HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 946 FILED ON: 1/29/2021
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Kate Lipper-Garabedian and Jason M. Lewis
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to increase student access to career technical education schools and programs which are
aligned with regional labor market needs..
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS: DATE ADDED:
Kate Lipper-Garabedian 32nd Middlesex 1/29/2021
Jason M. Lewis Fifth Middlesex 1/29/2021
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 HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 946 FILED ON: 1/29/2021
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[Pin Slip]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)
_______________
An Act to increase student access to career technical education schools and programs which are
aligned with regional labor market needs..
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 69 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following
2 6 sections:-
3 Section 37. For the purposes of sections 38 through 42, inclusive, the following terms
4 shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly requires otherwise:-
5 “Career technical education”, shall have the same meaning as vocational-technical
6 education pursuant to section 1 of chapter 74.
7 “Office”, shall mean the office of career technical education.
8 Section 38. There shall be established within the department of elementary and
9 secondary education an office of career technical education, which shall be under the supervision
10 and management of the deputy commissioner of career technical education. The deputy
11 commissioner shall be appointed by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education,
12 with the approval of the board. It shall be the duty of said deputy commissioner to improve and
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13 maximize career technical education throughout the commonwealth, and to collaborate with the
14 board to promulgate regulations and develop and implement polices to enhance the
15 commonwealth’s career technical education programs, including but not limited to the ensuring
16 the enforcement of regulations relative to certificates of occupational proficiency.
17 Section 39. The office shall promote and support with available resources innovative and
18 collaborative career technical education demonstration programs in which students split time
19 between their comprehensive high school and a school offering programs under chapter 74;
20 provided, that under such programs, participating students’ daily schedule shall include required
21 academic classes and vocational courses when the equipment is available.
22 Section 40. (a) The office shall develop credentials for students graduating from high
23 quality career technical education programs in applied knowledge, effective relationships, and
24 workplace skills as described in the federal Employability Skills Framework.
25 (b) The office shall ensure instructional ability and competence of career technical
26 education instructors through the utilization of occupational advisory boards and nationally
27 validated teacher competency testing.
28 (c)The office shall utilize both pre- and post-technical assessment in both cognitive and
29 psychomotor domains to determine what students know and are able to do.
30 (d) The office shall collaborate with recognized industry credential providers such as a
31 recognized industry credential provider to develop state-customized credentials to measure
32 career readiness through skill assessments appropriate to each tier of career technical education.
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33 (e) The office shall consider the use of the 21st Century Skills for Workplace Success
34 Credential, including but not limited for use in validation of basic competencies prior to
35 participation in externships or school-based enterprises and as a graduation or completion
36 requirement for post-graduate and postsecondary chapter 74 programs..
37 (f) The office shall support the use of Industry Recognized Credentials, known as IRCs,
38 in chapter 74 programs.
39 (g) The office shall support the use of both longitudinal and pre- and post-student
40 assessment as a means of obtaining meaningful data for curricular improvement. Data may be
41 utilized for facilities improvement, equipment investments, mission success, and professional
42 development.
43 (h) The office shall engage in statewide data sharing agreements with credential
44 providers that include a variety of access portals for a variety of levels of personnel, including
45 but not limited to state, local career technical education administration, career technical
46 education teachers, parents, and students, giving access to stakeholders to assess program
47 effectiveness.
48 (i) The office shall encourage and work to increase the use of articulation agreements
49 with community colleges and public universities and other dual credit programs to allow career
50 technical education students to earn credit and stacked credentials that lead to an associate’s
51 degree.
52 (j) The office shall implement and promote efforts, including those related to student
53 outreach and retention, to ensure that career technical education programs are accessible to all
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54 students, including English language learners, students with disabilities, and student populations
55 traditionally underrepresented in career technical education programs.
56 Section 41. The office shall work with the Regional Workforce Boards on an annual basis
57 to determine the labor market needs in their region and, using that information, shall actively
58 promote and facilitate the introduction of career technical education programs that align with
59 regional demand. The office shall work with the regional workforce boards to assure curricular
60 alignment to both local employers’ need and expected national standards for labor market needs.
61 Section 42. Any comprehensive high school shall have access to a minimum of 1 career
62 technical education course or an approved career technical education internship to increase all
63 students’ exposure to career technical education fields, enabling students to have the knowledge
64 to access both college and careers.
65 SECTION 2. The department of elementary and secondary education shall establish and
66 administer a pilot program to incentivize collaboration between high school faculty and guidance
67 counselors of schools offering chapter 74 programs and those that do not to utilize resources
68 developed by career technical education to provide access to skill-training and career options for
69 all students. The pilot program shall be administered for 2 years from the date the program is
70 initiated. At the end of said 2-year period, the department shall submit a report on the effects of
71 the program and the feasibility of continuing such program to the clerks of the house of
72 representatives and the senate, and to the house and senate co-chairs of the joint committee on
73 education.
74 SECTION 3. There shall hereby be established a commission to be known as the Career
75 Technical Education Funding Commission, to study funding options for career technical
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76 education programs. The commission shall consist of 4 representatives of the department of
77 elementary and secondary education, to be appointed by the deputy commissioner of the office
78 of career technical education, provided, that one shall be the secretary of education or a designee,
79 and 3 representatives of the executive office of labor and workforce development, to be
80 appointed by the secretary of labor and workforce development. The commission shall identify
81 the use of funds for changing market needs. This commission shall make recommendations,
82 which shall include but not be limited to, the following:
83 (1) whether the Massachusetts school building authority may spend money on equipment
84 only, or if they are limited to funding for education structures;
85 (2) whether the Massachusetts school building authority should add incentives for the
86 approved chapter 74 educational spaces in programs that align to labor market demand;
87 (3) how to simplify state law, particularly section 16 of chapter 71 of the General Laws,
88 so that all regional school districts can secure bonding for critical capital projects through the
89 district-wide referendum process outlined in subsection (n) of said section 16 of said chapter 71;
90 (4) how to change language in subsection (d) of said section 16 of said chapter 71 to
91 allow all regional school districts the option to secure project bonding approval upon a two-thirds
92 vote of approval of each legislative body of a municipality comprising the district; and
93 (5) any other recommendations relative to funding at the commission’s discretion.
94 The commission shall submit a report, which shall include the findings of the study and
95 all such recommendations and any proposed drafts of legislation, not later than 1 year after the
96 effective date of this act.
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