SB3301eng 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB3301 Engrossed LRB099 20712 MLM 45341 b

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 Illinois Articulation Initiative Act.

Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly finds and declares that in January of 1993, the Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community College Board, and transfer coordinators from Illinois colleges and universities jointly launched the Illinois Articulation Initiative to ease the transfer of students among Illinois public and independent associate and baccalaureate degree-granting institutions. The General Assembly finds and declares that the Illinois Articulation Initiative was driven by the following foundational ideas:

(1) that associate and baccalaureate degree-granting institutions are equal partners in educating college freshmen and sophomores;

(2) that faculties should take primary responsibility for developing and maintaining program and course articulation; and

(3) that institutions are expected to work together to facilitate transfer for lower-division baccalaureate programs.

The General Assembly finds and declares that students have benefited by receiving the General Education Core Curriculum and transferring across institutions of higher education.

Section 10. Definition of public institution. In this Act, "public institution" means a public university or public community college in this State.

Section 15. Participation. All public institutions shall participate in the Illinois Articulation Initiative through submission and review of their courses for statewide transfer. All public institutions shall maintain a complete Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education Core Curriculum package, and all public institutions shall maintain up to 4 core courses in an Illinois Articulation Initiative major, provided the public institution has equivalent majors and courses. All public institutions shall provide faculty, as appointed by the Board of Higher Education for public universities and the Illinois Community College Board for public community colleges, to serve on panels in the review of courses.

Section 20. Course transferability.

(a) All courses approved for Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education codes must be transferable as a part of the General Education Core Curriculum package, consistent with the specific requirements of the package. All public institutions shall determine if Illinois Articulation Initiative major courses are direct course equivalents or are elective credit toward the requirements of the major. If the receiving institution does not offer the course or does not offer it at the lower-division level, the student shall receive elective lower-division major credit toward the requirements of the major for the course and may be required to take the course at the upper-division level.

(b) Students receiving the full General Education Core Curriculum package must not be required to take additional lower-division general education courses.

Section 25. Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board duties.

(a) The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall co-manage the implementation, oversight, and evaluation of the Illinois Articulation Initiative, including determining when panels must be discontinued or convened and the specific requirements of the General Education Core Curriculum. Panels must be convened across the fields of General Education, Communications, Humanities and Fine Arts, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Mathematics, and other fields as determined by the Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board.

(b) The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall provide a joint report on an annual basis to the General Assembly, the Governor, and the Illinois P-20 Council on the status of the Illinois Articulation Initiative and the implementation of this Act.