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1 S.304
2 An act relating to Vermont’s career and technical education programs
3 It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
4 * * * CTE Opportunities for Grades Six through 10 * * *
5 Sec. 1. 16 V.S.A. § 1541a is amended to read:
6 § 1541a. RESPONSIBILITY OF LOCAL BOARDS IN SENDING
7 DISTRICTS
8 (a) A school board of a sending district that offers public education in
9 grade 11 or 12 shall:
10 (1) Provide students enrolled in grades 11 and 12 with a genuine
11 opportunity to participate fully and to benefit from career technical education.
12 ***
13 (4) Provide students in grades six through eight with career enrichment
14 and exposure. Such exposure shall include visits to or equivalent virtual
15 experiences with the school district’s regional career and technical education
16 center at least once between the grades of six and eight.
17 (5) Provide students enrolled in grades nine and 10 a genuine
18 opportunity to participate fully in pre-tech and exploratory career and technical
19 courses.
20 ***
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1 Sec. 2. 16 V.S.A. § 1547 is added to read:
2 § 1547. COMPREHENSIVE CAREER DEVELOPMENT POLICY
3 (a) The Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of
4 Labor, shall develop a model Comprehensive Career Development Policy for
5 all secondary students. The Secretary shall review the model policy not less
6 than every five years and make a determination as to whether the policy needs
7 updating. The model policy shall ensure each student has the opportunity for
8 robust discussion and planning regarding the student’s career awareness,
9 exploration, and future goals, consistent with the student’s personalized
10 learning plan. The policy shall require each school district to partner with its
11 regional CTE center to develop and ensure the provision of career planning.
12 The policy shall encourage districts to work regionally together in alignment
13 on this policy implementation to preserve CTE capacity.
14 (b) Each school district board shall develop, adopt, and ensure
15 implementation of a policy and plan for comprehensive career development
16 that is consistent with and at least as comprehensive as the model policy
17 developed by the Secretary. Any school district board that fails to adopt such a
18 policy or procedures shall be presumed to have adopted the most current model
19 policy and procedures published by the Secretary.
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1 Sec. 3. DEVELOPMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE CAREER
2 DEVELOPMENT POLICY; REPORT
3 (a) On or before December 1, 2024, the Secretary of Education shall
4 develop and issue the model Comprehensive Career Development Policy
5 required under 16 V.S.A. § 1547.
6 (b) On or before June 30, 2025, each school district board shall develop,
7 adopt, and ensure implementation of a policy and plan for comprehensive
8 career development that is consistent with and at least as comprehensive as the
9 model policy developed by the Secretary as required under 16 V.S.A. § 1547.
10 * * * Construction Aid * * *
11 Sec. 4. CONSTRUCTION AID; CAREER AND TECHNICAL
12 EDUCATION
13 It is the intent of the General Assembly to ensure that career and technical
14 education centers and their associated facilities are appropriately and equitably
15 included in future updates to the State’s construction aid program under
16 16 V.S.A. chapter 123.
17 * * * CTE Oversight * * *
18 Sec. 5. 16 V.S.A. chapter 37, subchapter 2 is amended to read:
19 Subchapter 2. State Board of Education Oversight of Career and Technical
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1 § 1531. RESPONSIBILITY OF STATE BOARD SECRETARY
2 (a) The State Board Secretary has overall responsibility for the
3 effectiveness of career technical education. This requires the Board Secretary
4 to collect suitable information and to take appropriate steps within its the
5 Secretary’s legal, financial, and personnel resources to ensure that:
6 ***
7 (b) In order to provide regional career technical education services
8 efficiently, the State Board Secretary shall designate a service region for each
9 career technical center. However, the Board Secretary may designate a service
10 region for two or more comprehensive high schools if that region is not served
11 by a career technical center.
12 (c) For a school district that is geographically isolated from a Vermont
13 career technical center, the State Board Secretary may approve a career
14 technical center in another state as the career technical center that district
15 students may attend. In this case, the school district shall receive
16 transportation assistance pursuant to section 1563 of this title and tuition
17 assistance pursuant to subsection 1561(c) of this title. Any student who is a
18 resident in the Windham Southwest Supervisory Union and who is enrolled at
19 public expense in the Charles H. McCann Technical School or the Franklin
20 County Technical School shall be considered to be attending an approved
21 career technical center in another state pursuant to this subsection, and, if the VT LEG #375980 v.1
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1 student is from a school district eligible for a merger support grant pursuant to
2 section 4015 of this title or a small school weight pursuant to section 4010 of
3 this title, the student’s full-time equivalency shall be computed according to
4 time attending the school.
5 § 1532. MINIMUM STANDARDS; MEASUREMENT OF STANDARDS
6 (a) The State Board Agency of Education shall adopt by rule:
7 (1) Minimum standards for the operation and performance of career
8 technical centers that include the education quality standards adopted by the
9 State Board under subdivision 164(9) and section 165 of this title.
10 (2) Standards for student performance based on the standards adopted
11 by the State Board under subdivision 164(9) of this title and standards for
12 industry recognized credentials.
13 ***
14 (b) The following shall be adopted by procedure or rule:
15 (1) competencies proficiencies that graduates of each kind of career
16 technical program should be able to demonstrate, including career technical
17 competencies necessary for the student’s intended employment;
18 (2) minimum admissions competencies proficiencies for entrance into
19 each career technical course of study;
20 ***
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1 § 1533. CAREER TECHNICAL CENTER EVALUATION
2 (a) At least once in each period of five years, and in coordination with the
3 Vermont Advisory Council on Career Technical Education, the Secretary shall
4 evaluate the effectiveness of each career technical center in the State. The
5 State Board Secretary by rule shall prescribe the method for conducting these
6 evaluations.
7 (b) Evaluations of career technical centers shall consider at least the
8 following areas:
9 (1) compliance with this chapter and the rules of the State Board
10 Secretary;
11 (2) the condition and suitability of the facility and its equipment;
12 (3) the quality of the course of study, including faculty development
13 policies and instruction;
14 (4) the overall success of the center at combining academic education,
15 skill training, and employability trait development into its program;
16 (5) the overall success of the center in providing regionwide services
17 and a flexible response to student needs, integrating its courses of study into a
18 coherent program, and coordinating its program with postsecondary career
19 technical education services;
20 (6) the satisfaction of the center’s customer groups, including graduates,
21 sending schools, and local industry;
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1 (7) the adequacy and effectiveness of the center in meeting the
2 educational and employment needs of all its eligible students, including its
3 success in taking steps to encourage each student to consider enrolling in
4 courses not traditional for that student’s gender; and
5 (8) alignment of the program, and other center operations, to Agency of
6 Education, District Quality Standards (CVR 23-020), as applicable.
7 (c) [Repealed.]
8 § 1534. COURSE OF STUDY EVALUATION
9 (a) At least once in each period of five years, and in coordination with the
10 Vermont Advisory Council on Career Technical Education, the Secretary shall
11 evaluate the effectiveness of each course of study offered by any career
12 technical center in the State. The State Board Secretary by rule shall prescribe
13 the method for conducting these evaluations.
14 ***
15 Sec. 6. TRANSFER OF RULEMAKING AUTHORITY; TRANSFER OF
16 RULES
17 (a) The statutory authority to adopt rules by the State Board of Education
18 pertaining to the oversight of career and technical education adopted under
19 16 V.S.A. chapter 37 and 3 V.S.A. chapter 25 is transferred from the State
20 Board of Education to the Agency of Education.
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1 (b) All rules pertaining to career and technical education adopted by the
2 State Board of Education under 3 V.S.A. chapter 25 prior to July 1, 2024 shall
3 be deemed the rules of the Agency of Education and remain in effect until
4 amended or repealed by the Agency of Education pursuant to 3 V.S.A. chapter
5 25.
6 (c) The Agency of Education shall provide notice of the transfer to the
7 Secretary of State and the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules in
8 accordance with 3 V.S.A. § 848(d)(2).
9 * * * Postsecondary Program Articulation Agreements * * *
10 Sec. 7. 16 V.S.A. § 1594 is added to read:
11 § 1594. POSTSECONDARY PROGRAM ALIGNMENT
12 (a) In order to promote a seamless pathway from CTE to postsecondary
13 opportunities, the Vermont State Colleges Corporation shall maintain program
14 and course articulation agreements with all secondary CTE centers in the
15 following programs:
16 (1) manufacturing;
17 (2) engineering;
18 (3) health sciences;
19 (4) education; and
20 (5) carpentry, construction, and building trades.
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1 (b) As used in this section, “articulation agreement” means an officially
2 approved agreement between a secondary CTE center and the Vermont State
3 Colleges Corporation that allows secondary CTE students to earn college
4 credit for the work they complete at a secondary CTE center.
5 Sec. 8. [Deleted.]
6 * * * Effective Date * * *
7 Sec. 9. EFFECTIVE DATE
8 This act shall take effect on July 1, 2024.
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Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 16-1552, 16-1561, 16-1541a, 16-37
As Passed By the Senate -- Official: 16-1552, 16-1561, 16-1541a, 16-37
As Passed By the Senate -- Unofficial: 16-1541a, 16-37