Chapter 15A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 39 the following section:-

Section 39A. Advanced Placement Examination; post-secondary level course credit.

(b) Not later than September 1, 2017, a score of three, four, and five on the College Board advanced placement examinations shall be accepted for credit to satisfy degree requirements by all public institutions of higher education, as defined by section 5 of chapter 15A of the General Laws. The department of higher education shall determine, for each examination, whether the credit will be granted for electives, general education requirements, or major requirements; provided however, that credit awarded shall be transferable to another institution of higher education and shall be counted toward the requirements for completing a degree; and provided further that no cap shall be placed on the amount of credits earned by a student per the provisions of this section. 

(c) Not later than September 1, 2017, the board of higher education and each public institution of higher education shall clearly publish its advanced placement examination grade granting policy in accordance with the requirements of this section on the department and each school’s website.

(d) Annually, by July 1, the board of higher education, in cooperation with the university of Massachusetts board of trustees, shall review the advanced placement examination score course granting policy of each institution of higher education in accordance with the requirements of this section and file a report that includes findings and recommendations with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives and the senate and house chairs of the joint committee on higher education. Each institution of higher education shall provide the board of higher education and the university of Massachusetts board of trustees with all necessary data, in accordance with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, to conduct the analysis.

SECTION 2. The first annual report shall be submitted pursuant to subsection (d) of section 39A of chapter 15A of the General Laws not later than July 1, 2019.