Apr. 16, 2018
HARRISBURG – By a unanimous vote today, the House Education Committee 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), to allow students to plan where courses, programs, certificates and diplomas transfer among public schools and institutions of higher education.
“I have heard numerous accounts in which students have spent thousands of dollars on coursework and materials to meet certain standards that are ultimately not transferable to other institutions,” said Staats. “My bill would expand the information available to students on the transfer policies between public schools and colleges and universities. This 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 Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology to submit articulation agreements to PDE for inclusion in the searchable database.
House Bill 2159, which is part of a nine-bill package to address education and workforce needs in the Commonwealth, now goes to the full House for consideration.
Representative Craig Staats
145th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives