WAC 392-700-035

Student eligibility.

(1) A student is eligible to enroll in a program when they meet the following criteria:

(a) Under 21 years of age at the beginning of the school year but whose 16th birthday occurs on or before September 1st;

(b) Has not yet met the high school graduation requirements of either the district, tribal compact school, charter school, or the college under RCW28B.50.535; and

(c) At the time the student enrolls, is significantly behind in credits based on the student's cohort graduation date. The cohort graduation date is established as the end of the fourth school year after a student first enrolls in the ninth grade.

(i) A student who is more than 24 months from their cohort graduation date and has earned less than 65 percent of the high school credits expected to be earned by their cohort or has a ratio of earned credits to attempted credits that is less than 65 percent. A cohort is the group of students that enter the ninth grade in the same school year;

(ii) A student who is between 12 and 24 months from their cohort graduation date and has earned less than 70 percent of the high school credits expected to be earned by their cohort or has a ratio of earned credits to attempted credits that is less than 70 percent;

(iii) A student who is less than 12 months from their cohort graduation date or who has passed their cohort graduation date by less than 12 months and has earned less than 75 percent of the high school credits expected to be earned by their cohort or has a ratio of earned credits to attempted credits that is less than 75 percent;

(iv) A student who is passed their cohort graduation date by 12 months or more and has not met their district, tribal compact school, or charter school graduation requirements; or

(v) A student who has never attended the ninth grade and has earned zero high school credits.

(d) If determined not to be credit deficient as outlined in (c) of this subsection, has been recommended for enrollment by case managers from the department of social and health services, the juvenile justice system, a district, tribal compact school, or charter school designated school personnel, or staff from community agencies which provide educational advocacy services;

(e) Are not currently enrolled in any high school classes that receive state basic education funding, excluding an approved skill center program, a Jobs for Washington's Graduates program, running start program, or institutional education program under WAC392-122-205;

(f) Students who are claimed for state funding by a district, tribal compact school, or charter school outside the district they live in, must be released by either a choice transfer or interdistrict agreement. When a choice transfer is in place, the student's resident district as defined in WAC392-700-015(24) becomes the district operating the program.

(2) Once determined eligible for enrolling in the program, a student will retain eligibility, regardless of breaks in enrollment, until the student does one of the following:

(a) Earns a high school diploma;

(b) Earns an associate degree; or

(c) Becomes ineligible because of age which occurs when a student is 21 years of age as of September 1st.

(3) A student's eligibility does not guarantee enrollment or continued enrollment in specific programs if the program determines that the student does not meet the program's enrollment criteria or if, after enrollment, a student's academic performance or conduct does not meet established program guidelines.