Bill Text - SB276 (2019)

Relative to career readiness credentials for high school students.


Revision: March 7, 2019, 1:05 p.m.

SB 276-FN-A - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE

 

03/07/2019   0661s

2019 SESSION

19-0833

06/05

 

SENATE BILL 276-FN-A

 

AN ACT relative to career readiness credentials for high school students.

 

SPONSORS: Sen. Kahn, Dist 10; Sen. Rosenwald, Dist 13; Sen. Chandley, Dist 11; Sen. Sherman, Dist 24; Sen. Hennessey, Dist 5; Sen. Levesque, Dist 12; Sen. Cavanaugh, Dist 16; Sen. Feltes, Dist 15; Rep. Ladd, Graf. 4; Rep. Luneau, Merr. 10; Rep. Le, Rock. 31

 

COMMITTEE: Education and Workforce Development

 

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ANALYSIS

 

This bill defines certain terms related to career and technical education programs, creates ways for New Hampshire high school students to earn career ready credentials, adds to the reporting requirement of the advisory council on career and technical education, permits students in grade 10 to enroll in career and technical education courses, and makes an appropriation.

 

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

03/07/2019   0661s 19-0833

06/05

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Nineteen

 

AN ACT relative to career readiness credentials for high school students.

 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 

1  Short Title.  This act shall be known and may be cited as the Career Readiness Drive to 65 Act.

2  Purpose Statement.  This act establishes a plan and a pathway to achieve the state's workforce needs as articulated in the study, 65 x 25 Achieving Economic Prosperity Through Post-Secondary Education, and the State Workforce Investment Board's sector analyses.  Benefits of the Career Readiness Drive to 65 Act include:  accelerated entry into the workforce, reduced employer training costs, improved new employee success, reduced student time and cost for postsecondary education credentials, and contributions to New Hampshire's long term economic growth.

3  New Paragraphs; Career and Technical Education; Definitions.  Amend RSA 188-E:2 by inserting after paragraph III the following new paragraphs:

III-a.  "Career pathway system" means a high quality education system that spans secondary education and postsecondary education, blending rigorous core academic and career instruction, offering focused career guidance and advisement systems including high-quality work-based learning experiences, to significantly expand access to, participation in, and successful completion of those pathways, culminating in postsecondary or industry credentials, licensure, and career-related technical skills.

III-b.  "Career readiness credential" includes completion of CTE courses or sequences of courses; enrollment in concurrent and/or dual enrollment courses; internships; apprenticeships; extended learning opportunities; work-based learning; bureau of career development, department of education career-pathway high schools; and the CCSNH running start program.  "Career readiness credential" may also be a statewide established recognition signifying that a high school graduate has met or exceeded specific statewide or nationally normed metrics related to career readiness.

III-c.  "Career readiness pathways" mean pathways available to New Hampshire students that, on successful completion, lead to a career readiness credential.

4  New Paragraph; Career and Technical Education; Definition.  Amend RSA 188-E:2 by inserting after paragraph VIII the following new paragraph:

IX.  "Work-based learning" means an educational strategy that offers students an opportunity to reinforce and deepen their classroom learning, explore future career fields, and demonstrate their skills in an authentic setting supported by educators and trained workplace mentors.

5  New Paragraph; Career and Technical Education; Responsibilities of School Districts.  Amend RSA 188-E:5 by inserting after paragraph X the following new paragraph:

XI.  Beginning in September 2019, and each year thereafter, school districts shall, for entering high school freshman: assess student career interests; document school pathways to career readiness credentials; advise all entering high school students how to achieve a career ready credential upon graduation; and record on a student's transcript progress towards the credential.  School districts shall report the following annually: the number of students who complete CTE; the number of dual enrollments, concurrent enrollments, and work based learning enrollments; and the number of career ready credentials awarded.

6  Advisory Council on Career and Technical Education.  Amend RSA 188-E:10-b, VI to read as follows:

VI.(a)  The advisory council shall file an annual report of its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation [to] with the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, the chairperson of the senate education and workforce development committee, the chairperson of the house education committee, the house clerk, the senate clerk, the governor, and the state library on or before November 1.

(b)  The annual report shall include the progress of the department of education and the career and technical education centers toward:

(1)  Establishing a systematic transcript structure for work-based learning credentials.

(2)  Establishing requirements for a New Hampshire career readiness certificate.

(3)  Establishing annual reporting metrics for school district dual and concurrent course enrollment by class level and extended learning enrollment as defined in rules of the department of education.

(4)  Establishing annual reporting metrics for completion of career readiness credentials.

7  Dual and Concurrent Enrollment Program; Program Established.  Amend RSA 188-E:26 to read as follows:

188-E:26  Program Established.  There is established a dual and concurrent enrollment program in the department of education.  Participation in the program shall be offered to high school and career technical education center students in grades [11 and] 10 through 12.  The program shall provide opportunities for qualified New Hampshire high school students to gain access and support for dual and concurrent enrollment in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and STEM-related courses that are fundamental for success in postsecondary education and to meet New Hampshire's emerging workforce needs.

8  Career and Technical Education; Enrollment Requirements.  Amend RSA 188-E:27, I through III to read as follows:

I.  An interested high school student in [grade 11 or] grades 10 through 12 may enroll in a course that is designated by the CCSNH as part of the dual and concurrent enrollment program.

II.  A student in the program shall be provided funding for enrollment in no more than 2 dual or concurrent enrollment courses taken in grade [11] 10, no more than 2 dual or concurrent enrollment courses taken in grade 11, and no more than 2 dual or concurrent enrollment courses taken in grade 12.  A student may take more than 2 dual or concurrent enrollment courses per year at his or her own expense.

III.(a)  The state shall pay [up to $250] the current rate of concurrent enrollment tuition, which is established at $150 per course, to the CCSNH institution where a high school or career and technical education student successfully completes [an approved] the concurrent enrollment course [and the CCSNH shall accept such amount as full payment for course tuition].

(b)  The state shall pay the current rate of dual enrollment tuition, which is established at 1/2 the regular cost of the course to the CCSNH institution where a high school or career and technical education student successfully completes a dual enrollment course and the CCSNH shall accept such amount as full payment for course tuition.

9  Department of Education; Appropriation.  The sum of $500,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020 is hereby appropriated to the department of education for costs associated with career assessment, transcript development, curricular sequencing guides, adoption of national standards, and reporting.  Costs eligible for payment or reimbursement from this sum may be incurred by the department of education or local school districts.  This appropriation is in addition to any other funds appropriated to the department of education.  The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sum out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.

10  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

 

LBAO

19-0833

Revised 2/6/19

 

SB 276-FN-A- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

 

AN ACT relative to career readiness credentials for high school students.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:      [ X ] State              [    ] County               [ X ] Local              [    ] None

 

 

 

Estimated Increase / (Decrease)

STATE:

FY 2020

FY 2021

FY 2022

FY 2023

   Appropriation

$500,000

$0

$0

$0

   Revenue

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

   Expenditures

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Funding Source:

  [ X ] General            [    ] Education            [    ] Highway           [ X ] Other - CCSNH

 

 

 

 

 

LOCAL:

 

 

 

 

   Revenue

Indeterminable

$0

$0

$0

   Expenditures

Indeterminable

$0

$0

$0

 

METHODOLOGY:

This bill defines certain terms related to career and technical education programs, increases reporting requirements relative to career and technical education programs, permits student in grade 10 to enroll in career and technical education courses designated by the Community Colleges System of New Hampshire (CCSNH), and appropriates $500,000 in general funds to the Department of Education for the purpose of funding career training assessments, WorkReadyNH, transcript development, curricular sequencing guides, adoption of national standards, and reporting.  Costs eligible for reimbursement from this appropriation maybe incurred by the Department or local school districts.

 

The CCSNH reports this bill would increase CCSNH tuition revenue by an indeterminable amount due to the following factors which would increase student enrollment: 1) this bill increases the number of students eligible for state-funded dual and concurrent enrollment; and 2) this bill provides funding to be allocated to the WorkReadyNH Program which provides course offered by the CCSNH.  The CCSNH also estimates increased enrollment would likely increase CCSNH expenditures but any increase in expenditures would likely be offset by an increase in tuition revenue.

 

The Department of Education reports this bill may impact local and state expenditures due to increased costs associated with training school personnel to implement the requirements to assess and document a student's path towards a career readiness credential. The Department estimates additional costs incurred by a local school would be reimbursed with the $500,000 in appropriations authorized in this bill, thereby increasing state expenditures. However, the Department does not have data on how many schools currently implement a similar program described in this bill and would not require additional training. Further, the Department estimates the additional reporting requirements in this bill will have no fiscal impact and will likely be incorporated into existing reporting processes.  

 

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Department of Education and Community College System of New Hampshire