BILL REQ. #:  H-1685.2 

READ FIRST TIME 02/22/13.   

     AN ACT Relating to supporting K-12 career education, exploration, and planning; amending RCW 28A.150.220, 28A.230.090, 28A.600.045, 28A.230.097, 28A.700.070, 28A.700.030, and 28A.700.040; adding new sections to chapter 28A.230 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 43.41 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.410 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28C.18 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) In 2011, the legislature directed the office of the superintendent of public instruction to create a statewide strategic plan for career and technical education. Among the goals of the plan, completed in December of 2012, are to:
     (a) Improve access to and quality of career and technical education, which prepares students for lifelong learning and employment;
     (b) Ensure that every student receives comprehensive career guidance that leads to a personalized program of study that will guide course selection and other high school activities;
     (c) Require career and technical education teachers and school administrators to be prepared and supported in their roles; and
     (d) Assure that career and technical education is a results-driven education system so as to demonstrate a positive return on investment.
     (2) Using the strategic plan goals and recommendations as a resource, the legislature intends to use multiple strategies to provide additional support for career education, exploration, and planning.

Sec. 2   RCW 28A.150.220 and 2011 1st sp.s. c 27 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) In order for students to have the opportunity to develop the basic education knowledge and skills under RCW 28A.150.210, school districts must provide instruction of sufficient quantity and quality and give students the opportunity to complete graduation requirements that are intended to prepare them for postsecondary education, gainful employment, and citizenship. The program established under this section shall be the minimum instructional program of basic education offered by school districts.
     (2) Each school district shall make available to students the following minimum instructional offering each school year:
     (a) For students enrolled in grades one through twelve, at least a district-wide annual average of one thousand hours, which shall be increased to at least one thousand eighty instructional hours for students enrolled in each of grades seven through twelve and at least one thousand instructional hours for students in each of grades one through six according to an implementation schedule adopted by the legislature, but not before the 2014-15 school year; and
     (b) For students enrolled in kindergarten, at least four hundred fifty instructional hours, which shall be increased to at least one thousand instructional hours according to the implementation schedule under RCW 28A.150.315.
     (3) The instructional program of basic education provided by each school district shall include:
     (a) Instruction in the essential academic learning requirements under RCW 28A.655.070;
     (b) Instruction that provides students the opportunity to complete twenty-four credits for high school graduation, subject to a phased-in implementation of the twenty-four credits as established by the legislature. Course distribution requirements may be established by the state board of education under RCW 28A.230.090;
     (c) If the essential academic learning requirements include a requirement of languages other than English, the requirement may be met by students receiving instruction in one or more American Indian languages;
     (d) Supplemental instruction and services for underachieving students through the learning assistance program under RCW 28A.165.005 through 28A.165.065;
     (e) Supplemental instruction and services for eligible and enrolled students whose primary language is other than English through the transitional bilingual instruction program under RCW 28A.180.010 through 28A.180.080;
     (f) The opportunity for an appropriate education at public expense as defined by RCW 28A.155.020 for all eligible students with disabilities as defined in RCW 28A.155.020; ((and))
     (g) Programs for highly capable students under RCW 28A.185.010 through 28A.185.030; and
     (h) Opportunities for students to participate in career exploration, work-based learning, job shadowing, internships, development of their high school and beyond plan, student advisories, or other similar activities intended to engage students in preparing for their future, which must be provided when the increase in instructional hours required under subsection (2)(a) of this section takes effect, for at least twenty instructional hours per year for students in grades seven through twelve.
     (4) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to require individual students to attend school for any particular number of hours per day or to take any particular courses.
     (5) Each school district's kindergarten through twelfth grade basic educational program shall be accessible to all students who are five years of age, as provided by RCW 28A.225.160, and less than twenty-one years of age and shall consist of a minimum of one hundred eighty school days per school year in such grades as are conducted by a school district, and one hundred eighty half-days of instruction, or equivalent, in kindergarten, to be increased to a minimum of one hundred eighty school days per school year according to the implementation schedule under RCW 28A.150.315. However, effective May 1, 1979, a school district may schedule the last five school days of the one hundred and eighty day school year for noninstructional purposes in the case of students who are graduating from high school, including, but not limited to, the observance of graduation and early release from school upon the request of a student, and all such students may be claimed as a full-time equivalent student to the extent they could otherwise have been so claimed for the purposes of RCW 28A.150.250 and 28A.150.260.
     (6) Nothing in this section precludes a school district from enriching the instructional program of basic education, such as offering additional instruction or providing additional services, programs, or activities that the school district determines to be appropriate for the education of the school district's students.
     (7) The state board of education shall adopt rules to implement and ensure compliance with the program requirements imposed by this section, RCW 28A.150.250 and 28A.150.260, and such related supplemental program approval requirements as the state board may establish.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 28A.230 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) To take effect beginning with the graduating class of 2017, the state board of education must:
     (a) Redesignate the credit in occupational education required for high school graduation as a credit in career and technical education, with courses approved under RCW 28A.700.010; and
     (b) Adopt rules that permit a student to elect to pursue a course in an alternative subject area in lieu of one or both of the following required credits, based on an individualized program of study identified in the student's high school and beyond plan, because the student and parent have determined that such a course will better serve the student's education and career goals:
     (i) The career and technical education credit; and
     (ii) The fourth credit of English.
     (2) If, after the effective date of this section, the state board of education increases the number of course credits in science that are required for high school graduation under RCW 28A.230.090, the board must permit a student to elect to pursue a course in an alternative subject area in lieu of a third credit in science, based on an individualized program of study identified in the student's high school and beyond plan, because the student and parent have determined that such a course will better serve the student's education and career goals.

Sec. 4   RCW 28A.230.090 and 2011 c 203 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The state board of education shall establish high school graduation requirements or equivalencies for students, except as provided in RCW 28A.230.122 and except those equivalencies established by local high schools or school districts under RCW 28A.230.097. The purpose of a high school diploma is to declare that a student is ready for success in postsecondary education, gainful employment, and citizenship, and is equipped with the skills to be a lifelong learner.
     (a) Any course in Washington state history and government used to fulfill high school graduation requirements shall consider including information on the culture, history, and government of the American Indian peoples who were the first inhabitants of the state.
     (b) The certificate of academic achievement requirements under RCW 28A.655.061 or the certificate of individual achievement requirements under RCW 28A.155.045 are required for graduation from a public high school but are not the only requirements for graduation.
     (c) Any decision on whether a student has met the state board's high school graduation requirements for a high school and beyond plan shall remain at the local level. However, school districts must use the standard template for the high school and beyond plan developed under section 5 of this act or a locally developed template that the school district has determined to have equivalent characteristics, components, and activities as the standard template.
     (2)(a) In recognition of the statutory authority of the state board of education to establish and enforce minimum high school graduation requirements, the state board shall periodically reevaluate the graduation requirements and shall report such findings to the legislature in a timely manner as determined by the state board.
     (b) The state board shall reevaluate the graduation requirements for students enrolled in vocationally intensive and rigorous career and technical education programs, particularly those programs that lead to a certificate or credential that is state or nationally recognized. The purpose of the evaluation is to ensure that students enrolled in these programs have sufficient opportunity to earn a certificate of academic achievement, complete the program and earn the program's certificate or credential, and complete other state and local graduation requirements.
     (c) The state board shall forward any proposed changes to the high school graduation requirements to the education committees of the legislature for review and to the quality education council established under RCW 28A.290.010. The legislature shall have the opportunity to act during a regular legislative session before the changes are adopted through administrative rule by the state board. Changes that have a fiscal impact on school districts, as identified by a fiscal analysis prepared by the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall take effect only if formally authorized and funded by the legislature through the omnibus appropriations act or other enacted legislation.
     (3) Pursuant to any requirement for instruction in languages other than English established by the state board of education or a local school district, or both, for purposes of high school graduation, students who receive instruction in American sign language or one or more American Indian languages shall be considered to have satisfied the state or local school district graduation requirement for instruction in one or more languages other than English.
     (4) If requested by the student and his or her family, a student who has completed high school courses before attending high school shall be given high school credit which shall be applied to fulfilling high school graduation requirements if:
     (a) The course was taken with high school students, if the academic level of the course exceeds the requirements for seventh and eighth grade classes, and the student has successfully passed by completing the same course requirements and examinations as the high school students enrolled in the class; or
     (b) The academic level of the course exceeds the requirements for seventh and eighth grade classes and the course would qualify for high school credit, because the course is similar or equivalent to a course offered at a high school in the district as determined by the school district board of directors.
     (5) Students who have taken and successfully completed high school courses under the circumstances in subsection (4) of this section shall not be required to take an additional competency examination or perform any other additional assignment to receive credit.
     (6) At the college or university level, five quarter or three semester hours equals one high school credit.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   A new section is added to chapter 28A.230 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop a standard template for the high school and beyond plan required for high school graduation. The purpose of the template is to facilitate use of the high school and beyond plan as a tool to help students, beginning in the eighth grade, develop a program of study for their high school education based on their interests and goals, update the plan annually, and use the plan to guide their selection of courses, culminating project, and other activities. The office must also develop materials to support school districts in working with students to develop programs of study.
     (2) The standard template must describe the following components and activities to be included in a high school and beyond plan:
     (a) Identification of personal interests and achievable career goals;
     (b) A plan for course-taking, to be annually reviewed and updated;
     (c) Research on postsecondary education and entry-level jobs related to the student's career interests, including the multiple pathways to education and careers in any given field, the costs of postsecondary education, and the projected wages of various career options;
     (d) Development of a budget based on personal and career interests and goals, including a budget for postsecondary education;
     (e) Completion of a resume and, if applicable, an application for postsecondary education; and
     (f) Participation in an on-site or virtual visit to a postsecondary institution or a workplace.
     (3) Beginning in the 2014-15 school year and beginning with students in the eighth grade, school districts must use the standard template for the high school and beyond plan developed under this section or a locally developed template that the district has determined to have equivalent characteristics, components, and activities as the standard template. The forms of documentation required for the components and activities of a high school and beyond plan shall be established by the local school district.
     (4) For the purposes of this section, "program of study" means a coordinated, nonduplicative progression of courses within a career pathway that aligns academic and career and technical education in secondary education with postsecondary education to prepare students for an occupation or group of occupations within a career cluster. Each program of study follows a pathway offering multiple career opportunities based on differing levels of education. A program of study offers academic content and career and technical content aligned with appropriate learning standards, includes opportunities for students to earn dual high school and college credit, provides opportunities for work-integrated learning, prepares students to enter postsecondary education and employment, and culminates in an industry-recognized credential, certificate, or degree whenever possible.

Sec. 6   RCW 28A.600.045 and 2008 c 170 s 303 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Beginning with the 2014-15 school year, each high school must implement a career planning and exploration program for all students in grades nine through twelve. The legislature encourages each middle school((,)) and junior high school((, and high school)) also to implement a ((comprehensive guidance and planning)) career planning and exploration 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. It is also a purpose of the program to help students and parents understand that there are multiple pathways and multiple opportunities for students to chart their education and their future.
     (2) A ((comprehensive guidance and planning)) career planning and exploration 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 including apprenticeships; and postsecondary options and how to access them. Districts are encouraged to use available online curricula for this purpose;
     (b) Opportunities for regular meetings between ((each)) students and a teacher, counselor, or other instructional staff member who serves as an advisor throughout the ((student's)) students' enrollment at the school. Nothing in this section prescribes a particular frequency, duration, or teacher-to-student ratio for such meetings;
     (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) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide support for ((comprehensive guidance and planning)) career planning and exploration programs in public schools, including providing ongoing development and improvement of the curriculum described in subsection (2) of this section.
     (4) Beginning in the 2015-16 school year, each middle school, junior high school, and high school must provide information to students and parents or guardians regarding the online career guidance and exploration tools identified under section 13 of this act. Schools are encouraged to offer training and orientation to students and parents or guardians about using the online tools to identify a program of study and consider multiple pathways for education and careers.

Sec. 7   RCW 28A.230.097 and 2008 c 170 s 202 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 in high schools and skill centers. 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. Beginning with the 2014-15 school year, a school district board of directors must, at a minimum, grant academic course equivalency for a career and technical high school course from the mandatory course equivalency list adopted under RCW 28A.700.070, but is not limited to the courses on the list.
     (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 either part of the student's high school and beyond plan or the student's culminating project, as determined by the student. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop and make available electronic samples of certificates of course completion.

Sec. 8   RCW 28A.700.070 and 2008 c 170 s 201 are each amended to read as follows:
     (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 consultation 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) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules establishing a list of mandatory course equivalencies for career and technical education courses for which school district boards of directors must, at a minimum, award academic credit beginning in the 2014-15 school year.
     (4) 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.

Sec. 9   RCW 28A.700.030 and 2008 c 170 s 103 are each amended to read as follows:
     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) Be comprised of a sequenced progression of multiple courses that are technically intensive and rigorous; ((and))
     (3) Include at least one work-integrated learning opportunity, which may be work-based learning, an internship, a job shadow, or other worksite experience; and
     (4) Lead to workforce entry, state or nationally approved apprenticeships, or postsecondary education in a related field.

Sec. 10   RCW 28A.700.040 and 2008 c 170 s 104 are each amended to read as follows:
     (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 RCW 28A.700.020;
     (b) Students earning dual credit for high school and college; and
     (c) Performance measures and targets established by the workforce training and education coordinating board, including but not limited to student academic and technical skill attainment, graduation rates, postgraduation employment or enrollment in postsecondary education, and other measures and targets as required by the federal Carl Perkins act, as amended.
     (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.
     (3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction must establish criteria and an award or designation to recognize exemplary career and technical education programs.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 11   A new section is added to chapter 43.41 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The education data center must develop a standard report using individual student data, to be prepared and disseminated annually, on the postsecondary education and employment outcomes for students who graduate from Washington public high schools. The report must examine outcomes one year after high school graduation and five years after high school graduation.
     (2) In developing the report, the education data center must consult with the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the state board for community and technical colleges, the student achievement council, the public and private four-year institutions of higher education, the workforce training and education coordinating board, and the employment security department.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 12   A new section is added to chapter 28A.410 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The professional educator standards board shall review certification standards for secondary principals to assure that fundamentals of career and technical education and career and technical education leadership are adequately reflected in the standards.
     (2) The professional educator standards board, in collaboration with approved career and technical education certification programs, shall revise the standards for career and technical education certification on the basis of business and industry work experience. The objective of the revisions is to significantly increase the extent that program requirements are based on demonstrated competencies rather than course completion.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 13   A new section is added to chapter 28C.18 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) By December 1, 2014, the board, in collaboration with the other state education and workforce agencies, shall identify a sample of existing, interactive online tools that students and parents or guardians may use to explore career opportunities, identify a program of study as defined under section 5 of this act, and assist in career guidance. The board shall publicize these online tools on the board's web site. The board may modify or supplement the online tools to make them more helpful for users or to provide additional information specific to the Washington state education system and economy.
     (2) The board must annually create a brief, summary list of promising careers based on analysis of employment openings and future growth, as well as wages. The list must include careers that require various levels of postsecondary education and must illustrate the multiple pathways students may take to pursue the careers. The purpose of the list is to illustrate a sample of high quality, high-demand careers available through multiple pathways and encourage students and parents or guardians to engage in career exploration. The list must be publicized along with the online tools identified under subsection (1) of this section and may be linked to other, more comprehensive analyses and information regarding high-demand careers and career projections.
     (3) Beginning July 1, 2015, the board, in consultation with the state education and workforce agencies, must offer trainings regarding the online tools in subsection (1) of this section to career and technical education instructors, school counselors, and other education or workforce-related personnel.
     (4) The state education and workforce agencies and all community and technical colleges must publicize the online tools and promising careers identified under subsections (1) and (2) of this section on their respective web sites. Worksource centers and libraries as defined in RCW 27.12.010 must include information about the online tools in existing publications, including newsletters, posters, brochures, or other print materials, and must provide directions and options for public internet access to the online tools.
     (5) For the purposes of this section, "state education and workforce agencies" means the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the state board of education, the state board for community and technical colleges, the student achievement council, the workforce training and education coordinating board, and the employment security department.