House committee substitute makes the following changes to the 1st edition.

Requires the UNC Board of Governors (BOG) and the State Board of Community Colleges (Board), by March 1, 2018, to develop an articulation agreement for the transfer of credits earned for an associate degree in an early childhood education program at a community college toward a baccalaureate degree in an early childhood education program at a constituent institution for the purposes of the student obtaining teacher licensure in the area of birth through kindergarten. Requires that the agreement apply to all community college campuses and constituent institutions with early childhood education programs. Allows the agreement to include that the community college student transferring credit and enrolling in the constituent institution has a minimum grade point average and a minimum Praxis I score.

Requires the BOG and Board, by April 15, 2018, to report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the development of the articulation agreement and the plan for implementation of the agreement. Specifies that the systemwide articulation agreement for early childhood education programs entered into between the University of North Carolina and the Community College System applies beginning with the 2018‑19 academic year.

Directs the President, or the President's designee, and the UNC Board of Governors to jointly consider and evaluate the feasibility of applying for and implementing the UTEACH program as part of the curricula offered by the UNC System. Describes the UTEACH program as a course of study combining the requirements for rigorous STEM degrees (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and requirements for secondary teaching certification without adding time or cost to four-year degrees.

List six considerations the President, or the President's designee, and the Board of Governors can use in their evaluation of the UTEACH program, including which constituent institutions, departments, and programs would participate and collaborate in the program if it were implemented, and the cost of implementing and maintaining a program and the alternatives for financing the program. 

Directs the President, or the President's designee, and the UNC Board of Governors to report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee by April 1, 2018, with their findings and recommendations regarding the feasibility of applying for and implementing the UTEACH program as part of the curricula offered by the UNC System.

Amends GS 116-31.10 to apply the same expenditure benchmark, and accompanying requirements, to the President of the University of North Carolina that currently exist for constituent institutions. Amends GS 143-53.1 to make a conforming change.

Amends SL 2015-241, Section 11.16, to require the Board of Governors to first submit the required annual report on cooperative innovative high school program graduates on September 30, 2017 (was, March 1, 2017).

Makes conforming changes to the act's short and long titles.