HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 97

(By Delegates M. Poling, Perry, Lawrence, Barrett, Young, Sumner, Pasdon, Fragale, Moye, Pethtel, Tomblin, Walker, Williams, Ambler, Butler, Cooper, Espinosa, D. Evans, Hamrick and Rowan)

Requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to conduct a study regarding strategies for increasing the number of college graduates in the state.

    Whereas, Having a well-educated workforce is critical to the economic vitality of the state and the improved quality of life for its citizenry; and

    Whereas, West Virginia does not compare favorably among other states regarding its college completion rate nor its ACT test scores; and

    Whereas, West Virginia has a need to dramatically increase its college degree production and facilitate on-time graduation for all students through state policy change; and

    Whereas, The Legislature recognizes and supports widely-adopted best practices and strategies for addressing the college completion crisis and increasing college graduation rates; and

    Whereas, Such strategies include targeting adults to increase the educational attainment of individuals who have acquired some college credits but have not earned a degree; and

    Whereas, Such strategies include allocating state funding based on outcomes, not just enrollment; and

    Whereas, Such strategies include modifying developmental education delivery by defaulting under-prepared students into gateway courses while concurrently providing supplemental instruction; and

    Whereas, Such strategies include providing incentives for students to enroll in fifteen course credits per semester to ensure bachelor’s degree attainment in four years and associate’s degree attainment in two years; and

    Whereas, Such strategies include providing structured schedules to enable certain community and technical college students to attend college full-time, condense time commitments and shorten the time to completion; and

    Whereas, Such strategies include providing all students with a guided pathway to program completion by defaulting all students into highly structured degree plans rather than individual courses; and

    Whereas, Such strategies include ensuring maximum course credit transferability among public colleges to prevent unnecessary loss of credits; and

    Whereas, The Legislature recognizes the need to study methods for implementing such strategies and identifying any additional strategies which may be effective at improving the state’s college completion rate; and therefore, be it

    Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance is hereby requested to conduct a study regarding strategies for increasing the number of college graduates in the state; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance report to the Legislature, on the first day of the regular session, 2015, on its findings, conclusions and recommendations together with drafts of any legislation to effectuate its recommendations; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this study, to prepare a report and to draft necessary legislation be paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance.