BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 2063
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|Author: |Gallagher |
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|Version: |April 13, 2016 Hearing |
| |Date: June 8, 2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Lynn Lorber |
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Subject: Work-based learning opportunities: work experience
education and job shadowing
SUMMARY
This bill establishes an additional option by which a student
who is at least 14 years old may participate in work experience
education, and increases the time a student may participate in
job shadowing from 25 to 40 hours per semester if certain
conditions are met.
BACKGROUND
Existing law:
1) Provides for various career technical education programs
for the purpose of integrating academic and vocational
education and motivating students to stay in school and
graduate with the skills necessary to advance into
postsecondary education, advanced workforce training, or
the workforce.
(Education Code § 54690, et seq. and § 52300, et seq.)
2) Authorizes the governing board of school districts
maintaining a high school to establish work-based learning
or work experience education programs for the purpose of
providing students with instruction in skills, attitudes,
and understandings necessary for employment success,
including providing guidance and supervision, arranging
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credit for work experience education courses, and
authorizing the district to purchase liability insurance
for students enrolled in programs of study involving work
experience or vocational education at locations off school
grounds. (EC § 51760)
3) Requires the governing board of any school district
offering work experience education to grant credit to
students satisfactorily completing a work experience
education program, in an amount not to exceed a total of 40
semester credits, of which no more than 10 credits may be
conferred in any one semester, provided the student meets
all of the following requirements:
a) At the time of enrollment, the student is at
least 16 years of age.
b) During the course of the student's enrollment,
the student receives as a minimum the equivalent of
one instructional period per week of classroom
instruction or counseling by a certificated employee.
c) The work experience education program meets all
of the requirements of law governing these programs.
(EC § 51760.3)
4) Authorizes students under the age of 16 years to receive
credit for work experience education under the following
conditions:
a) The student is in grade 11 or higher.
b) The principal of the school certifies that the
student is in need of immediate work experience in
order to pursue employment opportunities.
c) The principal of the school certifies that there
is a probability that the student will no longer be
enrolled as a full-time student without being provided
the opportunity to enroll in a work experience
education program.
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d) The student's individualized education program
prescribes the type of training for which
participation in work experience education is deemed
appropriate. (EC § 51760.3)
5) Provides that the school district, county superintendent of
schools, or any school administered by the California
Department of Education, under whose supervision work
experience education, cooperative vocational education,
community classrooms, a job shadowing experience, or
student apprenticeship programs, to be considered the
employer of students receiving this training unless the
student is being paid a cash wage or salary by a private
employer (except in the case of registered student
apprentices, as specified).
(EC § 51769)
6) Defines a "job shadowing experience" as a visit to a
workplace for the purpose of career exploration for no less
than three hours and no more than 25 hours in one semester,
intersession, or summer school session. (EC § 51769)
Existing regulations require work experience education to
consist of one or more of the following paid and unpaid types of
on-the-job experiences which the school district may offer
through a formal training agreement with each employer: career
technical work experience education, general work experience
education, and exploratory work experience education.
(California Code of Regulations, Title 5, § 10071)
ANALYSIS
This bill establishes an additional option by which a student
who is at least 14 years old may participate in work experience
education, and increases the time a student may participate in
job shadowing from 25 to 40 hours per semester, as specified.
Specifically, this bill:
1) Authorizes a student to receive credit for work experience
education if the student is at least 14 years of age and
the principal of the school in which the student is
enrolled certifies that it is necessary for the student's
participation in a career technical education program.
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2) Notwithstands the existing cap of 25 hours per semester for
participation in job shadowing to authorize a student to
participate in a job shadowing experience for up to 40
hours in one semester, intersession, or summer school
session if the principal of the school in which the student
is enrolled certifies that it is necessary for the
student's participation in a career technical education
program.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill. According to the author, "Work
experience education programs teach valuable life skills
like financial literacy, business operations, and time
management. Moreover, these programs help students choose
a career path based on their skills and interests.
Expanding access to these programs will help California
close the predicted 1.5 million worker gap and could also
help lower dropout rates. Exposing students to career
technical education at a younger age is crucial."
2) Work experience education. According to the California
Department of Education's website, work experience
education is a course of study that may be established by a
governing board of any local educational agency to provide
paid or unpaid on-the-job experiences for high school
students through training agreements with employers. Work
experience education programs combine an on-the-job
component with related classroom instruction designed to
maximize the value of the on-the-job experiences. Local
educational agencies may offer any one or more of the
following types of work experience education programs:
a) Exploratory Work Experience Education: The goal
of this program is to provide career guidance and
ascertain their interests and aptitudes for specific
careers through opportunities to observe and sample a
variety of conditions of work. Exploratory work
experience education includes a combination of job
observations and related classroom instruction in work
experience education. Students enrolled in this
program may be as young as 12 years of age.
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b) General Work Experience Education: The purpose
of this program is to provide students with
opportunities for applying the basic skills of
reading, writing, and computation through a
combination of supervised paid employment in any
occupational field and related classroom instruction.
c) Career Technical Work Experience Education: The
purpose of this program is to reinforce and extend
vocational learning opportunities for students through
a combination of related classroom instruction and
supervised paid employment in the occupation for which
their career technical course prepares the student.
3) Age of students participating in work experience education.
Existing law authorizes students under the age of 16 years
to receive credit for work experience education if:
a) The student is enrolled in grade 11 or higher.
b) The school principal certifies that the student
needs to participate to pursue employment or that the
student would otherwise not be enrolled in school
full-time.
c) The student's individualized education program
specifies that type of training.
This bill establishes an additional option for
participation by a student who is at least 14 years old if
the school principal certifies that it is necessary for the
student's participation in a career technical education
program. This option recognizes the modern nature of work
experience by referencing career technical education.
4) Fiscal impact. According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee analysis, this bill would have no significant
state fiscal impacts, as expansion of work experience
education to 14 year olds is permissive.
SUPPORT
California School Boards Association
Kern County Superintendent of Schools
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Los Angeles County Office of Education
OPPOSITION
None received.
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