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State Examples
Some 2+2 articulation agreements are developed with teacher education in mind. Others are part of a larger articulation-and-transfer plan that includes many majors. California, Colorado, Illinois and South Carolina have 2+2 programs designed specifically for teacher education students, while New Mexico, North Carolina and Texas have transfer models that apply to a variety of majors, including education.
California
The California Legislature has passed statutes establishing the Inter-segmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) and the Inter-segmental Major Preparation Articulation Curriculum (IMPAC). IGETC is a general education curriculum community college students may use to fulfill lower-division general education requirements for the California State or University of California systems. IMPAC is an initiative to get faculty to work together to develop a common understanding of major preparation requirements across the three systems.
In southern California, several community colleges have formed alliances with a local school district, state universities and the Orange County Department of Education. The 2+2 program trains students for teaching careers and guarantees admission to California State University campuses. The California Community College System provided grant funds over five years in the form of stipends for students and counselors at the community colleges.
Mira Costa College, Moorpark College and Glendale Community College are part of a collaboration named "Tutors Today, Teachers Tomorrow (T4)." Students considering a career in teaching complete lower-division coursework at the community college and then may transfer to a state university for their bachelor’s degree and teaching credential. Participants tutor in the local elementary schools and work in K-12 classrooms under teacher mentors. This program is developing a pipeline that will support community college students interested in teaching, as well as recruits students from underrepresented communities into the profession.
Cerritos Community College has implemented the Teacher TRAC (TRaining ACademy) program in partnership with California State University Long Beach (CSULB). Students who successfully complete the TRAC program are guaranteed entry into the Integrated Teacher Education Program at CSULB. Students take lower-division general education requirements and liberal studies pre-major requirements at the community college, then transfer into the upper-division university program for their degree and teaching credential.
Colorado
The Colorado Commission on Higher Education has adopted a student Bill of Rights that ensures transfer students will be treated the same as students who started in the university. State-negotiated transfer guides identify 25 credit hours required beyond the general education credits, including courses in the major and/or prerequisite courses for admission into specific degree programs. Articulation agreements identifying course equivalencies also are negotiated at the state level.
In addition, Colorado adopted a statewide Elementary Teacher Education Articulation Agreement between public community colleges and public four-year institutions of higher education. This joint admissions agreement was designed to govern the transfer of credit earned at a Colorado community college into an elementary education degree program. At the community college, the student signs a graduation plan identifying the first 45 credit hours guaranteed to transfer to specific upper-level teacher education programs. Once those hours are completed, students apply to the teacher education program and are advised on the final 15 credits needed and guaranteed to transfer. The student, community college and four-year institution sign an agreement for the final credits, which the student may complete at either institution.
Illinois
Despite local governance of higher education, the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board have responsibility for negotiating 2+2 agreements. The two boards work to ensure postsecondary alignment statewide and have convened a working group to negotiate clearly defined 2+2 articulation agreements in teacher education. The goal is to have smooth student transitions between the state’s 49 community colleges, and public and private four-year colleges and universities.
South Carolina
The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education has undertaken a comprehensive review of articulation and transfer practices, and has adopted six transfer "blocks," including one in teacher education. These blocks will be accepted toward baccalaureate degree requirements at four-year institutions in the state.
New Mexico
New Mexico has adopted a system of 64-hour lower-division transfer modules for students with an identified academic major. The system includes lists of recommended courses equivalent to two years of full-time study for students who have selected a major but do not yet know where they want to complete their baccalaureate degree. A transfer module in teacher education guarantees students enrolled at any public institution in New Mexico that their courses will transfer to any state university and apply toward bachelor’s degree requirements. Transfer modules exist for biological sciences teacher education and early childhood education.
North Carolina
North Carolina has developed a Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA), a statewide agreement approved by the University of North Carolina’s Board of Governors (UNC) and the State Board of Community Colleges. This agreement governs the transfer of credits between community colleges and public (and some private) universities across the state. The CAA identifies community college courses that are appropriate for transfer as electives and specifies courses that will satisfy pre-major and general education requirements. Enacted in fall 1997, the agreement defines a 44-semester-credit-hour general education core that is fully transferable to UNC institutions and includes pre-major articulation agreements for a series of majors, including education. Because each pre-major has its own list of required and recommended courses, the agreement does not guarantee admission to a specific academic department. The North Carolina General Assembly allocated $2 million to help community colleges and UNC develop the 2+2 degree completion programs.
Texas
In 1997, the Texas State Legislature required the Higher Education Coordinating Board to develop a field of study curricula in high-transfer disciplines, including teacher education. The board reviews and approves each institution’s core curriculum every five years. When students complete the community college curricula, they are guaranteed their courses will transfer to any public university in the state. Receiving institutions and specific majors may require some additional courses beyond the minimum core.
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