HLC Call for Feedback
Proposed Policy Changes to Assumed Practices (CRRT.B.10.020)
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) has announced its proposed policy changes to Assumed Practices – CRRT.B.10.020. As one of six regional accreditors in the United States, these proposed changes, if approved by the Board, will help to “eliminate any restrictive impact of HLC’s requirements on student access to dual credit programs in underserved or rural areas.” Degree-granting postsecondary educational institutions in the State of Illinois, along with those located in the other 18 states, may be in a position to benefit and modify existing practices specific to the review and approval of faculty qualifications.
HLC member institutions have been requested to share feedback on these proposed changes before its formal comment process is initiated. Learn more about HLC’s proposed revisions. Feedback by member institutions is due by February 15, 2023.
The Illinois P-20 Network in collaboration with the Illinois Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (ILACEP) has worked with a diverse group of secondary and postsecondary educators to increase knowledge and support dual credit opportunities. As dual credit has become a critical component of schools’ early college credit programs, the Dual Credit Think Tank has focused its efforts on advocating for policies and practices that lead to an increase in the number of high school instructors teaching dual credit courses.
In June 2022, the HLC’s Board of Trustees extended the deadline for enforcement of faculty qualifications requirements in the context of dual credit education from September 1, 2023, to September 1, 2025. Institutions not in compliance with the requirements of Assumed Practice B.2.a, not only have an additional two years to get their dual credit offerings into compliance but may also have additional options with the approval of the policy changes.
Although recent amendments to the Dual Credit Quality Act have continued to address the challenges faced by dual credit programs to have more high school instructors credentialed to teach dual credit courses, revisions to HLC’s policies would make clear “that an institution can deem its faculty qualified on the basis of academic credentials, equivalent experience or some combination thereof” and that it may also “take into account substantial progress toward academic credentials in addition to achievement of such credentials” to create “parity between teaching assistants and dual credit instructors who are similarly situated in this regard.”
The Illinois P-20 Network Dual Credit Think Tank will be hosting an informational webinar on the HLC proposed policy changes to Assumed Practices – CRRT.B.10.020 on February 7, 2023, at 2 PM (CT) – Register today!
January 2023Dual Credit Think Tank – Update
We are pleased to announce that, in collaboration with ILACEP, we are restarting the Dual Credit Think Tank. We are currently working to identify meeting dates and times, and we will be emailing specific information to everyone who was involved with the Dual Credit Think Tank last spring as well as those who have already reached out to express interest in participating in the Dual Credit Think Tank moving forward.
If you or someone in your organization is interested in participating in the Dual Credit Think Tank, please email us at: p20network@niu.edu
Continue reading below to learn more about the next steps for the Illinois P-20 Network Dual Credit Think Tank.
Plans for the Dual Credit Think Tank moving forward over the remainder of 2021 include:
- Focus on one sub-committee at a time – The Teacher Credentialing Sub-Committee remains critical and is identified as a key area in the ILACEP Illinois Dual Credit Report under the header, Instructor Capacity. This group will begin meeting in the coming weeks and will meet monthly through June. Then, beginning during the summer, attention will shift to the Communications Sub-Committee, which will meet through much of the fall. At the moment, we will hold off on restarting the Finance Sub-Committee, but if conversations in either Springfield or Washington, D.C. necessitate that Sub-Committees work, we will quickly spring into action and potentially pause the work of the other Sub-Committees.
- Co-Facilitators – As we re-launch each Sub-Committee, we will seek two co-facilitators within each group to partner with Jason Klein in leading the Sub-Committee.
- Consistent Meeting Times – While this is always difficult and complex with the busy schedules of educational leaders across institutions, as each Sub-Committee re-starts, it will lay out a schedule of monthly meetings for the anticipated period of its work.