SB1960 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 12136 LNS 22235 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB1960

Introduced 2/6/2025, by Sen. Cristina Castro

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

See Index

Amends the Dual Credit Quality Act. Provides that prior to offering dual credit coursework, a school district shall attempt to enter into a partnership agreement with the community college district in the community college district in which the school district is located, but if pursuing an alternative provider other than the community college district, the school district shall enter into a partnership agreement with the alternative postsecondary institution that complies with the Act. Requires a partnership agreement to provide for a Dual Credit Qualifications Committee that shall develop a Dual Credit Instructor Qualification Framework. Provides that the Framework shall define the appropriate graduate coursework for fully qualified and minimally qualified instructors and the equivalent experience required to be a fully qualified career and technical education instructor. Requires a Model Dual Credit Instructor Qualification Framework to be developed through a Committee involving collaboration between the Illinois Community College Board and the State Board of Education by June 30, 2026. Provides that the academic credentials required to be a fully qualified instructor shall include either (i) a master's degree within the discipline to be taught or (ii) any master's degree and not more than 18 graduate hours appropriate to the academic field of study or in the discipline to be taught. Provides that a community college district with an established partnership agreement with a school district has 30 calendar days from the initial course request to notify the school district of its disapproval of the course request, instructor, course documentation, or the community college district's withdrawal of course or instructor approval, and thereafter, the school district shall appeal the denial or withdrawal of the instructor approval to the Illinois Community College Board within 14 calendar days after the disapproval notice. Allows the Illinois Community College Board to conduct a study to examine dual credit students and their short-term and long-term outcomes. Makes other changes.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

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

Section 5. The Dual Credit Quality Act is amended by changing Sections 16 and 20 and by adding Sections 16.25, 19.5, 20.5, and 36 as follows:

(110 ILCS 27/16)

Sec. 16. High school and community college partnership agreements; dual credit. A community college district shall, upon the request of a school district within the jurisdiction of the community college district, enter into a partnership agreement with the school district to offer dual credit coursework. Prior to offering dual credit coursework, a school district shall attempt to enter into a partnership agreement with the community college district in the community college district in which the school district is located. If pursuing an alternative provider other than the community college district, the school district shall enter into a partnership agreement with the alternative postsecondary institution that complies with the requirements of this Section.

A school district may offer any course identified in the Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education Core Curriculum package under the Illinois Articulation Initiative Act as a dual credit course on the campus of a high school of the school district and may use a high school instructor who has met the academic credential requirements under this Act to teach the dual credit course.

The partnership agreement shall include all of the following:

(1) The establishment of the school district's and the community college district's respective roles and responsibilities in providing the program and ensuring the quality and instructional rigor of the program. This must include an assurance that the community college district has appropriate academic control of the curriculum, consistent with any State or federal law and as required or negotiated with the Higher Learning Commission or other applicable accrediting agency.

(2) The dual credit courses that the school district will offer its students and whether those courses will be offered on the high school or community college campus or through an online platform established by the Illinois Community College Board.

(3) The establishment of academic criteria for granting eligibility for high school students to enroll in dual credit coursework. The academic criteria shall be evidence-based and shall include multiple appropriate measures to determine whether a student is prepared for any dual credit coursework in which the student enrolls.

(4) The establishment of any limitations that the school district or community college district may put on course offerings due to availability of instructors, the availability of students for specific course offerings, or local board policy.

(5) The requirement that the dual credit instructor meet the academic credential requirements to teach a dual credit course, consistent with paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of Section 20 of this Act, but shall not be required to exceed those credentials.

(6) The collaborative process and criteria by which the school district shall identify and recommend and the community college district shall review and approve high school instructors of dual credit courses taught on the campus of a high school. This provision shall require that the school district be responsible for hiring and compensating the instructor.

(7) The requirement that a community college district take the appropriate steps to ensure that dual credit courses are equivalent to those courses offered at the community college in quality and rigor to qualify for college credit. The dual credit programs shall encompass the following characteristics:

(A) Student learning outcomes expected for dual credit courses in General Education Core Curriculum courses and the professional and career and technical disciplines shall be the same as the student learning outcomes expected for the same courses taught on the postsecondary campus.

(B) Course content, course delivery, and course rigor shall be evaluated by the community college chief academic officer or his or her designee, in consultation with the school district's superintendent or his or her designee. The evaluation shall be conducted in a manner that is consistent with the community college district's review and evaluation policy and procedures for on-campus adjunct faculty, including visits to the secondary class. This evaluation shall be limited to the course and the ability of the instructor to deliver quality, rigorous college credit coursework. This evaluation shall not impact the instructor's performance evaluation under Article 24A of the School Code.

(C) The academic supports and, if applicable, guidance that will be provided to students participating in the program by the high school and the community college district.

(8) Identify all fees and costs to be assessed by the community college district for dual credit courses. This provision shall require that any fees and costs assessed for dual credit courses shall be reasonable and promote student access to those courses, and may take into account regional considerations and differences.

(8.5) The collaborative process and criteria by which a school district and a community college district shall work to ensure that individual students with disabilities have access to dual credit courses, provided that those students are able to meet the criteria for entry into a dual credit course. Through this process and criteria, the student shall have access to the supplementary aids and accommodations included in the student's individualized education program under Article 14 of the School Code or Section 504 plan under the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 while the student is accessing a dual credit course on a high school campus, in accordance with established practices at the high school for providing these services. A student who accesses a dual credit course on a community college campus shall have access to supplementary aids and accommodations provided in the partnership agreement, including access to the community college's disability services. A school district and community college district shall work together to provide seamless communication about the student's progress.

(9) The community college district shall establish a mechanism for evaluating and documenting on a regular basis the performance of students who complete dual credit courses, consistent with paragraph (9) of Section 20 and Section 30 of this Act, and for sharing that data in a meaningful and timely manner with the school district. This evaluation shall be limited to the course and the coursework. This evaluation shall not impact the instructor's performance evaluation under Article 24A of the School Code.

(10) The expectations for maintaining the rigor of dual credit courses that are taught at the high school and including students not deemed ready for college-level coursework according to the standards of the community college.

(11) A requirement that the school district and community college annually assess disaggregated data pertaining to dual credit course enrollments, completions, and subsequent postsecondary enrollment and performance to the extent feasible. If applicable, this assessment shall include an analysis of dual credit courses with credit sections for dual credit and for high school credit only pursuant to subsection (a) of Section 16.5 that reviews student characteristics by credit section in relation to gender, race and ethnicity, and low-income status.

(12) For courses taught by a high school instructor at the high school, the school districts' may rely policies and collective bargaining agreement obligations to determine maximum class size enrollment and the number of sections of a course.

If, within 180 calendar days of the school district's initial request to enter into a partnership agreement with the community college district, the school district and the community college district do not reach agreement on the partnership agreement, then the school district and community college district shall jointly implement the provisions of the Model Partnership Agreement established under Section 19 of this Act for which local agreement could not be reached. A community college district may combine its negotiations with multiple school districts to establish one multi-district partnership agreement or may negotiate individual partnership agreements at its discretion.

(Source: P.A. 102-516, eff. 8-20-21; 102-1077, eff. 1-1-23.)

(110 ILCS 27/16.25 new)

Sec. 16.25. Dual Credit Qualifications Committee. A partnership agreement under Section 16 shall provide for a Dual Credit Qualifications Committee that shall develop a Dual Credit Instructor Qualification Framework. The Dual Credit Qualifications Committee shall consist of representatives from both the school district and the community college district. The Dual Credit Qualifications Committee shall meet annually.

(1) The Dual Credit Instructor Qualification Framework shall define the appropriate graduate coursework for fully qualified and minimally qualified instructors and the equivalent experience required to be a fully qualified career and technical education instructor. The Framework shall list the appropriate coursework for each discipline within the Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education Core Curriculum package by the discipline to be taught.

(2) The Framework shall establish equivalent experience that is commensurate with achievement of academic credentials to be a fully qualified career and technical education dual-credit course instructor. The criteria shall determine a minimum threshold of experience and appropriate combination of the following:

(A) related work experience, which shall not exceed 2,000 hours and shall include the appropriate recognizable credentials;

(B) research or scholarship;

(C) recognized achievement;

(D) previous years of teaching experience;

(E) honors and awards; and

(F) other activities and factors to demonstrate teaching competencies appropriate to the field of instruction.

The Framework may differentiate between career and technical courses and general education core curriculum courses. The Framework shall reference the faculty credential standards allowed by the Higher Learning Commission to ensure uniform guidance from this State and the Higher Learning Commission.

If a framework is not agreed upon by the local school district and local community college partner before June 30 for the upcoming school year, they shall jointly implement the model framework set by the Illinois Community College Board and the State Board of Education in Section 19.5.

(110 ILCS 27/19.5 new)

Sec. 19.5. Model Dual Credit Instructor Qualification Framework. A Model Dual Credit Instructor Qualification Framework shall be developed through a Dual Credit Qualifications Committee involving collaboration between the Illinois Community College Board and the State Board of Education by June 30, 2026. The Committee shall consist of 5 members appointed by the State Superintendent of Education and 5 members appointed by the Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Board. The Model Dual Credit Instructor Qualification Framework shall address all of the matters set forth in Section 16.25.

(110 ILCS 27/20)

Sec. 20. Standards. All institutions offering dual credit courses shall meet the following standards:

(1) High school instructors teaching credit-bearing college-level courses for dual credit must meet any of the academic credential requirements set forth in this paragraph or paragraph (2) or (3) of this Section and need not meet higher certification requirements or those set out in Article 21B of the School Code:

(A) Approved instructors of dual credit courses shall meet any of the faculty credential standards allowed by the Higher Learning Commission to determine minimally qualified faculty. At the request of an instructor, an instructor who meets these credential standards shall be provided by the State Board of Education with a Dual Credit Endorsement, to be placed on the professional educator license, as established by the State Board of Education and as authorized under Article 21B of the School Code and promulgated through administrative rule in cooperation with the Illinois Community College Board and the Board of Higher Education. The academic credentials required to be a fully qualified instructor shall include either (i) a master's degree within the discipline to be taught or (ii) any master's degree and not more than 18 graduate hours appropriate to the academic field of study or in the discipline to be taught, as defined by the Dual Credit Instructor Qualification Framework.

(B) An instructor who does not meet the faculty credential standards allowed by the Higher Learning Commission to determine minimally qualified faculty may teach dual credit courses if the instructor has a professional development plan, approved by the institution and shared with the State Board of Education no later than January 1, 2025, to raise his or her credentials to be in line with the credentials under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph (1). The institution shall have 30 days to review the plan and approve an instructor professional development plan that is in line with the credentials set forth in paragraph (2) of this Section. The institution shall not unreasonably withhold approval of a professional development plan. These approvals shall be good for as long as satisfactory progress toward the completion of the credential is demonstrated, but in no event shall a professional development plan be in effect for more than 3 years from the date of its approval or after January 1, 2028, whichever is sooner. A high school instructor whose professional development plan is not approved by the institution may appeal to the Illinois Community College Board or the Board of Higher Education, as appropriate.

(C) The Illinois Community College Board and Board of Higher Education shall report yearly on their Internet websites the following:

(i) the number of teachers presently enrolled in an approved professional development plan under this Section;

(ii) the number of instructors who successfully completed an approved professional development plan;

(iii) the number of instructors who did not successfully complete an approved professional development plan after 3 years;

(iv) a breakdown of the information in subdivisions (i), (ii), and (iii) of this subparagraph (C) by subject area; and

(v) a summary, by community college district, of professional development plans that are in progress, that were successfully completed, or that have expired.

(2) For a high school instructor entering into a professional development plan prior to January 1, 2023, the high school instructor shall qualify for a professional development plan if the instructor:

(A) has a master's degree in any discipline and has earned 9 graduate hours in a discipline in which he or she is currently teaching or expects to teach; or

(B) has a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 18 graduate hours in a discipline that he or she is currently teaching or expects to teach and is enrolled in a discipline-specific master's degree program; and

(C) agrees to demonstrate his or her progress toward completion to the supervising institution, as outlined in the professional development plan.

(2.5) For a high school instructor entering into a professional development plan on or after January 1, 2023, the high school instructor shall qualify for a professional development plan if the instructor:

(A) has a master's degree in any discipline, has earned 9 graduate hours in a discipline in which he or she currently teaches or expects to teach, and agrees to demonstrate his or her progress toward completion to the supervising institution, as outlined in the professional development plan; or

(B) is a fully licensed instructor in career and technical education who is halfway toward meeting the institution's requirements for faculty in the discipline to be taught and agrees to demonstrate his or her progress toward completion to the supervising institution, as outlined in the professional development plan.

(3) An instructor in career and technical education courses must possess the credentials and demonstrated teaching competencies appropriate to the field of instruction.

(4) Course content must be equivalent to credit-bearing college-level courses offered at the community college.

(5) Learning outcomes must be the same as credit-bearing college-level courses and be appropriately measured.

(6) A high school instructor is expected to participate in any orientation developed by the institution for dual credit instructors in course curriculum, assessment methods, and administrative requirements.

(7) Dual credit instructors must be given the opportunity to participate in all activities available to other adjunct faculty, including professional development, seminars, site visits, and internal communication, provided that such opportunities do not interfere with an instructor's regular teaching duties.

(8) Every dual credit course must be reviewed annually by faculty through the appropriate department to ensure consistency with campus courses.

(9) Dual credit students must be assessed using methods consistent with students in traditional credit-bearing college courses.

(10) Within 15 days after entering into or renewing a partnership agreement, the institution shall notify its faculty of the agreement, including access to copies of the agreement if requested.

(Source: P.A. 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-1077, eff. 1-1-23; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23.)

(110 ILCS 27/20.5 new)

Sec. 20.5. Appeal Process.

(a) A community college district with an established partnership agreement with a school district has 30 calendar days from the initial course request to notify the school district of its disapproval of the course request, instructor, course documentation, or the community college district's withdrawal of course or instructor approval. Thereafter, the school district shall appeal the denial or withdrawal of the instructor approval to the Illinois Community College Board within 14 calendar days after the disapproval notice. The Illinois Community College Board shall render a decision within 45 calendar days after filing and provide notice of its decision to the community college district and school district. Upon determination by the Illinois Community College Board:

(1) If the Illinois Community College Board finds in favor of the school district's request for the course request, instructor, or course documentation, the school district may pursue an alternative postsecondary institution to provide that course and must notify the community college district within 14 calendar days after the Illinois Community college Board's decision with its intent to do so, along with the reason for seeking an alternative provider.

(2) If the Illinois Community College Board finds in favor of the community college district's decision, then the decision of the community college district to disapprove the school district's course request, instructor, course documentation, or the community college district's withdrawal of course or instructor approval shall be upheld, and the school district shall not have the opportunity to pursue an alternative postsecondary institution.

(110 ILCS 27/36 new)

Sec. 36. Study.

(a) The Illinois Community College Board may conduct a study to examine dual credit students and their short-term and long-term outcomes, which may include determining how differing types and levels of credit-hour achievement influence college enrollment, persistence, advancement, and completion, either at a public community college or public university. The study shall attempt to isolate the unique effect of credit-hour achievement levels on college enrollment and college completion overall and for subpopulations by student subgroups, such as race and ethnicity, sex, and dual-credit type. The study shall further examine the differential impacts of enrollment in specific career pathways versus ad hoc, dual-credit participation on college enrollment, persistence, advancement, and completion at either a public community college or public university.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, all public universities, all public community colleges, the State Board of Education, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and any other State agency that collects pertinent data shall furnish such data and information to the Illinois Community College Board as the Illinois Community College Board deems necessary to fulfill the requirements of this Section.