BILL REQ. #:  H-2505.1 

READ FIRST TIME 2/28/07.   

     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 of parents, students, special populations, academic and career and technical education teachers and administrators, workforce development faculty and administrators, career guidance and academic counselors, representatives of tech-prep consortia, local workforce development councils, representatives of local skill centers and local skills panels, apprenticeship councils, and business and labor organizations in the community.
     (3) Grant recipients must develop and implement a model 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) A field of study program shall:
     (a) Integrate core academic standards for reading, writing, and mathematics with high quality career and technical preparation based on the accepted industry standards for that field;
     (b) Incorporate secondary and postsecondary education elements;
     (c) 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, and to prepare students to succeed in postsecondary education programs in the field;
     (d) Lead to an industry-recognized credential or certificate at the postsecondary level or an associate or baccalaureate degree; and
     (e) 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 the appropriate courses in 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-program assessments for their high demand field of study program. The assessments shall also be integrated to include academic, work readiness, 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 model field of study programs as a high quality learning option for students and prepare plans for replication of the programs.
     (9) For the purposes of this section, "field of study program" shall have the same meaning as a career and technical program of study under P.L. 109-270, the Carl D. Perkins career and technical education improvement act of 2006.
     (10) This section expires July 1, 2009.