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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3267 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1432
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Judith A. Garcia
_________________
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 and college credit.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Judith A. Garcia11th Suffolk1/17/2025 1 of 3
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3267 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1432
By Representative Garcia of Chelsea, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1432) of
Judith A. Garcia relative to advanced placement examinations and college credit. Higher
Education.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 4265 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
_______________
An Act relative to advanced placement examinations and college credit.
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 is hereby amended by inserting after
2section 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 3
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 policies requiring scores
24above 3, and any recommendations with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives,
25and the chairs of the joint committee on higher education not later than July 1. Each institution of
26higher education shall provide the board of higher education, and in the case of the University of
27Massachusetts, its board of trustees, with all necessary data, in accordance with the federal
28Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, to conduct the analysis.
29 (d) All policies and procedures governing the award of credit shall be posted in an easily
30accessible location on the institution’s website. The institution shall update the website as
31necessary to reflect any changes in policies and procedures. Each institution shall submit its 3 of 3
32policies and procedures, and any changes, to the department which shall post a summary of each
33institution’s policies and procedures on the department’s website.
34 SECTION 2. The first annual report required by subsection (c) of section 39A of chapter
3515A of the General Laws shall be published not later than July 1, 2025.
36 SECTION 3. The department shall determine when section 1 shall take effect, but it shall
37be no later than one year after enactment.