96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB1079

 

Introduced 2/11/2009, by Rep. Roger L. Eddy - Kevin A. McCarthy - William B. Black

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Dual Credit Quality Act. Requires the Illinois Community College Board and the Board of Higher Education to develop policies to permit multiple appropriate measures using differentiated assessment for granting eligibility for dual credit to students (a dual credit course being a college course taken by a high school student for credit at both the college and high school level). Sets forth provisions concerning policies to protect the academic standing of students who are not successful in dual credit courses, standards that institutions of higher learning must meet if offering dual credit courses, oversight and review of dual credit programs, and a statewide longitudinal data system to identify high school students who participate in dual credit courses and track their success in high school and postsecondary education.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning education.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Dual
5 Credit Quality Act.
 
6     Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
7     "Dual credit course" means a college course taken by a high
8 school student for credit at both the college and high school
9 level.
10     "Institution" means an "institution of higher learning" as
11 defined in the Higher Education Student Assistance Act.
 
12     Section 10. Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to
13 accomplish all of the following:
14         (1) To reduce college costs.
15         (2) To speed time to degree completion.
16         (3) To improve the curriculum for high school students
17     and the alignment of the curriculum with college and
18     workplace expectations.
19         (4) To facilitate the transition between high school
20     and college.
21         (5) To enhance communication between high schools and
22     colleges.

 

 

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1         (6) To offer opportunities for improving degree
2     attainment for underserved student populations.
 
3     Section 15. Student access, eligibility, and attainment.
4     (a) The Illinois Community College Board and the Board of
5 Higher Education shall develop policies to permit multiple
6 appropriate measures using differentiated assessment for
7 granting eligibility for dual credit to students. The measures
8 developed shall ensure that a student is prepared for any
9 coursework in which the student enrolls.
10     (b) Institutions may adopt policies to protect the academic
11 standing of students who are not successful in dual credit
12 courses, including, but not limited to, options for (i) late
13 withdrawal from a course, (ii) taking the course on a pass-fail
14 basis, or (iii) switching to traditional high school course
15 credit. All institutional policies relating to the academic
16 standing of students enrolled in dual credit courses or the
17 transfer of credit for dual credit courses must be made
18 publicly available by the institution and provided to each
19 student enrolled in dual credit courses offered by that
20 institution.
 
21     Section 20. Standards. All institutions offering dual
22 credit courses shall meet the following standards:
23         (1) Instructors in dual credit courses must meet the
24     same academic credential requirements as faculty teaching

 

 

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1     credit-bearing college courses.
2         (2) Instructors in career and technical education
3     courses must possess the credentials and demonstrated
4     teaching competencies appropriate to the field of
5     instruction.
6         (3) Students must meet the same academic criteria as
7     those enrolled in credit-bearing college courses,
8     including taking appropriate placement testing.
9         (4) Course content must be the same as that required
10     for credit-bearing college courses.
11         (5) Learning outcomes must be the same as for
12     credit-bearing college courses and be appropriately
13     measured.
14         (6) Institutions shall provide high school instructors
15     with an orientation in course curriculum, assessment
16     methods, and administrative requirements before high
17     school instructors are permitted to teach dual credit
18     courses.
19         (7) Dual credit instructors must be given the
20     opportunity to participate in all activities available to
21     other adjunct faculty, including professional development,
22     seminars, site visits, and internal communication,
23     provided that such opportunities do not interfere with an
24     instructor's regular teaching duties.
25         (8) Every dual credit course must be reviewed annually
26     by faculty through the appropriate department to ensure

 

 

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1     consistency with campus courses.
2         (9) Dual credit students must be assessed using methods
3     consistent with students in traditional credit-bearing
4     college courses.
 
5     Section 25. Oversight, review, and reporting.
6     (a) The Illinois Community College Board shall be
7 responsible for oversight and review of dual credit programs
8 offered jointly by public community colleges and high schools.
9 The Illinois Community College Board shall implement a review
10 process and criteria for evaluating dual credit program quality
11 based upon the standards enumerated in Section 20 of this Act.
12     (b) The Board of Higher Education shall be responsible for
13 oversight and review of dual credit programs offered jointly by
14 high schools and institutions, except for public community
15 colleges as provided in subsection (a) of this Section. The
16 Board of Higher Education shall develop and implement a review
17 process based on the standards enumerated in Section 20 of this
18 Act.
19     (c) Each institution shall report annually to the
20 appropriate agency, the Illinois Community College Board or the
21 Board of Higher Education. The reports shall include, but not
22 be limited to, the following data:
23         (1) Number and description of dual credit courses.
24         (2) Faculty teaching dual credit courses and their
25     academic credentials.

 

 

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1         (3) Enrollments in dual credit courses.
2         (4) Sites of dual credit offerings.
 
3     Section 30. Accountability.
4     (a) The State Board of Education, the Illinois Community
5 College Board, and the Board of Higher Education shall
6 coordinate the development of a statewide longitudinal data
7 system to identify high school students who participate in dual
8 credit courses and track their success in high school and
9 postsecondary education.
10     (b) The data system shall track dual credit students and
11 courses on student records.
12     (c) Analysis of data relating to student success in dual
13 credit courses as well as performance in postsecondary
14 education must be incorporated into the evaluation of dual
15 credit programs in both high school and college.