HB 505: Career Readiness and Economic Development Act; enact

House Bill 505

By: Representatives Hilton of the 48th, Donatucci of the 105th, and Barrett of the 24th

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

To amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to education, so as to provide for the development of career development plans for secondary students; to add requirements for career development plans; to provide for the development of an electronic platform for career development plans; to provide requirements for such electronic platform; to provide for the collection of data and evaluation of career development plans; to provide for definitions; to provide for conforming changes; to provide a short title; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

SECTION 1.

This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Career Readiness and Economic Development Act."

SECTION 2.

Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to education, is amended in Part 16 of Article 6 of Chapter 2, the "Building Resourceful Individuals to Develop Georgia's Economy Act," by revising Code Section 20-2-326, relating to definitions, as follows:

"20-2-326.

For purposes of As used in this part, the term:

(1) 'Articulation' means agreement between a high school and a postsecondary institution regarding the awarding of both secondary and postsecondary credit for a dual enrollment course.

(2) 'Career development plan' means a student specific plan provided for in subsection (c) of Code Section 20-2-327.

(2)(3) 'Choice technical high school' means a high school, other than the high school to which a student is assigned by virtue of his or her residence and attendance zone, which is designed to prepare a high school student for postsecondary education and for employment in a career field. A choice technical high school may be operated by a local school system or a technical school or college. A choice technical high school may also be operated as a charter school under a governance board composed of parents, employers, and representatives from the local board of education. (3)(4) 'Chronically low-performing high school' means a public high school in this state that has a graduation rate of less than 60 percent for three consecutive years, as determined in accordance with methodology established by the National Governors Association's Compact on High School Graduation Data, or that has received an unacceptable rating for three consecutive years, as defined by the Office of Student Achievement.

(4)(5) 'College and career academy' means a specialized school established as a charter school or pursuant to a contract for a strategic waivers school system or charter system, which formalizes a partnership that demonstrates a collaboration between business, industry, and community stakeholders to advance work force development between one or more local boards of education, a private individual, a private organization, or a state or local public entity in cooperation with one or more postsecondary institutions. (5)(6) 'Focused program of study' means a rigorous academic core combined with a focus in mathematics and science; a focus in humanities, fine arts, and foreign language; or a coherent sequence of career pathway courses that is aligned with graduation requirements established by the State Board of Education and content standards established pursuant to Part 2 of this article that prepares a student for postsecondary education or immediate employment after high school graduation.

(6) 'Graduation plan' means a student specific plan developed in accordance with subsection (c) of Code Section 20-2-327 detailing the courses necessary for a high school student to graduate from high school and to successfully transition to postsecondary education and the work force.

(7) 'Industry certification' means a process of program evaluation that ensures that individual programs meet state, national, or international industry standards in the areas of curriculum, teacher qualification, lab specifications, equipment, and industry involvement.

(7.1)(8) 'Industry credentialing' means a process through which students are assessed by an independent third-party certifying entity using predetermined standards for knowledge, skills, and competencies, resulting in the award of individual certification or state licensure or an occupational competency that is state, nationally, or internationally recognized.

(8)(9) 'Public college or university' means a two-year or four-year college, university, or other institution under the auspices of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.

(9)(10) 'Small learning community' means an autonomous or semiautonomous small learning environment within a large high school which is made up of a subset of students and teachers for a two-year, three-year, or four-year period. The goal of a small learning community is to achieve greater personalization of learning with each community led by a principal or instructional leader. A small learning community blends academic studies around a broad career or academic theme where teachers have common planning time to connect teacher assignments and assessments to college and career readiness standards. Students voluntarily apply for enrollment in a small learning community but must be accepted, and such enrollment must be approved by the student's parent or guardian. A small learning community also includes a college and career academy organized around a specific career theme which integrates academic and career instruction, provides work based learning opportunities, and prepares students for postsecondary education and employment, with support through partnerships with local employers, community organizations, and postsecondary institutions.

(10)(11) 'Teacher adviser system' means a system where an individual professional educator in the school assists a small group of students and their parents or guardians throughout the students' high school careers to set postsecondary goals and help them prepare programs of study, utilizing assessments and other data to track academic progress on a regular basis; communicates frequently with parents or guardians; and provides advisement, support, and encouragement as needed.

(11)(12) 'Technical school or college' means a college, institution, or other branch of the Technical College System of Georgia."

SECTION 3.

Said title is further amended in said part by revising Code Section 20-2-327, relating to recognition of advanced proficiency and honors courses and counseling and development of individual graduation plans, as follows:

"20-2-237.

(a) Student performance at the advanced proficiency/honors proficiency or honors level on any assessments required for purposes of high school graduation shall be recognized as:

(1) Meeting postsecondary entrance test requirements; and

(2) Qualifying students to enroll in credit-bearing postsecondary coursework in accordance with policies and requirements established by the State Board of Education, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, and the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia.

(b) Secondary and postsecondary credit shall be awarded immediately upon successful completion of any articulated or dual enrollment course in accordance with policies and requirements established by the State Board of Education, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, and the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia.

(c)(1) Students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades shall be provided counseling, advisement, career awareness, career interest and career demand inventories, and information to assist them in evaluating their academic skills, career oriented aptitudes, and career interests. Before the end of the second semester of the eighth grade, or within 90 days of enrollment in the case of a high school student who does not already have a career development plan, students shall develop an individual graduation a career development plan based on their academic skills, career oriented aptitudes, and career interests in consultation with their parents, guardians, or individuals appointed by the parents or guardians to serve as their designee. A student's individual graduation career development plan shall be taken into consideration when scheduling a student's courses in ninth grade high school. High school students shall be provided guidance, advisement, and counseling annually that will enable them to successfully update and implement their individual graduation career development plans, preparing them for a seamless transition to postsecondary study, further training, or employment, including information regarding occupations, degrees, industry credentials, certifications, and technical skills; work-ready skills in demand by Georgia employers through the department's career pipeline public website; and other career related inventories made available through the Technical College System of Georgia or the Office of Student Achievement. Beginning with the 2018-2019 school year in tenth grade, such guidance, advisement, and counseling for high school students shall include providing career oriented aptitude and career interest guidance along with concrete strategies and steps for achieving students' postsecondary goals. An individual graduation A career development plan shall:

(A) Include rigorous academic core subjects and focused coursework in mathematics and science or in humanities, fine arts, and foreign language or sequenced career pathway coursework;

(B) Incorporate provisions of a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP), where applicable;

(C) Align educational and broad career goals, and a student's course of study, and extracurricular activities;

(D) Be based on the student's selected academic and career focus area as approved by the student's parent or guardian;

(E) Include experience based, career oriented learning experiences which may include, but not be limited to, participation in work based learning programs such as internships, apprenticeships, cooperative education, and employability skill development;

(F) Include any applicable industry credentialing that pertains to the student's focused program of study;

(G) Include opportunities for postsecondary studies through articulation, dual enrollment, and joint enrollment;

(H) Be flexible to allow change in the course of study but be sufficiently structured to meet graduation requirements and qualify the student for admission to postsecondary education; and

(I) Be approved by the student and the student's parent or guardian with guidance from the student's school counselor or teacher adviser;

(J) Include a portfolio which shall include the student's resume, skills, awards, activities, and other relevant information; and

(K) Be accessible to designated school personnel, students, and parents on the electronic platform developed pursuant to subsection (d) of this Code section.

(2) An individual graduation A career development plan shall be reviewed annually, and revised, if appropriate, upon approval by the student and the student's parent or guardian with guidance from the student's school counselor or teacher adviser. An individual graduation A career development plan may be changed at any time throughout a student's high school career upon approval by the student and the student's parent or guardian with guidance from the student's school counselor or teacher adviser.

(d) The Department of Education shall develop an electronic platform which shall be available for use by school personnel, students, and parents to support the creation and revision of career development plans. The Department of Education shall be authorized to contract for the development and operation of such electronic platform. Such electronic platform shall:

(1) Be accessible to designated school personnel, students, and parents;

(2) Provide access to data included in the report required by subsection (b) of Code Section 20-2-327.1;

(3) Provide information regarding occupations, degrees, industry credentialing, certifications, and technical skills;

(4) Provide information on work-ready skills in demand by Georgia employers; and

(5) Ensure that students do not lose access to their career development plan or student portfolio after graduation.

(e) The Department of Education shall utilize de-identified data collected through the electronic platform developed pursuant to subsection (d) of this Code section to evaluate the effectiveness of career development plans."

SECTION 4.

Said title is further amended in Code Section 20-2-329, relating to requirements for high schools that receive reform grants as chronically low-performing high schools, by revising paragraphs (3) and (7) as follows:

"(3) Provide students in the ninth through twelfth grades information on educational programs offered in high school, in technical and community colleges, in colleges and universities, and through work based learning programs and how these programs can lead to a variety of career fields. Local school systems shall provide career awareness and exploratory opportunities such as field trips, speakers, educational and career information centers, job shadowing, and classroom centers to assist students and their parents or guardians, with guidance from school counselors and teacher advisers, in revising, if appropriate, the individual graduation career development plan developed pursuant to subsection (c) of Code Section 20-2-327;"

"(7) Schedule annual conferences to assist students and their parents or guardians in setting educational and career goals and creating individual graduation career development plans beginning with students in the eighth grade and continuing through high school. These conferences shall include, but are not limited to, assisting the student in identifying educational and career interests and goals, selecting a career and academic focus area, and developing an individual graduation a career development plan."

SECTION 5.

Said title is further amended by replacing "individual graduation plan" and "individual graduation plans" with "career development plan" and "career development plans", respectively, wherever such phrases appear in:

(1) Code Section 20-2-161.3, relating to the "Dual Enrollment Act," purpose, dual credit courses, eligibility for participation, eligibility for secondary course credits, eligibility to meet high school graduation requirements, eligibility for award of high school diploma, funding, limitations on total hours, exceptions, and eligibility for payment;

(2) Code Section 20-2-327.1, relating to industry credentialing for career, technical, and agricultural education programs and reporting;

(3) Code Section 20-2-328, relating to competitive grant program; and

(4) Code Section 20-2-2065, relating to waiver of provisions of this title, requirements for operating, and control and management.

SECTION 6.

Said title is further amended in Code Section 20-3-242, relating to web based counseling and resources for students provided by the Georgia Student Finance Commission, by replacing "graduation plan" with "career development plan".

SECTION 7.

All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.