House Bill 25-1038

BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Hamrick and Johnson, Bacon, Bird, Boesenecker, Brown, Froelich, Garcia, Jackson, Lieder, Lindsay, Lukens, Marshall, Phillips, Ricks, Rutinel, Rydin, Sirota, Smith, Stewart K., Story, Titone;

also SENATOR(S) Marchman and Baisley, Bridges, Bright, Carson, Catlin, Cutter, Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Kolker, Michaelson Jenet, Wallace, Winter F.

Concerning the implementation of an online platform to provide students pursuing postsecondary education with information about academic credit transfers.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 1.  In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 23-1-125.5 as follows:

23-1-125.5.  Department directive - statewide transfer credit online platform - funding - definitions. (1)  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a)  "Advanced placement exam" means the final examination administered at the completion of a course that delivers a college-level curriculum in a particular field of study and that may result in awarding postsecondary academic credit based on the score achieved on the end-of-course examination.

(b)  "College level examination program exam" or "CLEP exam" means a standardized test created and administered by the College Board that may result in awarding postsecondary academic credit based on the score achieved. A test taker who has acquired comprehensive subject knowledge through independent or prior study, on-the-job training, or cultural pursuits may demonstrate an understanding of college-level material by achieving a certain score on the CLEP exam.

(c)  "DANTES Subject Standardized Test" or "DSST" means a credit-by-examination, subject matter test originated by the United States department of defense's Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) program that may result in awarding postsecondary academic credit.

(d)  "General education course" means a lower-division course offered by an institution that any degree-seeking student enrolled at the institution must successfully complete in order to obtain an associate or a bachelor's degree from the institution.

(e)  "Guaranteed transfer pathway matrix" means a group of general education courses or lower-division courses required for a specific program at the institution that every student enrolled in the specific program at the institution must successfully complete in order to transfer to or from an institution and that has equivalent learning outcomes as the same level of courses offered by another institution.

(f)  "Institution of higher education" or "institution" means a state institution of higher education as defined in section 23-18-102 (10)(a), a local district college created pursuant to article 71 of this title 23, or an area technical college as defined in section 23-60-103.

(g)  "International baccalaureate" means a program of international education offered to high school students by a nonprofit educational foundation that may result in awarding postsecondary academic credit.

(h)  "Lower-division course" means a course numbered from one hundred to two hundred ninety-nine or one thousand to two thousand nine hundred ninety-nine.

(i)  "Reverse transfer" means a process that permits students who transferred from a two-year institution to a four-year institution to combine credits and apply the credits toward an associate degree from the two-year institution.

(j)  "Statewide transfer articulation agreement" means an agreement among all of the state institutions of higher education for the transfer of an associate of arts or an associate of science degree. A statewide transfer articulation agreement applies to common degree programs and specifies the common terms, conditions, and expectations for a student enrolled in a statewide degree transfer program.

(2)  Subject to available appropriations or money from other sources, the department shall develop, implement, manage, and maintain a free, publicly accessible online platform to provide a current or potential student pursuing postsecondary education in Colorado with relevant information to assist the student in understanding which credits and courses, work-related experiences, and prior learning opportunities, as awarded postsecondary academic credit, are transferable to or between the state's institutions.

(3) (a)  On or before January 1, 2026, an institution may submit to the department for inclusion in the online platform:

(I)  A comprehensive record of the institution's awards of postsecondary transfer credit for each semester or term beginning with the fall 2023 semester or term for all courses that the institution has identified through the institution's current transfer and course articulation process as having learning outcomes equivalent to corresponding courses at other Colorado institutions; and

(II)  Descriptions of the institution's policy on work-related experiences or work-based learning, the institution's policy on prior learning opportunities, and the industry-recognized credentials, licenses, or apprenticeship certificates for which the institution awards postsecondary academic credit, including learning opportunities from work-related experience for which the institution awards postsecondary academic credit for courses in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix or a statewide transfer articulation agreement described pursuant to section 23-5-145.5.

(b)  To ensure the accuracy of the information reflected in the online platform, each institution may update the information identified in subsection (3)(a) of this section on a schedule to be ongoing as determined by the department in consultation with the institutions.

(4)  Using statewide data provided by institutions, the department shall include in the online platform, pending the availability of data, information about the transferability to or between institutions for the following sources of postsecondary academic credit:

(a)  All courses in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix system;

(b)  All courses in statewide transfer articulation agreement pathways;

(c)  All reverse transfer courses;

(d)  All advanced placement exam cut-off scores demonstrating the level of proficiency required for a student to receive general education credit in a course in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix;

(e)  All international baccalaureate exam cut-off scores demonstrating the level of proficiency required for a student to receive general education credit in a course in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix;

(f)  All CLEP exam cut-off scores demonstrating the level of proficiency required for a student to receive general education credit in a course in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix; and

(g)  All DSST exam cut-off scores demonstrating the level of proficiency required for a student to receive general education credit in a course in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix.

(5)  The department shall design and implement a statewide database to store and organize the information obtained pursuant to subsections (3) and (4) of this section to populate the online platform.

(6)  A private institution of higher education, as defined in section 23-18-102, may, but is not required to, submit applicable information pursuant to subsections (3) and (4) of this section for inclusion in the online platform.

(7)  The department shall review existing transfer resources and policies of institutions of higher education and participating private institutions of higher education to inform the development of the online platform.

(8)  The department shall work with institutions of higher education and participating private institutions of higher education to test the functionality of the online platform and the accuracy of the online platform's content before publication.

(9)  As a resource for prospective students, information published on the online platform does not constitute a guarantee of admission to an institution or a guarantee that a first-time or transfer student meets criteria for admission established pursuant to section 23-1-113 or institution policy.

(10)  The department may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from private or public sources for the purposes of the development, implementation, management, and maintenance of the online platform. The department shall transmit all money received through gifts, grants, or donations to the state treasurer, who shall credit the money to the postsecondary transfer credit platform cash fund, which fund is created in the state treasury. The fund consists of gifts, grants, or donations credited to the fund and any other money that the general assembly may appropriate or transfer to the fund. The state treasurer shall credit all interest and income derived from the deposit and investment of money in the postsecondary transfer credit platform cash fund to the fund. Subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly, the department may expend money from the fund for the purposes of this section.

SECTION 2.  Act subject to petition - effective date. This act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.