Baccalaureate Transfer

ADVANCE PLACEMENT (AP) EXAMS  |  ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCE REDESIGN INFO  |  FINAL PLACEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS  |  ILLNOIS ARTICULATION INITIATIVE  |  ITRANSFER  |  MYCREDITS TRANSFER  |  DEVELOPMENTAL REFORM ACT  | SJR 41 ADVISOR COMMITTEE

The largest instructional program area for Illinois community colleges is Baccalaureate/Transfer. Baccalaureate/Transfer programs, which are offered at all Illinois community colleges, provide a smooth transition to a senior institution for students planning to complete a baccalaureate degree. All community colleges offer an Associate in Science (AS) degree for students planning to major in math science, or health related areas. An Associate in Arts (AA) is an appropriate degree for students planning to major in the liberal arts. The AA and AS degrees contain the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) General Education Core Curriculum (GECC). The GECC is a “package” of courses that when completed, can transfer to over 100 IAI participating institutions and be accepted in lieu of the receiving institutions lower-division general education core.

Community colleges may also offer an Associate in Engineering Science degree (AES), an Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) with options in music, music education art or art education, or an Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT). These are specialized transfer degrees that should be completed in total in order for community college students to be on a par with native university students at the beginning of the junior year. Special graduation and university admission requirements apply.

Related Links:

Advanced Placement (AP) Exams

College Credit for Scores of 3 or Higher at all Illinois Public Institutions of Higher Education

On August 13, 2015, HB 3428 was signed into law amending The College and Career Success for All Students Act (Public Act 099-0358) which now provides that a student who takes a College Board Advanced Placement examination and receives a score of 3 or higher on the examination is entitled to receive postsecondary level course credit at a public institution of higher education. The Act requires each public institution of higher education to comply with the same standard of awarding course credit to any student receiving a score of 3 or higher on a College Board Advanced Placement examination and applying the credit to meet a corresponding course requirement for degree completion at that institution of higher education.

Beginning with the 2016-2017 academic year, each public institution of higher education shall determine for each test whether credit will be granted for electives, general education requirements, or major requirements and the Advanced Placement scores required to grant credit for those purposes. Each institution is also required to publish and maintain its Advanced Placement examination score course granting policy on its website.

The following provides links to all Illinois public universities’ AP policies and score charts:

  • Joliet Junior College
    AP Policy and AP Score Chart
  • Oakton Community College
    AP Policy and AP Score Chart

Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education Panelist Advanced Placement Comparison Chart

Illinois Community College Board Advanced Placement Contact:

Ashley Becker, Ph.D.
Senior Director for Academic Affairs
401 East Capitol Avenue
Springfield, IL 62701-1711
Phone: 217-524-5503

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Associate in Science Redesign Info

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    Final Placement Recommendations

    Recommendations of the Illinois Community College Chief Academic Officers (ICCCAO) & Illinois Community College Chief Student Services Officers (ICCCSSO) on Placement Methods and Scores

    On June 1, 2018, the Illinois Council of Community College Presidents approved a common placement framework for the 48 Illinois Community Colleges. This framework operates under the following assumptions:

    1. The document recommends that colleges use multiple measures for placement. At this point, it is not a mandate, but a system wide agreement. Many more steps are required to reach full implementation and complete consistency.
    2. The recommendation suggests a list of valid measures to choose from, including the scores on those measures.
    3. The recommendation charges the ICCB with doing further research about the validity of those measures.
    4. The recommendation charges the ICCB with putting together a working group to go over implementation issues. This working group must come from a cross-section of stakeholders in the Illinois community college system.
    5. The document demonstrates that the Illinois Community College system is aware of disparities in placement across the state and is actively working to correct those disparities in a collaborative manner.
    6. The ICCB has supported this effort, has been involved in high-level conversations about this work, and has worked to balance local control issues with the need for more statewide consistency on this issue.

    Placement Framework

    Community College Placement Scores FY 2017 – 2018

    These represent the most recent collection of placement scores available in the Illinois Community College System. These scores are subject to change based upon local community college decisions. This information is provided to assist community colleges with their efforts to implement the Final Placement Recommendations.

     

    Background Paper on the Development of the Common Cut Scores and Multiple Measures Framework

    The ICCB is currently developing a background paper on the development of the Multiple Measures Recommendations, which is at the link above. This document is currently in DRAFT form and should be approached with an understanding that it will be updated as resources come available and further information is added.

    For additional information contact Dr. Marcus Brown, Senior Director for Academic Affairs at marcus.brown@illinois.gov.

    Letter of Support from Illinois Mathematics Association of Community Colleges

    Slides for the presentation by Dr. John Hetts: Let Icarus Fly: Multiple Measures in Assessment and the Re-imagination of Student Capacity

     

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    Illinois Articulation Initiative

    Statement from Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), & Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) regarding concerns about online labs & speech:

    The Coronavirus has created an unprecedented situation which has forced all Illinois public and private colleges and universities to shift to alternative methods of teaching, primarily via 100% online courses, for all or a portion of the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester.  It has come to our attention that there is concern by IAI participating institutions that online science labs as well as the online version of the oral communications courses (e.g., Speech, Public Speaking, etc.) will not comply with the IAI General Education Core Curriculum (GECC) Communications, GECC Life Sciences, and GECC Physical Sciences panels’ expected course outcomes as reflected in their course descriptors and course approval criteria thus creating a situation in which these courses may be deemed not transferable.

    The Illinois Articulation Initiative’s Policies & Procedures Manual does not currently include any language regarding emergency caveats, particularly as it may be applicable to the current health pandemic.  Therefore, it is the position of the IBHE, ICCB, and IAI that students’ courses which are completed under these crisis-driven alternative course delivery methods shall be deemed transferable and earn credit as they were originally intended during the Spring 2020 semester.  This policy demonstrates the state’s commitment of supporting institutional efforts to reasonably modify learning options as needed in order to provide a mechanism for students to complete their courses this semester.

     

    In 1993 the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community College Board, and the Transfer Coordinators of Illinois Colleges and Universities brought together faculty from public and independent, associate and baccalaureate degree-granting institutions across the state to develop the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI). The goal of IAI is to facilitate transfer from one participating college or university to another in order to complete a baccalaureate degree. Three key concepts provided the underlying foundation for IAI:

    • (1) that “associate and baccalaureate degree-granting institutions are equal partners” in educating college freshmen and sophomores,
    • (2) that “faculties should take primary responsibility for developing and maintaining program and course articulation,” and
    • (3) that “institutions are expected to work together to assure that lower-division baccalaureate programs are comparable in scope, quality, and academic rigor.”

    The IAI includes a statewide general education package, the IAI General Education Core Curriculum (GECC). Completion of this package fulfills the lower-division general education requirements for any participating institution. In addition, the IAI includes recommendations for students wanting to study in a particular field but are unsure as to where they might complete a baccalaureate degree.

    Related Links:

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    iTransfer

    iTransfer is a web site developed through the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) that provides information on transferring from one post-secondary institution to another within the State of Illinois. Information exists regarding the types of transfer, the transfer process, and resources available to students. Included is a student worksheet to assist students and advisors in identifying the appropriate general education courses and information on various majors.

    www.itransfer.org

     

    MyCreditsTransfer is a statewide initiative designed to facilitate transfer within Illinois using the nationally available tool, Transferology. Within Transferology find the courses that transfer between institutions, degree requirements your courses satisfy and different majors that institutions offer.

    mycreditstransfer.org

     

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      MyCredits Transfer

      MyCreditsTransfer is a statewide initiative designed to facilitate transfer within Illinois using the nationally available tool, Transferology. Within Transferology find the courses that transfer between institutions, degree requirements your courses satisfy and different majors that institutions offer.

      mycreditstransfer.org

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        Developmental Education Reform Act

        The Developmental Education Reform Act (DERA) was signed into law in March 2021. DERA aims to address inequities in degree completion by race and income status by reforming developmental education placement and delivery. Developmental education allows academically underprepared students to build skills that are necessary for preparation and success in gateway mathematics and English courses as well as other college level courses.

        Fiscal Year 2023 Status of Developmental Education Reform in the Illinois Community College System (Feb 15, 2023) – This report provides a status update on developmental education reforms for Illinois community college, as well as developmental education student outcomes by model as required by DERA.

        Fiscal Year 2023 Status of Developmental Education and College-Level Coursework Placement Policy and Outcomes in the Illinois Community College System (June 30, 2023) – this report provides an overview of each community college’s developmental education and college-level coursework placement policy and the policy’s outcomes.  The data is consistent with the Illinois Community College Board’s requirements for data collection and is disaggregated by developmental education course model, by gender, race and ethnicity, and federal Pell Grant status.

         

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          SJR 41 Advisory Committee

          Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 41 directs the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) and the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) to convene a Joint Advisory Council that will provide several deliverables to the General Assembly by April 1, 2020.

          • Inventory and evaluate all developmental education instructional models
          • Inventory all instructional models and developmental course sequences in math and English
          • An analysis of all instructional models for students placed into developmental education or otherwise determined to need additional skills development in math or English, including, at a minimum, the number and percentage of students completing gateway courses within their first two semesters under each model
          • An inventory and analysis of developmental education placement practices and policies (including cut off scores)

          Resolution

          Appointees

          Reports

           

          Meetings:

          Senate Joint Resolution 41 Task Force Meeting Dates

          2020

           

          2019

           

           

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