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