103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB5020

 

Introduced 2/8/2024, by Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
110 ILCS 27/5
110 ILCS 27/16
110 ILCS 27/19
110 ILCS 27/20
110 ILCS 27/25
110 ILCS 27/45 new

    Amends the Dual Credit Quality Act. Makes changes concerning high school and community college partnership agreements, the Dual Credit Committee, instructor and other standards for dual credit courses, and the data in reports made by institutions of higher learning. Provides that a Dual Credit Instructor Endorsement Framework shall be developed through a committee involving collaboration between the Illinois Community College Board and the State Board of Education by December 31, 2024. Sets forth the membership of the committee. Provides that the Framework shall establish criteria for evaluating instructors on the basis of academic credentials, progress toward academic credentials, equivalent experience, or some combination of these. Sets forth what the criteria shall include and what the Framework may do. Effective immediately.


LRB103 36165 RJT 66257 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5020LRB103 36165 RJT 66257 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Dual Credit Quality Act is amended by
5changing Sections 5, 16, 19, 20, and 25 and by adding Section
645 as follows:
 
7    (110 ILCS 27/5)
8    Sec. 5. Definitions. In this Act:
9    "Dual credit course" means a college course taken by a
10high school student for credit at both the college and high
11school level.
12    "Institution" means an "institution of higher learning" as
13defined in the Higher Education Student Assistance Act.
14    "Priority career pathway course" means a career-focused
15course that has been identified by a school district, after
16consultation with a community college district, in its
17submission to the State Board of Education as an early college
18credit course within a career-focused instructional sequence
19as part of a College and Career Pathway Endorsement system
20under the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act.
21(Source: P.A. 96-194, eff. 1-1-10.)
 
22    (110 ILCS 27/16)

 

 

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1    Sec. 16. High school and community college partnership
2agreements; dual credit. A community college district shall,
3upon the request of a school district within the jurisdiction
4of the community college district, enter into a partnership
5agreement with the school district to offer dual credit
6coursework within 180 calendar days after the initial request.
7    A school district may offer any course identified in the
8Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education Core
9Curriculum package under the Illinois Articulation Initiative
10Act or any priority career pathway course as a dual credit
11course on the campus of a high school of the school district
12and may use a high school instructor who has met the academic
13credential requirements under this Act to teach the dual
14credit course.
15    The partnership agreement shall include all of the
16following:
17        (1) The establishment of the school district's and the
18    community college district's respective roles and
19    responsibilities in providing the program and ensuring the
20    quality and instructional rigor of the program. This must
21    include an assurance that the community college district
22    has appropriate academic control of the curriculum,
23    consistent with any State or federal law and as required
24    or negotiated with the Higher Learning Commission or other
25    applicable accrediting agency.
26        (2) The dual credit courses that the school district

 

 

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1    will offer its students and whether those courses will be
2    offered on the high school or community college campus or
3    through an online platform established by the Illinois
4    Community College Board.
5        (3) The establishment of academic criteria for
6    granting eligibility for high school students to enroll in
7    dual credit coursework. The academic criteria shall be
8    evidence-based and shall include multiple appropriate
9    measures to determine whether a student is prepared for
10    any dual credit coursework in which the student enrolls.
11    Multiple appropriate measures may include, but are not
12    limited to, placement measures pursuant to the
13    Developmental Education Reform Act. The school district
14    and community college district shall use the Illinois
15    Community College Board's placement framework, pursuant to
16    the Developmental Education Reform Act, to determine the
17    appropriate cutoff score if using grade point average or
18    assessment scores to determine eligibility criteria,
19    unless both the school district and community college
20    district jointly agree to accept a lower score on
21    individual placement methods in combination with other
22    placement methods. The partnership agreement shall require
23    a communications plan for notifying students, parents, and
24    high school staff of the multiple appropriate measures
25    criteria and shall require the school district to clearly
26    designate dual credit courses in course catalogs and

 

 

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1    curriculum guides. Any changes to academic criteria shall
2    be communicated to the partnering high school not less
3    than 60 days before any course registration deadline.
4        (4) The establishment of any limitations that the
5    school district or community college district may put on
6    course offerings due to availability of instructors, the
7    availability of students for specific course offerings, or
8    local board policy.
9        (5) The requirement that the dual credit instructor
10    meet the academic credential requirements to teach a dual
11    credit course, consistent with paragraphs (1), (2), and
12    (3) of Section 20 of this Act, but shall not be required to
13    exceed those credentials.
14        (6) The collaborative process and criteria by which
15    the school district shall identify and recommend and the
16    community college district shall review and approve high
17    school instructors of dual credit courses taught on the
18    campus of a high school. This provision shall require that
19    the school district be responsible for hiring and
20    compensating the instructor.
21        (7) The requirement that a community college district
22    take the appropriate steps to ensure that dual credit
23    courses are equivalent to those courses offered at the
24    community college in quality and rigor to qualify for
25    college credit. The dual credit programs shall encompass
26    the following characteristics:

 

 

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1            (A) Student learning outcomes expected for dual
2        credit courses in General Education Core Curriculum
3        courses and the professional and career and technical
4        disciplines shall be the same as the student learning
5        outcomes expected for the same courses taught on the
6        postsecondary campus.
7            (B) Course content, course delivery, and course
8        rigor shall be evaluated by the community college
9        chief academic officer or his or her designee, in
10        consultation with the school district's superintendent
11        or his or her designee. The evaluation shall be
12        conducted in a manner that is consistent with the
13        community college district's review and evaluation
14        policy and procedures for on-campus adjunct faculty,
15        including visits to the secondary class. This
16        evaluation shall be limited to the course and the
17        ability of the instructor to deliver quality, rigorous
18        college credit coursework. This evaluation shall not
19        impact the instructor's performance evaluation under
20        Article 24A of the School Code. This evaluation shall
21        be completed within the same school year that the
22        course is taught.
23            (C) The academic supports and, if applicable,
24        guidance that will be provided to students
25        participating in the program by the high school and
26        the community college district.

 

 

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1        (8) Identify all fees and costs to be assessed by the
2    community college district for dual credit courses. This
3    provision shall require that any fees and costs assessed
4    for dual credit courses shall be reasonable and promote
5    student access to those courses, and may take into account
6    regional considerations and differences. The community
7    college district shall utilize revenue received by the
8    school district for the coordination and administration of
9    the dual partnership agreement and the delivery and
10    administration of dual credit courses.
11        (8.5) The collaborative process and criteria by which
12    a school district and a community college district shall
13    work to ensure that individual students with disabilities
14    have access to dual credit courses, provided that those
15    students are able to meet the criteria for entry into a
16    dual credit course. Through this process and criteria, the
17    student shall have access to the supplementary aids and
18    accommodations included in the student's individualized
19    education program under Article 14 of the School Code or
20    Section 504 plan under the federal Rehabilitation Act of
21    1973 while the student is accessing a dual credit course
22    on a high school campus taught by a high school
23    instructor, in accordance with established practices at
24    the high school for providing these services. A student
25    who accesses a dual credit course on a community college
26    campus shall have access to supplementary aids and

 

 

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1    accommodations provided in the partnership agreement,
2    including access to the community college's disability
3    services. A school district and community college district
4    shall work together to provide seamless communication
5    about the student's progress.
6        (9) The community college district shall establish a
7    mechanism for evaluating and documenting on a regular
8    basis the performance of students who complete dual credit
9    courses, consistent with paragraph (9) of Section 20 and
10    Section 30 of this Act, and for sharing that data in a
11    meaningful and timely manner with the school district.
12    This evaluation shall be limited to the course and the
13    coursework. This evaluation shall not impact the
14    instructor's performance evaluation under Article 24A of
15    the School Code.
16        (10) The expectations for maintaining the rigor of
17    dual credit courses that are taught at the high school and
18    including students not deemed ready for college-level
19    coursework according to the standards of the community
20    college.
21        (11) A requirement that the school district and
22    community college annually assess disaggregated data
23    pertaining to dual credit course enrollments, completions,
24    and subsequent postsecondary enrollment and performance to
25    the extent feasible. If applicable, this assessment shall
26    include an analysis of dual credit courses with credit

 

 

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1    sections for dual credit and for high school credit only
2    pursuant to subsection (a) of Section 16.5 that reviews
3    student characteristics by credit section in relation to
4    gender, race and ethnicity, and low-income status.
5        (12) For courses taught by a high school instructor at
6    the high school, the school district may use its policies
7    to determine maximum class enrollment, grading procedures,
8    student technology access and usage, student
9    accommodations, including course length, and the number of
10    classes an individual instructor may teach. If the school
11    district weighs Advanced Placement or International
12    Baccalaureate courses, dual credit courses shall receive
13    the same weight as Advanced Placement or International
14    Baccalaureate courses. If the school district does not
15    weigh Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate
16    courses, then the school district may consider the rigor
17    of the dual credit course and the school district's
18    policies to determine the course's weight.
19    If, within 180 calendar days of the school district's
20initial request to enter into a partnership agreement with the
21community college district, the school district and the
22community college district do not reach agreement on the
23partnership agreement, then the school district and community
24college district shall jointly implement the provisions of the
25Model Partnership Agreement established under Section 19 of
26this Act for which local agreement could not be reached. A

 

 

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1community college district may combine its negotiations with
2multiple school districts to establish one multi-district
3partnership agreement or may negotiate individual partnership
4agreements at its discretion.
5    Upon disapproval by the community college district of a
6course request or instructor, failure to reach agreement on
7course documentation, or the community college district's
8withdrawal of course or instructor approval, the school
9district may pursue an alternative provider of that course and
10must notify the community college district of its intent to do
11so, along with the reason for seeking an alternative provider.
12Thereafter, the community college district may not object to
13or seek to limit the school district's ability to contract
14with another community college district or institution of
15higher learning to offer that course. An alternative provider
16may not be an institution of higher learning operating as a
17for-profit institution.
18(Source: P.A. 102-516, eff. 8-20-21; 102-1077, eff. 1-1-23.)
 
19    (110 ILCS 27/19)
20    Sec. 19. Model Partnership Agreement and Dual Credit
21Committee. A Model Partnership Agreement shall be developed
22through a Dual Credit Committee involving collaboration
23between the Illinois Community College Board and the State
24Board of Education by June 30, 2019. The Committee shall
25consist of 5 members appointed by the State Superintendent of

 

 

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1Education and 5 members appointed by the Executive Director of
2the Illinois Community College Board. The Model Partnership
3Agreement shall address all of the matters set forth in
4Section 16 of this Act.
5    The Committee shall meet within 60 days after the
6effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General
7Assembly and subsequently shall meet annually to consider and
8develop updates to the Model Partnership Agreement and
9associated exhibits to ensure concordance with any policies
10established by State, federal, or accrediting entities.
11(Source: P.A. 100-1049, eff. 1-1-19.)
 
12    (110 ILCS 27/20)
13    Sec. 20. Standards. All institutions offering dual credit
14courses shall meet the following standards:
15        (1) High school instructors teaching credit-bearing
16    college-level courses for dual credit must meet any of the
17    academic credential requirements set forth in this
18    paragraph or paragraph (2) or (3) of this Section and need
19    not meet higher certification requirements or those set
20    out in Article 21B of the School Code:
21            (A) Approved instructors of dual credit courses
22        shall meet any of the faculty credential standards
23        allowed by the Higher Learning Commission to determine
24        minimally qualified faculty, including achievement of
25        academic credentials, progress toward academic

 

 

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1        credentials, equivalent experience, or some
2        combination of these, as defined by the Dual Credit
3        Instructor Endorsement Framework developed pursuant to
4        Section 45 of this Act. Instructors may not be
5        required to meet higher standards than those
6        established in the Dual Credit Instructor Endorsement
7        Framework. At the request of an instructor, an
8        instructor who meets these credential standards shall
9        be provided by the State Board of Education with a Dual
10        Credit Endorsement, to be placed on the professional
11        educator license, as established by the State Board of
12        Education and as authorized under Article 21B of the
13        School Code and promulgated through administrative
14        rule in cooperation with the Illinois Community
15        College Board and the Board of Higher Education.
16            (B) An instructor who does not meet the faculty
17        credential standards allowed by the Higher Learning
18        Commission to determine minimally qualified faculty
19        may teach dual credit courses if the instructor has a
20        professional development plan, approved by the
21        institution and shared with the State Board of
22        Education no later than January 1, 2025, to raise his
23        or her credentials to be in line with the credentials
24        under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph (1). The
25        institution shall have 30 days to review the plan and
26        approve an instructor professional development plan

 

 

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1        that is in line with the credentials set forth in
2        paragraph (2) of this Section. The institution shall
3        not unreasonably withhold approval of a professional
4        development plan. These approvals shall be good for as
5        long as satisfactory progress toward the completion of
6        the credential is demonstrated, but in no event shall
7        a professional development plan be in effect for more
8        than 3 years from the date of its approval or after
9        January 1, 2028, whichever is sooner. A high school
10        instructor whose professional development plan is not
11        approved by the institution may appeal to the Illinois
12        Community College Board or the Board of Higher
13        Education, as appropriate.
14            (C) The Illinois Community College Board and Board
15        of Higher Education shall report yearly on their
16        Internet websites the following:
17                (i) the number of teachers presently enrolled
18            in an approved professional development plan under
19            this Section;
20                (ii) the number of instructors who
21            successfully completed an approved professional
22            development plan;
23                (iii) the number of instructors who did not
24            successfully complete an approved professional
25            development plan after 3 years;
26                (iv) a breakdown of the information in

 

 

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1            subdivisions (i), (ii), and (iii) of this
2            subparagraph (C) by subject area; and
3                (v) a summary, by community college district,
4            of professional development plans that are in
5            progress, that were successfully completed, or
6            that have expired.
7        (2) For a high school instructor entering into a
8    professional development plan prior to January 1, 2023,
9    the high school instructor shall qualify for a
10    professional development plan if the instructor:
11            (A) has a master's degree in any discipline and
12        has earned 9 graduate hours in a discipline in which he
13        or she is currently teaching or expects to teach; or
14            (B) has a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 18
15        graduate hours in a discipline that he or she is
16        currently teaching or expects to teach and is enrolled
17        in a discipline-specific master's degree program; and
18            (C) agrees to demonstrate his or her progress
19        toward completion to the supervising institution, as
20        outlined in the professional development plan.
21        (2.5) For a high school instructor entering into a
22    professional development plan on or after January 1, 2023,
23    the high school instructor shall qualify for a
24    professional development plan if the instructor:
25            (A) has a master's degree in any discipline, meets
26        the graduate coursework requirements of the Dual

 

 

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1        Credit Instructor Endorsement Framework for the
2        course , has earned 9 graduate hours in a discipline in
3        which he or she currently teaches or expects to teach,
4        and agrees to demonstrate his or her progress toward
5        completion to the supervising institution, as outlined
6        in the professional development plan; or
7            (B) is a fully licensed instructor in career and
8        technical education who is halfway toward meeting the
9        institution's requirements for faculty in the
10        discipline to be taught and agrees to demonstrate his
11        or her progress toward completion to the supervising
12        institution, as outlined in the professional
13        development plan; or .
14            (C) has a bachelor's degree, has completed a
15        minimum of 18 graduate hours in a discipline that the
16        instructor is currently teaching in or expects to
17        teach in, and is enrolled in a discipline-specific
18        master's degree program.
19        (3) An instructor in career and technical education
20    courses must possess the credentials and demonstrated
21    teaching competencies appropriate to the field of
22    instruction. Equivalent experience may be considered if
23    determining instructor qualifications.
24        (4) Course content must be equivalent to
25    credit-bearing college-level courses offered at the
26    community college.

 

 

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1        (5) Learning outcomes must be the same as
2    credit-bearing college-level courses and be appropriately
3    measured.
4        (6) A high school instructor is expected to
5    participate in any orientation developed by the
6    institution for dual credit instructors in course
7    curriculum, assessment methods, and administrative
8    requirements.
9        (7) Dual credit instructors must be given the
10    opportunity to participate in all activities available to
11    other adjunct faculty, including professional development,
12    seminars, site visits, and internal communication,
13    provided that such opportunities do not interfere with an
14    instructor's regular teaching duties.
15        (8) Every dual credit course must be reviewed annually
16    by the chief academic officer of the institution or the
17    officer's designee, faculty through the appropriate
18    department, to ensure consistency with campus courses.
19        (9) Dual credit students must be assessed using
20    methods consistent with students in traditional
21    credit-bearing college courses.
22        (10) Within 15 days after entering into or renewing a
23    partnership agreement, the institution shall notify its
24    faculty of the agreement, including access to copies of
25    the agreement if requested.
26(Source: P.A. 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-1077, eff. 1-1-23;

 

 

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1103-154, eff. 6-30-23.)
 
2    (110 ILCS 27/25)
3    Sec. 25. Oversight, review, and reporting.
4    (a) The Illinois Community College Board shall be
5responsible for oversight and review of dual credit programs
6offered jointly by public community colleges and high schools.
7The Illinois Community College Board shall implement a review
8process and criteria for evaluating dual credit program
9quality based upon the standards enumerated in Section 20 of
10this Act.
11    (b) The Board of Higher Education shall be responsible for
12oversight and review of dual credit programs offered jointly
13by high schools and institutions, except for public community
14colleges as provided in subsection (a) of this Section. The
15Board of Higher Education shall develop and implement a review
16process based on the standards enumerated in Section 20 of
17this Act.
18    (c) Each institution shall report annually to the
19appropriate agency, the Illinois Community College Board or
20the Board of Higher Education. The reports shall include, but
21not be limited to, the following data:
22        (1) Number and description of dual credit courses.
23        (2) Faculty teaching dual credit courses and their
24    academic credentials.
25        (3) Enrollments in dual credit courses.

 

 

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1        (4) Sites of dual credit offerings.
2        (5) The multiple appropriate measures adopted for
3    program eligibility and for placement into English,
4    mathematics, and other subject-area coursework.
5(Source: P.A. 96-194, eff. 1-1-10.)
 
6    (110 ILCS 27/45 new)
7    Sec. 45. Dual Credit Instructor Endorsement Framework.
8    (a) A Dual Credit Instructor Endorsement Framework shall
9be developed through a committee involving collaboration
10between the Illinois Community College Board and the State
11Board of Education by December 31, 2024. The Committee shall
12consist of 5 members appointed by the State Superintendent of
13Education and 5 members appointed by the Executive Director of
14the Illinois Community College Board. The Framework shall
15establish criteria for evaluating instructors on the basis of
16academic credentials, progress toward academic credentials,
17equivalent experience, or some combination of these. The
18criteria shall include all of the following:
19        (1) The academic credentials required to be a fully
20    qualified instructor, which shall include:
21            (A) a master's degree within the discipline to be
22        taught; or
23            (B) any master's degree and not more than 18
24        graduate hours appropriate to the academic field of
25        study or in the discipline to be taught.

 

 

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1    The criteria shall list the appropriate coursework
2    organized by discipline.
3        (2) The progress toward academic credentials required
4    to be an interim-qualified instructor, which shall include
5    a threshold for an instructor to be considered halfway to
6    meeting the required graduate coursework in the discipline
7    to be taught, not to exceed 9 graduate hours.
8        (3) The equivalent experience considered to be
9    commensurate with achievement of academic credentials to
10    be a fully qualified instructor. The criteria shall
11    establish a minimum threshold of experience and the
12    appropriate combination of the following items:
13            (A) Two thousand hours of related work experience,
14        along with the appropriate, recognizable credential
15        for the field to be taught.
16            (B) Research or scholarship.
17            (C) Recognized achievement.
18            (D) Previous years of teaching experience.
19            (E) Honors and awards.
20            (F) Other activities and factors to demonstrate
21        teaching competencies appropriate to the field of
22        instruction.
23    (b) The Framework may differentiate between career and
24technical courses and general education core curriculum
25courses. The Framework may reference the faculty credential
26standards allowed by an accrediting body to ensure uniform

 

 

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1guidance from this State and the accrediting body.
 
2    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
3becoming law.