Dual credit credentialing deadline extended, and new supports announced
08/05/2020
The Indiana Commission for Higher Education (Commission) announced the Higher Learning Commission’s (HLC) deadline extension for high school dual credit teachers to update their credentialing to meet HLC’s new requirements. The new deadline is September 1, 2023, which is a one-year extension in response to disruptions from COVID-19.
In 2016, the HLC added requirements for high school teachers to teach Indiana’s dual credit courses — specifically, requiring that a dual credit teach must hold either a master’s degree in the discipline in which they teach or, if the master’s degree is not in the particular discipline, the teacher must have 18 graduate credit hours in that discipline. Several states, including Indiana, questioned the necessity of the guidelines. The HLC responded by providing a five-year period for teachers to meet the new requirements. That five-year window was originally scheduled to close September 1, 2022.
Funding to Support Dual Credit Teachers
The Commission has committed over $10 million in STEM dual credit credentialing, while the Indiana Department of Education, the Indiana University Foundation and other philanthropic funds have contributed.
Additionally, this week the state budget committee approved a new partnership between the Commission’s INvestEd program and the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) dedicating $3 million for promoting additional non-STEM dual credit credentialing around the state. More information on this new program will be forthcoming.