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House adopts amendments to concurrent enrollment funding and standards
Summary
The House approved the first substitute to SB 81 with an amendment that clarifies course equivalency and preserves college‑level standards for concurrent enrollment; sponsors said the amendment prevents colleges from raising admissions testing standards above those required for on‑campus students and assigns funding based on who provides instruction.
On March 4 the Utah House approved first substitute Senate Bill 81, altering the state's concurrent enrollment program to clarify academic standards and funding distribution between school districts and higher education institutions.
The measure (recorded with Margaret Dayton and a House sponsor in the clerk's text) was amended on the floor by an amendment described as ensuring that college and high‑school offerings for the same campus‑based course carry the same prerequisites and that institutions cannot impose higher admission or testing thresholds for concurrent‑enrolled students than they require for their on‑campus students. Representative Dahl (named on the floor during summation) framed the changes as efforts to ‘‘refocus our efforts on ensuring that the courses offered at a high school are of a high quality, a high caliber’’ and to protect access while maintaining college‑level rigor.
Representative Holdaway and other members described concurrent enrollment as a program that helps students earn college credit early and generates state savings; floor remarks included an estimated $19,000,000 in savings attributed to concurrent enrollment since inception. Representatives asked for clarification about ninth‑ and tenth‑grade participation; sponsors said two exceptions allow participation for those students when a course is taken at an institution of higher education or when it is offered through an early college high school model.
The House recorded the first substitute's passage on the floor; the clerk announced the bill passed with 73 yes and 0 no. The amended measure will be returned to the Senate for further consideration.
