Committee approves amendments and gives favorable report to bill allowing some 11th–12th graders to begin college coursework

Senate Bill 196, carried in committee by Senator Orr, would allow a narrowly defined group of 11th- or 12th-grade students who are ready for college work to enroll in higher education without first receiving a high-school diploma and have those credits reported back to the high school.

Orr said the program is aimed at a small subset of students — not traditional dual enrollees — who want to begin college coursework early and later report credits back to graduate from high school if they meet requirements. He described two friendly amendments: one from the superintendents’ association to clarify that students who move on cannot participate in high-school extracurricular activities, and a second, longer amendment drafted with input from other stakeholders to strengthen the bill’s implementation.

Committee members asked several questions about extracurricular eligibility, subject-matter alignment of college credits with high-school course requirements, and how funding would follow students. Senator Orr said Georgia had used a model where K–12 funding followed the child to college but noted Alabama would need to address funding in rulemaking or a special appropriation; he said conversations were planned with college presidents about expanding dual-enrollment funding. Representative Drummond expressed support for the bill as a means of helping students who are falling through the educational net; others, including Representative Woods and Representative Duvos, voiced support as well.

The committee adopted both amendments by voice vote. Representative Drummond moved to give SB 196 a favorable report as amended; Representative Woods seconded the motion. The committee gave the bill a favorable report as amended by voice vote. Senator Orr said the bill’s effective date is set for July 1, 2026 to allow time for rulemaking and funding arrangements.