SB0059sam001 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Sen. Ira I. Silverstein

Filed: 3/14/2011

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 59

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 59 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
7    "Associate degree for transfer" means an associate of arts
8or associate of sciences degree, as defined in rules of the
9Illinois Community College Board.
10    "Community college" means a public community college in
11this State.
12    "State university" means a public university in this State.
 
13    Section 10. Associate degree for transfer.
14    (a) Commencing with the fall term of the 2013-2014 academic
15year, a community college student who is eligible to complete

 

 

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1an associate degree for transfer granted pursuant to subsection
2(b) of this Section is deemed eligible for transfer into the
3baccalaureate program of a State university and shall be
4considered to have fulfilled all lower division coursework.
5    (b) As a condition of receipt of State funds, a community
6college district shall ensure that associate degrees for
7transfer (i) are from 60 to 67 semester hours or the
8quarter-hour equivalent; (ii) shall include the following
9Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education Core
10Curriculum credits: 9 hours in communication, 4 hours in
11mathematics, 7 to 8 hours in physical and life sciences, 9
12hours in humanities and fine arts, and 9 hours in social and
13behavioral science, and lower division courses in an identified
14major field of study as defined in the Illinois Articulation
15Initiative for that major; and (iii) may include any such
16additional courses as may be required by the respective
17community college district board of trustees. An associate of
18science degree shall be from 60 to 68 semester hours or the
19quarter-hour equivalent; shall include the following Illinois
20Articulation Initiative General Education Core Curriculum
21credits: 9 hours in communication, 8 hours in mathematics, 11
22to 12 hours in physical and life sciences, 6 hours in
23humanities and fine arts, and 6 hours in social and behavioral
24science, and lower division courses in an identified major
25field of study; and may include any such additional courses as
26may be required by the respective community college district

 

 

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1board of trustees.
2    (c) The General Assembly encourages a community college
3district to consider the articulation agreements and other work
4between the respective faculties from the affected community
5college and State universities in implementing the
6requirements of this Section.
7    (d) The General Assembly encourages community colleges to
8facilitate the acceptance of credits earned at other community
9colleges and from lower division courses completed at 4-year
10colleges and universities toward an associate degree for
11transfer pursuant to this Section.
12    (e) This Section does not preclude students who are
13assessed below collegiate level from acquiring developmental
14coursework in preparation for obtaining an associate degree for
15transfer. Developmental coursework must not be counted as part
16of the transferable units required pursuant to subsection (b)
17of this Section.
 
18    Section 15. Admission to a State university.
19Notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the contrary, a
20State university shall, upon admission to the university,
21guarantee admission with junior status to any community college
22student who meets all of the requirements of Section 10 of this
23Act. Admission to a State university, as provided under this
24Act, does not guarantee admission for specific majors.
 

 

 

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1    Section 20. Coursework. A State university may require a
2student transferring pursuant to this Act to take additional
3courses at the State university, so long as the student is not
4required to have taken more than 127 semester hours or the
5equivalent number of quarter hours in combination with the
6associate degree for transfer and the baccalaureate degree. A
7State university may not require students transferring
8pursuant to this Act to repeat courses that are similar to
9those taken at the community college that counted toward an
10associate degree for transfer granted pursuant to Section 10 of
11this Act, regardless of whether the credits earned and the
12courses required were offered at a different level.
13Determination of course equivalency or similarity must be made
14by (i) the Illinois Articulation Initiative major panels or
15(ii) faculty at the respective institutions from and to which
16students transfer. Courses certified by the Illinois
17Articulation Initiative shall transfer as equivalencies and
18are not subject to individual evaluation by the respective
19institutions.
 
20    Section 25. Board of Higher Education reviews and reports.
21    (a) The Board of Higher Education shall review the
22implementation of this Act and file a report on that review
23with the General Assembly on or before May 31, 2014, as
24provided in Section 3.1 of the General Assembly Organization
25Act.

 

 

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1    (b) The Board of Higher Education shall review both of the
2following and file a report on that review with the General
3Assembly within 4 years after the effective date of this Act,
4as provided in Section 3.1 of the General Assembly Organization
5Act:
6        (1) The outcomes of implementation of this Act,
7    including, but not limited to, all of the following:
8            (A) The number of community college students who
9        earned bachelor's degrees after transferring with an
10        associate degree for transfer following the effective
11        date of this Act.
12            (B) The average amount of time and units it takes a
13        community college student earning an associate degree
14        for transfer pursuant to this Act to transfer to and
15        graduate from a State university, as compared to the
16        average amount of time and units it took community
17        college transfer students prior to the implementation
18        of this Act.
19            (C) Student progression and completion rates.
20            (D) Other relevant indicators of student success.
21            (E) The degree to which the requirements for an
22        associate degree for transfer take into account
23        existing articulation agreements and the degree to
24        which community colleges facilitate the acceptance of
25        credits between community college districts, as
26        outlined in subsections (c) and (d) of Section 10 of

 

 

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1        this Act.
2            (F) It is the intent of the General Assembly that
3        student outcome data provided under this subsection
4        (b) include the degree to which State universities were
5        able to accommodate students admitted under this Act in
6        being admitted to the State university of their choice
7        without having to repeat coursework already completed
8        successfully at the community college.
9        (2) Recommendations for statutory changes necessary to
10    facilitate the goal of a clear and transparent transfer
11    process.
 
12    Section 30. Implementation of Act; intent. It is the intent
13of the General Assembly that the requirements placed on
14community college districts pursuant to this Act be carried out
15in the normal course of program development and approval,
16course scheduling, and degree issuance and do not represent any
17new activities or a higher level of service on the part of
18community college districts.
 
19    Section 90. The State Mandates Act is amended by adding
20Section 8.35 as follows:
 
21    (30 ILCS 805/8.35 new)
22    Sec. 8.35. Exempt mandate. Notwithstanding Sections 6 and 8
23of this Act, no reimbursement by the State is required for the

 

 

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1implementation of any mandate created by the Student Transfer
2Achievement Reform Act.".