Taking Steps to Address the Full Range of Dual Credit Challenges Together
The Fall 2023 Illinois P-20 Network meeting consisted primarily of worktime for each of three key Illinois P-20 Network workgroups: Dual Credit Think Tank, IPIE, and KEEP Illinois. A summary of the Dual Credit Think Tank workgroup worktime follows below.
The Dual Credit Think Tank brought together its membership while also welcoming educators new to the group from across Illinois. The primary task for the Dual Credit Think Tank at this meeting was to synthesize the recent policy changes adopted by the Higher Learning Commission’s (HLC) Board of Trustees at its November 2023 meeting. Over the past year, the group has worked on studying these now-approved changes and collecting feedback from practitioners on the potential impact of this policy change
With a significant representation from both school districts and postsecondary institutions and with participation from organizations like Stand for Children Illinois, the Think Tank started its workgroup session with a special message from Alex Perry from the College in High School Alliance, a national policy leader in early college credit. In his address to the group, Alex shared up-to-date information about student participation and the urgent need for states to affirm a clear, structured framework that appropriately considers the continued rise of dual credit enrollment.
Along with NIU’s Director of P-20 Initiatives Rodrigo López, Patrick McGill (Glenbard Township High School District 87) and Whitney Martino (West Aurora School District 129) led the group through a series of presentations and discussions that provided a deeper context and specific examples of the dual credit environment in Illinois. Aimee Galvin from Stand for Children Illinois also shared a series of key topics and questions for the group to consider in response to HLC’s policy changes. The expertise and unique experiences of the very diverse participants from across organizations and across Illinois identified the following next steps for the Dual Credit Think Tank.
1 – Amendments to the Illinois Dual Credit Quality Act should prioritize the following:
- Instructor qualifications – Increased clarity and consistency
- Equivalent experience – Guidance that differentiates between Career and Technical Education courses and General Education courses
- Multiple measures – Development of a statewide framework that addresses dual credit programs’ unique needs
2 – Development of an Illinois Statewide Dual Credit Practices Guidance Framework that provides direction on the key components of dual credit operations, including but not limited to:
- Course selection and implementation
- Curriculum and instruction
- Student eligibility and services
- Registration and enrollment
- Financial structures and budgeting
The final portion of the Illinois P-20 Network meeting included each workgroup providing a summary of their work to all participants. Then, small group discussions considered what the 1-year and 3-year specific task priorities should be for the Illinois P-20 Network. As a next step, the Network’s leadership team will compile all of those suggested priorities, analyze them, and may then solicit additional feedback from across the Illinois P-20 Network. Ultimately, the goal will be that there are specific, actionable, and sustainable next steps for each of the workgroups.
November 2023An Overview Webinar of HLC’s Proposed Policy Changes
On September 6, 2023, Rodrigo López, Director of P-20 Initiatives at Northern Illinois University, and Aimee Galvin, Government Affairs Director at Stand for Children Illinois, hosted an informational webinar for educators across Illinois on behalf of the Illinois P-20 Network’s Dual Credit Think Tank.
With attendees from across Illinois representing secondary and postsecondary institutions, Rodrigo and Aimee reviewed the Higher Learning Commission’s (HLC) proposed policy changes to Faculty Qualifications, resulting from the HLC’s Board of Trustees’ first reading of the policy this past summer. The Board is expected to vote on the proposed Faculty Qualifications policy during their upcoming meeting this November.
The webinar provided background context to these proposed policy changes, and the webinar also provided information on the current policy and guidelines (Determining Qualified Faculty Through HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation and Assumed Practices) as noted in the Assumed Practices – CRRT.B.10.020. Aimee from Stand for Children Illinois offered an overview of their organization’s philosophy on dual credit and shared some thoughts on potential implications for both school districts and postsecondary institutions in Illinois, which are included in the Stand for Children Illinois HLC Proposed Rule Change Comment Letter.
Next Steps for Practitioners to Consider (and for Action)
The proposed policy changes and the information shared by the Dual Credit Think Tank present a time-sensitive opportunity for both school districts and postsecondary institutions to engage in a conversation about how these changes may impact their goals and their directions moving forward. For example, the HLC is seeking to adopt Progress toward academic credentials as an alternative to approve instructors to teach college courses. In the context of dual credit, this allows dual credit partnerships to construct a framework to explore the use of Professional Development Plans as a means to be credentialed to teach dual credit courses, similar to what is described in the Dual Credit Quality Act. Additionally, Illinois P-20 Network partners might find value in learning more about implementing a local policy that uses Equivalent Experience to increase dual credit instructors within career and technical education.
Understanding that dual credit partnerships from across Illinois face their own unique challenges, the Dual Credit Think Tank encourages all members to critically analyze the proposed policy changes and participate in the open comment period.
Please note that comments to HLC regarding this proposed policy change remain open through September 18, 2023. Comments can be provided to HLC via email: policycomments@hlcommission.org
The full webinar can be viewed on YouTube or below.
The Higher Learning Commission’s Proposed Policy Changes to Faculty Qualifications
On June 22, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Board of Trustees had the first reading of the changes to its Faculty Qualifications policy. The HLC Board is expected to vote on this proposal at its November 2023 meeting following the proposal’s second reading.
Aimee Galvin from Stand for Children Illinois and Rodrigo Lopez from the Illinois P-20 Network will host an informational webinar on the HLC’s proposed policy changes and share comments submitted to the HLC as part of their open comment period. They will also share a range of perspectives on the potential implications as gathered from the field.
The webinar will be hosted on September 6th from 3-4 PM. We invite you to attend by registering using this online Google form.
Please note that comments to HLC regarding this proposed policy change remain open through September 18, 2023. Comments can be provided to HLC via email (policycomments@hlcommission.org).
Please continue reading below for additional background and details about these proposed HLC policy changes.
Background
The HLC is one of the six regional accreditors in the United States. The proposed changes, if approved, apply to all postsecondary education institutions accredited by the Commission in the State of Illinois, along with 18 other states. These changes would revise “the faculty qualification provision in HLC’s Assumed Practices (B.2) to emphasize that an institution must establish and maintain processes for determining that instructors are qualified.”
The proposed policy changes are based on the feedback that the HLC has compiled over the past several years. More recently, the HLC held conversations with leadership from the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) and the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP), two of the most critical and knowledgeable organizations on dual credit.
Faculty Qualifications: Proposed Policy Changes
The proposed HLC changes would give postsecondary educational institutions flexibility to establish local procedures that determine qualified faculty based on “the achievement of academic credentials, progress toward academic credentials, equivalent experience, or some combination thereof.”
Furthermore, the HLC has drafted “Institutional Policies and Procedures for Determining Faculty Qualifications Guidelines” to support colleges/universities determined “reasonable” procedures in accordance with the newly proposed changes.
- Achievement of academic credentials – “An instructor possesses an academic degree relevant to the discipline and at least one level above the level they intend to teach.”
- Progress toward academic credentials – “Demonstrable, current, and consistent progress toward the academic credential(s) deemed relevant by the institution for an instructor to be qualified.”
- Equivalent experience* – “Experience commensurate with achievement of academic credentials such that it qualifies an instructor for the instruction (e.g., a minimum threshold of experience; research and/or scholarship; recognized achievement; and/or other activities and factors).” (Experience with classroom instruction as a teacher cannot alone constitute equivalent experience.)
Webinar Recap – HLC Proposed Policy Changes
On February 7, 2023, Rodrigo López, Director of P-20 Initiatives at Northern Illinois University, and Aimee Galvin, Government Affairs Director at Stand for Children Illinois, hosted an informational webinar for educators across Illinois on behalf of the Illinois P-20 Network’s Dual Credit Think Tank. With attendees from across Illinois and representing school districts, community colleges, universities, and other professional and interest groups, the proposed policy changes recently communicated by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) were shared. While the HLC proposed policy changes were the primary focus of the interview, Rodrigo and Aimee also reviewed the recent amendments to the Illinois Dual Credit Quality Act and shared the proposed rule changes to the ICCB System Rules Manual that pertain to dual credit (Section 1501.313).
View the webinar below or on the Illinois P-20 Network’s YouTube channel. Continue reading below the video for next steps.
Action Items
- If you are an HLC member institution, please consider submitting feedback on these proposed changes at this time. Learn more about HLC’s proposed revisions. Feedback by member institutions is due to HLC by February 15, 2023.
- Participate in the Dual Credit Think Tank’s next major task – Collecting and publishing best practices for reviewing the credentials and experiences of high school teachers beyond their earned academic credentials.
For more information on the Dual Credit Think Tank or to get involved, please contact Rodrigo López at rodrigo.lopez@niu.edu
