HB3328 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB103 05266 RJT 50284 b

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB3328

Introduced 2/17/2023, by Rep. Jackie Haas

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

110 ILCS 805/3-80 new

Amends the Public Community College Act. Allows the board of trustees of a community college district to establish and offer a baccalaureate-level early childhood education program and confer a bachelor of applied science degree in early childhood education and a Professional Educator License with endorsements in early childhood education and early childhood special education under certain conditions. Provides for an application for approval from the Illinois Community College Board. Sets forth college requirements and prohibitions. Provides that a candidate for educator licensure must successfully complete applicable testing requirements prior to the issuance of an educator license and any endorsements. Provides for a statewide evaluation of such programs. To prevent the duplication of services and programs, requires the board of trustees to describe how the proposed program fills a gap in the early childhood education degree programs offered by other institutions of higher education. Allows other institutions of higher education to comment on the proposed program, and offers the community college the opportunity to respond to the comments. Prohibits the Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board from authorizing a community college baccalaureate-level degree program in any additional field of study prior to the publication of the statewide evaluation of community college baccalaureate programs in early childhood education. Makes other changes.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Public Community College Act is amended by adding Section 3-80 as follows:

(110 ILCS 805/3-80 new)

Sec. 3-80. Early childhood education bachelor of applied science degree.

(a) Illinois faces a shortage of qualified early childhood educators, with high vacancy rates in child care centers, community-based early childhood programs, and school-based classrooms across the State. Beyond addressing the current need, growing federal and State commitments to expanding early childhood services, including the recommendations put forth in the Governor's Illinois Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Funding report in March 2021, suggests that Illinois must be prepared to meet the growing demand for a qualified workforce to deliver these services in the coming years.

To meet this growing demand, the Illinois higher education system must support our incumbent early childhood workforce through credential and degree attainment. The workforce is overwhelmingly made up of women and women of color, and many are balancing full-time employment, family needs, and other responsibilities. Often, traditional bachelor degree programs are not accessible to place-bound, full-time working parents.

In Illinois, there is a history of partnership among early childhood providers, stakeholders, and higher education to identify workforce needs and strategies to help promote access to higher education and degree completion among the workforce. Illinois institutions of higher education have taken steps to demonstrate a commitment to the early childhood field, as well as underserved student populations. Hybrid program models, cohort program models, and scholarships and financial incentives for students help to promote access to many early childhood degree programs in Illinois.

Over the past 2 decades, Illinois has attempted numerous strategies to develop and support partnerships among institutions of higher education that are focused on the State's early childhood workforce. Through these broader initiatives, as well as many individual local partnerships, community colleges and public and private universities have worked to implement articulation agreements, credit transfer agreements, and program delivery models, although not all partnerships have been maintained. Such initiatives include all of the following:

(1) In 2004, Illinois developed the Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree model to promote articulation among 2-year and 4-year institutions of higher education. However, with the challenges in credit transfer contributing to the limited viability and success of the degree model, the State Board stopped approving the AAT degree model and has worked across the higher education system to discontinue these programs.

(2) In 2013, Illinois dedicated federal Race to the Top funds to create the Early Childhood Educator Preparation Program Innovation (EPPI) Grant program. Among other goals, the EPPI Grant program aimed to foster the creation or further development of partnerships between 2-year and 4-year preparation programs between institutions of higher education, promote articulation and alignment of curriculum between 2-year and 4-year programs, and support early childhood educator preparation programs in designing curriculum to incorporate new State standards and program requirements. While the EPPI Grant program led to some effective partnerships that still remain intact today, program evaluations found varying levels of partnership and that, in many cases, successful agreements were contingent upon individual relationships or individual leaders within institutions.

(3) Through the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI), there are 3 early childhood courses approved for articulation among participating institutions. More than 100 Illinois colleges and universities participate in the IAI, though challenges with inconsistent participation and recognition do exist.

(4) Most recently, the creation of competency-based education components for early childhood education will help ensure that higher education and credential programs are designed to prepare early childhood educators to demonstrate the same critical core competencies. The emphasis on core competencies could improve educator preparedness and could ease credit transfer and articulation processes moving forward.

These programs and partnerships continue to benefit many early childhood education students across the State, but overall, these efforts have not produced adequate early childhood degrees to meet the demands in the field. These types of initiatives are highly contingent upon relationships and partnerships between specific institutions and are often impacted if an institution experiences turnover or program changes. Furthermore, these partnerships often do not address the geographic, structural, and economic barriers the incumbent workforce often faces in accessing bachelor's degree programs while working full-time in the field. These ongoing challenges are not new and have been noted in the development of these previous efforts.

As noted in the provisions of Public Act 101-654, the General Assembly recognizes the critical role of the early childhood workforce and, in response to challenges, including staffing shortages and barriers to higher education, calls upon the Board of Higher Education to better meet the needs of the early childhood workforce.

Illinois must seek evidence-based, systemic solutions to expand access to and completion of early childhood bachelor degrees, including the community college baccalaureate degree pathway pursuant to this Section. This pathway would complement existing and future innovations in higher education, including potential statewide consortium efforts, all aimed at expanding access to degree pathways and completion.

(b) A board of trustees may establish and offer a baccalaureate-level early childhood education program and confer a bachelor of applied science degree in early childhood education and a Professional Educator License with endorsements in early childhood education and early childhood special education if all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The board meets all of the requirements as set forth in subsection (c) of this Section and has been approved by the State Board to offer a bachelor of applied science degree in early childhood education.

(2) After the program has been approved by the State Board, the Board of Higher Education shall consider the program for approval in a manner consistent with new bachelor's degree programs at public and private universities in this State.

(3) The program has been approved by the State Board of Education, pursuant to Section 21B-105 of the School Code and 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.Subpart C.

(4) The board has identified and documented, in writing, unmet early childhood workforce needs. The State Board may develop guidance on documentation, which may include traditional labor market data, employer surveys, community needs assessments, or additional available data sources. The board shall publish on its Internet website and make publicly available the documentation and shall present the documentation to the State Board.

(5) The board meets all applicable accreditation requirements of the Higher Learning Commission.

(6) The State Board has declared a shortage pursuant to subsection (k).

(c) The board shall demonstrate that the community college district has the expertise, resources, and student interest to establish and offer a baccalaureate-level early childhood education program. An application for approval from the State Board shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(1) The board shall describe the labor market need as specified in paragraph (4) of subsection (b) of this Section.

(2) The board shall describe the program's purpose, its target population, related occupations, and career paths. The board shall describe how the program aligns with any relevant State or local strategic plans and initiatives.

(3) To prevent the duplication of services and programs, the board shall describe how the proposed program fills a gap in the early childhood education degree programs offered by other institutions of higher education by addressing all of the following:

(A) If there are any existing early childhood education bachelor degree programs offered in the surrounding region.

(B) If a similar bachelor's degree program is offered in the surrounding region, how the proposed program would complement rather than duplicate any existing programs in order to meet additional, unmet needs.

(C) If there are any current partnerships with other institutions of higher education created to promote access and transfer for early childhood education students. If there are current partnerships with other institutions of higher education, the board shall describe the partnership and how the proposed program will complement the efforts of its existing partnerships and transfer agreements.

(D) How the proposed program will fill a gap in services for the target population. This may include program design, student support, affordability, or other relevant information.

(4) The board shall demonstrate student interest in the proposed program.

(5) The board shall demonstrate that the community college has developed quality curricula that align with federal, State, and local requirements and will prepare graduates with the appropriate level of skill to meet their educational goals.

(6) The board shall verify the community college has the fiscal resources in place or has budgeted for financial support for the program in a cost-effective manner.

(7) The board shall (i) identify and document the faculty available at the community college for teaching the degree program and, if applicable, (ii) provide proof of an agreement that the board has entered into with an institution of higher education to share faculty to support the degree program at the community college. The board shall include the number of full-time faculty anticipated to teach in the program and a description of their qualifications (including highest degree earned), teaching experience, professional experience, and licenses held. The board must also indicate how faculty are to be evaluated.

(d) All institutions of higher education that offer associate degrees or bachelor's degrees shall be informed of the proposed community college baccalaureate-level degree program and shall be given the opportunity to comment on the proposed program. The State Board shall develop the process for notification and comment regarding the proposed program. This process shall allow for the community college proposing the program to be provided with the comments received. The community college shall be given the opportunity to respond to comments by providing clarification or proposed changes to the State Board and the Board of Higher Education.

(e) A community college district is prohibited from using semester credit hours generated in a baccalaureate degree program for grants received pursuant to Section 2-16.02 of this Act.

(f) A community college offering educator licensure must establish standards and procedures for the denial of recommendation for licensure, in compliance with Section 21B-95 of the School Code.

(g) A candidate for educator licensure must successfully complete the applicable testing requirements under Section 21B-30 of the School Code and any corresponding administrative rules prior to the issuance of an educator license and any endorsements.

(h) The community college district shall offer and maintain an associate degree in early childhood education or a related field.

(i) The State Board shall conduct a statewide evaluation of all programs established under this Section. The results of the evaluation shall be reported, in writing, on or before July 1, 2030 to all of the following:

(1) The Board of Higher Education.

(2) The Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(3) The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

(4) The President of the Senate.

(5) The Minority Leader of the Senate.

(6) The Governor's Office of Management and Budget.

The evaluation shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(A) The number of new programs established under this Section, including information identifying applicants, admissions, enrollments, demographic characteristics of students, and degree recipients.

(B) The extent to which the programs established under this Section fulfill identified workforce needs.

(C) Which community college districts applied for a program but were denied and why were they denied.

(D) The cost of each program, the funding sources that were used to finance the program, and the average cost to attain a bachelor's degree under the program.

(E) Time-to-degree rates and completion rates for each new program established under this Section.

(F) The extent to which the programs established under this Section are in compliance with the requirements of this Section.

Boards of trustees shall submit the information necessary to conduct the evaluation required under this subsection (i), as determined by the evaluators, to the State Board.

(j) Prior to the publication of the statewide evaluation of community college baccalaureate programs in early childhood education as described in subsection (i) of this Section, the Board of Higher Education and the State Board may not authorize a community college baccalaureate-level degree program in any additional field of study.

(k) The State Board shall annually investigate and determine whether there is a shortage in qualified early childhood educators.

(l) If the State Board determines that there is not a shortage in qualified early childhood educators, then a community college offering a baccalaureate-level degree program under this Section shall continue to operate the degree program until all previously enrolled students have either graduated or withdrawn from the degree program and may not accept new students into the degree program.