was slightly modified as NWCCU has required all colleges to file a substantive change for any
CBE program.
Competency – based degrees offer a short path to a degree. Students advance as soon as they master the
subject matter. Typically students move as far and fast as their proven knowledge takes them. Students are
taught by highly qualified instructors and will receive guidance from a navigator. These degrees will transfer to
four year universities enabling the student to have credit toward their four year education.
The community and technical colleges offer competency-based online workforce certificates in Information
Technology, this will be the first competency - based only degree.
For more information, curriculum maps and updates go to http://cbewa.org.
Reverse Articulation Transfer Degrees and Agreements
SBCTC is in active discussions with interested CTCs and public universities about reverse articulation/transfer
agreements. This agreement allows students to earn their associate degrees after transferring to a four-year
institution. A system-wide agreement with Western Governor’s University (WGU) is already in place, as is an
agreement between the Spokane Colleges and Eastern Washington University. An MOU with Washington State
University is in final draft form. Central Washington University has also shown interest in the project. For more
information, please contact SBCTC Director of Transfer Education Joyce Hammer at jhammer@sbctc.edu, or
Student Services Director Joe Holliday at jholliday@sbctc.edu.
Smarter Balanced Exams Update
This spring, all Washington K-12 public schools are administering the Smarter Balanced English Language Arts
(ELA) and math assessments. Grades third through eighth and grade 11 are required to complete the
assessments. The assessments are required for federal accountability reporting and it replaces previous
assessments used in Washington. The Smarter Balanced assessment system was developed to assess the new
Common Core State Standards in math and ELA that Washington has adopted as part of its state K-12 Learning
Standards. See the background material below for more information about the Smarter Balanced Assessment
Consortium.
Per federal requirements, districts are expected to have at least a 95% student participation rate. This includes
Running Start (RS) students; the only exceptions are students who are homeschooled but who enroll at the
district for the sole purpose of participating in RS. It is the school district’s responsibility to notify RS students
of this expectation; districts are being strongly encouraged to provide flexible options for these students to be
able to take the assessments.
Colleges are encouraged to let high schools, in their service area, know that if students do have a conflict with
a college class it is the high schools responsibility to make arrangements with their faculty for making up
absences or assignments. If college faculty or staff members get questions from RS students about the process,
please tell them to refer the students to their assigned high school counselor or the district assessment
coordinator.
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You may have heard concerns already about the demands that the assessment process will place on students’
time. For your information, and to help address questions and concerns, you should be aware of the actual
time requirements as well as its options for administration. Within the designated time window noted below,
the nature of the assessment allows for great flexibility for districts to coordinate their assessment efforts as
resources and student availability allows:
 The time window for administering the assessments in high schools is April 6 through June 15 (with a
scheduled downtime from April 17-19).
 The Smarter Balanced summative 11th grade assessment is computer adaptive and administered
almost entirely online.
 The total amount of time required to complete the assessments (math and ELA) is an estimated 8 ½
hours (the assessments are untimed, so the estimates are based on field testing with students);
 One hour of the total involves a group activity for each content area (roughly 30 minutes each)
designed to provide students with context for the performance task portions of the assessment;
Going forward, OSPI and SBCTC will be examining other possible approaches to address the issues at a system
level. We recognize that this first round of assessments for high school juniors, including Running Start
students, may reveal some unanticipated challenges. Your patience is appreciated. If you have additional
questions or would like further information about Smarter Balanced, please contact Bill Moore, SBCTC,
Director of K-12 Partnerships, bmoore@sbctc.edu, 360-704-4346.
Also as a reminder, public higher education institutions in Washington also support the use of the Smarter
Balanced Assessments to evaluate student learning, including readiness for entry-level college coursework in
mathematics and English language arts.
To that end, the six public baccalaureate institutions and the community and technical college system have
agreed to use 11th grade Smarter Balanced Assessment scores of level 3 or 4 to enroll first-year college
students who have been admitted into entry-level college math and English courses without further
placement testing. In addition to the specific terms of the agreement, all of the institutions encourage
students with college-ready scores in the 11th grade to take additional rigorous courses in 12th grade;
including college-level courses for college credit (see Smarter Balanced Assessment Agreement).
TECHNOLOGY
Tacoma Community College and the Spokane District Colleges continue to lead the way in the system
conversion. Follow the progress at ctcLink Connect.
COLLEGE BOUND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
The third class of College Bound Scholarship students arrived on your campus last fall. The fourth class is
heading your way soon. As a reminder, the College Bound Scholarship students receive college tuition and a
yearly $500 book allowance. To qualify as a College Bound scholar, student must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Begin recruiting the next class now. The Washington Student Achievement Council can provide you with an
EXCEL spreadsheet the following information about the College Bound Scholarship students in your area:


Name (Last, First)
Mailing address
2015 Spring State Board Report
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

Email address
High school attending
Please contact Chris Richmond, christinar@wsac.wa.gov or 360.753-7785 for your list of College Bound
students.
LEGISLATIVE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
SBCTC’s first-ever student legislative interns completed their term in winter, 2015. Robert Lasker of Pierce
College-Fort Steilacoom and Alexandra Minea of Highline College were responsible for tracking legislative
proposals, advocating for two-year college student priorities and interacting with elected officials. They
participated in numerous legislative committee hearings where they provided frequent testimony and ensured
that community and technical college (CTC) students were represented throughout the legislative session. The
Legislative intern program is a partnership with the SBCTC and the Council of Unions and Student Programs
(CUSP). The internship program was in a pilot phase this year and an assessment is being completed this spring
to determine its future direction.
WORKING FAMILIES SUCCESS NETWORK (WFSN)
Washington community colleges commit to implementing the WFSN strategy to support more low-income
students and their families achieve their academic and financial goals.
The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges has partnered with four community colleges – Big
Bend, Clark, Highline and Walla Walla – to help implement the strategy to promote postsecondary completion
for students whose economic challenges can thwart their academic and career goals. The strategy is used at
more than 100 sites in the nation to help low-income individuals and families achieve financial stability.
The WFSN strategy involves intentionally integrating and sequencing three distinct but related services:
Education and employment advancement—education, job readiness, training, and placement;
Income and work supports—access to student financial aid, public benefits, tax credits, and free tax
assistance; and
Financial services and asset building—financial education and coaching linked to affordable products and
services to help families build self-sufficiency, stabilize their finances, and become more economically
competitive.
REPORTS
2013-14 Academic Year Report
Fall Quarter Report (2014)
Community and Technical College Student Access and Success by Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status,
2014 Progress Report
UPCOMING CONFERENCES & EVENTS
Assessment and Teaching and Learning Conference (ATL)
April 29-May 1, 2015
Spokane Convention and Agricultural Center
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CUSP Student Voice Academy
May 8-9, 2015
Clark College Vancouver, Washington
Multicultural Student Services Director (MSSDC) Spring Meeting
May 13-14, 2015
Clark College
Washington Campus Children’s Center Coalitions (WCCCC) Spring Meeting
May 13-14, 2015
Clark College & Menucha, Oregon
WaACRAO Conference
August 6, 2015
Bellingham Technical College
Save the Date-SBCTC’s Best Practices Exchange
Oct. 27, 2015
Clover Park Technical College, McGavick Conference Center