CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
HOUSE BILL 2110
Chapter 66, Laws of 2024
68th Legislature
2024 Regular Session
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION—STATUTORY REORGANIZATION
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 6, 2024
Passed by the House February 8, 2024 CERTIFICATE
Yeas 97 Nays 0
I, Bernard Dean, Chief Clerk of the
House of Representatives of the
LAURIE JINKINS State of Washington, do hereby
Speaker of the House of certify that the attached is HOUSE
Representatives BILL 2110 as passed by the House of
Representatives and the Senate on
the dates hereon set forth.
Passed by the Senate February 29,
2024 BERNARD DEAN
Yeas 46 Nays 0 Chief Clerk
DENNY HECK
President of the Senate
Approved March 13, 2024 2:10 PM FILED
March 14, 2024
Secretary of State
JAY INSLEE State of Washington
Governor of the State of Washington
 HOUSE BILL 2110
Passed Legislature - 2024 Regular Session
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2024 Regular Session
By Representatives Nance, Simmons, Callan, Lekanoff, and Reeves
Prefiled 01/03/24. Read first time 01/08/24. Referred to Committee
on Education.
1 AN ACT Relating to reorganizing statutory requirements governing
2 high school graduation by reordering requirements, making
3 nonsubstantive revisions, and removing expired provisions; amending
4 RCW 28A.230.090, 28A.655.260, 28A.230.212, 28A.230.300, 28A.230.320,
5 28A.150.220, 28A.300.900, 28A.300.750, and 28A.305.130; reenacting
6 and amending RCW 28A.655.250; adding new sections to chapter 28A.230
7 RCW; and recodifying RCW 28A.320.208, 28A.655.250, and 28A.655.260.
8 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
9 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28A.230
10 RCW to read as follows:
11 (1) The purpose of a high school diploma is to declare that a
12 student is ready for success in postsecondary education, gainful
13 employment, and citizenship, and is equipped with the skills to be a
14 lifelong learner.
15 (2) Except as provided in RCW 28A.230.320, graduation from a
16 public high school and the earning of a high school diploma must
17 include the following:
18 (a) Satisfying the graduation requirements established by the
19 state board of education under RCW 28A.230.090 and any graduation
20 requirements established by the applicable public high school or
21 school district;
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 1 (b) Satisfying credit and subject area requirements for
2 graduation;
3 (c) Demonstrating career and college readiness through completion
4 of the high school and beyond plan required by RCW 28A.230.212; and
5 (d) Meeting the requirements of at least one graduation pathway
6 option required by RCW 28A.655.250 (as recodified by this act).
7 (3) Successful completion of the requirements in subsection (2)
8 of this section signals a student's readiness to graduate with a
9 meaningful high school diploma that fulfills the purpose of a diploma
10 as established by this section.
11 Sec. 2. RCW 28A.230.090 and 2023 c 271 s 2 are each amended to
12 read as follows:
13 (1) ((The)) In accordance with statutory authority of the state
14 board of education provided in RCW 28A.305.130(4), the state board of
15 education shall establish high school graduation requirements or
16 equivalencies for students, except as provided in RCW 28A.230.122 and
17 28A.655.250 (as recodified by this act) and except those
18 equivalencies established by local high schools or school districts
19 under RCW 28A.230.097. ((The purpose of a high school diploma is to
20 declare that a student is ready for success in postsecondary
21 education, gainful employment, and citizenship, and is equipped with
22 the skills to be a lifelong learner.
23 (a) Any course in Washington state history and government used to
24 fulfill high school graduation requirements shall consider including
25 information on the culture, history, and government of the American
26 Indian peoples who were the first inhabitants of the state.
27 (b) Except as provided otherwise in this subsection, the
28 certificate of academic achievement requirements under RCW
29 28A.655.061 or the certificate of individual achievement requirements
30 under RCW 28A.155.045 are required for graduation from a public high
31 school but are not the only requirements for graduation. The
32 requirement to earn a certificate of academic achievement to qualify
33 for graduation from a public high school concludes with the
34 graduating class of 2019. The obligation of qualifying students to
35 earn a certificate of individual achievement as a prerequisite for
36 graduation from a public high school concludes with the graduating
37 class of 2021.
38 (c) Each student must have a high school and beyond plan to guide
39 the student's high school experience and inform course taking that is
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 1 aligned with the student's goals for education or training and career
2 after high school as provided for under RCW 28A.230.212 and
3 28A.230.215. Any decision on whether a student has met the state
4 board's high school graduation requirements for a high school and
5 beyond plan shall remain at the local level. Effective with the
6 graduating class of 2015, the state board of education may not
7 establish a requirement for students to complete a culminating
8 project for graduation. A district may establish additional, local
9 requirements for a high school and beyond plan to serve the needs and
10 interests of its students and the purposes of this section.
11 (d)(i))) (2)(a) The state board of education shall adopt rules to
12 implement the career and college ready graduation requirement
13 proposal adopted under board resolution on November 10, 2010, and
14 revised on January 9, 2014, to take effect beginning with the
15 graduating class of 2019 or as otherwise provided in this subsection
16 (((1)(d))) (2). The rules must include authorization for a school
17 district to waive up to two credits for individual students based on
18 a student's circumstances, provided that none of the waived credits
19 are identified as mandatory core credits by the state board of
20 education. School districts must adhere to written policies
21 authorizing the waivers that must be adopted by each board of
22 directors of a school district that grants diplomas. The rules must
23 also provide that the content of the third credit of mathematics and
24 the content of the third credit of science may be chosen by the
25 student based on the student's interests and high school and beyond
26 plan with agreement of the student's parent or guardian or agreement
27 of the school counselor or principal, or as provided in RCW
28 28A.230.300(4).
29 (((ii))) (b) School districts may apply to the state board of
30 education for a waiver to implement the career and college ready
31 graduation requirement proposal beginning with the graduating class
32 of 2020 or 2021 instead of the graduating class of 2019. In the
33 application, a school district must describe why the waiver is being
34 requested, the specific impediments preventing timely implementation,
35 and efforts that will be taken to achieve implementation with the
36 graduating class proposed under the waiver. The state board of
37 education shall grant a waiver under this subsection (((1)(d)))
38 (2)(b) to an applying school district at the next subsequent meeting
39 of the board after receiving an application.
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 1 (((2)(a) In recognition of the statutory authority of the state
2 board of education to establish and enforce minimum high school
3 graduation requirements, the state board shall periodically
4 reevaluate the graduation requirements and shall report such findings
5 to the legislature in a timely manner as determined by the state
6 board.
7 (b) The state board shall reevaluate the graduation requirements
8 for students enrolled in vocationally intensive and rigorous career
9 and technical education programs, particularly those programs that
10 lead to a certificate or credential that is state or nationally
11 recognized. The purpose of the evaluation is to ensure that students
12 enrolled in these programs have sufficient opportunity to complete
13 the program and earn the program's certificate or credential, and
14 complete other state and local graduation requirements.
15 (c) The state board shall forward any proposed changes to the
16 high school graduation requirements to the education committees of
17 the legislature for review. The legislature shall have the
18 opportunity to act during a regular legislative session before the
19 changes are adopted through administrative rule by the state board.
20 Changes that have a fiscal impact on school districts, as identified
21 by a fiscal analysis prepared by the office of the superintendent of
22 public instruction, shall take effect only if formally authorized and
23 funded by the legislature through the omnibus appropriations act or
24 other enacted legislation.
25 (3) Pursuant to any requirement for instruction in languages
26 other than English established by the state board of education or a
27 local school district, or both, for purposes of high school
28 graduation, students who receive instruction in American sign
29 language or one or more American Indian languages shall be considered
30 to have satisfied the state or local school district graduation
31 requirement for instruction in one or more languages other than
32 English.
33 (4) Unless requested otherwise by the student and the student's
34 family, a student who has completed high school courses before
35 attending high school shall be given high school credit which shall
36 be applied to fulfilling high school graduation requirements if:
37 (a) The course was taken with high school students, if the
38 academic level of the course exceeds the requirements for seventh and
39 eighth grade classes, and the student has successfully passed by
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 1 completing the same course requirements and examinations as the high
2 school students enrolled in the class; or
3 (b) The academic level of the course exceeds the requirements for
4 seventh and eighth grade classes and the course would qualify for
5 high school credit, because the course is similar or equivalent to a
6 course offered at a high school in the district as determined by the
7 school district board of directors.
8 (5) Students who have taken and successfully completed high
9 school courses under the circumstances in subsection (4) of this
10 section shall not be required to take an additional competency
11 examination or perform any other additional assignment to receive
12 credit.
13 (6) At the college or university level, five quarter or three
14 semester hours equals one high school credit.))
15 Graduation requirements established by the state board of
16 education may not obligate students to complete a culminating project
17 as a graduation prerequisite.
18 (3) In accordance with the duties required by subsection (1) of
19 this section, the state board of education shall also:
20 (a) Periodically reevaluate the graduation requirements and shall
21 report such findings to the legislature in a timely manner as
22 determined by the state board of education;
23 (b) Reevaluate the graduation requirements for students enrolled
24 in vocationally intensive and rigorous career and technical education
25 programs, particularly those programs that lead to a certificate or
26 credential that is state or nationally recognized. The purpose of the
27 evaluation is to ensure that students enrolled in these programs have
28 sufficient opportunity to complete the program and earn the program's
29 certificate or credential, and complete other state and local
30 graduation requirements; and
31 (c) Forward any proposed changes to graduation requirements to
32 the education committees of the legislature for review. The
33 legislature shall have the opportunity to act during a regular
34 legislative session before proposed changes may be adopted by rule of
35 the state board of education. Changes that have a fiscal impact on
36 school districts, as identified by a fiscal analysis prepared by the
37 office of the superintendent of public instruction, may take effect
38 only if authorized and funded through the omnibus appropriations act
39 or other enacted legislation.
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 1 NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 28A.230
2 RCW to read as follows:
3 (1) Any course in Washington state history and government used to
4 fulfill high school graduation requirements established by the state
5 board of education shall consider including information on the
6 culture, history, and government of the American Indian peoples who
7 were the first inhabitants of the state.
8 (2) Pursuant to any requirement for instruction in languages
9 other than English established by the state board of education or a
10 local school district, or both, for purposes of high school
11 graduation, students who receive instruction in American sign
12 language or one or more American Indian languages shall be considered
13 to have satisfied the state or local school district graduation
14 requirement for instruction in one or more languages other than
15 English.
16 NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 28A.230
17 RCW to read as follows:
18 (1) Unless requested otherwise by the student and the student's
19 family, a student who has completed high school courses before
20 attending high school must be given high school credit that is
21 applied to fulfilling high school graduation requirements if:
22 (a) The course was taken with high school students, if the
23 academic level of the course exceeds the requirements for seventh and
24 eighth grade classes, and the student has successfully passed by
25 completing the same course requirements and examinations as the high
26 school students enrolled in the class; or
27 (b) The academic level of the course exceeds the requirements for
28 seventh and eighth grade classes and the course would qualify for
29 high school credit, because the course is similar or equivalent to a
30 course offered at a high school in the district as determined by the
31 school district board of directors.
32 (2) Students who have taken and successfully completed high
33 school courses under the circumstances in subsection (1) of this
34 section may not be required to take an additional competency
35 examination or perform any other additional assignment to receive
36 credit.
37 (3) At the college or university level, five quarter or three
38 semester hours equals one high school credit.
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 1 Sec. 5. RCW 28A.655.250 and 2023 c 349 s 2 and 2023 c 271 s 10
2 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
3 (1)(((a) Beginning with the class of 2020, except as provided in
4 RCW 28A.230.320, graduation from a public high school and the earning
5 of a high school diploma must include the following:
6 (i) Satisfying the graduation requirements established by the
7 state board of education under RCW 28A.230.090 and any graduation
8 requirements established by the applicable public high school or
9 school district;
10 (ii) Satisfying credit requirements for graduation;
11 (iii) Demonstrating career and college readiness through
12 completion of the high school and beyond plan as required by RCW
13 28A.230.090 and in accordance with RCW 28A.230.212 and 28A.230.215;
14 and
15 (iv) Meeting the requirements of at least one graduation pathway
16 option established in this section.
17 (b) Successful completion of the components in (a) of this
18 subsection together signals a student's readiness to graduate with a
19 meaningful high school diploma that fulfills the diploma purpose
20 established in RCW 28A.230.090.
21 (2))) Each student graduating from a public high school and
22 earning a high school diploma must meet the requirements of at least
23 one graduation pathway option established in this section. The
24 graduation pathway options ((established in this section)) are
25 intended to provide a student with multiple ways, including test-
26 based, course-based, and performance-based options, to demonstrate
27 readiness in furtherance of the student's individual goals for high
28 school and beyond. For the purposes of this section, "demonstrate
29 readiness" means the student meets or exceeds state learning
30 standar