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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Post-Secondary Early Childhood Education Articulation Act .
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6 | Section 5. Definitions. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | "Early childhood degree" means a degree in early childhood, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | including early childhood education leading to a teaching | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | certificate, child development, or child and family studies.
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10 | "Four-year college" means a post-secondary educational | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | institution operating in this State granting baccalaureate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | degrees. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | "Originally enrolled students" means students who began | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | their post-secondary studies at the college they are currently | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | attending.
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16 | "Transfer students" means students who began their | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | post-secondary studies elsewhere and transferred into the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | college.
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19 | "Two-year college" means a post-secondary educational | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | institution operating in this State granting associate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | degrees.
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22 | Section 10. Higher Education Early Childhood Commission; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | plan.
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24 | (a) The Higher Education Early Childhood Commission is | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
25 | established to develop, by no later than December 31, 2005, a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 | plan to ensure that early childhood courses offered at two-year | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 | colleges can be integrated into all early childhood degree | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
28 | programs at public four-year colleges in Illinois consistent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
29 | with State and national accreditation standards. The | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
30 | Commission shall consist of the following members: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
31 | (1) Two members appointed by the administrative head of |
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1 | the Illinois Community College Board, one of whom shall be | ||||||
2 | from an early childhood department at a community college. | ||||||
3 | (2) Two members appointed by the administrative head of | ||||||
4 | the Illinois Board of Higher Education, one of whom shall | ||||||
5 | be from an early childhood department at a public four-year | ||||||
6 | college; | ||||||
7 | (3) Four members appointed by the Illinois Early | ||||||
8 | Learning Council. | ||||||
9 | (4) One member appointed by the Governor. | ||||||
10 | (b) The Commission shall annually report on its progress to | ||||||
11 | the Governor, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and the | ||||||
12 | General Assembly. The Commission is dissolved on December 31, | ||||||
13 | 2010. | ||||||
14 | (c) The plan shall include a recommendation of curriculum | ||||||
15 | changes needed to accomplish the mandate, recommended | ||||||
16 | incentives for schools to articulate coursework, recommended | ||||||
17 | penalties for schools that do not comply with the mandate, and | ||||||
18 | recommended grievance procedures for students who take courses | ||||||
19 | that are erroneously denied transfer credit at four-year | ||||||
20 | colleges.
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21 | (d)
The plan shall be adopted by all public four-year | ||||||
22 | colleges that offer early childhood degree programs by December | ||||||
23 | 31, 2006. The plan shall include guidelines for ensuring that | ||||||
24 | four-year colleges integrate early childhood courses | ||||||
25 | transferred from two-year colleges into degree requirements so | ||||||
26 | that transfer students are able to matriculate after | ||||||
27 | transferring to a four-year college similar to comparably | ||||||
28 | situated originally enrolled students.
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29 | (e)
The plan shall take into consideration current efforts | ||||||
30 | in addressing articulation and early childhood curriculum, | ||||||
31 | including the Illinois Articulation Initiative, the Associate | ||||||
32 | of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree, and the Early Childhood | ||||||
33 | Career Lattice.
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