Legislature tells state colleges to treat AP test scores the same when granting course credits

OLYMPIA – Washington’s public colleges and universities would have to treat students who have taken and passed Advanced Placement tests in high school the same, a bill that received final legislative approval says.

The bill would require the Washington Student Achievement Council to develop a policy for granting college course credits to all students who have received a minimum score of 3 on AP exams. Lawmakers were told during hearings on the bill the state’s community and four-year colleges have different policies for granting credit to students who take AP courses and pass the tests, which can cost as much as $91. Students who received credit for the AP course when they enrolled at a community college sometimes were told that credit wouldn’t count when transferring to a four-year college.

The bill now goes to Gov. Jay Inslee.