House Study Bill 286
HOUSE FILE
BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON
WAYS AND MEANS BILL BY
CHAIRPERSON SHOMSHOR)
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to articulation agreements between public
2 postsecondary institutions.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 2708HC 83
5 kh/rj/14
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 256.9, Code 2009, is amended by adding
1 2 the following new subsection:
1 3 NEW SUBSECTION. 61. Develop and implement a plan to
1 4 provide, at least twice annually to all principals and
1 5 guidance counselors employed by school districts and
1 6 accredited nonpublic schools, notice describing how students
1 7 can find and use the articulation information available on the
1 8 website maintained by the state board of regents. The plan
1 9 shall include suggested methods for elementary and secondary
1 10 schools and community colleges to effectively communicate
1 11 information about the articulation website to the following:
1 12 a. To all elementary and secondary school students
1 13 interested in or potentially interested in attending a
1 14 community college or institution of higher education governed
1 15 by the state board of regents.
1 16 b. To all community college students interested in or
1 17 potentially interested in admission to a baccalaureate degree
1 18 program offered by an institution of higher education governed
1 19 by the state board of regents.
1 20 Sec. 2. Section 260C.14, Code 2009, is amended by adding
1 21 the following new subsection:
1 22 NEW SUBSECTION. 23. Enter into a collective statewide
1 23 articulation agreement with the state board of regents
1 24 pursuant to section 262.9, subsection 32, which shall provide
1 25 for the seamless transfer of academic credits from a completed
1 26 associate of arts or associate of science degree program
1 27 offered by a community college to a baccalaureate degree
1 28 program offered by an institution of higher education governed
1 29 by the state board of regents. The board shall also do the
1 30 following:
1 31 a. Identify a transfer and articulation contact office or
1 32 person, publicize transfer and articulation information and
1 33 the contact office or person, and submit the contact
1 34 information to the state board of regents, which shall publish
1 35 the contact information on its articulation website.
2 1 b. Collaborate with the state board of regents to meet the
2 2 requirements specified in section 262.9, subsection 32,
2 3 including but not limited to developing a systematic process
2 4 for expanding academic discipline and providing for meetings
2 5 between the community college faculty and faculty of the
2 6 institutions of higher education governed by the state board
2 7 of regents, developing criteria to prioritize core curriculum
2 8 areas, promoting greater awareness of articulation=related
2 9 activities, facilitating additional opportunities for
2 10 individual institutions to pursue program articulation
2 11 agreements for career and technical educational programs, and
2 12 developing and implementing a process to examine a minimum of
2 13 four associate of applied science degree programs for which
2 14 articulation agreements would serve students' continued
2 15 academic success in those programs.
2 16 Sec. 3. Section 262.9, Code 2009, is amended by adding the
2 17 following new subsection:
2 18 NEW SUBSECTION. 32. In consultation with the state board
2 19 for community colleges established pursuant to section 260C.3,
2 20 establish and enter into a collective statewide articulation
2 21 agreement with the community colleges established pursuant to
2 22 chapter 260C, which shall provide for the seamless transfer of
2 23 academic credits from a completed associate of arts or
2 24 associate of science degree program offered by a community
2 25 college to a baccalaureate degree program offered by an
2 26 institution of higher education governed by the board. The
2 27 board shall also do the following:
2 28 a. Require each of the institutions of higher education
2 29 governed by the board to identify a transfer and articulation
2 30 contact office or person, publicize transfer and articulation
2 31 information and the contact office or person, and submit the
2 32 contact information to the board for publication on its
2 33 articulation website.
2 34 b. Develop, in collaboration with the boards of directors
2 35 of the community colleges, a systematic process for expanding
3 1 academic discipline and providing for meetings between the
3 2 community college faculty and faculty of the institutions of
3 3 higher education governed by the board. The board shall
3 4 conduct and jointly administer with the boards of directors of
3 5 the community colleges four program and academic discipline
3 6 meetings each academic year for the purpose of enhancing
3 7 alignment between course content and expectations at the
3 8 community colleges and institutions of higher education
3 9 governed by the state board of regents.
3 10 c. Develop criteria to prioritize core curriculum areas
3 11 and create or review transition guides for the core curriculum
3 12 areas.
3 13 d. Include on its articulation website course equivalency
3 14 and transition guides for each of the institutions of higher
3 15 education governed by the board.
3 16 e. Jointly, with the boards of directors of the community
3 17 colleges, select academic departments in which to articulate
3 18 first=year and second=year courses through faculty=to=faculty
3 19 meetings in accordance with paragraph "b". However,
3 20 course=to=course equivalencies need not occur in an academic
3 21 discipline when the board and the community colleges jointly
3 22 determine that course content is incompatible.
3 23 f. Promote greater awareness of articulation=related
3 24 activities, including the articulation website maintained by
3 25 the board and articulation agreements in which the
3 26 institutions participate.
3 27 g. Facilitate additional opportunities for individual
3 28 institutions to pursue program articulation agreements for
3 29 community college career and technical education programs and
3 30 programs of study offered by the institutions of higher
3 31 education governed by the board.
3 32 h. Develop and implement by January 1, 2012, a process to
3 33 examine a minimum of four community college associate of
3 34 applied science degree programs for which articulation
3 35 agreements between the community colleges and the institutions
4 1 of higher education governed by the board would serve
4 2 students' continued academic success in those programs.
4 3 i. Prepare, jointly with the department of education and
4 4 the liaison advisory committee on transfer students, and
4 5 submit by January 1 annually to the general assembly, an
4 6 update on the articulation efforts and activities implemented
4 7 by the community colleges and the institutions of higher
4 8 education governed by the board.
4 9 EXPLANATION
4 10 This bill relates to the transfer and articulation of
4 11 academic credits between the state's postsecondary
4 12 institutions.
4 13 The bill directs the boards of directors of the community
4 14 colleges and the state board of regents to enter into a
4 15 collective statewide articulation agreement to provide for the
4 16 seamless transfer of academic credits from a completed
4 17 associate of arts or associate of science degree program
4 18 offered by a community college to a baccalaureate degree
4 19 program offered by a regents university.
4 20 The bill also directs the boards to identify a transfer and
4 21 articulation contact office or person, publicize transfer and
4 22 articulation and contact information, and submit the contact
4 23 information for publication on the articulation website
4 24 maintained by the state board of regents.
4 25 The boards are further directed to collaborate with each
4 26 other to meet the requirements to develop a systematic process
4 27 for expanding academic discipline and provide for
4 28 faculty=to=faculty meetings, develop criteria to prioritize
4 29 core curriculum areas, promote greater awareness of
4 30 articulation=related activities, facilitate additional
4 31 opportunities for individual institutions to pursue program
4 32 articulation agreements for career and technical educational
4 33 programs, and develop and implement a process to examine a
4 34 minimum of four associate of applied science degree programs
4 35 for which articulation agreements would serve students'
5 1 continued academic success in those programs.
5 2 The department of education is directed to develop and
5 3 implement a plan to provide, at least twice annually,
5 4 notification to all principals and guidance counselors
5 5 employed by school districts and accredited nonpublic schools
5 6 describing how students can find and use the articulation
5 7 website, and to provide suggested methods for schools and
5 8 community colleges to effectively communicate information
5 9 about the website to all interested elementary, secondary, and
5 10 community college students.
5 11 The board directs the state board of regents to prepare
5 12 jointly, with the department of education and the liaison
5 13 advisory committee on transfer students, and submit by January
5 14 1 annually to the general assembly, an update on the
5 15 articulation efforts and activities implemented by the
5 16 community colleges and the regents universities.
5 17 LSB 2708HC 83
5 18 kh/rj/14