Full Text of SB1832 102nd General Assembly
SB1832sam001 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY | Sen. Cristina H. Pacione-Zayas Filed: 4/27/2021
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| 1 | | AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 1832
| 2 | | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 1832 by replacing | 3 | | everything after the enacting clause with the following:
| 4 | | "Section 5. The Public Community College Act is amended by | 5 | | adding Section 3-80 as follows: | 6 | | (110 ILCS 805/3-80 new) | 7 | | Sec. 3-80. Early childhood education bachelor of applied | 8 | | science degree. | 9 | | (a) Illinois faces a shortage of qualified early childhood | 10 | | educators, with high vacancy rates in child care centers, | 11 | | community-based early childhood programs, and school-based | 12 | | classrooms across the State. Beyond addressing the current | 13 | | need, growing federal and State commitments to expanding early | 14 | | childhood services, including the recommendations put forth in | 15 | | the Governor's Illinois Commission on Equitable Early | 16 | | Childhood Education and Care Funding report in March 2021, |
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| 1 | | suggests that Illinois must be prepared to meet the growing | 2 | | demand for a qualified workforce to deliver these services in | 3 | | the coming years. | 4 | | To meet this growing demand, the Illinois higher education | 5 | | system must support our incumbent early childhood workforce | 6 | | through credential and degree attainment. The workforce is | 7 | | overwhelmingly made up of women and women of color, and many | 8 | | are balancing full-time employment, family needs, and other | 9 | | responsibilities. Often, traditional bachelor degree programs | 10 | | are not accessible to place-bound, full-time working parents. | 11 | | In Illinois, there is a history of partnership among early | 12 | | childhood providers, stakeholders, and higher education to | 13 | | identify workforce needs and strategies to help promote access | 14 | | to higher education and degree completion among the workforce. | 15 | | Illinois institutions of higher education have taken steps to | 16 | | demonstrate a commitment to the early childhood field, as well | 17 | | as underserved student populations. Hybrid program models, | 18 | | cohort program models, and scholarships and financial | 19 | | incentives for students help to promote access to many early | 20 | | childhood degree programs in Illinois. | 21 | | Over the past 2 decades, Illinois has attempted numerous | 22 | | strategies to develop and support partnerships among | 23 | | institutions of higher education that are focused on the | 24 | | State's early childhood workforce. Through these broader | 25 | | initiatives, as well as many individual local partnerships, | 26 | | community colleges and public and private universities have |
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| 1 | | worked to implement articulation agreements, credit transfer | 2 | | agreements, and program delivery models, although not all | 3 | | partnerships have been maintained. Such initiatives include | 4 | | all of the following: | 5 | | (1) In 2004, Illinois developed the Associate of Arts | 6 | | in Teaching (AAT) degree model to promote articulation | 7 | | among 2-year and 4-year institutions of higher education. | 8 | | However, with the challenges in credit transfer | 9 | | contributing to the limited viability and success of the | 10 | | degree model, the State Board stopped approving the AAT | 11 | | degree model and has worked across the higher education | 12 | | system to discontinue these programs. | 13 | | (2) In 2013, Illinois dedicated federal Race to the | 14 | | Top funds to create the Early Childhood Educator | 15 | | Preparation Program Innovation (EPPI) Grant program. Among | 16 | | other goals, the EPPI Grant program aimed to foster the | 17 | | creation or further development of partnerships between | 18 | | 2-year and 4-year preparation programs between | 19 | | institutions of higher education, promote articulation and | 20 | | alignment of curriculum between 2-year and 4-year | 21 | | programs, and support early childhood educator preparation | 22 | | programs in designing curriculum to incorporate new State | 23 | | standards and program requirements. While the EPPI Grant | 24 | | program led to some effective partnerships that still | 25 | | remain intact today, program evaluations found varying | 26 | | levels of partnership and that, in many cases, successful |
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| 1 | | agreements were contingent upon individual relationships | 2 | | or individual leaders within institutions. | 3 | | (3) Through the Illinois Articulation Initiative | 4 | | (IAI), there are 3 early childhood courses approved for | 5 | | articulation among participating institutions. More than | 6 | | 100 Illinois colleges and universities participate in the | 7 | | IAI, though challenges with inconsistent participation and | 8 | | recognition do exist. | 9 | | (4) Most recently, the creation of competency-based | 10 | | education components for early childhood education will | 11 | | help ensure that higher education and credential programs | 12 | | are designed to prepare early childhood educators to | 13 | | demonstrate the same critical core competencies. The | 14 | | emphasis on core competencies could improve educator | 15 | | preparedness and could ease credit transfer and | 16 | | articulation processes moving forward. | 17 | | These programs and partnerships continue to benefit many | 18 | | early childhood education students across the State, but | 19 | | overall, these efforts have not produced adequate early | 20 | | childhood degrees to meet the demands in the field. These | 21 | | types of initiatives are highly contingent upon relationships | 22 | | and partnerships between specific institutions and are often | 23 | | impacted if an institution experiences turnover or program | 24 | | changes. Furthermore, these partnerships often do not address | 25 | | the geographic, structural, and economic barriers the | 26 | | incumbent workforce often faces in accessing bachelor's degree |
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| 1 | | programs while working full-time in the field. These ongoing | 2 | | challenges are not new and have been noted in the development | 3 | | of these previous efforts. | 4 | | As noted in the provisions of Public Act 101-654, the | 5 | | General Assembly recognizes the critical role of the early | 6 | | childhood workforce and, in response to challenges, including | 7 | | staffing shortages and barriers to higher education, calls | 8 | | upon the Board of Higher Education to better meet the needs of | 9 | | the early childhood workforce. | 10 | | Illinois must seek evidence-based, systemic solutions to | 11 | | expand access to and completion of early childhood bachelor | 12 | | degrees, including the community college baccalaureate degree | 13 | | pathway pursuant to this Section. This pathway would | 14 | | complement existing and future innovations in higher | 15 | | education, including potential statewide consortium efforts, | 16 | | all aimed at expanding access to degree pathways and | 17 | | completion. | 18 | | (b) A board of trustees may establish and offer a | 19 | | baccalaureate-level early childhood education program and | 20 | | confer a bachelor of applied science degree in early childhood | 21 | | education and a Professional Educator License with | 22 | | endorsements in early childhood education and early childhood | 23 | | special education if all of the following conditions are met: | 24 | | (1) The board meets all of the requirements as set | 25 | | forth in subsection (c) of this Section and has been | 26 | | approved by the State Board to offer a bachelor of applied |
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| 1 | | science degree in early childhood education. | 2 | | (2) After the program has been approved by the State | 3 | | Board, the Board of Higher Education shall consider the | 4 | | program for approval in a manner consistent with new | 5 | | bachelor's degree programs at public and private | 6 | | universities in this State. | 7 | | (3) The program has been approved by the State Board | 8 | | of Education, pursuant to Section 21B-105 of the School | 9 | | Code and 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.Subpart C. | 10 | | (4) The board has identified and documented, in | 11 | | writing, unmet early childhood workforce needs. The State | 12 | | Board may develop guidance on documentation, which may | 13 | | include traditional labor market data, employer surveys, | 14 | | community needs assessments, or additional available data | 15 | | sources. The board shall publish on its Internet website | 16 | | and make publicly available the documentation and shall | 17 | | present the documentation to the State Board. | 18 | | (5) The board meets all applicable accreditation | 19 | | requirements of the Higher Learning Commission. | 20 | | (c) The board shall demonstrate that the community college | 21 | | district has the expertise, resources, and student interest to | 22 | | establish and offer a baccalaureate-level early childhood | 23 | | education program. An application for approval from the State | 24 | | Board shall include, but is not limited to, all of the | 25 | | following: | 26 | | (1) The board shall describe the labor market need as |
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| 1 | | specified in paragraph (4) of subsection (b) of this | 2 | | Section. | 3 | | (2) The board shall describe the program's purpose, | 4 | | its target population, related occupations, and career | 5 | | paths. The board shall describe how the program aligns | 6 | | with any relevant State or local strategic plans and | 7 | | initiatives. | 8 | | (3) To prevent the duplication of services and | 9 | | programs, the board shall describe how the proposed | 10 | | program fills a gap in the early childhood education | 11 | | degree programs offered by other institutions of higher | 12 | | education by addressing all of the following: | 13 | | (A) If there are any existing early childhood | 14 | | education bachelor degree programs offered in the | 15 | | surrounding region. | 16 | | (B) If a similar bachelor's degree program is | 17 | | offered in the surrounding region, how the proposed | 18 | | program would complement rather than duplicate any | 19 | | existing programs in order to meet additional, unmet | 20 | | needs. | 21 | | (C) If there are any current partnerships with | 22 | | other institutions of higher education created to | 23 | | promote access and transfer for early childhood | 24 | | education students. If there are current partnerships | 25 | | with other institutions of higher education, the board | 26 | | shall describe the partnership and how the proposed |
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| 1 | | program will complement the efforts of its existing | 2 | | partnerships and transfer agreements. | 3 | | (D) How the proposed program will fill a gap in | 4 | | services for the target population. This may include | 5 | | program design, student support, affordability, or | 6 | | other relevant information. | 7 | | (4) The board shall demonstrate student interest in | 8 | | the proposed program. | 9 | | (5) The board shall demonstrate that the community | 10 | | college has developed quality curricula that align with | 11 | | federal, State, and local requirements and will prepare | 12 | | graduates with the appropriate level of skill to meet | 13 | | their educational goals. | 14 | | (6) The board shall verify the community college has | 15 | | the fiscal resources in place or has budgeted for | 16 | | financial support for the program in a cost-effective | 17 | | manner. | 18 | | (7) The board shall identify and document the faculty | 19 | | available for teaching the program, including the number | 20 | | of full-time faculty anticipated to teach in the program, | 21 | | and a description of their qualifications (including | 22 | | highest degree earned), teaching experience, professional | 23 | | experience, and licenses held. The board must also | 24 | | indicate how faculty are to be evaluated. | 25 | | (d) All institutions of higher education that offer | 26 | | associate degrees or bachelor's degrees shall be informed of |
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| 1 | | the proposed community college baccalaureate-level degree | 2 | | program and shall be given the opportunity to comment on the | 3 | | proposed program. The State Board shall develop the process | 4 | | for notification and comment regarding the proposed program. | 5 | | This process shall allow for the community college proposing | 6 | | the program to be provided with the comments received. The | 7 | | community college shall be given the opportunity to respond to | 8 | | comments by providing clarification or proposed changes to the | 9 | | State Board and the Board of Higher Education. | 10 | | (e) A community college district is prohibited from using | 11 | | semester credit hours generated in a baccalaureate degree | 12 | | program for grants received pursuant to Section 2-16.02 of | 13 | | this Act. | 14 | | (f) A community college offering educator licensure must | 15 | | establish standards and procedures for the denial of | 16 | | recommendation for licensure, in compliance with Section | 17 | | 21B-95 of the School Code. | 18 | | (g) A candidate for educator licensure must successfully | 19 | | complete the applicable testing requirements under Section | 20 | | 21B-30 of the School Code and any corresponding administrative | 21 | | rules prior to the issuance of an educator license and any | 22 | | endorsements. | 23 | | (h) The community college district shall offer and | 24 | | maintain an associate degree in early childhood education or a | 25 | | related field. | 26 | | (i) The State Board shall conduct a statewide evaluation |
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| 1 | | of all programs established under this Section. The results of | 2 | | the evaluation shall be reported, in writing, on or before | 3 | | July 1, 2028 to all of the following: | 4 | | (1) The Board of Higher Education. | 5 | | (2) The Speaker of the House of Representatives. | 6 | | (3) The Minority Leader of the House of | 7 | | Representatives. | 8 | | (4) The President of the Senate. | 9 | | (5) The Minority Leader of the Senate. | 10 | | (6) The Governor's Office of Management and Budget. | 11 | | The evaluation shall include, but is not limited to, all | 12 | | of the following: | 13 | | (A) The number of new programs established under this | 14 | | Section, including information identifying applicants, | 15 | | admissions, enrollments, demographic characteristics of | 16 | | students, and degree recipients. | 17 | | (B) The extent to which the programs established under | 18 | | this Section fulfill identified workforce needs. | 19 | | (C) Which community college districts applied for a | 20 | | program but were denied and why were they denied. | 21 | | (D) The cost of each program, the funding sources that | 22 | | were used to finance the program, and the average cost to | 23 | | attain a bachelor's degree under the program. | 24 | | (E) Time-to-degree rates and completion rates for each | 25 | | new program established under this Section. | 26 | | (F) The extent to which the programs established under |
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| 1 | | this Section are in compliance with the requirements of | 2 | | this Section. | 3 | | Boards of trustees shall submit the information necessary | 4 | | to conduct the evaluation required under this subsection (i), | 5 | | as determined by the evaluators, to the State Board. | 6 | | (j) Prior to the publication of the statewide evaluation | 7 | | of community college baccalaureate programs in early childhood | 8 | | education as described in subsection (i) of this Section, the | 9 | | Board of Higher Education and the State Board may not | 10 | | authorize a community college baccalaureate-level degree | 11 | | program in any additional field of study. ".
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