Legislative Session in Review: 2025 Bills Aimed at College and Career Pathways
Most state legislatures convene annually in January and continue for a few months, wrapping up their legislative business by May or June. While some states have different schedules (continuing legislative business for longer into the year like California or only meeting every two years like Texas), All4Ed is pausing in June to look at some of the bills passed, considered, and failed now that many states have ended session for the year.
The 2025 state legislative session was in many ways a session stuck between two moments: the past and the future. Many states were still grappling with narratives started last legislative session: pushes for bills that weren’t successful but found themselves with more supporters after state elections and residual bills from national trends on hot topics like censorship of curriculum and books. Many states were also looking ahead, attempting to predict the impact the federal curtailing of support will have on state programs and policies.
For many states, and for those still in session, these sessions were fast and frantic as state legislators attempted to react to a fast-shifting national climate and reconcile budgets where too often resources fell short of vast needs across states. Many of the legislative journeys started this session did not reach a conclusion, and there is a real sense that the 2026 legislative session will be significant in many states, especially on the topic of education.
All4Ed is diving into session with a few examples of bills from the 2025 state legislative sessions across the country. To adequately dive in, we will be analyzing bills on three topics: college and career pathways, assessment and accountability, and bills related to the immigration status of students (especially those specifically intended to pose a challenge to the Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe.)
For part one in this series, we will be examining a few of the bills related to college and career pathways that caught our eye this year. Nationwide, we saw efforts to expand early college opportunities, career-connected learning, and general pathways programs, as well as efforts to offer supports for participating students such as funding and transportation aid. While not all of these bills were successful, the conversation is happening about the benefit of these programs, and we expect this to be an ongoing conversation to and through the 2026 legislative session. These bills are also often bipartisan, despite the deeply polarized political climate, giving us hope that our state legislatures can continue to answer the call of the American people and increase college and career pathways opportunities for students.
Increasing and Streamlining Pathways Funding
Reliable and efficient funding streams are critical to supporting, expanding, and iterating on college and career pathways in school districts and schools nationwide. Models that create state funding that supports district-level pathways work and efforts to fully fund dual enrollment so it is free and accessible to all students and families are critical to the long-term success of these programs.
One example this session is Colorado’s SB 315, which is intended to streamline funding for postsecondary and workforce readiness programs for high school students across the state. The bill creates three tiers of funding: the first is “start-up” funding that will be distributed for the next few academic years to every school district based on a formula. This funding is to be used to develop and implement postsecondary and workforce readiness programs. Starting in the 2028-29 budget year, “innovation” funding is available specially for school districts that are under priority improvement or turnaround plans to continue to develop and implement such programs. These funding streams are joined by
“sustain” funding, which is reimbursed to school districts for students who, in the preceding school year, successfully satisfied postsecondary credit, completed industry-recognized credentials, or work-based learning. This bill replaces some current pathways programs in Colorado in an attempt to bring the programs under one centralized funding system. The bill had bipartisan co-sponsors in both the state Senate and the House.
Kentucky also enacted HB 193, which expands dual enrollment scholarships so students can qualify for funding for 4 courses (2 CTE and 2 general education), up from only 2 courses per academic year. This bill also removes the requirement that students reimburse funds for courses not successfully completed, and makes other logistical changes to the advanced coursework scholarship program in the state.
Missouri saw a bill aimed at a smaller funding stream, transportation, fail this legislative session.
HB 1285 was aimed at covering mileage costs for students driving to and from postsecondary campuses for dual enrollment courses.
Expanding Access and Eligibility
While many states have active pathways and early college credit programs, many students do not have access because of cost, geographic limitations, and inequitable distribution of opportunities. States have made efforts in this area, seeking to ensure all school districts offer programs, increasing knowledge of opportunities among students and families, and reworking program eligibility to ensure the maximum number of students can access programs, including advanced coursework.
This legislative session, Alabama enacted two laws expanding access to pathways programs: SB 196, the Move on When Ready Act, and HB 102. The Move on When Ready Act allows eligible 11th and 12th grade students in Alabama to take all of their coursework on a postsecondary campus for both postsecondary and high school credit. This program is free of charge to the student for eligible students, with the state reimbursing the postsecondary institutions. This program is distinct from dual enrollment (also an option in Alabama), as students will be considered enrolled full time in the college (though still earning high school credit towards graduation), meaning they are not eligible to participate in extracurricular activities or other opportunities at the high school. The State Board of Education is tasked with establishing more detailed rules and regulations for the administration of the program.
HB 102 also passed and was signed by the Governor. A shorter bill, this legislation made it so all school districts are required to allow students to participate in eligible dual enrollment programs at 2- and 4-year universities in the state, but does not offer dedicated funding, so funding structures to support this work are unclear. Both bills received bipartisan support in both chambers of the state legislature.
Specifically on CTE-based dual enrollment, Washington State enacted two laws aimed at increasing access and work-based learning opportunities. HB 1722 removes rules and regulations that unintentionally barred students from participating in certain work-based learning, training, and credential programs based on age restrictions around protecting youth from unethical employment practices, while HB 1273 expands an existing pilot specifically focused on increasing access to CTE-based dual enrollment opportunities in Washington districts, including in ensuring transferability of earned credits.
Another bill out of Kentucky, HB 190, provides automatic enrollment in advanced coursework for qualifying students, directs school boards to build policies for advanced coursework in designated subject areas, and builds out a robust data reporting requirement to the state education department around advanced coursework and participants.
Lastly, Connecticut introduced SB 6869, which ultimately failed. This bill would have provided notification to parents of dual enrollment opportunities in the state, ensured high school credit for dual and concurrent enrollment courses successfully completed, developed a model agreement between postsecondary and secondary institutions, and required accreditation for dual enrollment courses. The bill would also have required reporting on dual enrollment courses and participation from participating districts to the state department of education.
Improving Transferability and Systems Alignment
To ensure students are receiving the benefits of pathways programs, they must be fully aligned to the desired college and career outcomes, including in-demand, high-skill and wage fields in the local economy. Courses must also seamlessly transfer in a meaningful way to shorten the time and cost to degrees and credentials for participating students.
In early May, Iowa enacted HF 316, which requires the state to develop a list of aligned industry-recognized credentials and a corresponding seal to designate completion on a student’s high school diploma. The law also adds a requirement for career exploration curriculum for students in grades 5 and 6.
West Virginia also enacted HB 3024, which seeks to establish infrastructure for guaranteed course transfer of certain dual enrollment and community and technical college courses. This legislation establishes a transfer and articulation advisory committee, tasked with developing a statewide articulation and guaranteed transfer agreement. This agreement is intended to guarantee the transfer of general education courses, courses associated with designated transfer pathways, and associates degrees to other postsecondary institutions in the state. This bill would cover dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate courses, among others. Through the establishment of guaranteed pathways, the state will also make available fully transferable 60-credit pathways in demand areas for the state.
A bill aimed at course transfer in Missouri was ultimately not successful this session. HB 183, would have created a general education transferable core of 60 courses in a number of key degree programs, including common course number for more seamless transferability.
While All4Ed continues to track the remaining legislative sessions in 2025, our State Policy Center features model legislation for policymakers and advocates aiming to move bills around data transparency, credit transfer, or funding advanced coursework and pathways programs. Continue to check the State Policy Center for updated information and reach out to Jenn Ellis, Director of State Government Relations (jellis@all4ed.org) for more information about technical assistance to move education policy in your state!
