Program Name: (Title of Brief)

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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION – TOPIC SUMMARY

Topic: SB 342 Report

Date: October 20, 2006

Staff/Office:Joanne Truesdell, DCCWD

Action Requested: Information only Policy Adoption Policy Adoption/Consent Calendar

ISSUE BEFORE THE BOARD: Senate Bill 342 Statewide Articulation and Transfer System require two formal reports of progress prior to January 1, 2007 and January 1, 2009. This report provides the board with a current progress report to date on the implementation of SB 342 and the timing of the reports to be submitted to the Emergency Board and legislative interim committee on education to meet the January 1, 2007 timeline.

BACKGROUND:SB 342 Update was brought to the board at September 23, 2006 meeting.

The Unified Educational Enterprise is directing the preparation of the report which addresses progress made on the following action items contained Section 1 of the bill.

(2) In continuing to provide and improve upon an effective articulation and transfer framework for students in Oregon's post-secondary sectors, community colleges and state institutions of higher education shall:

(a) Revise the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer Degree offered by community colleges;

(b) Develop specific degree pathways as deemed appropriate by state institutions of higher education and community colleges;

(c) Develop an outcome-based framework for articulation and transfer that is derived from a common understanding of the criteria for general education curricula;

(d) Develop a seamless transfer of credits for all level 100 and 200 general education courses;

(e) Implement a statewide course applicability system that permits students and advisers to query and view online credit transfer options and conduct online degree auditing;

(f) Develop uniform standards for awarding college credit for advanced placement test scores;and

(g) Expand early college programs for 11th and 12th graders who earn college credit and intend to pursue a certificate or associate or baccalaureate degree.

NEXT STEPS: The Joint Boards of Education will meet to review and adopt the report.

SB342 Progress Report1November 2006

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FOREWARD

Message from the Joint Boards

Over the past 15 months, the Joint Boards has actively led initiatives to improve the educational enterprise. One of the major efforts was the leadership for SB 342. Another effort has been budgeting together for greater alignment. The following report on SB 342 reflects the work of two sub committees of the Joint Boards: The Unified Educational Enterprise (UEE) and the Joint Boards Budget group.

Under the direction of the Joint Boards of Education, the Unified Educational Enterprise (UEE) subcommittee provided oversight for Senate Bill (SB) 342 and other educational alignment work. In 2005 the legislature passed SB 342 which directly affects how community colleges, the Oregon University System, and high schools align their systems to better serve student learning. To accomplish the multiple efforts described in SB 342, process maps were developed and different cross functional groups including the Joint Boards Articulation Commission (JBAC), Excellence in Delivery and Productivity (EDP) and Statewide Pathways teamwere targeted to provide the workto ensure that the Joint Boards meets the intent of SB342. Senate Bill 342 requires the Joint Boards to report on the progress in the 2007 and 2009 legislative sessions. The UEE developed an analysis of the current educational enterprise alignment and gaps for each component of Senate Bill 342. UEEalso created a framework for the alignment work. The educational enterprise is on track to accomplish much ofwhat SB 342 requested,even without extra resources dedicated to this work.

The Joint boards Budget group is working to provide a budget framework and plan that moves the entire educational enterprise forward over the next several bienniums. They have developed a vision for 2025, measures of success and a budget strategy. The budget work is critical to the success of the alignment work of UEE.

This report reflects the efforts and next steps of the educational enterprise that will keep Oregon and its citizens’ competitive.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary...... 4

Senate Bill 342 Bill Text...... 5

Identifying an Approach...... 6

AAOT Revision...... 8

Pathways...... 9

Outcomes Based General Education.....11

Transfer of 100/200 Level Courses...... 12

ATLAS...... 13

Advanced Placement...... 14

Expand Early College Programs...... 15

Position Paper on Systems Alignment...... 16

Joint Boards Vision and Performance Measures...18

Appendix A: Oregon Transfer Module...... 20

Appendix B: Advanced Placement Awards.....21

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Joint Boards of Education have been working together to increase student transitions between the educational enterprise and to identify the long term vision for Oregon’s public educational enterprise. The Joint Boards asked Oregon’s community colleges and Oregon University System (OUS) institutions to address the different components of Senate Bill 342. They actively began their work in September 2005. SB 342 directs Oregon's community colleges andOUS institutionsto work together incoordinating more effective articulation and transferstatewide to ensure that post-secondary education needs of students are met without unnecessary duplication of courses. This work has many successes.

SB342 Progress Report1November 2006

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AAOT Revision

The Joint Boards Articulation Commission (JBAC) are holding campus conversations at all community college and OUS campuses. These discussions are reviewing and improving the intent of the AAOT degree. The conversations are soliciting ideas for how general education transfer can be improved using the AAOT and other appropriate transfer options.

Pathways

Groups are working throughout the state in high demand pathways including Engineering, Teacher Preparation, Healthcare, and Apprenticeships. These groups foster statewide collaboration to improve quality and address roadblocks. Pathways and investments in these areas are beginning to be implemented and will continue through fall 2008.

Outcomes Based

General Education

Faculty groups have created first drafts of general education outcomes and criteria statements for statewide transferable education. The drafts are formally being discussed at public meetings on each OUS and community college campus in fall term 2006 and winter term 2007.

Transfer 100/200

Level Courses

Identified methods of simplifying transfer of credits for undergraduate(100/200 level) courses include the implementation of the Oregon Transfer Module, development of the ATLAS degree audit system, continued development of dual enrollment agreements, and the development of outcomes based general education framework.

ATLAS

The Chancellor’s Office made an initial investment in early 2006 to set up the ATLAS system infrastructure and get priority degrees programmed. The first stage of ATLAS implementation at OUS institutions is expected to be complete in 2007. Funding will be required for statewide implementation.

Advanced Placement

Alignment on Advanced Placement (AP) scores and credits hasbeencompleted. Consensus on AP score/credit relationships at all community colleges and OUS institutions for all 33 Advanced Placement exams was reached. Approval is expected at all campuses by November 2006. Implementation of the new scores is expected to begin statewide in fall 2007.

Expand Early College Programs

Senate Bill (SB) 300 creates one or more early college program opportunities for high school students while keeping current programs in place. The rules for the implementation of new early college programs in all districts have been created, and implementation is underway.

SB342 Progress Report1November 2006

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Sponsored by Senator SCHRADER, Representative SCOTT; Senators COURTNEY, DEVLIN, WALKER

Relating to higher education courses; and declaring an emergency.

Whereas enhancing the transition experience for students who transfer between Oregon's community colleges and universities is a public policy matter; and

Whereas high school students who take college-level courses and advanced placement courses for college credit and who participate in early college programs comprise a significant portion of students who accumulate transferable college credits; and

Whereas students can save on the cost of tuition by taking courses at different post-secondary institutions; and

Whereas students have the right to expect the smooth transfer of appropriate college credit courses taken at eligible post-secondary institutions; and

Whereas frequent and skillful advising facilitates the transfer of students between institutions; and

Whereas Oregon community colleges and universities are committed to meeting the needs of all students, including transfer students; now, therefore,

Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:

SECTION 1. (1) Community colleges and state institutions of higher education within the Oregon University System shall cooperate in operating a statewide articulation and transfer system. The system must include the means for articulating lower-division general education credits, general elective credits and curriculum requirements for approved majors in order to allow students to transfer between community colleges and state institutions of higher education without losing credits that otherwise would be applicable toward a baccalaureate degree. The system must ensure that the post-secondary education needs of students statewide are met without unnecessary duplication of courses.

(a) Revise the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer Degree offered by community colleges;

(b) Develop specific degree pathways as deemed appropriate by state institutions of higher education and community colleges;

(c) Develop an outcome-based framework for articulation and transfer that is derived from a common understanding of the criteria for general education curricula;

(d) Develop a seamless transfer of credits for all level 100 and 200 general education courses;

(e) Implement a statewide course applicability system that permits students and advisers to query and view online credit transfer options and conduct online degree auditing;

(f) Develop uniform standards for awarding college credit for advanced placement test scores;and

(g) Expand early college programs for 11th and 12th graders who earn college credit and intend to pursue a certificate or associate or baccalaureate degree.

(3) In addition to the requirements of subsection (2) of this section, community colleges and state institutions of higher education may also implement other measures to create an effective articulation and transfer framework for students.

SECTION 2. (1) The Oregon University System and the Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development shall submit a report of their progress on operating a statewide articulation and transfer system that meets statewide post-secondary education needs as required by section 1 of this 2005 Act to the Emergency Board and to the legislative interim committee on education prior to January 1, 2007, and a second progress report to the legislative interim committee on education prior to January 1, 2009. The reports shall include:

(a) A report on the progress of the Oregon Transfer Module as approved by the State Board of Higher Education and the State Board of Education; and

(b) Recommendations for statutory changes necessary to facilitate the transfer of students between post-secondary institutions.

(2) The Oregon University System and the Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development shall report annually to the Joint Boards of Education on their progress on operating a statewide articulation and transfer system that meets statewide post-secondary education needs as required by section 1 of this 2005 Act.

SECTION 3. Sections 1 and 2 of this 2005 Act are repealed on January 2, 2010.

SECTION 4. This 2005 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2005 Act takes effect on its passage.

Identifying an Approach to the Work

Senate Bill 342 was signed into law by Governor Kulongoski on July 22, 2005. The bill directs Oregon's community colleges andOUS institutionsto work together incoordinating more effective articulation and transferstatewide to ensure that post-secondary education needs of students are met without unnecessary duplication of courses. The bill did not include funding.

The first public discussion about how to address Senate Bill 342 was at the September 2005 Unified Education Enterprise meeting. Processes on how to approach the contents of the bill were approved. These process maps identified expected timelines, stakeholder review, and contact groups responsible for action. On October 6, 2005 in the meeting with the Provosts from OUS and the Council of Instructional Administrators for community colleges, the process maps were reviewed, discussed and slightly modified. These processes were also shared with the Excellence in Delivery and Productivity Working Group.Through these efforts of stakeholders the postsecondary leadership began the work on Senate Bill 342. The following were the key actions identified:

AAOT Revision

The Joint Boards Articulation Commission (JBAC) was the obvious lead for this item. The JBAC team led the development of the original AAOT transfer degree, and was instrumental in the work of the Oregon Transfer Module which saw implementation in fall 2005.

Pathways

While developing pathways through a college/university is frequentlyseen as a responsibility of individual institutions, there was an existing statewide career pathways steering committee that was already assisting in identifying high need areas where curriculum, career paths and capacity were needed. The Excellence in Delivery and Productivity working group sought input for areas needing the development of statewide pathways. Areas already in the process were: teacher education, engineering, and health care.

Outcomes Based General Education

Widely regarded as the most challenging of the items in Senate Bill 342, it wasalsoviewed as having great positive impact on all aspects of statewide transfer. JBAC accepted the charge to create these outcomes alongside the AAOT revision.

Transfer of 100/200 courses

There was agreement that several campus initiatives including the Oregon Transfer Module and a push towards Dual Enrollments addressed this area ofthe bill. Positive movement on these and other items prompted a "stay the course" philosophy to keep positive movement in creating efficient transfer statewide. However, if issues of transfer arose, JBAC would assist in the resolution.

ATLAS

For ATLAS implementation there was a need for significant funding which was not available.A 2007-09 policy package was quickly developed, meanwhile campuses were asked to focus 2005-07 efforts on setting up course audit systems which would later be instrumental in ATLAS implementation.The Chancellor's Office came forward in January 2006 with funds for the OUS institutions tocreate a foundation for ATLAS implementation.

Advanced Placement

Staff of the Excellence in Delivery and Productivity working group were on point to work with community college and OUS chief academic officers to develop a statewide framework for Advanced Placement courses.

Expand Early College Programs

Senate Bill 300, a bill requiring the Oregon Department of Education to implement early college programs at all high schools, passed in the 2005 legislative session.Implementation ofSenate Bill 300 would be monitored by the oversight committee that developed the bill and updates and progress would be shared with the Excellence in Delivery and Productivity working group to make sure it also could satisfy the intent of Senate Bill 342.

The Excellence in Delivery and Productivity working group invited Senator Kurt Schrader, one of the sponsors of Senate Bill 342, to the January 5, 2006 meeting. This meeting served as a review of work to date, expected timelines, and potential actions for each element of the bill. Senator Schrader responded positively to the information presented, providing encouragement to the EDP group that the efforts in the following pages are in line with the intent of the bill.

AAOT REVISION

BILL TEXT: Section (1)(2)(a) Revise the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer Degree offered by community colleges;

Goal: Align the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer Degree (AAOT) with the Oregon Transfer Module (OTM) and align community college AAOT so that they accept each others.

Progress: A plan for the substantial revision process was initiated in July 2006, at a joint OUS-community college meeting. The Joint Boards Articulation Commission (JBAC) is organizing campus conversations at all community college and Oregon University System campuses. These discussions are exploring the background and intent of the AAOT degree and soliciting ideas for how general education transfer can be improved using the AAOT and other appropriate transfer options. The General Education outcomes and criteria development (see page 11) also prepares necessary statewide framework for an AAOT revision.

Next Steps: The Joint Boards Articulation Commission is working on the following:

Campus conversations to provide real feedback from the institutions awarding the current AAOT, preparing JBAC to produce potential changes to the statewide AAOT degree;
The community college Council of Instructional Administrators and the OUS Provosts’ Council will discuss the AAOT process at a joint November 2006 meeting;
JBAC will develop a proposal for AAOT revision based on feedback from campuses and the joint council.

Funding Required

A policy package for general education alignment work addresses AAOT revision and maintenance. See page 11 for a full description.
PATHWAYS