Bill H.4399

HOUSE . . . . . . . . No. 4399

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, February 20, 2024.

The committee on Education, to whom was referred the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 440) of Antonio F. D. Cabral and others relative to admissions to vocational-technical schools or vocational-technical programs to provide for equitable workforce development, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 444) of Manny Cruz, Estela A. Reyes and others for legislation to expand the use of career and academic plans, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 450) of Josh S. Cutler and others relative to state reimbursement for non-district vocational school transportation costs, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 505) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others relative to the advisory board to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 524) of Michael P. Kushmerek and others relative to discriminatory outcomes in vocational school admissions, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 531) of Kate Lipper-Garabedian, Jessica Ann Giannino and others for legislation to increase student access to career technical education schools and programs which are aligned with regional labor market needs, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 538) of Frank A. Moran, Adam Scanlon and others for legislation to provide for a program of capital investments for vocational-technical education programs and regional vocational-technical schools, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 564) of Jeffrey N. Roy and others relative to industry-recognized certification awards paid by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 592) of Chynah Tyler and others for legislation to establish within the office of the Governor a workforce skills cabinet to expand student pathways to success, and the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 4245) of Jeffrey Rosario Turco for legislation to authorize schools and students participating in certain athletic programs to seek arbitration to review athletic programs eligibility decisions, reports recommending that the accompanying bill (House, No. 4399) ought to pass.

For the committee,

DENISE C. GARLICK.

FILED ON: 2/7/2024

HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4399

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act to expand access to career technical education and other alternative pathways that improve student opportunities and outcomes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 69 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following sections:-

Section 38. For the purposes of sections 39 through 42, inclusive, the following terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly requires otherwise:-

“Career technical education”, shall have the same meaning as vocational-technical education pursuant to section 1 of chapter 74.

“Career technical education program”, shall mean a vocational technical education program approved by the department pursuant to chapter 74.

“District of residence”, shall mean the school district of the city or town where a student resides.

“Office”, shall mean the office of career technical education.

“School of residence”, shall mean the middle school or junior high school a student attends within their district of residence. “School of residence”, shall mean the middle school or junior high school a student attends within their district of residence.

Section 39. There shall be established within the department of elementary and secondary education an office of career technical education, whose purpose is to develop and implement policies and promulgate regulations to promote, enhance, and expand career technical education programs in the commonwealth and which shall be under the supervision and management of the deputy commissioner of career technical education. The deputy commissioner shall be appointed by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, with the approval of the board. It shall be the duty of said deputy commissioner to improve and maximize career technical education throughout the commonwealth, and to collaborate with the board to promulgate regulations and develop and implement polices to enhance the commonwealth’s career technical education programs, including but not limited to the ensuring the enforcement of regulations relative to certificates of occupational proficiency.

Section 40. The office shall promote and support with available resources innovative and collaborative career technical education demonstration programs in which students split time between their comprehensive high school and a school offering programs under chapter 74; provided, that under such programs, participating students’ daily schedule shall include required academic classes and vocational courses when the equipment is available.

Section 41. (a) The office shall oversee all Chapter 74 approved programs and ensure compliance with M.G.L. Chapter 74 and related regulations.

(b) The office shall develop credentials for students graduating from high quality career technical education programs in applied knowledge, effective relationships, and workplace skills as described in the federal Employability Skills Framework.

(c) The office shall ensure instructional ability and competence of career technical education instructors through the utilization of occupational advisory boards and nationally validated teacher competency testing.

(d) The office shall utilize both pre- and post-technical assessment in both cognitive and psychomotor domains to determine what students know and are able to do.

(e) The office shall collaborate with recognized industry credential providers to develop state-customized credentials to measure career readiness through skill assessments appropriate to each tier of career technical education.

(f) The office shall consider the use of the 21st Century Skills for Workplace Success Credential, including but not limited for use in validation of basic competencies prior to participation in externships or school-based enterprises and as a graduation or completion requirement for post-graduate and postsecondary chapter 74 programs.

(g) The office shall support the use of Industry Recognized Credentials, known as IRCs, in chapter 74 programs.

(h) The office shall support the use of both longitudinal and pre- and post-student assessment as a means of obtaining meaningful data for curricular improvement. Data may be utilized for facilities improvement, equipment investments, mission success, and professional development.

(i) The office shall engage in statewide data sharing agreements with credential providers that include a variety of access portals for a variety of levels of personnel, including but not limited to state, local career technical education administration, career technical education teachers, parents, and students, giving access to stakeholders to assess program effectiveness.

(j) The office shall encourage and work to increase the use of articulation agreements with community colleges and public universities and other dual credit programs to allow career technical education students to earn credit and stacked credentials that lead to an associate’s degree.

(k) The office shall implement and promote efforts, including those related to student outreach and retention, to ensure that career technical education programs are accessible to all students, including English language learners, students with disabilities, and student populations traditionally underrepresented in career technical education programs. Such efforts shall include, but not be limited to (i) establishing a statewide marketing campaign to promote the success of vocational-technical education and careers in Massachusetts and to raise the level of awareness and understanding of such education among parents, students, businesses, labor unions, and the general public, and (ii) working to increase awareness of vocational-technical education and career opportunities among students in elementary schools, junior high schools, and middle schools.

(l) The office shall develop a model policy for public schools that ensures reasonable and equitable access for Chapter 74 programs to provide students enrolled in public schools with information about career technical programs. The model policy will include, but not be limited to: (i) providing schools offering Chapter 74 programs reasonable access during the school day at schools of residence to meet with all students and distribute information about vocational-technical education and careers to students, including English language learners, students with disabilities, students of color, and other student populations, to ensure that such information is provided equitably to all learners; (ii) providing schools offering Chapter 74 programs the opportunity to provide middle and junior high school students with information about vocational-technical programs and careers through mail and email; (iii) providing all middle school students an opportunity to tour, during regular middle school hours, the regional vocational-technical high school and/or county agricultural school of which the middle school’s city or town is a member, if applicable; and (iv) additional policies as the office deems reasonable and necessary to promote equitable access by all students to information about career technical education.

Section 42. The office shall work with the Regional Workforce Boards on an annual basis to determine the labor market needs in their region and, using that information, shall actively promote and facilitate the introduction of career technical education programs that align with regional demand. The office shall work with the regional workforce boards to ensure curricular alignment to both local employers’ needs and expected national standards for labor market needs.

SECTION 2. Section 3A of Chapter 70B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking the number “17” and inserting “19” in place thereof, and further by inserting, after “Fire Chiefs' Association of Massachusetts, Inc.” the following:- “, Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators, Inc., Alliance for Vocational Technical Education,”

SECTION 3. Subsection (c) of section 14B of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the third sentence and inserting in place thereof the following 2 sentences:-

“Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a city or town may simultaneously be a member of a vocational regional school district and any other type of regional school district. A city or town that belongs to a regional vocational school district may offer a vocational technical education program in its municipal high school; provided, however, that the program is approved under section 2 of chapter 74 of the General Laws; provided, further, that a vocational regional school district and any other type of regional school district serving the same town shall collaborate through the office of career technical education in offering reciprocal non-competitive programs under chapter 74 of the General Laws; provided, further, that said programs meet the labor market needs in a community’s region as determined by Regional Workforce Boards.”

SECTION 4. The department of elementary and secondary education shall establish and administer a pilot program to incentivize collaboration between high school faculty and guidance counselors of schools offering chapter 74 programs and those that do not to utilize resources developed by career technical education to provide access to skill-training and career options for all students. The pilot program shall be administered for 2 years from the date the program is initiated. At the end of the 2-year period, the department shall submit a report on the effects of the program and the feasibility of continuing such program to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, and to the house and senate co-chairs of the joint committee on education.

SECTION 5. (a) The department of elementary and secondary education shall (i) study ways to incentivize the awarding of industry recognized credentials to high school students, including, but not limited to, credentials that align with the annual list from the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development of high demand or high growth industry-recognized credentials; and (ii) study ways to enhance opportunities and remove barriers to work-based learning experiences for high school students.

(b) The department shall report their findings and recommendations to the clerks of the house of representatives and senate and the joint committee on education on or before December 31, 2024. The department shall make the report publicly available on its website.

SECTION 6. (a) The department of elementary and secondary education shall study ways to expand the use of student-centered, multi-year planning tools and resources that enhance college and career readiness, including, but not limited to, MyCAP, to all public schools and students in the Commonwealth.