Full Text of HB2878 102nd General Assembly
HB2878enr 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | HB2878 Enrolled | | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | AN ACT concerning education.
| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Early | 5 | | Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Act. | 6 | | Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly makes all of the | 7 | | following findings: | 8 | | (1) This State faces a shortage of qualified early | 9 | | childhood educators, with high vacancy rates in child care | 10 | | centers, community-based early childhood programs, and | 11 | | school-based classrooms across this State. Like roads and | 12 | | bridges, early education and child care is an essential | 13 | | part of our infrastructure that enables families to work | 14 | | in all other industries. Beyond addressing the current | 15 | | need, growing federal and State commitments to expanding | 16 | | early childhood services, including the recommendations | 17 | | put forth in the Governor's Illinois Commission on | 18 | | Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Funding | 19 | | report in March 2021, suggest that this State must be | 20 | | prepared to meet the growing demand for a qualified | 21 | | workforce to deliver these services in the coming years. | 22 | | (2) To meet this growing demand and support this | 23 | | critical infrastructure, the Illinois higher education |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 2 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | system must support our incumbent early childhood | 2 | | workforce through credential and degree attainment. The | 3 | | workforce is overwhelmingly made up of women and women of | 4 | | color, and many are balancing full-time employment, family | 5 | | needs, and other responsibilities. Often, traditional | 6 | | bachelor's degree programs are not accessible to | 7 | | place-bound, full-time working parents. | 8 | | (3) In this State, there is a history of partnership | 9 | | among early childhood providers, stakeholders, and higher | 10 | | education to identify workforce needs and strategies to | 11 | | help promote access to higher education and degree | 12 | | completion among the workforce. Illinois institutions of | 13 | | higher education have taken steps to demonstrate a | 14 | | commitment to the early childhood field, as well as | 15 | | underserved student populations. Hybrid program models, | 16 | | cohort program models, and scholarships and financial | 17 | | incentives for students help to promote access to many | 18 | | early childhood degree programs in this State. | 19 | | (4) Over the past 2 decades, this State has attempted | 20 | | numerous strategies to develop and support partnerships | 21 | | among institutions of higher education that are focused on | 22 | | this State's early childhood workforce. Through these | 23 | | broader initiatives, as well as many individual local | 24 | | partnerships, community colleges and public and private | 25 | | universities have
worked to implement articulation | 26 | | agreements, credit transfer agreements, and program |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 3 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | delivery models, although not all partnerships have been | 2 | | maintained. Such initiatives include all of the following: | 3 | | (A) In 2004, this State developed the Associate of | 4 | | Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree model to promote | 5 | | articulation among 2-year and 4-year institutions of | 6 | | higher education. However, with the challenges in | 7 | | credit transfer contributing to the limited viability | 8 | | and success of the degree model, the Illinois | 9 | | Community College Board stopped approving the AAT | 10 | | degree model and has worked across the higher | 11 | | education system to discontinue these programs. | 12 | | (B) In 2013, this State dedicated federal Race to | 13 | | the Top funds to create the Early Childhood Educator | 14 | | Preparation Program Innovation (EPPI) Grant program. | 15 | | Among other goals, the EPPI Grant program aimed to | 16 | | foster the creation or further development of | 17 | | partnerships between 2-year and 4-year preparation | 18 | | programs at institutions of higher education, promote | 19 | | articulation and alignment of the curriculum between | 20 | | 2-year and 4-year programs, and support early | 21 | | childhood educator preparation programs in designing a | 22 | | curriculum to incorporate new State standards and | 23 | | program requirements. While the EPPI Grant program led | 24 | | to some effective partnerships that still remain | 25 | | intact today, program evaluations found varying levels | 26 | | of partnership and that, in many cases, successful
|
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 4 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | agreements were contingent upon individual | 2 | | relationships or individual leaders within | 3 | | institutions. | 4 | | (C) Through the Illinois Articulation Initiative | 5 | | (IAI), there are 3 early childhood courses approved | 6 | | for articulation among participating institutions. | 7 | | More than 100 Illinois colleges and universities | 8 | | participate in the IAI, though challenges with | 9 | | inconsistent participation and recognition do exist. | 10 | | (D) Most recently, the creation of | 11 | | competency-based education components for early | 12 | | childhood education will help ensure that higher | 13 | | education and credential programs are designed to | 14 | | prepare early childhood educators to demonstrate the | 15 | | same critical core competencies. The emphasis on core | 16 | | competencies could improve educator preparedness and | 17 | | could ease credit transfer and articulation processes | 18 | | moving forward. | 19 | | These programs and partnerships continue to benefit | 20 | | many early childhood education students across this State, | 21 | | but, overall, these efforts have not produced adequate | 22 | | early childhood degrees to meet the demands in the field. | 23 | | These types of initiatives are highly contingent upon | 24 | | relationships and partnerships between specific | 25 | | institutions and are often impacted if an institution | 26 | | experiences turnover or program changes. Furthermore, |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 5 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | these partnerships often do not address the geographic, | 2 | | structural, and economic barriers the incumbent workforce | 3 | | often faces in accessing bachelor's degree
programs while | 4 | | working full-time in the field. These ongoing challenges | 5 | | are not new and have been noted in the development of these | 6 | | previous efforts. | 7 | | (5) As noted in the provisions of Public Act 101-654, | 8 | | the General Assembly recognizes the critical role of the | 9 | | early childhood workforce and, in response to challenges, | 10 | | including staffing shortages and barriers to higher | 11 | | education, calls upon the Board of Higher Education to | 12 | | better meet the needs of the early childhood workforce. | 13 | | (6) The General Assembly encourages this State to | 14 | | consider dedicating federal funds for pandemic relief and | 15 | | economic recovery efforts to ensure a successful launch of | 16 | | the Consortium and the opportunities it creates to meet | 17 | | the needs of the early childhood incumbent workforce, | 18 | | including student financial support. This State, the | 19 | | incumbent workforce, and the children in care will benefit | 20 | | as workers enroll, persist, and complete credential and | 21 | | degree programs.
| 22 | | Section 10. Definitions. In this Act: | 23 | | "Community college" means a public community college that | 24 | | is included in the definition of "Community Colleges" under | 25 | | Section 1-2 of the Public Community College Act. |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 6 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | "Consortium" means the Early Childhood Access Consortium | 2 | | for Equity. | 3 | | "Credit for prior learning" means the evaluation and | 4 | | assessment of a student's life learning through employment, | 5 | | training, and experiences outside an academic environment from | 6 | | which skills that comprise terminal objectives are mastered to | 7 | | an acceptable degree of proficiency for college credit, | 8 | | certification, or advanced standing toward further education | 9 | | or training. | 10 | | "Home institution" means the community college or | 11 | | university at which the student has been admitted.
| 12 | | "Incumbent workforce" means an individual or a group of | 13 | | individuals working or having worked in the early childhood | 14 | | industry, including family child care and center-based care | 15 | | settings, Preschool for All school-based settings, and Head | 16 | | Start, that serves children from birth to age 5 and includes | 17 | | teachers, assistant teachers, directors, family child care | 18 | | providers, and assistants. | 19 | | "Member institutions" means the institutions of higher | 20 | | education participating in the Consortium. | 21 | | "Public university" means the University of Illinois, | 22 | | Southern Illinois University, Chicago State University, | 23 | | Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University, | 24 | | Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University, | 25 | | Northern Illinois University, Western Illinois University, or | 26 | | any other public university or college, other than a community |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 7 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | college, now or hereafter established or authorized by the | 2 | | General Assembly. | 3 | | Section 15. Creation of Consortium; purpose; | 4 | | administrative support. | 5 | | (a) The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois | 6 | | Community College Board shall create and establish the Early | 7 | | Childhood Access Consortium for Equity. | 8 | | (b) The purpose of the Consortium is to serve the needs of | 9 | | the incumbent early childhood workforce and the employers of | 10 | | early childhood educators and to advance racial equity while | 11 | | meeting the needs of employers by streamlining, coordinating, | 12 | | and
improving the accessibility of degree completion pathways | 13 | | for
upskilling and the sustained expansion of educational | 14 | | pipelines at
Illinois institutions of higher education. | 15 | | (c) The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois | 16 | | Community College Board shall convene the member institutions | 17 | | by July 1, 2021 or within 60 days after the effective date of | 18 | | this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly. The Board | 19 | | of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board | 20 | | shall provide administrative support for the start up and | 21 | | operation of the Consortium until a permanent governance | 22 | | structure is developed and implemented. The Board of Higher | 23 | | Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall work | 24 | | with member institutions to establish geographic regional | 25 | | hubs, including public universities and the proximate |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 8 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | community colleges responsible for serving each regional hub. | 2 | | Section 20. Membership; functions. | 3 | | (a) Membership in the Consortium shall include all public | 4 | | universities and community colleges in this State that offer | 5 | | early childhood programs. Membership by private, | 6 | | not-for-profit universities is optional and conditional on the | 7 | | acceptance of the terms adopted by the public members, the | 8 | | related administrative rules, and the provisions of this Act. | 9 | | For-profit institutions of higher education are not eligible | 10 | | for membership in the Consortium. Participating institutions | 11 | | must be accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and | 12 | | entitled to offer Gateways Credentials. | 13 | | (b) The members of the Consortium shall operate jointly | 14 | | and in cooperation through regional hubs to provide | 15 | | streamlined paths for students to attain associate degrees, | 16 | | bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, certificates, and | 17 | | Gateways Credentials and other licensure endorsements in early | 18 | | childhood education. The priority shall be to focus on the | 19 | | incumbent workforce, which includes working adults who require | 20 | | programs of study that offer flexibility in the times courses | 21 | | are offered, location, and format. The Consortium shall | 22 | | cooperate in all of the following: | 23 | | (1) Providing course offerings within each regional | 24 | | hub in online, hybrid, and in-person formats that are | 25 | | available to any student enrolled in a member institution |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 9 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | in that hub for occasions in which a particular course is | 2 | | not available at the student's home institution. In this | 3 | | paragraph (1), "not available" may mean the course is not | 4 | | offered during a term, at a time, or in a format that works | 5 | | best for the student. Courses taken at any member | 6 | | institution shall be accepted toward the student's degree | 7 | | at any other member institution. Course offerings across | 8 | | regional hubs may also be provided by an agreement between | 9 | | Consortium members. All course registration shall take | 10 | | place in consultation with a student's academic advisor. | 11 | | (2) Shared responsibilities through the Consortium and | 12 | | within and across regional hubs to expand access for | 13 | | students. | 14 | | (3) Transfers in accordance with Section 130-10 of the | 15 | | Transitions in Education Act. | 16 | | (4) The development of standardized methods for | 17 | | awarding credit for prior learning. | 18 | | (5) The support necessary for student access, | 19 | | persistence, and completion shall be provided by the home | 20 | | institution, unless otherwise provided by agreement | 21 | | between Consortium members. | 22 | | (6) Admissions, financial arrangements, registration, | 23 | | and advising services shall be functions of the home | 24 | | institution but shall be honored across the Consortium. | 25 | | (7) Member institutions working with their regional | 26 | | pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and early childhood |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 10 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | employer partners to determine demand throughout the | 2 | | region. | 3 | | (8) Data-sharing agreements. | 4 | | (9) An agreement that students enrolled in associate | 5 | | degree programs are encouraged to complete the associate | 6 | | degree program prior to transferring to a bachelor's | 7 | | degree program. | 8 | | (10) Development of other shared agreements and terms | 9 | | necessary to implement the Consortium and its | 10 | | responsibilities. | 11 | | By January 31, 2022, the Consortium shall decide how to | 12 | | assign college credit for the incumbent workers who have a | 13 | | Child Development Associate (CDA) credential and for future | 14 | | workers obtaining a CDA. | 15 | | (c) The Consortium may facilitate or implement the | 16 | | following if deemed beneficial and feasible: | 17 | | (1) the creation of an open education resource | 18 | | library; | 19 | | (2) support and training for program coaches and | 20 | | cross-institutional navigators; and | 21 | | (3) support for the development, implementation, and | 22 | | participation in a statewide registry system through the | 23 | | Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral | 24 | | Agencies (INCCRRA) to provide tracking and data | 25 | | capabilities for students across the system as they attain | 26 | | competency through coursework. |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 11 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | Section 25. Advisory committee; membership. | 2 | | (a) The Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community | 3 | | College Board, the State Board of Education, the Department of | 4 | | Human Services, and the Governor's Office of Early Childhood | 5 | | Development shall jointly convene a Consortium advisory | 6 | | committee to provide guidance on the operation of the | 7 | | Consortium. | 8 | | (b) Membership on the advisory committee shall be | 9 | | comprised of employers and experts appointed by the Board of | 10 | | Higher Education, the Illinois Community College Board, the | 11 | | Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development, and the | 12 | | State Board of Education. Membership shall also include all of | 13 | | the following members: | 14 | | (1) An employer from a community-based child care | 15 | | provider, appointed by the Governor's Office of Early | 16 | | Childhood Development. | 17 | | (2) An employer from a for-profit child care provider, | 18 | | appointed by the Governor's Office of Early Childhood | 19 | | Development. | 20 | | (3) An employer from a nonprofit child care provider, | 21 | | appointed by the Governor's Office of Early Childhood | 22 | | Development. | 23 | | (4) A provider of family child care, appointed by the | 24 | | Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development. | 25 | | (5) An employer located in southern Illinois, |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 12 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | appointed by the Governor's Office of Early Childhood | 2 | | Development. | 3 | | (6) An employer located in central Illinois, appointed | 4 | | by the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development. | 5 | | (7) At least one member who represents an urban school | 6 | | district, appointed by the State Board of Education. | 7 | | (8) At least one member who represents a suburban | 8 | | school district, appointed by the State Board of | 9 | | Education. | 10 | | (9) At least one member who represents a rural school | 11 | | district, appointed by the State Board of Education. | 12 | | (10) At least one member who represents a school | 13 | | district in a city with a population of 500,000 or more, | 14 | | appointed by the State Board of Education. | 15 | | (11) Two early childhood advocates with statewide | 16 | | expertise in early childhood workforce issues, appointed | 17 | | by the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development. | 18 | | (12) The Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson and the | 19 | | Minority Spokesperson or a designee of the Senate | 20 | | Committee on Higher Education. | 21 | | (13) The Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson and the | 22 | | Minority Spokesperson or a designee of the House Committee | 23 | | on Higher Education. | 24 | | (14) One member representing the Illinois Community | 25 | | College Board, who shall serve as co-chairperson, | 26 | | appointed by the Illinois Community College Board. |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 13 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | (15) One member representing the Board of Higher | 2 | | Education, who shall serve as co-chairperson, appointed by | 3 | | the Board of Higher Education. | 4 | | (16) One member representing the Illinois Student | 5 | | Assistance Commission, appointed by the Board of Higher | 6 | | Education. | 7 | | (17) One member representing the State Board of | 8 | | Education, who shall serve as co-chairperson, appointed by | 9 | | the State Board of Education. | 10 | | (18) One member representing the Governor's Office of | 11 | | Early Childhood Development, who shall serve as | 12 | | co-chairperson, appointed by the Governor's Office of | 13 | | Early Childhood Development. | 14 | | (19) One member representing the Department of Human | 15 | | Services, who shall serve as co-chairperson, appointed by | 16 | | the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development. | 17 | | (20) One member representing INCCRRA, appointed by the | 18 | | Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development. | 19 | | (21) One member representing the Department of | 20 | | Children and Family Services, appointed by the Governor's | 21 | | Office of
Early Childhood Development. | 22 | | (22) One member representing an organization that | 23 | | advocates on behalf of community college trustees, | 24 | | appointed by the Illinois Community College Board. | 25 | | (23) One member of a union representing child care and | 26 | | early childhood providers, appointed by the Governor's |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 14 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | Office of Early Childhood Development. | 2 | | (24) Two members of unions representing higher | 3 | | education faculty, appointed by the Board of Higher | 4 | | Education. | 5 | | (25) A representative from the College of Education of | 6 | | an urban public university, appointed by the Board of | 7 | | Higher Education. | 8 | | (26) A representative from the College of Education of | 9 | | a suburban public university, appointed by the Board of | 10 | | Higher Education. | 11 | | (27) A representative from the College of Education of | 12 | | a rural public university, appointed by the Board of | 13 | | Higher Education. | 14 | | (28) A representative from the College of Education of | 15 | | a private university, appointed by the Board of Higher | 16 | | Education. | 17 | | (29) A representative of an urban community college, | 18 | | appointed by the Illinois Community College Board. | 19 | | (30) A representative of a suburban community college, | 20 | | appointed by the Illinois Community College Board. | 21 | | (31) A representative of rural community college, | 22 | | appointed by the Illinois Community College Board. | 23 | | (c) The advisory committee shall meet quarterly. The | 24 | | committee meetings shall be open to the public in accordance | 25 | | with the provisions of the Open Meetings Act. |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 15 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | Section 30. Reporting. The Consortium shall report to the | 2 | | General Assembly, to the Senate and House Committees with | 3 | | oversight over higher education, to the Governor, and to the | 4 | | advisory committee on the progress made by the Consortium. A | 5 | | report must include, but is not limited to, all of the | 6 | | following information: | 7 | | (1) Student enrollment numbers for the fall and spring | 8 | | terms or semesters, retention rates, persistence in | 9 | | relevant associate, baccalaureate, and credential | 10 | | programs, including demographic data that is disaggregated | 11 | | by race, ethnicity, and federal Pell Grant status, | 12 | | reported twice per year. Completion numbers and rates, | 13 | | employer type, and years worked shall be reported | 14 | | annually. | 15 | | (2) Tuition rates charged and net prices paid, | 16 | | reported both as including and excluding student loans, by | 17 | | enrolled members of the incumbent workforce, reported | 18 | | annually. | 19 | | (3) Outreach plans to recruit and enroll incumbent | 20 | | workforce members, reported twice per year. | 21 | | (4) Participation of the incumbent workforce in | 22 | | outreach programs, which may include participation in an | 23 | | informational session, social media engagement, or other | 24 | | activities, reported twice per year. | 25 | | (5) Student academic and holistic support plans to | 26 | | help the enrolled incumbent workforce persist in their |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 16 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | education, reported annually. | 2 | | (6) Evidence of engagement and responsiveness to the | 3 | | needs of employer partners, reported annually. | 4 | | (7) The Consortium budget including the use of federal | 5 | | funds, reported annually. | 6 | | (8) Member contributions, including financial, | 7 | | physical, or in-kind contributions, provided to the | 8 | | Consortium, reported annually. | 9 | | Section 35. Goals and metrics. | 10 | | (a) By July 1, 2021 or within 60 days after the effective | 11 | | date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly, the | 12 | | Board of Higher Education's Strategic Plan Educator Workforce | 13 | | subgroup on the early childhood workforce must set goals for | 14 | | the Consortium for the enrollment, persistence, and completion | 15 | | of members of the incumbent workforce in associate, | 16 | | bachelor's, and master's degree programs, Gateways Credentials | 17 | | in Level 2, 3, or 4, and Professional Educator Licensure by | 18 | | September 30, 2024. The goals set for the Consortium must be | 19 | | data informed and include targets for annual enrollment and | 20 | | persistence. | 21 | | (b) Data from the Gateways Registry, March 2020, indicates | 22 | | that there are 7,670 individuals with an associate degree who | 23 | | would benefit from progressing to a baccalaureate degree and | 24 | | 20,467 individuals with a high school diploma or some college | 25 | | who would benefit from progressing to an associate degree. If |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 17 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | the goals cannot be set in accordance with subsection (a), the | 2 | | goal for the Consortium shall be that by September 30, 2024, | 3 | | 20% of the individuals described in this subsection (b) who do | 4 | | not have a degree will have enrolled and be persisting toward | 5 | | or have attained a Gateways Credential in Level 2, 3, or 4 or | 6 | | an associate degree and, of the individuals who have an | 7 | | associate degree, will be enrolled and persisting toward or | 8 | | have attained a baccalaureate degree or will be persisting | 9 | | toward or have attained a Professional Educator License. | 10 | | (c) Student financial aid, including incentives and | 11 | | stipends, data-sharing, and professional statewide engagement | 12 | | and marketing campaign and recruitment efforts are critical to | 13 | | the Consortium's ability to quickly attract and enroll | 14 | | students into these programs. Navigators, mentors, and | 15 | | advisors are critical for persistence and completion. If | 16 | | federal funds are not appropriated for these purposes and the | 17 | | other purposes of this Section, the Board of Higher Education, | 18 | | the Illinois Community College Board, the State Board of | 19 | | Education, the Department of Human Services, and the | 20 | | Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development, in | 21 | | consultation with the advisory committee, shall adjust the | 22 | | initial target metrics appropriately by adopting challenging | 23 | | goals that may be attainable with less public investment. | 24 | | (d) The Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community | 25 | | College Board, the State Board of Education, the Department of | 26 | | Human Services, and the Governor's Office of Early Childhood |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 18 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | Development, in consultation with the advisory committee, | 2 | | shall determine new metrics and goals for the Consortium as | 3 | | they relate to the remaining and future early childhood | 4 | | workforce, to be instituted after the close of the 2024-2025 | 5 | | academic year and going forward. Metrics must take into | 6 | | consideration that the pipeline depends on sustained, | 7 | | increased student enrollment and completion rates at the | 8 | | associate degree level if this State aims to continue with | 9 | | sustained, increased student enrollment and completion at the | 10 | | bachelor's degree level. | 11 | | Section 40. Affordability. The institutions participating | 12 | | in the Consortium and the advisory committee shall work to | 13 | | ensure that students have the most affordable options for | 14 | | advancing through and attaining their degree or credentials. | 15 | | Section 90. Rules. The Board of Higher Education and the | 16 | | Illinois Community College Board may adopt any rules necessary | 17 | | to administer and implement this Act. | 18 | | Section 500. The Transitions in Education Act is amended | 19 | | by adding Section 130-10 as follows: | 20 | | (110 ILCS 180/130-10 new) | 21 | | Sec. 130-10. Gateway Credentials; associate degree. | 22 | | (a) A community college student who earns the Department |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 19 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | of Human Services's Gateways ECE Credential Level 4 as part of | 2 | | an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in early | 3 | | childhood education that is consistent with the degree | 4 | | requirements established by the Illinois Community College | 5 | | Board and the Board of Higher Education, as appropriate, is | 6 | | deemed eligible for transfer into an early childhood education | 7 | | baccalaureate program at a public university if the student | 8 | | meets all of the requirements of the AAS degree program, is | 9 | | transferring from a program entitled to offer the Gateways ECE | 10 | | Credential Level 4, and earns a minimum grade point average of | 11 | | a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. | 12 | | (b) Recognizing that the AAS degree and other associate | 13 | | degrees provide important pathways into the early childhood | 14 | | education profession and notwithstanding any other provision | 15 | | of law to the contrary, a public university shall grant junior | 16 | | level status in an early childhood education program to any | 17 | | community college student who has graduated from an Illinois | 18 | | community college with an Associate of Applied Science degree | 19 | | in early childhood education. A public university may not | 20 | | require students transferring pursuant to this Section to | 21 | | repeat courses taken and completed successfully at the | 22 | | community college and applied toward the associate degree | 23 | | granted pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section. All | 24 | | courses completed successfully in the AAS degree program must | 25 | | count toward baccalaureate degree completion. Students | 26 | | entering with an AAS may not be required to take a total number |
| | | HB2878 Enrolled | - 20 - | LRB102 16984 CMG 22404 b |
|
| 1 | | of credits greater than those students first starting in a | 2 | | baccalaureate degree program. This includes any courses in | 3 | | which credit for prior learning was used to determine course | 4 | | equivalency and credit was awarded by the evaluating | 5 | | institution. Additional coursework may be required if a | 6 | | student is seeking to add one or more endorsements to the | 7 | | student's Illinois Professional Educator License. | 8 | | Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 9 | | becoming law. |
|