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.