SECTION 1. 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.

(a) 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.

(b) All policies and procedures governing the award of credit shall be posted on the institution’s website under the category of admission which the institution shall update as necessary to reflect any changes in policies and procedures. In addition, each institution shall submit its policies and procedures, or any changes thereto, to the department of higher education who shall post each institution’s policies and procedures, or changes thereto, on the department’s website.

(c) The board of higher education, in cooperation with the university of Massachusetts board of trustees, shall annually review the advanced placement examination score course granting policy of each institution of higher education in accordance with the requirements of this section and report its findings and recommendations with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives and the chairs of the joint committee on higher education not later than July 1. 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 required by subsection (d) of section 39A of chapter 15A of the General Laws shall be published not later than July 1, 2019.

SECTION 3. Section 1 shall take effect no later than 3 months after the effective date of this act.