BILL REQ. #: Z-0989.1
| State of Washington | 60th Legislature | 2008 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/16/08. Referred to Committee on Education.
AN ACT Relating to secondary career and technical education; amending RCW 28C.04.100, 28C.04.110, 28A.230.097, 28A.655.065, 28A.600.045, 28B.102.020, 28B.102.040, and 28A.505.220; adding new sections to chapter 28B.50 RCW; adding new sections to chapter 28A.245 RCW; adding a new chapter to Title 28A RCW; creating new sections; recodifying RCW 28C.04.100, 28C.04.110, and 28C.22.020; repealing RCW 28C.22.005 and 28C.22.010; providing an effective date; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 (1) The legislature finds that many
secondary career and technical education programs have made progress in
retooling for the twenty-first century by aligning with state and
nationally certified programs that meet industry standards and by
increasing the rigor of academic content in core skills such as
reading, writing, mathematics, and science.
(2) However, the legislature also finds that increased expectations
for students to meet the state's academic learning standards require
students to take remedial courses. The state board of education is
considering increasing credit requirements for high school graduation.
Together these policies could restrict students from pursuing high
quality career and technical education programs because students would
not have adequate time in their schedules to enroll in a progressive
sequence of career and technical courses.
(3) The legislature further finds that teachers, counselors,
students, and parents are not well-informed about the opportunities
presented by high quality career and technical education. Secondary
career and technical education is not a stopping point but a beginning
point for further education, including through a bachelor's degree.
Secondary preapprenticeships and courses aligned to industry standards
can lead directly to workforce entry as well as to additional
education. Career and technical education is a proven strategy to
engage and motivate students, including students at risk of dropping
out of school entirely.
(4) Finally, the legislature finds that state policies have been
piecemeal in support of career and technical education. Laws exist to
require state approval of career and technical programs, but could be
strengthened by requiring alignment with industry standards and
focusing on high-demand fields. Tech prep consortia have developed
articulation agreements for dual credit and smooth transitions between
high schools and colleges, but agreements remain highly decentralized
between individual faculty and individual schools. Laws require school
districts to create equivalences between academic and career and
technical courses, but more support and professional development is
needed to expand these opportunities.
(5) Therefore it is the legislature's intent to identify the gaps
in current laws and policies regarding secondary career and technical
education and fill those gaps in a comprehensive fashion to create a
coherent whole. This act seeks to increase the quality and rigor of
secondary career and technical education, improve links to
postsecondary education, encourage and facilitate academic instruction
through career and technical courses, and expand access to and
awareness of the opportunities offered by high quality career and
technical education.
Sec. 101 RCW 28C.04.100 and 2001 c 336 s 2 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) To ensure high quality career and technical programs, the
office of the superintendent of public instruction shall periodically
review and approve the plans of local districts for the delivery of
career and technical education. Standards for career and technical
programs shall be established by the office of the superintendent of
public instruction. ((These standards should:)) The office of the
superintendent of public instruction shall develop a schedule for
career and technical education plan reapproval under this section that
includes an abbreviated review process for programs reapproved after
2005, but before the effective date of this section. All school
district career and technical education programs must meet the
requirements of this section by August 31, 2010.
(2) To receive approval, school district plans must:
(a) Demonstrate how career and technical education programs will
ensure academic rigor; align with the state's education reform
requirements; help address the skills gap of Washington's economy; and
maintain strong relationships with local career and technical education
advisory councils for the design and delivery of career and technical
education; ((and))
(b) Demonstrate a strategy to align the five-year planning
requirement under the federal Carl Perkins act with the state and
district ((vocational)) career and technical program planning
requirements that include:
(i) An assessment of equipment and technology needs to support the
skills training of technical students;
(ii) An assessment of industry internships required for teachers to
ensure the ability to prepare students for industry-defined standards
or certifications, or both;
(iii) An assessment of the costs of supporting job shadows,
mentors, community service and industry internships, and other
activities for student learning in the community; and
(iv) A description of the leadership activities to be provided for
technical education students; and
(v) Annual local school board approval;
(c) Demonstrate that all preparatory career and technical education
courses offered by the district meet the requirements of RCW 28C.04.110
(as recodified by this act);
(d) Demonstrate progress toward meeting or exceeding the targets
established under section 104 of this act of an increased number of
career and technical programs in high-demand fields; and
(e) Demonstrate that approved career and technical programs
maximize opportunities for students to earn dual credit for high school
and college.
(((2))) (3) To ensure high quality career education programs and
services in secondary schools, the office of the superintendent of
public instruction may provide technical assistance to local districts
and develop state guidelines for the delivery of career guidance in
secondary schools.
(((3))) (4) To ensure leadership development, the staff of the
office of the superintendent of public instruction may serve as the
state advisors to Washington state FFA, Washington future business
leaders of America, Washington DECA, Washington ((SkillsUSA-VICA))
SkillsUSA, Washington family, career and community leaders, and
Washington technology students association, and any additional career
or technical student organizations that are formed. Working with the
directors or executive secretaries of these organizations, the office
of the superintendent of public instruction may develop tools for the
coordination of leadership activities with the curriculum of technical
education programs.
(((4))) (5) As used in this section, "career and technical
education" means a planned program of courses and learning experiences
that begins with exploration of career options; supports basic academic
and life skills; and enables achievement of high academic standards,
leadership, options for high skill, high wage employment preparation,
and advanced and continuing education.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 102 (1) The office of the superintendent of
public instruction, in collaboration with the workforce training and
education coordinating board, the Washington state apprenticeship and
training council, and the state board for community and technical
colleges, shall develop a list of statewide high-demand programs for
secondary career and technical education. The list shall be developed
using the high-demand list maintained by workforce development councils
in collaboration with the employment security department, the high
employer demand programs of study identified by the workforce training
and education coordinating board, and the high employer demand programs
of study identified by the higher education coordinating board. Local
school districts may recommend additional high-demand programs in
collaboration with local career and technical education advisory
committees by submitting evidence of local high demand.
(2) As used in this section and in sections 104, 105, 107, and 306
of this act:
(a) "High-demand program" means a career and technical education
program that prepares students for either a high employer demand
program of study or a high-demand occupation, or both.
(b) "High employer demand program of study" means an apprenticeship
or an undergraduate or graduate certificate or degree program in which
the number of students per year prepared for employment from in-state
programs is substantially fewer than the number of projected job
openings per year in that field, either statewide or in a substate
region.
(c) "High-demand occupation" means an occupation with a substantial
number of current or projected employment opportunities.
Sec. 103 RCW 28C.04.110 and 2006 c 115 s 2 are each amended to
read as follows:
((The superintendent of public instruction shall develop a list of
approved career and technical education programs that qualify for the
objective alternative assessment for career and technical students
developed under RCW 28A.655.065. Programs on the list)) All approved
preparatory secondary career and technical education programs must meet
the following minimum criteria:
(1) Either:
(a) Lead to a certificate or credential that is state or nationally
recognized by trades, industries, or other professional associations as
necessary for employment or advancement in that field; or
(b) Allow students to earn dual credit for high school and college
through tech prep, advanced placement, or other agreements or programs;
(2) ((Require)) Be comprised of a sequenced progression of multiple
courses((, both exploratory and preparatory,)) that are
((vocationally)) technically intensive and rigorous; and
(3) ((Have a high potential for providing the program completer
with gainful employment or)) Lead to workforce entry ((into a)),
state-approved apprenticeships, or postsecondary ((workforce training
program)) education in a related field.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 104 (1) The office of the superintendent of
public instruction shall establish performance measures and targets and
monitor the performance of career and technical education programs in
at least the following areas:
(a) Student participation in and completion of high-demand programs
as identified under section 102 of this act;
(b) Students earning dual credit for high school and college; and
(c) Performance measures and targets established in cooperation
with the workforce training and education coordinating board, including
but not limited to student academic and skill attainment, graduation
rates, postgraduation employment or enrollment in postsecondary
education, and other measures and targets as required by the federal
Carl Perkins act.
(2) If a school district fails to meet the performance targets
established under this section, the office of the superintendent of
public instruction may require the district to submit an improvement
plan. If a district fails to implement an improvement plan or
continues to fail to meet the performance targets for three consecutive
years, the office of the superintendent of public instruction may use
this failure as the basis to deny the approval or reapproval of one or
more of the district's career and technical education programs.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 105 Subject to funds appropriated for this
purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall
allocate grants to middle schools, high schools, or skill centers, to
develop or upgrade high-demand career and technical education programs
as identified under section 102 of this act. Grant funds shall be
allocated on a one-time basis and may be used to purchase or improve
curriculum, create preapprenticeship programs, upgrade technology and
equipment to meet industry standards, and for other purposes intended
to initiate a new program or improve the rigor and quality of a
high-demand program. Priority in allocating the funds shall be given
to programs that are also considered high cost due to the types of
technology and equipment necessary to maintain industry certification.
Priority shall also be given to programs considered in most high demand
in the state or applicable region.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 106 (1) The legislature finds that a critical
aspect of increasing the quality and rigor of career and technical
education programs is to assure adequate funding for all students
enrolled.
(2) Beginning with the 2008-09 school year, state funds through the
general apportionment program shall be allocated on the basis of full-time equivalent enrollment in career and technical education programs
approved by the superintendent of public instruction at a ratio of a
maximum of 0.92 certificated instructional staff units and 0.08
certificated administrative staff units for each 18.5 full-time
equivalent career and technical education students.
(3) Beginning with the 2008-09 school year, the allocation for
nonemployee-related costs associated with each certificated staff unit
in skill center programs shall be equal to the allocation for
nonemployee-related costs associated with each certificated staff unit
in high school career and technical education programs.
(4) Beginning with the 2008-09 school year, school districts shall
receive an allocation of state funds for equipment replacement in
career and technical programs and skill centers, based on full-time
equivalent student enrollment in approved programs, that is in addition
to the allocation for nonemployee-related costs associated with each
vocational certificated staff unit. The allocation rate shall be
specified in the biennial appropriations act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 107 (1) The office of the superintendent of
public instruction, the state board for community and technical
colleges, the higher education coordinating board, and the council of
presidents shall work with local school districts, workforce education
programs in colleges, tech prep consortia, and four-year institutions
of higher education to develop model career and technical education
programs of study as described by this section.
(2) Career and technical education programs of study:
(a) Incorporate secondary and postsecondary education elements;
(b) Include coherent and rigorous academic content aligned with
state learning standards and relevant career and technical content in
a coordinated, nonduplicative progression of courses that are aligned
with postsecondary education in a related field;
(c) Include opportunities for students to earn dual high school and
college credit; and
(d) Lead to an industry-recognized credential or certificate at the
postsecondary level, or an associate or baccalaureate degree.
(3) During the 2008-09 school year, model career and technical
education programs of study shall be developed for the following
high-demand programs: Construction, health care, and information
technology. Each school year thereafter, the office of the
superintendent of public instruction, the state board for community and
technical colleges, and the workforce training and education
coordinating board shall select additional programs of study to
develop, with a priority on high-demand programs as identified under
section 102 of this act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 108 A new section is added to chapter 28B.50
RCW to read as follows:
(1) It is the legislature's intent to recognize and support the
work of community and technical colleges, high schools, and skill
centers in creating articulation and dual credit agreements for career
and technical education students, in part by codifying current
practice.
(2) Community and technical colleges shall create agreements with
high schools and skill centers to offer dual high school and college
credit for secondary career and technical courses. Agreements shall be
subject to approval by the chief instructional officer of the college
and the principal of the high school or the executive director of the
skill center.
(3) Community and technical colleges may create dual credit
agreements with high schools and skill centers that are located outside
the college district boundary or service area.
(4) If a community or technical college has created an agreement
with a high school or skill center to offer college credit for a
secondary career and technical course, all community and technical
colleges shall accept the course for an equal amount of college credit.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 201 (1) The office of the superintendent of
public instruction shall support school district efforts under RCW
28A.230.097 to adopt course equivalencies for career and technical
courses by:
(a) Recommending career and technical curriculum suitable for
course equivalencies;
(b) Publicizing best practices for high schools and school
districts in developing and adopting course equivalencies; and
(c) In collaboration with the Washington association for career and
technical education, providing professional development, technical
assistance, and guidance for school districts seeking to expand their
lists of equivalent courses.
(2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall
provide professional development, technical assistance, and guidance
for school districts to develop career and technical course
equivalencies that also qualify as advanced placement courses.
(3) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the office of
the superintendent of public instruction shall allocate grant funds to
school districts to increase the integration and rigor of academic
instruction in career and technical courses. Grant recipients are
encouraged to use grant funds to support teams of academic and
technical teachers using a research-based professional development
model supported by the national research center for career and
technical education. The office of the superintendent of public
instruction may require that grant recipients provide matching
resources using federal Carl Perkins funds or other fund sources.
(4) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the office of
the superintendent of public instruction shall allocate grant funds to
school districts to provide summer school funding for middle and high
schools for all students to explore career opportunities rich in math,
science, and technology using career and technical education as the
delivery model.
Sec. 202 RCW 28A.230.097 and 2006 c 114 s 2 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) Each high school or school district board of directors shall
adopt course equivalencies for career and technical high school courses
offered to students at the high school. A career and technical course
equivalency may be for whole or partial credit. Each school district
board of directors shall develop a course equivalency approval
procedure.
(2) Career and technical courses determined to be equivalent to
academic core courses, in full or in part, by the high school or school
district shall be accepted as meeting core requirements, including
graduation requirements, if the courses are recorded on the student's
transcript using the equivalent academic high school department
designation and title. Full or partial credit shall be recorded as
appropriate. The high school or school district shall also issue and
keep record of course completion certificates that demonstrate that the
career and technical courses were successfully completed as needed for
industry certification, college credit, or preapprenticeship, as
applicable. The certificate shall be part of the student's high school
and beyond plan. The office of the superintendent of public
instruction shall develop and make available electronic samples of
certificates of course completion.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 203 A new section is added to chapter 28A.245
RCW to read as follows:
Skill centers may enter into agreements with one or more
cooperating school districts to grant a high school diploma on behalf
of the district so that students who are juniors and seniors have an
opportunity to attend the skill center on a full-time basis without
coenrollment at a district high school. To avoid competition with
other high schools in the cooperating district, high school completion
programs operated by skill centers shall be designed as dropout
prevention and retrieval programs for at-risk and credit-deficient
students or for fifth-year seniors. A skill center may use grant
awards from the building bridges program under RCW 28A.175.025 to
develop high school completion programs as provided in this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 204 (1) Subject to funds appropriated for this
purpose, the secondary integrated basic education and skills training
(I-BEST) pilot project is created to integrate career and technical
instruction, core academic and basic skills, and English as a second
language, for secondary school students. The objective of the pilot
project is to determine whether and how a successful community and
technical college instructional model can be adapted and implemented at
a secondary school level.
(2) The goal of secondary I-BEST is to enable and motivate
secondary students who are struggling with language and academic skills
to earn a high school diploma and be prepared for workforce entry or
further education and training in a career and technical field. Under
the pilot project, academic, career and technical, and English-as-a
second-language teachers shall provide instruction through team and
coteaching. Course content shall be integrated across the three
domains of career and technical, academic, and language.
(3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall
allocate pilot project grants to high schools or skill centers on a
competitive basis. Grants are for a three-year period. The office of
the superintendent of public instruction shall work with the state
board for community and technical colleges, grant recipients, and the
Washington State University social and economic sciences research
center to design and implement an evaluation of the pilot project that
includes comparisons of gains in achievement for students in the
project compared to other similar students. A report on the pilot
project and results of the evaluation shall be submitted to the
governor and the education and fiscal committees of the legislature by
December 1, 2011.
(4) The state board for community and technical colleges shall
provide technical assistance and advice to the office of the
superintendent of public instruction and the pilot project regarding
best practices for I-BEST, including program design, professional
development, assessment, and evaluation. The state board shall also
designate one or more community or technical colleges with exemplary
postsecondary I-BEST programs to serve as mentors for the pilot
project.
(5) This section expires June 30, 2012.
Sec. 205 RCW 28A.655.065 and 2007 c 354 s 6 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The legislature has made a commitment to rigorous academic
standards for receipt of a high school diploma. The primary way that
students will demonstrate that they meet the standards in reading,
writing, mathematics, and science is through the Washington assessment
of student learning. Only objective assessments that are comparable in
rigor to the state assessment are authorized as an alternative
assessment. Before seeking an alternative assessment, the legislature
expects students to make a genuine effort to meet state standards,
through regular and consistent attendance at school and participation
in extended learning and other assistance programs.
(2) Under RCW 28A.655.061, beginning in the 2006-07 school year,
the superintendent of public instruction shall implement objective
alternative assessment methods as provided in this section for students
to demonstrate achievement of the state standards in content areas in
which the student has not yet met the standard on the high school
Washington assessment of student learning. A student may access an
alternative if the student meets applicable eligibility criteria in RCW
28A.655.061 and this section and other eligibility criteria established
by the superintendent of public instruction, including but not limited
to attendance criteria and participation in the remediation or
supplemental instruction contained in the student learning plan
developed under RCW 28A.655.061. A school district may waive
attendance and/or remediation criteria for special, unavoidable
circumstances.
(3) For the purposes of this section, "applicant" means a student
seeking to use one of the alternative assessment methods in this
section.
(4) One alternative assessment method shall be a combination of the
applicant's grades in applicable courses and the applicant's highest
score on the high school Washington assessment of student learning, as
provided in this subsection. A student is eligible to apply for the
alternative assessment method under this subsection (4) if the student
has a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2 on a four point
grading scale. The superintendent of public instruction shall
determine which high school courses are applicable to the alternative
assessment method and shall issue guidelines to school districts.
(a) Using guidelines prepared by the superintendent of public
instruction, a school district shall identify the group of students in
the same school as the applicant who took the same high school courses
as the applicant in the applicable content area. From the group of
students identified in this manner, the district shall select the
comparison cohort that shall be those students who met or slightly
exceeded the state standard on the Washington assessment of student
learning.
(b) The district shall compare the applicant's grades in high
school courses in the applicable content area to the grades of students
in the comparison cohort for the same high school courses. If the
applicant's grades are equal to or above the mean grades of the
comparison cohort, the applicant shall be deemed to have met the state
standard on the alternative assessment.
(c) An applicant may not use the alternative assessment under this
subsection (4) if there are fewer than six students in the comparison
cohort.
(5) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop an
alternative assessment method that shall be an evaluation of a
collection of work samples prepared and submitted by the applicant((,
as provided in this subsection and, for career and technical
applicants, the additional requirements of subsection (6) of this
section)).
(a) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop
guidelines for the types and number of work samples in each content
area that may be submitted as a collection of evidence that the
applicant has met the state standard in that content area. Work
samples may be collected from academic, career and technical, or
remedial courses and may include performance tasks as well as written
products. The superintendent shall submit the guidelines for approval
by the state board of education.
(b) The superintendent shall develop protocols for submission of
the collection of work samples that include affidavits from the
applicant's teachers and school district that the samples are the work
of the applicant and a requirement that a portion of the samples be
prepared under the direct supervision of a classroom teacher. The
superintendent shall submit the protocols for approval by the state
board of education.
(c) The superintendent shall develop uniform scoring criteria for
evaluating the collection of work samples and submit the scoring
criteria for approval by the state board of education. Collections
shall be scored at the state level or regionally by a panel of
educators selected and trained by the superintendent to ensure
objectivity, reliability, and rigor in the evaluation. An educator may
not score work samples submitted by applicants from the educator's
school district. If the panel awards an applicant's collection of work
samples the minimum required score, the applicant shall be deemed to
have met the state standard on the alternative assessment.
(d) Using an open and public process that includes consultation
with district superintendents, school principals, and other educators,
the state board of education shall consider the guidelines, protocols,
scoring criteria, and other information regarding the collection of
work samples submitted by the superintendent of public instruction.
The collection of work samples may be implemented as an alternative
assessment after the state board of education has approved the
guidelines, protocols, and scoring criteria and determined that the
collection of work samples: (i) Will meet professionally accepted
standards for a valid and reliable measure of the grade level
expectations and the essential academic learning requirements; and (ii)
is comparable to or exceeds the rigor of the skills and knowledge that
a student must demonstrate on the Washington assessment of student
learning in the applicable content area. The state board shall make an
approval decision and determination no later than December 1, 2006, and
thereafter may increase the required rigor of the collection of work
samples.
(e) By September of 2006, the superintendent of public instruction
shall develop informational materials for parents, teachers, and
students regarding the collection of work samples and the status of its
development as an alternative assessment method. The materials shall
provide specific guidance regarding the type and number of work samples
likely to be required, include examples of work that meets the state
learning standards, and describe the scoring criteria and process for
the collection. The materials shall also encourage students in the
graduating class of 2008 to begin creating a collection if they believe
they may seek to use the collection once it is implemented as an
alternative assessment.
(6)(a) For students enrolled in a career and technical education
program approved under RCW 28C.04.110 (as recodified by this act), the
superintendent of public instruction shall develop additional
guidelines for ((a)) collections of work samples that ((evidences that
the collection:)) are tailored to different
career and technical programs. The additional guidelines shall:
(i) Is relevant to the student's particular career and technical
program;
(ii) Focuses on the application of academic knowledge and skills
within the program;
(iii) Includes completed activities or projects where demonstration
of academic knowledge is inferred; and
(iv) Is related to the essential academic learning requirements and
state standards that students must meet to earn a certificate of
academic achievement or certificate of individual achievement, but also
represents the knowledge and skills that successful individuals in the
career and technical field of the approved program are expected to
possess.
(b) To meet the state standard on the alternative assessment under
this subsection (6), an applicant must also attain the state or
nationally recognized certificate or credential associated with the
approved career and technical program
(i) Provide multiple examples of work samples that are related to
the particular career and technical program;
(ii) Permit work samples based on completed activities or projects
where demonstration of academic knowledge is inferred; and
(iii) Provide multiple examples of work samples drawn from career
and technical courses.
(b) The purpose of the additional guidelines is to provide a clear
pathway toward a certificate of academic achievement for career and
technical students by showing them applied and relevant opportunities
to demonstrate their knowledge and skills, and to provide guidance to
teachers in integrating academic and career and technical instruction
and assessment and assisting career and technical students in compiling
a collection. The superintendent of public instruction shall develop
and disseminate additional guidelines for no fewer than ten career and
technical education programs representing a variety of program
offerings by no later than September 1, 2008. Guidelines for ten
additional programs shall be developed and disseminated no later than
June 1, 2009.
(c) The superintendent shall consult with community and technical
colleges, employers, the workforce training and education coordinating
board, apprenticeship programs, and other regional and national experts
in career and technical education to create ((an)) appropriate
((collection)) guidelines and examples of work samples and other
evidence of a career and technical student's knowledge and skills on
the state academic standards.
(7) The superintendent of public instruction shall study the
feasibility of using existing mathematics assessments in languages
other than English as an additional alternative assessment option. The
study shall include an estimation of the cost of translating the tenth
grade mathematics assessment into other languages and scoring the
assessments should they be implemented.
(8) The superintendent of public instruction shall implement:
(a) By June 1, 2006, a process for students to appeal the score
they received on the high school assessments; and
(b) By January 1, 2007, guidelines and appeal processes for waiving
specific requirements in RCW 28A.655.061 pertaining to the certificate
of academic achievement and to the certificate of individual
achievement for students who: (i) Transfer to a Washington public
school in their junior or senior year with the intent of obtaining a
public high school diploma, or (ii) have special, unavoidable
circumstances.
(9) The state board of education shall examine opportunities for
additional alternative assessments, including the possible use of one
or more standardized norm-referenced student achievement tests and the
possible use of the reading, writing, or mathematics portions of the
ACT ASSET and ACT COMPASS test instruments as objective alternative
assessments for demonstrating that a student has met the state
standards for the certificate of academic achievement. The state board
shall submit its findings and recommendations to the education
committees of the legislature by January 10, 2008.
(10) The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules to
implement this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 301 (1) The office of the superintendent of
public instruction shall develop and conduct an ongoing campaign for
career and technical education to increase awareness among teachers,
counselors, students, parents, principals, school administrators, and
the general public about the opportunities offered by rigorous career
and technical education programs. Messages in the campaign shall
emphasize career and technical education as a high quality educational
pathway for students, including for students who seek advanced
education that includes a bachelor's degree or beyond. In particular,
the office shall provide information about the following:
(a) The model career and technical education programs of study
developed under section 107 of this act;
(b) Career and technical education course equivalencies and dual
credit for high school and college;
(c) The career and technical education alternative assessment
guidelines under RCW 28A.655.065;
(d) The availability of scholarships for postsecondary workforce
education and apprenticeships through the opportunity grant program
under RCW 28B.50.271, grants under section 302 of this act, and other
programs; and
(e) Education, apprenticeship, and career opportunities in emerging
and high-demand programs.
(2) The office shall use multiple strategies in the campaign
depending on available funds, including developing an interactive web
site to encourage and facilitate career exploration; conducting
training and orientation for guidance counselors and teachers; and
developing and disseminating printed materials.
(3) The office shall seek advice, participation, and financial
assistance from the workforce training and education coordinating
board, higher education institutions, foundations, employers,
apprenticeship and training councils, workforce development councils,
and business and labor organizations for the campaign.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 302 (1) Subject to funds appropriated for this
purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall
provide grants to eligible students to offset the costs of required
examination or testing fees associated with obtaining state or industry
certification in the student's career and technical education program.
(2) The office shall establish maximum grant amounts and a process
for students to apply for the grants.
(3) For the purposes of this section, "eligible student" means:
(a) A student enrolled in a secondary career and technical
education program where state or industry certification can be obtained
without additional postsecondary work or study; or
(b) A student who completed a secondary career and technical
education program in a Washington public school and is seeking state or
industry certification in a program requiring additional postsecondary
work or study or where there are age limitations on certification.
(4) Eligible students must have a family income that is at or below
two hundred percent of the federal poverty level using the most current
guidelines available from the United States department of health and
human services.
Sec. 303 RCW 28A.600.045 and 2006 c 117 s 2 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The legislature encourages each middle school, junior high
school, and high school to implement a comprehensive guidance and
planning program for all students. The purpose of the program is to
support students as they navigate their education and plan their
future; encourage an ongoing and personal relationship between each
student and an adult in the school; and involve parents in students'
educational decisions and plans.
(2) A comprehensive guidance and planning program is a program that
contains at least the following components:
(a) A curriculum intended to provide the skills and knowledge
students need to select courses, explore options, plan for their
future, and take steps to implement their plans. The curriculum may
include such topics as analysis of students' test results; diagnostic
assessments of students' academic strengths and weaknesses; use of
assessment results in developing students' short-term and long-term
plans; assessments of student interests and aptitude; goal-setting
skills; planning for high school course selection; independent living
skills; exploration of options and opportunities for career and
technical education at the secondary and postsecondary level;
exploration of career opportunities in emerging and high-demand
programs; and postsecondary options and how to access them;
(b) Regular meetings between each student and a teacher who serves
as an advisor throughout the student's enrollment at the school;
(c) Student-led conferences with the student's parents, guardians,
or family members and the student's advisor for the purpose of
demonstrating the student's accomplishments; identifying weaknesses;
planning and selecting courses; and setting long-term goals; and
(d) Data collection that allows schools to monitor students'
progress.
(3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall
provide support for comprehensive guidance and planning programs in
public schools, including providing ongoing development and improvement
of the curriculum described in subsection (2) of this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 304 A new section is added to chapter 28A.245
RCW to read as follows:
(1) Subject to the provisions of this section and section 305 of
this act, a skill center may enter into an agreement with the community
or technical college in which district the skill center is located to
provide career and technical education courses necessary to complete an
industry certificate or credential for students who have received a
high school diploma.
(2) To qualify for enrollment under this section, a student must
have been enrolled in the skill center before receiving the high school
diploma and must remain continuously enrolled in the skill center. A
student may enroll only in those courses necessary to complete the
industry certificate or credential associated with the student's career
and technical program.
(3) Students enrolled in a skill center under this section shall be
considered community and technical college students for purposes of
enrollment reporting, tuition, and financial aid. The skill center
shall maintain enrollment data for students enrolled under this section
separately from data on secondary school enrollment.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 305 A new section is added to chapter 28B.50
RCW to read as follows:
(1) A community or technical college may enter into an agreement
with a skill center within the college district to allow students who
have completed a high school diploma to remain enrolled in the skill
center in courses necessary to complete an industry certificate or
credential in the student's career and technical program as provided by
section 304 of this act.
(2) Before entering an agreement, a community or technical college
may require the skill center to provide evidence that:
(a) The skill center has adequate facilities and capacity to offer
the necessary courses and the community or technical college does not
have adequate facilities or capacity; or
(b) The community or technical college does not offer the
particular industry certificate program or courses proposed by the
skill center.
(3) Under the terms of the agreement, the community or technical
college shall report the enrolled student as a state-supported student
and may charge the student tuition and fees. The college shall
transmit to the skill center an agreed-upon amount per enrolled full-time equivalent student to pay for the student's courses at the skill
center.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 306 (1) Subject to funds appropriated for this
purpose, career and technical education teacher candidates selected
under this section are eligible for future teachers' conditional
scholarships under chapter 28B.102 RCW for tuition and fees necessary
to complete an approved program for initial certification. The
conditions and limitations of the future teachers' conditional
scholarship program apply to candidates selected under this section.
(2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall
solicit and select candidates for the scholarships. Applicants seeking
certification in high-demand programs as identified under section 102
of this act have priority over other applicants.
Sec. 307 RCW 28B.102.020 and 2004 c 58 s 2 are each amended to
read as follows:
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in
this section apply throughout this chapter.
(1) "Conditional scholarship" means a loan that is forgiven in
whole or in part if the recipient renders service as a teacher in an
approved education program in this state.
(2) "Institution of higher education" or "institution" means a
college or university in the state of Washington that is accredited by
an accrediting association recognized as such by rule of the higher
education coordinating board. For career and technical education
candidates selected under section 306 of this act, "institution of
higher education" also includes any business and industry certification
program approved by the professional educator standards board.
(3) "Board" means the higher education coordinating board.
(4) "Eligible student" means a student who is registered for at
least six credit hours or the equivalent, demonstrates high academic
achievement, is a resident student as defined by RCW 28B.15.012 and
28B.15.013, and has a declared intention to complete an approved
preparation program leading to initial teacher certification or
required for earning an additional endorsement, and commits to teaching
service in the state of Washington. For career and technical education
candidates selected under section 306 of this act who are enrolled in
a business and industry certification program, the board shall adopt a
minimum credit or clock hour enrollment for eligible students that
reflects the unique nature and delivery model of the programs.
(5) "Public school" means an elementary school, a middle school,
junior high school, or high school within the public school system
referred to in Article IX of the state Constitution.
(6) "Forgiven" or "to forgive" or "forgiveness" means to render
service as a teacher in an approved education program in the state of
Washington in lieu of monetary repayment.
(7) "Satisfied" means paid-in-full.
(8) "Participant" means an eligible student who has received a
conditional scholarship or loan repayment under this chapter.
(9) "Loan repayment" means a federal student loan that is repaid in
whole or in part if the recipient renders service as a teacher in an
approved education program in Washington state.
(10) "Approved education program" means an education program in the
state of Washington for knowledge and skills generally learned in
preschool through twelfth grade. Approved education programs may
include but are not limited to:
(a) K-12 schools under Title 28A RCW; or
(b) Other K-12 educational sites in the state of Washington as
designated by the board.
(11) "Equalization fee" means the additional amount added to the
principal of a loan under this chapter to equate the debt to that which
the student would have incurred if the loan had been received through
the federal subsidized Stafford student loan program.
(12) "Teacher shortage area" means a shortage of elementary or
secondary school teachers in a specific subject area, discipline,
classification, or geographic area as defined by the office of the
superintendent of public instruction.
Sec. 308 RCW 28B.102.040 and 2005 c 518 s 918 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The board may select participants based on an application
process conducted by the board or the board may utilize selection
processes for similar students in cooperation with the professional
educator standards board or the office of the superintendent of public
instruction. For career and technical education teacher candidates,
the board shall rely on the selection process under section 306 of this
act.
(2) If the board selects participants for the program, it shall
establish a selection committee for screening and selecting recipients
of the conditional scholarships. The criteria shall emphasize factors
demonstrating excellence including but not limited to superior
scholastic achievement, leadership ability, community contributions,
bilingual ability, willingness to commit to providing teaching service
in shortage areas, and an ability to act as a role model for students.
Priority will be given to individuals seeking certification or an
additional endorsement in math, science, technology, or special
education.
((For fiscal years 2006 and 2007, additional priority shall be
given to such individuals who are also bilingual. It is the intent of
the legislature to develop a pool of dual-language teachers in order to
meet the challenge of educating students who are dominant in languages
other than English.))
NEW SECTION. Sec. 309 (1) The office of the superintendent of
public instruction shall conduct a feasibility study to create
technical high schools in Washington state. In conducting the study,
the office shall convene an advisory committee including
representatives from school districts, high schools, skill centers,
community and technical colleges, workforce development councils, the
workforce training and education coordinating board, the Washington
association for career and technical education, the Washington state
apprenticeship and training council, and the state board for community
and technical colleges. Subject to available funds, the office shall
contract with a third party to support the study, including examining
technical high school models in other states.
(2) The feasibility study shall examine and make recommendations on
the following issues:
(a) The definition of a technical high school and how a technical
high school might differ from current comprehensive high schools,
alternative high schools, or skill centers;
(b) The governance structure for technical high schools, which may
be within a single district, a cooperative of multiple districts, or
other new governance structures that may be considered;
(c) Funding models and estimated costs to support technical high
schools, including both operating and capital funds;
(d) Whether technical high schools should focus on particular
student populations or be structured as magnet schools or academies
with a particular programmatic focus;
(e) Whether technical high schools should operate with a two-year
or four-year program or with part-time or full-time attendance;
(f) The implications of accountability for student achievement with
a technical high school, including adequate yearly progress; and
(g) Options, strategies, and estimated costs for possible
transition of selected current high schools or skill centers to a
technical high school model.
(3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall
submit an interim progress report to the governor and the education and
fiscal committees of the legislature by December 1, 2008, and a final
report with recommendations by September 15, 2009.
Sec. 401 RCW 28A.505.220 and 2005 c 514 s 1103 are each amended
to read as follows:
(1) Total distributions from the student achievement fund to each
school district shall be based upon the average number of full-time
equivalent students in the school district during the previous school
year as reported to the office of the superintendent of public
instruction by August 31st of the previous school year. The
superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that moneys generated
by skill center students are returned to skill centers.
(2) The allocation rate per full-time equivalent student shall be
three hundred dollars in the 2005-06 school year, three hundred
seventy-five dollars in the 2006-07 school year, and four hundred fifty
dollars in the 2007-08 school year. For each subsequent school year,
the amount allocated per full-time equivalent student shall be adjusted
for inflation as defined in RCW 43.135.025(8). These allocations per
full-time equivalent student from the student achievement fund shall be
supported from the following sources:
(a) Distributions from state property tax proceeds deposited into
the student achievement fund under RCW 84.52.068; and
(b) Distributions from the education legacy trust account created
in RCW 83.100.230.
(3) Any funds deposited in the student achievement fund under RCW
43.135.045 shall be allocated to school districts on a one-time basis
using a rate per full-time equivalent student. These funds are
provided in addition to any amounts allocated in subsection (2) of this
section.
(4) The school district annual amounts as defined in subsection (2)
of this section shall be distributed on the monthly apportionment
schedule as defined in RCW 28A.510.250.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 402 RCW 28C.04.100 and 28C.04.110 are each
recodified as sections in the new chapter created in section 407 of
this act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 403 RCW 28C.22.020 is recodified as a section
in chapter 28A.245 RCW.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 404 The following acts or parts of acts are
each repealed:
(1) RCW 28C.22.005 (Findings) and 1993 c 380 s 1; and
(2) RCW 28C.22.010 (Skill center program operation) and 1993 c 380
s 2.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 405 This chapter may be known and cited as the
career and technical education act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 406 Part headings used in this act are not any
part of the law.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 407 Sections 102, 104 through 107, 201, 204,
301, 302, 306, and 405 of this act constitute a new chapter in Title
NEW SECTION. Sec. 408 Section 401 of this act takes effect
September 1, 2008.