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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1303 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 923
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Brendan P. Crighton
_________________
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 college in high school.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Brendan P. CrightonThird EssexManny Cruz7th Essex2/28/2025 1 of 11
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1303 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 923
By Mr. Crighton, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 923) of Brendan P. Crighton and
Manny Cruz for legislation relative to college credits while attending high school. Higher
Education.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 818 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
_______________
An Act relative to college in high school.
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. Section 9B of chapter 15A, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is
2amended by adding the following after the word “commonwealth” in line 6: “or any college in
3high school program administered pursuant to section 37 of chapter 69.”
4 SECTION 2. Section 16 of chapter 15A is amended by adding the following after the
5word “nursing” in line 5: “or any college in high school program administered pursuant to
6section 37 of chapter 69,”
7 SECTION 3. Chapter 15A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
8section 39 the following section:- 2 of 11
9 Section 39A. (a) All public institutions of higher education shall develop written policies
10and procedures for accepting for the purposes of course credit to satisfy degree requirements
11certain scores on the College Board’s advanced placement examinations, successful completion
12of college in high school courses as provided in section 37 of chapter 69, successful completion
13of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, or and successful completion of dual
14enrollment courses. In the said policy, the institution shall:
15 (1) establish its conditions for granting course credit, including the minimum required
16scores on Advanced Placement examinations and examinations for courses constituting the
17International Baccalaureate Diploma Program; and
18 (2) establish whether credit will be granted for general education, major or elective
19requirements at the institution; and
20 (3) include procedures related to the transferability of these credits to another institution
21of higher education.
22 (b) On request of an applicant for admission as an entering student, a public institution of
23higher education, based on information provided by the applicant, shall determine and notify the
24applicant regarding:
25 (1) the amount and type of any course credit that would be granted to the applicant under
26the policy required in subsection (a); and
27 (2) any other academic requirement that the applicant would satisfy under the policy.
28 (c) All policies and procedures governing the award of credit shall be posted on the
29institution’s website under the category of admission, which the institution shall update as 3 of 11
30necessary to reflect any changes in policies and procedures. In addition, each institution shall
31submit its policies and procedures, or any changes thereto, to the department of higher education
32which shall post each institution’s policies and procedures on the department’s website.
33 (d) The board of higher education, in cooperation with the board of trustees of each
34public institution including the University of Massachusetts, shall annually review the college in
35high school course-granting policies of each public institution of higher education in accordance
36with the requirements of this section and file a report with its findings and any recommendations
37with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives and chairs of the joint committee on
38higher education not later than July 1. Each public institution of higher education shall provide
39the board of higher education with all necessary data, in accordance with the federal Family
40Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, to conduct the analysis.
41 SECTION 4. Chapter 29 of the General Law is hereby amended by inserting after section
422CCCCC the following new section:-
43 Section 2DDDDD. (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the
44commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Massachusetts College in High School Trust
45Fund. The fund shall be administered by the commissioner of the department of elementary and
46secondary education, in consultation with the commissioner of the department of higher
47education. The fund shall be credited with: (i) revenue from appropriations or other money
48authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) interest
49earned on such revenues; and (iii) funds from public and private sources such as gifts, grants, and
50donations to further the rates of student preparedness for workforce and postgraduate success. 4 of 11
51Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation and any money
52remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund.
53 (b) Amounts credited to the fund may focus on underserved communities across the
54Commonwealth, including those school districts with high concentrations of economically
55disadvantaged students.
56 (c) Amounts received from private sources shall be approved by the commissioner of
57elementary and secondary education and subject to review before being deposited in the fund to
58ensure that pledged funds are not accompanied by conditions, explicit or implicit, on the
59implementation of college in high school programming that may be detrimental to the neutral
60education policy. The review shall be made publicly available.
61 (d) Annually, not later than October 1, the commissioner shall report to the clerks of the
62house of representatives and senate, the joint committee on education, the joint committee on
63higher education, and the house and senate committees on ways and means on the fund's activity.
64The report shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the source and amount of funds received; (ii)
65the amounts distributed and the purpose of expenditures from the fund, including but not limited
66to, funds expended to assist school districts in meeting the requirements in section 37 of chapter
6769; (iii) any grants provided to institutions of higher education and other stakeholder
68organizations; and (iv) anticipated revenue and expenditure projections for the next year.
69 SECTION 5. Chapter 69 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
70section 36 the following two sections:-
71 Section 37. (a) There shall be a Massachusetts Office of College in High School, herein
72the office. The office shall be overseen by the commissioner of the department of elementary and 5 of 11
73secondary education in consultation with the commissioner of the department of higher
74education. The office will administer high school programs that expand student access to college
75and postsecondary opportunities through high-quality instructional programming, hereinafter
76referred to as college in high school, in order to increase the rates of student success in
77postsecondary attainment and in the workforce. All programs established under this section shall:
78 (1) Offer a coherent sequence of courses that allows a student to earn a high school
79diploma and achieve at least one of the following:
80 (i) the accumulation of transferable college credits; provided that, academic courses that
81count for college credit shall be those agreed to by the institutions of higher education
82participating in the partnership with the high school,
83 (ii) an industry-recognized credential or certificate, including those determined to be
84necessary for occupations with high employment value as defined in section 38 of this chapter;
85or
86 (iii) participation in a registered apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, or apprentice
87readiness program;
88 (2) Prepare students adequately for future success in the workforce or in an institution of
89higher education;
90 (3) Encourage the cooperative or shared use of resources, personnel and facilities
91between public high schools, public and independent colleges or universities and employers; 6 of 11
92 (4) Emphasize parental involvement and provide consistent counseling, advising and
93parent conferencing so that parents and students can make responsible decisions regarding course
94selection and can track the student's academic progress and success;
95 (5) Develop methods for early identification of potential participating students in the
96middle grades and through high school and provide outreach to those students to promote
97academic preparation and awareness of college in high school programs; and
98 (6) Develop strategies to identify and engage underserved populations including by
99income, race, ethnicity, sex, English language learner status and students with disabilities.
100 (b) The office shall oversee all necessary college in high school programs, including but
101not limited to programs that incorporate one or more of the following: (1) early college; (2) dual
102enrollment; (3) industry-recognized credentialing in high school, including those for credentials
103determined to be necessary for occupations with high employment value as defined in section 38
104of this chapter; (4) advanced placement; (5) international baccalaureate programs; or (6) other
105approaches for college and career programs. The office shall develop and, as needed, refine all
106college in high school program designations offered in the Commonwealth and shall have the
107authority to set and raise credit attainment targets, recommend any designations to be awarded to
108applicants, administer all aspects of state support for the programs, track and report on the
109performance of participants in the aggregate and identify and pursue further innovative
110approaches. Academic courses that count for college credit shall be those agreed to by the
111institutions of higher education participating in any partnership with the high school.
112 (c) Pursuant to regulations to be promulgated by the board, all high schools shall offer an
113affordable college in high school program to students before the completion of their 12th grade 7 of 11
114year that incorporates one or more of the following: (1) early college; (2) dual enrollment; (3)
115industry-recognized credentialing in high school; (4) advanced placement courses; (5)
116international baccalaureate programs; or (6) other approaches for college and career programs.
117 (d) There shall be a College in High School Joint Committee, hereinafter the CIHS Joint
118Committee, charged with governing and overseeing the work of the office and making
119recommendations to the board of elementary and secondary education and the board of higher
120education. The CIHS Joint Committee shall develop recommendations that include but are not
121limited to the following: (1) helping drive the commonwealth’s efforts to grow and expand
122college in high school programs; (2) assisting the office in establishing and monitoring robust
123performance requirements and targeted enrollments for all participating programs statewide and
124(3) aiding the office in identifying and certifying new college in high school programs. The
125CIHS Joint Committee shall consist of the secretary of the executive office of education or a
126designee; the commissioner of the department of elementary and secondary education or
127designee; the commissioner of the department of higher education or designee; two members of
128the board of elementary and secondary education, who shall be appointed by the chair of the
129board of elementary and secondary education; and two members of the board of higher
130education, who shall be appointed by the chair of the board of higher education.
131 (e) The office shall create and annually review a set of per-credit charges that the public
132and private institutions of higher education participating in a designated college in high school
133program require for providing credit-earning courses. The per-credit charge may be subject to
134factors, including but not limited to: (1) the segment of colleges offering certain courses; (2) the
135site where the course is taught; (3) whether the course has extra costs associated with enrollment
136and (4) whether there are minimum numbers of participating students per section offered. 8 of 11
137 (f) The office may develop, subject to the approval of the CIHS Joint Committee,
138recommendations for college in high school programs to continue to enroll participating students
139to extend and expand their graduation requirements such that they may continue to be considered
140students of the high school for purposes of chapter 70 calculations for up to two more years in
141order to complete certificates, degrees or up to two years of transferable credit to a four-year
142college.
143 (g) The office shall propose a budget to the commissioner of the department of
144elementary and secondary education that reflects the goals and objectives of the office.
145 (h) The college in high school programs shall be open to all enrolled students, on a space
146available basis, and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, sex,
147gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, age, ancestry, special
148needs, proficiency in the English language or academic achievement. A lottery shall be held if
149more students apply than can be accommodated.
150 (i) The office shall establish the information and requirements it deems necessary to be
151included in any application for designation as a college in high school program in order to ensure
152a high-quality and rigorous college in high school program. The office, after consultation with
153the department of higher education, shall establish standards for approving and designating
154college in high school programs.
155 (j) Where required, each designated college in high school program shall enter into an
156agreement with at least one postsecondary institution that provides students with opportunities to
157receive postsecondary credits during the student's participation in the program. Partner high
158schools and colleges shall work together to ensure that college credits automatically transfer to 9 of 11
159Massachusetts public postsecondary institutions upon completion of the program and admittance
160to one of those public institutions. In addition, partnering high schools and colleges should
161reduce barriers to college and consider automatic admission to the participating college upon
162successful completion of the college in high school program. The agreement shall establish how
163the program will be sustainable on current funding plus any anticipated annual state supplement
164for designated college in high school programs as well as the designated duties for the high
165school, in the areas of program coordination, student support, faculty support, career partnership
166coordination and performance monitoring.
167 (k) Designation as a college in high school program shall be for an initial period of five
168years, subject to review after the first three years, and renewable subject to performance. The
169department of elementary and secondary education shall, subject to appropriation, provide
170additional funding to designated programs for each participating student.
171 (l) Annually, by December 31, each college in high school program shall file a report
172with the commissioner of the department of elementary and secondary education and the
173commissioner of higher education, on performance measures, including, but not limited to the
174following categories:
175 (i) high school graduation rates of participating students;
176 (ii) percentage of participating students who complete the program;
177 (iii) percentage of participating students who gain any postsecondary credits;
178 (iv) credits earned by participating students in college in high school programs, including
179the percentage of each program incorporating early college to gain at least 12 credits; 10 of 11
180 (v) percentage of participating students in a 6-year cohort who attain postsecondary
181degrees; and
182 (vi) college and career outcomes of participating students.
183 The commissioners shall prepare an aggregate report for the senate and house chairs of
184the joint committee on higher education, and the joint committee on education.
185 (m) The office shall propose, subject to approval by the CIHS Joint Committee and the
186boards of elementary and secondary education and higher education, multi-year goals for the
187commonwealth for the attainment of college degrees and qualifying, industry-recognized
188certificates for students participating in college in high school programs. Such goals shall include
189overall goals as well as goals for historically underserved populations including by income, race,
190ethnicity, sex, English language learner status and students with disabilities. Goals should
191include statewide-, district-, and school-level goals. The office shall be responsible for ensuring
192annual, timely public reporting of progress statewide and by district and school towards those
193goals.
194 (n) The office shall establish a publicly accessible online dashboard using data from the
195reports filed pursuant to subsections (g) and (h) of the section to generate information on each
196college in high school program. The purpose of the dashboard shall be to create user-friendly
197displays of the overall success of the individual programs in achieving the goals and shall be
198written in terms understandable to the general public and to help students and their families
199identify available college in high school opportunities.
200 SECTION 6. Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following
201section:- 11 of 11
202 Section 98. All public high school students shall complete and submit a free application
203for federal student aid or an application with the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority.
204The Massachusetts Office of College in High School, established in section 37 of chapter 69,
205shall promulgate regulations and provide guidelines for implementation of this subsection,
206subject to the approval of the board of elementary and secondary education. A student is not
207required to comply with this section if: (1) the student’s parent or legal guardian submits a signed
208form indicating that the parent or legal guardian authorizes the student to decline to complete and
209submit the financial aid application; or (2) the student signs and submits a form on the student’s
210own behalf if the student is 18 years of age or older.
211 SECTION 7. The commissioner may expend funds from the Twenty-First Century
212Education Trust Fund established in section 35NNN of chapter 10 for college in high school
213programs.
214 SECTION 8. The first annual report required under section 38 of chapter 69, established
215in section 2 of this act shall be submitted no later than December 31, 2027.