ArkACRAO Fall Conference 2009 October 8, 2009 Rogers, AR

1. ArkACRAO Fall Conference 2009October 8, 2009Rogers, AR Transfer Reporting by Rick Jenkins Associate Director for Planning and Accountability Arkansas Department of Higher Education

2. Legislation • Act 672 of 2005 • Act 182 of 2009 (also called The Roger Phillips Transfer Policy Act)

3. Act 672 of 2005 • Relates to the State Minimum Core Curriculum which includes freshman and sophomore level general education courses offered at Arkansas public colleges and universities – this became ACTS (Arkansas Course Transfer System) • All public institutions of higher education and any participating private institutions of higher education shall file a report annually with ADHE identifying the number of students who requested transfer credit for a completed course in the State Minimum Core Curriculum but were not given credit.

4. http://www.adhe.edu/divisions/academicaffairs/Pages/aa_acts.aspxhttp://www.adhe.edu/divisions/academicaffairs/Pages/aa_acts.aspx

5. Proposed Annual ACTS Transfer Report

6. Act 182 of 2009: Purpose(Roger Phillips Act) The purpose of the act is to eliminate obstacles to transfers of credits among public institutions of higher education in Arkansas by providing a seamless transfer of academic credits from a completed designated transfer degree program to a baccalaureate degree program without the loss of earned credits and without the receiving public institution of higher education requiring additional lower division credits. 2 Key Points

7. Act 182 of 2009 • A designated transfer degree is one of these: • Associate of Arts (AA), • Associate of Science (AS), or • Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) • No other credentials are applicable

8. Act 182 of 2009 • Lower division credits means freshman and sophomore level course credits • Public institution of higher education means an Arkansas state-supported two-year or four-year college or university • Transfer student means a student transferring from a completed designated transfer degree program to a baccalaureate program at a four-year public institution of higher education.

9. Act 182 of 2009:Three Major Provisions of Receiving Institution • Requires a four-year public institution of higher education to admit a transfer student to junior status in a baccalaureate degree program at the four-year public institution of higher education. • A four-year public institution of higher education receiving a transfer student shall not require additional lower division credits for the transfer student if the additional course is considered a general education lower division course. • Requires a four-year public institution of higher education to accept all hours completed and credits earned for a designated transfer degree upon a student’s transfer to a baccalaureate degree program at the four-year public institution of higher education.

10. Act 182 of 2009:Exceptions to “Accept All Hours Completed” A four-year public institution of higher education receiving a transfer student shall not require additional lower division credits for the transfer student if the additional course is considered a general education lower division course. Three (3) exceptions plus 1

11. Act 182 of 2009:Exceptions to “Accept All Hours Completed”Exception 1 The receiving four-year public institution of higher education may only require the additional lower division course if the additional lower division course is: Exception 1: A prerequisite for courses in the transfer student’s baccalaureate degree program.

12. Act 182 of 2009:Exceptions to “Accept All Hours Completed”Exception 2 Exception 2: A discipline-specific course that is required by the transfer student’s baccalaureate degree program and the student has not completed a course at the two-year public institution of higher education that is comparable to the discipline-specific course at the four-year public institution of higher education in the Arkansas Course Transfer System.

13. Act 182 of 2009:Exceptions to “Accept All Hours Completed”Exception 3 Exception 3: A requirement of an independent licensing or accrediting body.

14. Act 182 of 2009:Exceptions to “Accept All Hours Completed”Exceptions Plus 1 (4th Exception) The receiving four-year public institution of higher education shall determine whether to accept a grade of “D” for academic course credit for a student transferring from a two-year public institution of higher education.

15. Institutional Transfer Guidelines Required • Requires a four-year public institution of higher education to develop transfer guidelines for each two-year public institution of higher education that has a campus within fifty (50) miles of the four year public institution of higher education. • The guidelines shall outline courses for each four year public institution baccalaureate degree program which will prepare students for entry into that baccalaureate degree program without additional general education credits.

16. Institutional Transfer Guidelines Required • If a two-year public institution of higher education does not have a campus that is within fifty (50) miles of a four year public institution of higher education, the four-year public institution of higher education that is nearest to the two-year public institution of higher education shall develop the transfer guidelines under this subdivision. • The preparation of transfer guidelines is placed on the four year public institution. However, this cannot be properly completed without the cooperation and assistance of the two-year public institution.

17. Institutional Transfer Guidelines Required Transfer guidelines are only for the purpose of student advising and do not exempt a four-year public institution of higher education from the requirements of the above three (3) exceptions plus 1.

18. Future AHECB PolicyThe Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board will develop: (1) A transfer curriculum for each designated transfer degree; (2) Policies and procedures for reviewing and updating the statewide transfer agreement; and • Policies and procedures for the Department of Higher Education to collect data from public institutions of higher education to ensure compliance. AHECB Policy should be in place by January 2010.

19. Proposed Annual Roger Phillips Transfer Report

20. ADHE Assistance • ADHE plans to provide 2 reports to assist you in compliance. • For ACTS and Roger Phillips – report detailing transfer-in student academic history (Transfer-In Students by Year/Term with Course Grades (for Act 672 compliance)) • For Roger Phillips – report detailing list of students with transfer degrees (Transfer-In Students by Year/Term including AA, AS, and AAT) • ADHE expects to make reports available the month after term reports are due to ADHE.

21. Reporting • Reporting is expected to be due in July 2010 for both Transfer Reports. • The first reports may cover January through June 2010. • Do not wait until June or July to begin these reports. Collect the data and complete term reports throughout the year and compile the final report in June/July.

22. For Additional Information • Contact Rick Jenkins at rickj@adhe.edu • Documents available: • Transfer Reports (MS Word document detailing instructions) • ACTS Transfer Report (MS Excel spreadsheet) • Roger Phillips Transfer Report (MS Excel spreadsheet) • ADHE Transfer Policy (when approved)