Checking in on HB5020 and Dual Credit Legislation

On August 1, 2024, the Illinois P-20 Network’s Dual Credit Think Tank held a meeting that featured a panel to discuss HB5020, the legislative process, and the current and future state of a possible amendment to the Dual Credit Quality Act. Panelists included Representative Diane Blair-Sherlock, the representative for Illinois’ 46th District in the House and the sponsor of HB5020; Aimee Galvin of Stand for Children Illinois, who led the original writing of HB5020 and who continued to engage in negotiations throughout the legislative session; and, Bobby Johnson, a staff member for the Senate Democrats and the staffer who is responsible for the Senate’s Higher Education Committee. Senator Cristina Castro, who sponsored HB5020 in the Senate, was invited to attend and had planned to attend until approximately one week before the meeting when she notified the Illinois P-20 Network of a conflict and was able to secure Mr. Johnson in her place.

The meeting focused on key questions that had been identified by Dual Credit Think Tank members at the June and July meetings. Topics covered included:

• An overview of key elements of HB5020 from the perspective of each of the panelists
• The current status of HB5020
• Likely next steps for HB5020 and/or other future legislation related to dual credit in Illinois
• Teacher credentialing for high school teachers teaching dual credit
• Ability of school districts to partner with postsecondary institutions other than their own community college
• Reference to school districts’ progress to offer College and Career Pathway Endorsements (i.e., requires six credit hours of early college credit) and the need for continued alterations to dual credit policy in Illinois
• Research into the long-term impact of dual credit within and across Illinois
• Potential funding to specifically support dual credit across Illinois, particularly given funding to support Advanced Placement

Representative Blair-Sherlock stressed that this bill went through multiple revisions in the House before ultimately being passed on to the Senate. She pointed out that through the negotiation process around these revisions, key stakeholders and interest groups expressed that, at the time of the floor vote by the full House, they were either in support of the bill or neutral on HB5020. She also expressed frustration that, though it moved into the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, at that point new issues appeared to pop up, and the bill became stuck in the Senate’s Rules Committee without even receiving a hearing.

Mr. Johnson identified three key disagreements that remained among interest groups as he understood it. The two smaller issues were conversations about who dictated class size limits (the school district or the postsecondary institution) and the right to refusal as it relates to partnering with only the school district’s local community college. The third, and more significant issue, that Mr. Johnson identified was the education and/or work requirements for a high school teacher to be credentialed as a dual credit teacher. On this point, both the panelists and participants stressed that many postsecondary faculty members feel that this teacher credentialing is the key to ensuring high-quality instructional experiences and to maintaining the same rigor that is in place in the postsecondary setting, which is key to meaningful dual credit offerings.

In addition to the panelists and over 70 attendees, representatives from both the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) were in attendance. Among those statewide leaders was ICCB Executive Director Brian Durham, who spoke about ICCB’s ongoing involvement in continued conversations about HB5020 with community college presidents as well as through a recent meeting ICCB convened with a small group of school district superintendents and community college presidents on the topic. From ICCB’s perspective, there is an ongoing commitment to continuing to negotiate with key stakeholders and this commitment is shared with community college presidents from across Illinois.

While there is much work to continue being done, the meeting concluded with the following key points:

• There is a commitment to addressing teacher credentialing and the professional development plans further, particularly considering the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) policy change last November, whether through HB5020 as early as this fall’s Veto Session or through a new bill.
• There would likely be strong support in examining funding around dual credit, particularly given the support of Advanced Placement, though it was recommended that this would be most effectively approached through separate legislation after the passage of some form of the currently proposed legislation that addresses teacher credentialing.

Though it is not entirely clear how, when, or who will lead these next steps, the Dual Credit Think Tank will continue to fulfill its role in providing a forum for the practitioners doing the work to better understand policymaking processes and share their expert thoughts and experiences throughout the process.

If you are not currently a member of the Dual Credit Think Tank and you are interested in participating, please complete this short Dual Credit Think Tank New Member Form.

August 2024

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 2023