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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1522 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 838
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Michael O. Moore
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to advanced placement examinations.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Michael O. MooreSecond WorcesterJohn J. CroninWorcester and Middlesex2/13/2023James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol2/13/2023James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester2/22/2023Adam GomezHampden3/2/2023Hannah Kane11th Worcester3/2/2023 1 of 2
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1522 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 838
By Mr. Moore, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 838) of Michael O. Moore, John J.
Cronin, James K. Hawkins, James B. Eldridge and other members of the General Court for
legislation relative to advance placement examinations. Higher Education.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 849 OF 2021-2022.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act relative to advanced placement examinations.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 15A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition
2is hereby amended by inserting after section 39 the following section:-
3 Section 39A. (a) All public institutions of higher education, as set forth in section 5, shall
4develop and adopt written policies and procedures to accept a score of three, four, and five on all
5advanced placement examinations to satisfy degree requirements. The policies shall indicate
6whether the credit shall be granted for general education, major, or elective requirements at the
7institution, and shall include procedures related to the transferability of these credits to another
8institution of higher education. An institution may not require an exam score of more than three
9unless the chief academic officer provides evidence that the higher score is necessary for a
10student to be successful in a related or more advanced course for which the lower-division course 2 of 2
11is a prerequisite. The department of higher education shall provide guidance on what constitutes
12as evidence for an institution to require an examination score of more than three.
13 (b) All policies and procedures governing the award of credit shall be posted on the
14institution’s website under the category of admission, which the institution shall update as
15necessary to reflect any changes in policies and procedures. In addition, each institution shall
16submit its policies and procedures, or any changes thereto, to the department of higher education
17who shall post each institution’s policies and procedures, or changes thereto, on the department’s
18website.
19 (c) The board of higher education, and in the case of the University of Massachusetts, in
20cooperation with the board of trustees of the University of Massachusetts, shall annually review
21the advanced placement examination score course granting policies of each institution of higher
22education and any evidence supporting policies requiring scores above 3 in accordance with the
23requirements of this section, and report its findings, evidence supporting scores above 3, and any
24recommendations with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives, and the chairs of
25the joint committee on higher education not later than July 1. Each institution of higher education
26shall provide the board of higher education, and in the case of the University of Massachusetts,
27its board of trustees, with all necessary data, in accordance with the federal Family Educational
28Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, to conduct the analysis.
29 SECTION 2. The first annual report required by subsection (c) of section 39A of chapter
3015A of the General Laws shall be published not later than July 1, 2023.
31 SECTION 3. Section 1 shall take effect no later than 3 months after the effective date of
32this act.