Assigned to ED & APPROP FOR COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, Second Regular Session
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1572
high school courses; college credit
Purpose
Establishes the Early College and Career Pathways Program (ECCP Program), the Early
College and Career Pathways Fund (ECCP Fund) and the High-Quality Teacher Professional
Development Program (Teacher Development Program) Fund. Repeals the Arizona Industry
Credentials Incentive Program (AICIP) and Fund (AICIP Fund), the College Credit by
Examination Incentive Program (CCEIP) and College Credit by Examination Development Fund
(CCED Fund) and transfers all unexpended and unencumbered monies remaining in the AICIP
Fund and CCED Fund to the ECCP Fund.
Background
The CCEIP provides an incentive bonus to school districts and charter schools for students
who obtain a passing score on a qualifying examination for college credit while in high school.
The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) maintains a list of qualifying examinations that a high
school student may take to receive college credit from an Arizona public university and the passing
score required to receive college credit for each examination. If a student is enrolled in a school
where at least 50 percent of students are eligible for the Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Program
(FRPL), the student generates a bonus of $450 per passing score. If a student is enrolled in a school
where less than 50 percent of students are FRPL-eligible, the student generates a bonus of $300
per passing score. The CCED Fund is administered by ADE, consisting of monies appropriated to
provide incentive bonuses under the CCEIP (A.R.S. § 15-249.06).
In 2019, the Legislature established the AICIP and AICIP Fund to provide $1,000 incentive
awards to school districts, charter schools and career technical education districts (CTEDs) for
each high school graduate who obtains a qualifying certification, credential or license through a
career technical education (CTE) course or program (Laws 2019, Ch. 265). The Office of
Economic Opportunity (OEO) must annually provide an in-demand education list to ADE that:
1) includes information on wages, business growth and job openings; and 2) ranks the top
occupations in each industry that address a critical statewide, regional or economic need. ADE
must then annually convene a commission to review a list that only includes certificates,
credentials and licenses that qualify for the AICIP, publish the list on the ADE website and submit
the list to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) for review. AICIP award monies may
be spent on: 1) instructional costs and professional development for CTE program teacher
certification; 2) offsetting a student's cost of certification, credentialing or licensure;
3) developmental costs relating to creating, expanding or improving an approved CTE program
site; 4) instructional hardware, software or supplies; and 5) career exploration and awareness
activities for parents, students and the community (A.R.S. § 15-249.15).
ADE must establish a Teacher Development Program and, subject to available
appropriations, may issue scholarships or grants, or both, on a competitive basis as determined by FACT SHEET
S.B. 1572
Page 2
ADE, to qualified applicants in order to obtain high-quality teacher professional development from
a qualifying postsecondary institution that will support certified teachers in gaining additional
credentials and certifications to teach in high-need content areas. Qualified recipients of
scholarships or grants must agree to teach in a public school in Arizona for at least three additional
years after completing the coursework or program at a qualifying postsecondary institution (A.R.S.
§ 15-240).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.
Provisions
Early College and Career Pathways Program
1. Establishes the ECCP Program within ADE to provide incentives, increased access and
financial assistance for students to earn early college credit or complete a certificate, credential
or license for in-demand fields.
2. Requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt rules for the ECCP Program for ADE
to administer.
3. Establishes the ECCP Fund, administered by ADE and consisting of monies that are
appropriated to ADE to administer the ECCP Program.
4. Specifies that ECCP Fund monies are continuously appropriated and exempt from lapsing.
5. Requires ADE to distribute ECCP Fund monies to a school district, charter school, CTED or
qualifying provider for outlined purposes.
6. Allows a school district, charter school or CTED to generate funding for a student pursuant to
any of the following:
a) $1,000 for a qualifying student who completes a program resulting in a qualifying
certificate, credential or license, except that a qualifying student may not generate more
than one award in a single fiscal year;
b) $50 per credit hour for a qualifying student in grade 9 or 10 who obtains a passing grade
in a qualifying course, except that a qualifying student may not generate more than $300
in a single fiscal year;
c) $50 per credit hour for a qualifying student in grade 11 or 12 who obtains a passing grade
in a qualifying course, except that a qualifying student may not generate more than $600
in a single fiscal year; or
d) $450 for a qualifying student who receives a passing score during the previous fiscal year
on a qualifying examination.
7. Allows a school district, charter school or CTED that receives ECCP Fund monies to spend
the monies:
a) on instructional costs and professional development for:
i. a CTE program to become a certifying professional for a qualifying certificate,
credential or license; FACT SHEET
S.B. 1572
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ii. a teacher to satisfy the requirements for teaching a dual enrollment course adopted by
a higher learning commission that accredits degree-granting postsecondary education
institutions in the North Central Region, including Arizona;
iii. a teacher to complete a training program to facilitate the teaching and learning in a
concurrent enrollment course; or
iv. a teacher to complete a training program to facilitate the classroom instruction in a
course designed for a student to take a qualifying examination;
b) to offset student costs for:
i. a certification, credentialing or licensure;
ii. enrolling in a qualifying dual or concurrent enrollment course; or
iii. taking a qualifying examination;
c) for costs related to developing, expanding or improving:
i. an approved site of a certificate, credential or license CTE program or course;
ii. access to enrolling in a qualifying dual or concurrent enrollment course; or
iii. access to enrolling in a course that allows students to take a qualifying examination;
d) on instructional hardware, software or supplies required for the certification, credentialing
or licensure; college and career exploration in any school grade and awareness activities
for parents, students and the community for the approved industry sectors; and
e) on incentive bonuses to classroom teachers or educational support staff who assist students
in achieving outcomes.
8. Specifies that a qualifying provider may only generate funding for a student pursuant to the
following:
a) $50 per credit hour for a qualifying student in grade 9 or 10 who obtains a passing grade
in a qualifying course, except that a qualifying student may not generate more than $300
in a single fiscal year; or
b) $50 per credit hour for a qualifying student in grade 11 or 12 who obtains a passing grade
in a qualifying course, except that a qualifying student may not generate more than $600
in a single fiscal year.
9. Prohibits a school district, charter school, CTED or qualifying provider from receiving more
than $1,600 per student in any fiscal year.
10. Requires, if the statewide sum of monies awarded exceeds the amount of available ECCP Fund
monies appropriated, the monies to be reduced proportionally to cover all eligible awards.
11. Requires, for the purposes of determining a qualifying examination, ABOR to maintain a list
of qualifying examinations that a high school student may take to receive college credit in
mathematics, English language arts, social studies or science from any Arizona public
university and the required score on each qualifying examination to receive college credit.
12. Requires ABOR, by September 1, to annually provide the list of qualifying examinations and
passing scores to ADE.
13. Requires ADE, by February 1, to annually convene a Quality Skills Commission composed of
individuals from the OEO, ADE, the Arizona Commerce Authority, school districts, charter
schools, CTEDs, industry partners and business organizations to review a career and technical
education industry credentials list. FACT SHEET
S.B. 1572
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14. Requires the OEO, by September 1, to annually provide an in-demand education list to ADE
that includes information relating to wages, business growth and job openings that address a
critical statewide, regional or local economic need and to incorporate industry feedback when
developing the in-demand education list.
15. Requires ADE, by October 1, to annually align the OEO's in-demand education list to the
career and technical education industry credentials list.
16. Requires ADE, by March 1, to annually publish and post on its website and submit to JLBC
for review, a list of all qualifying examinations, qualifying courses and qualifying certificates,
credentials or licenses that are eligible for funding in the subsequent school year.
17. Requires ADE, subject to the review and approval of the SBE, by February 1, to annually
submit to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the
Governor and the Secretary of State a report that summarizes, for the prior fiscal year:
a) the number and value of awards that were distributed to each school, by the eligible funding
categories, including the number of students under each eligibility category;
b) the number of students at each school, by grade level, who were enrolled in a CTE program
or course with a qualifying certificate, credential or license;
c) the number of high school graduates at each school who completed a CTE program and
who obtained a qualifying certificate, credential or license;
d) the number and types of qualifying certificates, credentials and license obtained by students
who received awards;
e) the number of students who took a qualifying examination at each school;
f) the number of students who received a passing score on a qualifying examination and the
number of awards distributed;
g) the number and types of qualifying examinations taken by students;
h) the number and types of qualifying courses in which students enrolled; and
i) the number of students at each school who received a passing grade in a qualifying course.
18. Requires any ECCP Fund monies received by a school district, charter school or CTED to be
separately accounted for in the school district's, charter school's or CTED's Annual Financial
Report.
19. Specifies that ECCP Fund monies awarded to a classroom teacher or education support staff
are in addition to any regular wage, compensation or other bonus the individual receives or is
scheduled to receive and are not subject to collective bargaining.
CCEIP and AICIP Repeal and Fund Transfers
20. Repeals the CCEIP and the requirements relating to:
a) ABOR's administration of the list of qualifying examinations;
b) distribution of bonus monies to school districts and charter schools;
c) distribution of monies to teachers associated with qualifying students;
d) the CCED Fund; and
e) ADE's annual report regarding the CCEIP. FACT SHEET
S.B. 1572
Page 5
21. Repeals the AICIP and AICIP Fund and the requirements relating to:
a) ADE's administration of the list of qualifying CTE credentials;
b) distribution of $1,000 awards to school districts, charter schools and CTEDs for each
qualifying student;
c) permissible uses of AICIP award monies; and
d) ADE's annual AICIP report.
22. Transfers all unexpended and unencumbered monies remaining in the CCED Fund and the
AICIP Fund to the ECCP Fund on the effective date of this legislation.
High-Quality Teacher Professional Development Program and Fund
23. Establishes the Teacher Development Program Fund, administered by ADE and consisting of
monies that are appropriated to ADE for the purposes of the Teacher Development Program
Fund.
24. Specifies that Teacher Development Program Fund monies are continuously appropriated and
exempt from lapsing.
25. Allows ADE to issue Teacher Development Program scholarships or grants, or both, on a
competitive basis as determined by ADE, to qualified applicants in order to obtain high-quality
teacher professional development from a qualifying postsecondary institution that will support
certificated teachers in gaining additional training, credentials or certifications, rather than
gaining both additional credentials and certifications, to teach in high-need content areas.
26. Requires a qualified applicant who receives a scholarship or grant through the Teacher
Development Program to agree to teach in a public school in Arizona for at least one year,
rather than three years, after completing the coursework or program at a qualifying
postsecondary institution, or otherwise pay back the full amount of the scholarship or grant in
a manner to be determined by ADE.
27. Defines additional training, credentials or certifications as:
a) the requirements for teaching a dual enrollment course adopted by a higher learning
commission that accredits degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the North Central
Region, including Arizona; and
b) a training program to facilitate the teaching and learning in a concurrent enrollment course.
Miscellaneous
28. Defines passing grade, passing score, qualifying certificate, credential or license, qualifying
course, qualifying examination, qualifying provider and qualifying student.
29. Makes technical and conforming changes.
30. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 12, 2024
MH/SDR/slp