Education reform programs, such as Tech Prep and Education to Careers (ETC), have opened up state-level debate on many issues that local educational systems have been dealing with for some time. One of the most important of these issues centers around articulation. Often it seems that the questions outnumber the answers on this topic - What does articulation mean? How can it be accomplished? What effect will it have or should it have on the relationship between schools and colleges?

Much of the confusion over articulation rests in the terminology associated with this topic. What one system calls "articulated credit," another calls "credit-in-escrow;" what one college calls "dual credit" is defined elsewhere as "concurrent enrollment." All of this creates a sort of "Tower of Babel" syndrome, especially when these topics are raised at statewide meetings. Precious time is spent trying to translate terms and detangle the web of confusion. If we are to effectively share best practices and learn from the success and failures of our peers, we must first agree as to what we are talking about. To that end, I offer the following as a starting point in this endeavor.

Making a Whole from the Parts: A Three-Phase Definition

Basic Articulation: While articulation is not the wholly owned domain of Tech Prep, due to its legislative charter, this program has spent considerable time and energy exploring the topic and attempting to define and exploit its various components. The state of Illinois Tech Prep guidelines describe articulation as:

This definition provides a good basis to begin the task of expanding and defining the more specific degrees of articulation. The state definition itself does not attempt to detail the particular form or substance that any articulation process should adhere to. Instead, it provides a conceptual framework that guides administrators as they attempt to tackle articulation issues as a part of their efforts to implement the essential elements of Tech Prep.

What we can take directly from the Illinois definition is that articulation is an activity (i.e. a process) that must produce some sort of written agreement. Further, this agreement must be the basis of a nonduplicative program, which includes incentives, and leads to an approved credential of some kind. There is quite a bit of latitude in how local consortia may define these terms, and this is where much of the confusion over articulation begins.

In its most basic form, Tech Prep articulation is the process by which secondary institutions and postsecondary institutions come together in order to connect their parallel programs. This has been going on in career and technical education (CTE) well before Tech Prep, and in fact it was partnering of this type in areas like agriculture that helped lay the groundwork for Tech Prep's development in the early 1990's. It is fairly clear now that this level of cooperation is good for education in general, and serves to strengthen curriculum offerings at all levels. Basic articulation does not necessarily need to include any discussion of college credit or enrollment. This initial step focuses instead on course and program content, and seeks to identify the curricular gaps and start the process of bridging those gaps. It brings educators together to align content, reduce curricular duplication, and develop some basic written coordination agreements that will ultimately help students succeed.

After that first step, then things can get rolling.

Articulated Credit (a.k.a. "Credit-in-Escrow" or "Tech Prep Credit"): Once a basic agreement has been reached, actions can turn to expanding the depth of these partnerships through articulated credit. In this model, articulated credit is granted by the community college after a student completes specific requirements as spelled out in a written agreement. In many instances, secondary courses (or a sequence of courses) are considered equivalent to community college courses, as determined after analysis of their intended learner outcomes. This approach requires representatives of secondary and postsecondary institutions to come to the table with relevant course information and begin the process of matching outcomes to reduce duplication. At the end of the session, if all goes well, an agreement is reached identifying a nonduplicative pathway that offers students college credit for their work and/or allows them to bypass the entry-level course(s) in the community college program. The secondary students are not normally considered enrolled in the college and the credit associated with the agreement is usually awarded at a later point.

The actual act by which credit is granted to the student varies by location. In most cases, credit is not transcripted immediately; instead the student is required to finish high school and enroll at the community college in the appropriate program. Often colleges require students to successfully complete a preset number of hours, after which the articulated credit is placed on the student's transcript. This allows the college to effectively guarantee the student's ability in given subject areas before credit is granted. Credit granted in this manner is similar to transfer credit, whereby the hours are added to the student's total without a specific letter grade (affecting cumulative hours, but not G.P.A.).

Dual Credit (a.k.a. Advanced Placement) vs. Dual Enrollment (a.k.a. Concurrent Enrollment): Building on the articulated credit agreements, dual enrollment takes this cooperation to the next level. In this case the secondary and postsecondary program linkages are strengthened to the point that high school students are actually enrolled at the community college. What was previously an agreement that merely laid out similar learner outcomes develops into a truly seamless program. What was a simple agreement between administrators becomes a process by which faculty at both levels are brought together to structure, plan, and teach an integrated "2+2" program of study.

Dual credit, extends access to affordable higher education, reduces college costs to students, enables timely degree completion, and delivers a truly cumulative and sequential curriculum. These courses offer simultaneous credit (secondary and postsecondary), and can be offered at either the high school or community college. However, they must reflect the same content and rigor as those offered to college students. Ultimately, the students transition to postsecondary education through a slow and steady process during their junior and senior years, and graduate high school with real college credit on an official transcript.

Available data clearly shows that dual credit/concurrent enrollment programs are increasing. Enrollments by high school students in Illinois community colleges have risen significantly over the past few years. In the fall semester of 2000, 5,767 high school students attended Illinois community colleges, up 26.6% from 1999, up 38.7% from 1998, and up a staggering 100.6% from 1997 (Data and Characteristics of the Illinois Public Community College System, 2001/2000/1999/1998). Of the 2000 group, 41.6% chose occupational or vocational courses and 53% enrolled in baccalaureate/transfer courses, compared to 36.0% of students enrolled in vocational and occupational courses and 40.3% enrolled in baccalaureate/transfer courses in the community college system as a whole.

Much of the recent increase in dual credit can be traced to two actions that the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) has taken. First, in 1996 the board made an administrative rule change relative to concurrent enrollment and credit hour grants. The changes allow community colleges offering dual credit courses to receive funding regardless of whether the secondary school receives average daily attendance (ADA) funding. Prior to this, only 63% of colleges were offering dual credit courses, but just three years later all 48 colleges were offering them (Andrews, 2000). Second, since FY 2001, the ICCB has dedicated $2.5 million to the Accelerated College Enrollment (ACE) grants. These funds allow community colleges to expand the services they offer high schools students by providing funds to cover tuition and fee costs. The result has been an increased emphasis on dual credit/concurrent enrollment partnerships by the individual colleges, and an overall rise in the profile of these programs within the state.

Many questions confront any consortia that embark on a new articulation process. What level of articulation are they comfortable with? Who will teach the courses and where? How will roadblocks like college tuition, book purchases, and student transportation be overcome? These questions must all be addressed to establish a viable system. However, for the process to ultimately succeed, it comes down to simple trust. State definitions and regulations cannot replace the foundation that must be laid institution-to-institution, program-to-program, and most importantly, teacher-to-teacher. Each of these groups must be certain that what is being taught under the banner of articulation is, in fact, what was agreed upon. High schools need to be a true partner in this process and not marginalized or left behind. Colleges need to know that all of the program components are strong and that the content is true to the spirit of the agreement. This trust is the heart of any articulation agreement at any level, and it is the one thing that, if achieved, can serve to improve student learning and student success.

For more information on ICCB rules on dual credit/dual enrollment programs, see http://www.iccb.state.il.us/pdf/manuals/sysrules.pdf, page 61.

References

Andrews H.A., (December, 2000/January, 2001) The Dual-Credit Explosion in Illinois Community Colleges, Community College Journal, AACC.

Illinois Community College Board (2001/2000/1999/1998), Data and Characteristics of the Illinois Public Community College System, retrieved November 7th, 2001 from http://www.iccb.state.il.us/pdf/databk.pdf.