BILL REQ. #:  H-1693.1 

Read first time 02/07/2007.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to developing integrated academic and career and technical field of study programs; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature strongly supports continuation and expansion of secondary career and technical education programs, as evidenced by legislation enacted in 2006 to support secondary preapprenticeships in the trades; require course equivalencies between academic and technical courses; develop a career and technical alternative assessment option to the Washington assessment of student learning; and provide a focus on rigorous programs that lead to industry certification. A logical next step is to provide incentives and support for high schools to combine all aspects of best practice in career and technical education: Integration of academic and technical instruction, coherent and sequenced curriculum that is articulated with postsecondary education, meaningful assessment options, rigorous programming focused on high demand fields, and strong partnerships between schools, businesses, and labor organizations.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the superintendent of public instruction shall provide grants to up to four high school partnerships to develop career and technical fields of study programs in high demand fields.
     (2) To be eligible for a grant, high schools must form partnerships with local workforce development councils, skills panels, community and technical colleges, apprenticeship councils, and business and labor organizations in the community.
     (3) Grant recipients must develop and deliver an integrated curriculum in a high demand field of study, such as health care, trades, mechanics and engineering, or other field. The partnership must select a high demand field of study appropriate to meet the workforce education needs in its region. Grant funds shall be used for start-up costs, primarily for the development of the curriculum and assessments described in this section and for professional development for teachers using the curriculum and assessments. If sufficient funds remain, grant funds may be used to upgrade equipment within the program to meet industry standards.
     (4) Within a field of study program, curriculum and instruction must:
     (a) Integrate core academic subjects such as reading, writing, and mathematics with high quality career and technical preparation based on the accepted industry standards for that field;
     (b) Be coherent, sequenced, and articulated to community and technical college courses to provide high school students with dual credit for both high school graduation and college, as well as direct transfer into postsecondary education programs in the field; and
     (c) Emphasize projects and application of knowledge and skills and provide extensive opportunities for work-based learning and internships.
     (5) Students who are struggling with core academic skills, including the Washington assessment of student learning, shall receive supplemental assistance and instruction within the program, including assistance to create a career and technical collection of evidence as an alternative to the Washington assessment of learning.
     (6) Participants in a high demand field of study program should expect to complete a high school diploma and a high quality career and technical program and graduate ready to pursue postsecondary education.
     (7) With assistance from the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the workforce training and education coordinating board, grant recipients shall develop end-of-course assessments for their high demand field of study program. The assessments shall also be integrated to include academic and technical knowledge and skills. The legislature's intent is to use these assessments as prototypes for possible future additional alternative assessments for career and technical education students to demonstrate they meet the state's learning standards.
     (8) Grant recipients must develop a communications strategy for parents and students in other area high schools and middle schools to promote the field of study program as a high quality learning option for students.
     (9) This section expires July 1, 2009.