GOSHEN — Hoosier educators worried about finding the time to complete 18 hours of graduate coursework to be eligible to continue teaching dual credit courses could have up to five more years to meet the new standards, state officials said Monday.
The Indiana Commission for Higher Education announced Monday that officials would seek an extension of up to five years on the new requirements that the federal Higher Learning Commission set for high school educators teaching dual credit courses.
”We are encouraged by this opportunity to apply for an extension to meet these new requirements for dual credit teachers,” Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers said in a statement. “That said, this in no way means our work is done. As a state, we remain focused on expanding quality dual credit options for all students.”
In June, the Higher Learning Commission, or HLC, adopted a new policy that would require educators who teach dual credit courses to hold a master’s degree in their field, or a master’s degree in a different field combined with 18 hours of graduate coursework in the subject they are teaching.
Approximately 70 percent of the state’s dual credit teachers would not currently be eligible to teach those courses after the changes come into effect, according to state data.
For many Hoosier teachers, that change means heading back to class to seek additional graduate credit hours in order to be able to teach the same class they’re currently teaching.
The cost to take the class is a challenge in itself, but combine that with additional responsibilities such as a full class load and after school and family and some local teachers worried that they might run out of time. Most graduate classes are approximately three credit hours meaning without the extension, teachers would need to complete the sixth and final course in the summer of 2017 — just weeks shy of the new regulations taking place.
The HLC’s policy change was first proposed as going into effect in January 2016, but after commission leaders were contacted by concerned educators, the implementation date was delayed until Sept. 1, 2017.
On Nov. 5, the HLC’s board of trustees agreed to provide an opportunity for colleges and universities with dual credit programs to apply for extension for dual credit teachers.
“If a college or university believes its dual credit program is not able to be in compliance by Sept. 1, 2017, it may submit an application for an extension by September 2016,” said HLC spokesman John Hausaman. “... A review panel will evaluate all applications. Approved applications will be granted an extension of up to September 2022 based on the circumstances presented in the application.”
Information about the application process will be available in early 2016, Hausaman added.
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz said she sees the decision to seek an extension from the HLC as an “encouraging first step for Indiana’s schools and students.”
“As Superintendent and Co-Chair of the Dual Credit Advisory Council, I have advocated for additional flexibility from these burdensome requirements which would needlessly limit Hoosier students’ access to quality, college-level coursework,” Ritz said in a statement. “While a five year delay in implementation will greatly help students and schools, I remain committed to working to finding a long-term solution to this problem to make sure that our students continue to benefit from rigorous, dual-credit courses.”