BILL NUMBER: AB 1950 INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Campos FEBRUARY 19, 2014 An act to add Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 52360) to Chapter 9 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to career education. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1950, as introduced, Campos. Career education: Career Education Incentive Program. Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state, and authorizes school districts throughout the state to provide instruction to pupils. Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state, and authorizes community college districts throughout the state to provide instruction to students at the campuses they operate. Existing law establishes various career education programs involving participation by public elementary and secondary schools, community colleges, and other governmental entities. This bill would express legislative intent to create incentives for school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and community college districts to establish regional career education consortia for the purpose of coordinating, delivering, and implementing high-quality and cost-efficient career and college preparation programs in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. The bill would establish the Career Education Incentive Program under the administration of the State Department of Education. The bill would authorize school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and community college districts to establish career education consortia. The bill would specify criteria for the receipt and expenditure of the state funding to be allocated to these consortia. The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to collaborate with specified stakeholders for the purposes of developing an evaluation instrument for the program. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. It is the intent of the Legislature to accomplish all of the following: (a) Create incentives for school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and community college districts to establish regional career education consortia for the purpose of coordinating, delivering, and implementing high-quality and cost-efficient career and college preparation programs in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. (b) Promote an integrated career education infrastructure that builds on the broad range of proven career education approaches including, but not limited to, regional occupational centers and programs, linked learning partnerships, California Partnership Academies, agricultural vocational education, specialized secondary programs, and career pathways programs, each of which has improved pupil academic achievement, reduced dropout rates, increased attendance rates, and resulted in higher rates of college enrollment. (c) Establish fiscal incentives for school agencies to offer, or continue to offer, high quality career and college-ready programs that are vital in engaging pupils and helping them prepare for the transition to higher education and the workforce. (d) Appropriate two hundred fifty million dollars ($250,000,000) in the annual Budget Act for the 2015-16 fiscal year for the Career Education Incentive Program (Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 52360) of Chapter 9 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code) to provide one-to-one matching grant funding to eligible career education consortia. A career education consortium may be composed of school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and community college districts. SEC. 2. Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 52360) is added to Chapter 9 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read: Article 3.5. Career Education Incentive Program 52360. (a) A career education consortium may be composed of school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and community college districts. (b) For purposes of participating in the Career Education Incentive Program established by this article, a career education consortium shall enter into an agreement among the local educational agencies participating in the consortium for the purpose of developing and maintaining career education programs aligned with California Career Technical Education and Common Core State Standards. (c) The funds appropriated in the annual Budget Act shall be available to career education consortia as a matching grant to accomplish any of the following: (1) In any of grades kindergarten to grades 1 to 5, inclusive, or kindergarten to grades 1 to 7, inclusive, career academies, funds may be expended for career awareness curriculum focused activities and projects that center on exposing pupils to career opportunities that include, but are not necessarily limited to, researching careers, job shadowing, visiting local industries, and guest speakers. (2) In grades 7 and 8, funds may be expended for career exploration activities, including, but not necessarily limited to, summer and winter career camps, after school precareer preparation, career mentoring programs, and visits to a community college campus to explore career pathway programs and career mentoring programs. (3) In any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, funds may be expended for career preparation activities, including, but not necessarily limited to, developing programs of study in career pathways, career counseling and mentoring programs, career portfolios, and career days. (d) For its funding match, a career education consortium may use revenues from state, local, or private funding sources. 52361. (a) Notwithstanding any other law, funds allocated pursuant to this article may be expended only to ensure the development and maintenance of a high-quality career education program. (b) As a condition of receipt of funds pursuant to this section, the governing board of each career education consortium shall do all of the following: (1) Develop a plan for establishing a sequence of courses. (2) Certify to the department that each sequence of courses specified in the plan required by this subdivision has been developed. (3) Report each new sequence of courses and each modification to existing sequences to the department no later than September 1 of the fiscal year in which the changes are implemented. (4) Certify to the department that each course within a sequence is aligned to the California Career Technical Education Standards for grades 7 to 12, inclusive. (5) Certify to the department that each course, where appropriate, is aligned to the Common Core State Standards. (c) A career education consortium receiving funds pursuant to this article shall collect and report data as required by the department and through each participating local education agency's locally developed local control and accountability plan. (d) To determine the quality and effectiveness of a career education course of study or sequence of career education courses, the Superintendent shall incorporate into appropriate state adopted accountability measures a metric based on career-ready standards adopted pursuant to the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (20 U.S.C. Sec. 6301 et seq.) and program quality indicators contained in the California State Plan for Career Technical Education. (e) Accountability measures under this article may include the rates at which pupils complete a course of study or sequence of career technical education courses that provide the skills and knowledge necessary to attain entry-level employment in business or industry, or to pursue postsecondary education after those pupils graduate from high school. (f) The Superintendent shall develop an evaluation instrument to evaluate the programs within each career education consortium commencing with the 2015-16 school year, and annually thereafter. 52362. The Superintendent shall collaborate with stakeholders, including, but not necessarily limited to, representatives from school districts, county offices of education, community colleges, charter schools, career education joint powers authority consortia, local workforce investment board members, and business and industry advisory board members for the purposes of developing an evaluation instrument for the program established under this article. The completed evaluation instrument shall be reviewed by an independent local review council composed of representatives selected by the Superintendent.