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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 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.
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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.
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3 | Section 15. Student access, eligibility, and attainment.
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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, or (ii) taking the course on a | ||||||
14 | pass-fail basis, or both. All institutional policies relating | ||||||
15 | to the academic standing of students enrolled in dual credit | ||||||
16 | courses or the transfer of credit for dual credit courses must | ||||||
17 | be made publicly available by the institution and provided to | ||||||
18 | each student enrolled in dual credit courses offered by that | ||||||
19 | institution.
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20 | Section 20. Standards. All institutions offering dual | ||||||
21 | credit courses shall meet the following standards: | ||||||
22 | (1) Instructors teaching credit-bearing college-level | ||||||
23 | courses for dual credit must meet the same academic | ||||||
24 | credential requirements as faculty teaching on campus and |
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1 | need not meet certification requirements set out in Article | ||||||
2 | 21 of the School Code. | ||||||
3 | (2) Instructors in career and technical education | ||||||
4 | courses must possess the credentials and demonstrated | ||||||
5 | teaching competencies appropriate to the field of | ||||||
6 | instruction. | ||||||
7 | (3) Students must meet the same academic criteria as | ||||||
8 | those enrolled in credit-bearing college courses, | ||||||
9 | including taking appropriate placement testing. | ||||||
10 | (4) Course content must be the same as that required | ||||||
11 | for credit-bearing college courses. | ||||||
12 | (5) Learning outcomes must be the same as for | ||||||
13 | credit-bearing college courses and be appropriately | ||||||
14 | measured. | ||||||
15 | (6) Institutions shall provide high school instructors | ||||||
16 | with an orientation in course curriculum, assessment | ||||||
17 | methods, and administrative requirements before high | ||||||
18 | school instructors are permitted to teach dual credit | ||||||
19 | courses. | ||||||
20 | (7) Dual credit instructors must be given the | ||||||
21 | opportunity to participate in all activities available to | ||||||
22 | other adjunct faculty, including professional development, | ||||||
23 | seminars, site visits, and internal communication, | ||||||
24 | provided that such opportunities do not interfere with an | ||||||
25 | instructor's regular teaching duties. | ||||||
26 | (8) Every dual credit course must be reviewed annually |
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1 | by faculty through the appropriate department to ensure | ||||||
2 | consistency with campus courses.
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3 | (9) Dual credit students must be assessed using methods | ||||||
4 | consistent with students in traditional credit-bearing | ||||||
5 | college courses.
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6 | Section 25. Oversight, review, and reporting.
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7 | (a) The Illinois Community College Board shall be | ||||||
8 | responsible for oversight and review of dual credit programs | ||||||
9 | offered jointly by public community colleges and high schools. | ||||||
10 | The Illinois Community College Board shall implement a review | ||||||
11 | process and criteria for evaluating dual credit program quality | ||||||
12 | based upon the standards enumerated in Section 20 of this Act. | ||||||
13 | (b) The Board of Higher Education shall be responsible for | ||||||
14 | oversight and review of dual credit programs offered jointly by | ||||||
15 | high schools and institutions, except for public community | ||||||
16 | colleges as provided in subsection (a) of this Section. The | ||||||
17 | Board of Higher Education shall develop and implement a review | ||||||
18 | process based on the standards enumerated in Section 20 of this | ||||||
19 | Act.
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20 | (c) Each institution shall report annually to the | ||||||
21 | appropriate agency, the Illinois Community College Board or the | ||||||
22 | Board of Higher Education. The reports shall include, but not | ||||||
23 | be limited to, the following data: | ||||||
24 | (1) Number and description of dual credit courses. | ||||||
25 | (2) Faculty teaching dual credit courses and their |
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1 | academic credentials. | ||||||
2 | (3) Enrollments in dual credit courses. | ||||||
3 | (4) Sites of dual credit offerings.
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4 | Section 30. Accountability.
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5 | (a) The State Board of Education, the Illinois Community | ||||||
6 | College Board, and the Board of Higher Education shall include | ||||||
7 | information regarding student participation and performance in | ||||||
8 | dual credit programs and their success in postsecondary | ||||||
9 | education in a statewide longitudinal data system. | ||||||
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.
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