HB5018 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB093 18640 NHT 47011 b

93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2003 and 2004
HB5018

Introduced 02/05/04, by Kevin A. McCarthy, Susana Mendoza, William B. Black, William Davis, Eileen Lyons

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Post-Secondary Early Childhood Education Articulation Act. Establishes the Higher Education Early Childhood Commission to develop a plan to ensure that early childhood courses offered at two-year colleges can be integrated into all early childhood degree programs at public four-year colleges in Illinois consistent with State and national accreditation standards. Requires adoption of the plan by public four-year colleges by December 31, 2006. Dissolves the Commission on December 31, 2010.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

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

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Post-Secondary Early Childhood Education Articulation Act.

Section 5. Definitions.

"Early childhood degree" means a degree in early childhood, including early childhood education leading to a teaching certificate, child development, or child and family studies.

"Four-year college" means a post-secondary educational institution operating in this State granting baccalaureate degrees.

"Originally enrolled students" means students who began their post-secondary studies at the college they are currently attending.

"Transfer students" means students who began their post-secondary studies elsewhere and transferred into the college.

"Two-year college" means a post-secondary educational institution operating in this State granting associate degrees.

Section 10. Higher Education Early Childhood Commission; plan.

(a) The Higher Education Early Childhood Commission is established to develop, by no later than December 31, 2005, a plan to ensure that early childhood courses offered at two-year colleges can be integrated into all early childhood degree programs at public four-year colleges in Illinois consistent with State and national accreditation standards. The Commission shall consist of the following members:

(1) Two members appointed by the administrative head of the Illinois Community College Board, one of whom shall be from an early childhood department at a community college.

(2) Two members appointed by the administrative head of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, one of whom shall be from an early childhood department at a public four-year college;

(3) Four members appointed by the Illinois Early Learning Council.

(4) One member appointed by the Governor.

(b) The Commission shall annually report on its progress to the Governor, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and the General Assembly. The Commission is dissolved on December 31, 2010.

(c) The plan shall include a recommendation of curriculum changes needed to accomplish the mandate, recommended incentives for schools to articulate coursework, recommended penalties for schools that do not comply with the mandate, and recommended grievance procedures for students who take courses that are erroneously denied transfer credit at four-year colleges.

(d) The plan shall be adopted by all public four-year colleges that offer early childhood degree programs by December 31, 2006. The plan shall include guidelines for ensuring that four-year colleges integrate early childhood courses transferred from two-year colleges into degree requirements so that transfer students are able to matriculate after transferring to a four-year college similar to comparably situated originally enrolled students.

(e) The plan shall take into consideration current efforts in addressing articulation and early childhood curriculum, including the Illinois Articulation Initiative, the Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree, and the Early Childhood Career Lattice.