Staats Bill to Alert Students About Transfer Policies Clears House
HARRISBURG – By a unanimous vote today, the House advanced legislation sponsored by Rep. Craig Staats (R-Bucks), which aims to save high school and college students time and money by providing them with information on the transfer policies of educational institutions.
House Bill 2159 would expand an existing online database, maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), which would enable students to more effectively and efficiently plan their educational path by providing them with information on where courses, programs, certificates and diplomas transfer among public schools and institutions of higher education.
“With this legislation, students and their families would be able to make better informed decisions that could save thousands of dollars on coursework and materials to meet certain standards that are ultimately not transferable to other institutions,” said Staats. “By arming students and their families with information on the transfer policies between public schools and colleges and universities, my bill would enable them to make informed decisions before committing their time and precious resources.”
Under current law, PDE maintains an electronic database and portal that displays articulation agreements entered into by community colleges, institutions in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and other institutions that choose to participate. Staats’ bill would require all public schools – including school districts, intermediate units, vocational-technical schools, charter schools and cyber charter schools – as well as Rural Regional Colleges, state-related institutions and the Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology to submit articulation agreements
to PDE for inclusion in the searchable database.
House Bill 2159 now goes to the state Senate for consideration.
Representative Craig Staats
145th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives