BILL REQ. #: H-1723.1
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2011 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 02/17/11.
AN ACT Relating to creating a strategic plan for career and technical education; and creating new sections.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 (1) The legislature continues to find that
access to high quality career and technical education for middle and
high school students is a key strategy for reducing the dropout rate
and closing the achievement gap. Career and technical education
increases the number of young people who obtain a meaningful
postsecondary credential. Improving career and technical education is
also an efficiency measure, because reductions in the dropout rate are
associated with increased earnings for individuals and reduced societal
costs in the criminal justice and welfare systems.
(2) The legislature further finds that much progress has been made
since 2008 to enhance the rigor and relevance of career and technical
education programs and to align and integrate instruction more closely
with academic subjects, high demand fields, industry certification, and
postsecondary education. Activities to support these objectives have
included:
(a) Requiring all preparatory career and technical education
programs to lead to industry certification or offer dual high school
and college credit;
(b) Expanding state support for middle school career and technical
education programs, especially in science, technology, and engineering;
(c) Providing support for schools to develop or upgrade programs in
high demand fields and offer preapprenticeships;
(d) Developing model career and technical programs of study leading
to industry credentials or degrees;
(e) Assisting school districts with identifying academic and career
and technical education course equivalencies;
(f) Pilot-testing programs to integrate academic, career and
technical, basic skills, and English as a second language instruction;
and
(g) Developing performance measures and targets for accountability.
(3) Therefore, the legislature intends to ensure that progress will
be continued and enhanced by providing a mechanism for monitoring
continuous improvement in the rigor, relevance, and recognition of
secondary career and technical education programs and improvement in
students' access to these programs.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 (1) The office of the superintendent of
public instruction shall convene a working group to develop a statewide
strategic plan for secondary career and technical education.
(2) The strategic plan must include:
(a) A vision statement, goals, and measurable annual objectives for
continuous improvement in the rigor, relevance, recognition, and
student access in career and technical education programs that build on
current initiatives and progress in improving career and technical
education, and are consistent with targets and performance measures
required under the federal Carl Perkins act; and
(b) Recommended activities and strategies, in priority order, to
accomplish the objectives and goals, including activities and
strategies that:
(i) Can be accomplished within current resources and funding
formulas;
(ii) Should receive top priority for additional investment; and
(iii) Could be phased-in over the next ten years.
(3) In particular, the working group must examine:
(a) Proposed changes to high school graduation requirements and
strategies to ensure that students continue to have opportunities to
pursue career and technical education career and college pathways along
with a meaningful high school diploma;
(b) How career and technical education courses can be used to meet
the common core standards and how in turn the standards can be used to
enhance the rigor of career and technical education;
(c) Ways to improve student access to high quality career and
technical education courses and work experiences, not only in skill
centers but also in middle school, comprehensive high schools, and
rural areas;
(d) Ways to improve the transition from K-12 to community and
technical college, university, and private technical college programs;
(e) Methods for replicating innovative middle and high schools that
engage students in exploring careers, use project-based learning, and
build meaningful partnerships with businesses and the community; and
(f) A framework for a series of career and technical education
certifications that are: (i) Transferable between and among secondary
schools and postsecondary institutions; and (ii) articulated across
secondary and postsecondary levels so that students receive credit for
knowledge and skills they have already mastered.
(4) The working group membership shall include:
(a) School district and skill center career and technical education
directors and teachers and school guidance counselors;
(b) Community and technical college professional-technical faculty;
(c) At least one of each of the following: A school director, a
principal, a counselor, and a parent;
(d) Representatives from industry, labor, tech prep consortia,
local workforce development councils, private technical colleges, and
the Washington association for career and technical education;
(e) A representative from the workforce training and education
coordinating board; and
(f) One member of the house of representatives appointed by the
speaker of the house and one member of the senate appointed by the
president of the senate. Both legislative members shall also be
members of the quality education council under RCW 28A.290.010.
(5) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall
submit a progress report to the education committees of the legislature
and to the quality education council by December 1, 2011. The final
strategic plan, including priorities, recommendations, and measurable
annual objectives for continuous improvement, is due by December 1,
2012.