25 LC 61 0142
House Bill 558
By: Representatives Gaines of the 120
th
, Dempsey of the 13
th
, and Newton of the 127
th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 4 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
1
vocational, technical, and adult education, so as to authorize the State Board of the Technical2
College System of Georgia to establish the adult workforce high school diploma program;3
to provide for the selection of third-party providers to administer the program; to provide4
requirements for approved program providers; to provide for disbursement of funds to5
approved program providers; to provide for reporting; to provide for definitions; to provide6
for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.7
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:8
SECTION 1.9
Chapter 4 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to vocational,10
technical, and adult education, is amended by adding a new article to read as follows:11
12
"ARTICLE 9
13
20-4-170.14
As used in this article, the term:15
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(1) 'Academic skill intake assessment' means a criterion referenced assessment of16
numeracy and literacy skill with high reliability and validity as determined by third-party17
research, which assessment may be administered in person or online.18
(2) 'Adult workforce high school diploma program' and 'program' mean the program19
provided for in this article.20
(3) 'Approved program provider' means a third-party entity that applies to participate in21
the program, is approved by the state board, and agrees to meet all program requirements.22
(4) 'Average cost per graduate' means the average cost per graduate calculated in23
accordance with Code Section 20-4-172.24
(5) 'Cohort' means all students who enter the program between July 1 and June 30 of25
each program year.26
(6) 'Eligible student' means an individual who:27
(A) Resides in this state;28
(B) Is between 21 and 40 years of age at the time of enrollment;29
(C) Has not attained a high school diploma;30
(D) Does not meet any of the ineligibility criteria provided for in subsection (b) of31
Code Section 20-3-519.1; and32
(E) Has previously been enrolled in a public primary or secondary school or adult33
education program in this state.34
(7) 'Employability skills certification' means a certificate earned by demonstrating35
professional nontechnical skills through assessment and includes, but is not limited to,36
the program standards of the United States Department of Labor's 'Skills to Pay the Bills:37
Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success' program.38
(8) 'Graduation rate' means the graduation rate calculated in accordance with Code39
Section 20-4-172.40
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(9) 'Industry recognized credential' means an education related credential or work related41
credential that verifies an individual's qualification or competence and is issued by an42
entity with the authority to issue such credential.43
(10) 'Measurement period' means the two-year period beginning July 1 of the year the44
cohort begins through June 30 of the subsequent fiscal year.45
(11) 'Milestones' means measures of student progress for which funds are disbursed to46
approved program providers pursuant to Code Section 20-4-173.47
(12) 'Program funding' means funding received by an approved program provider48
pursuant to Code Section 20-4-173.49
(13) 'Program year' means the period beginning on July 1 of each year and ending on50
June 30 of the immediately following year.51
(14) 'Stackable credential' means a credential that is part of a sequence of credentials that52
can be accumulated over time to build up an individual's qualifications to advance along53
a career pathway.54
(15) 'State board' means the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia.55
(16) 'Transcript evaluation' means a documented summary of credits earned in previous56
public or private accredited high schools compared with this state's requirements to earn57
a high school diploma.58
(17) 'Workforce credential' means an industry recognized credential or a stackable59
credential.60
20-4-171.61
(a) The state board shall be authorized to establish the adult workforce high school62
diploma program to allow eligible students to qualify for enrollment in the program, and63
upon successful completion of the program, to be awarded a high school diploma.64
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(b) The state board shall be authorized to approve program providers to administer the65
program. Such approved program providers shall be selected through an application66
process, which application process shall be as follows:67
(1) Not later than August 15 of each year, the state board shall make available an68
application for third-party entities to apply to become approved program providers;69
(2) Not later than September 15 of each year, the state board shall review applications,70
approve program providers that meet the requirements set forth in this article, and make71
available a list of approved program providers on the state board's public website; and72
(3) Approved program providers shall be authorized to begin enrolling eligible students 73
upon being approved by the state board as an approved program provider.74
(c) To implement the program, notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary,75
the state board shall be authorized to waive or provide variances to state rules, regulations,76
policies, and procedures and to seek waivers or variances of federal laws, rules, regulations,77
policies, and procedures that may be reasonably necessary to meet the goals of the78
program.79
(d) The state board shall be authorized to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to80
implement the provisions of this article.81
20-4-172.82
(a) Approved program providers shall:83
(1) Be accredited by:84
(A) Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges;85
(B) New England Association of Colleges and Schools;86
(C) Middle States Commission on Higher Education;87
(D) Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and88
Colleges;89
(E) Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities;90
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(F) Georgia Accrediting Commission;91
(G) Higher Learning Commission;92
(H) Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges;93
(I) Cognia; or94
(J) A successor entity or consolidation of any of the above entities;95
(2) Offer the following to eligible students at no cost to such students:96
(A) Academic skill intake assessments and transcript evaluations for eligible students;97
(B) A documented plan for each eligible student that shall include the requirements for98
such student to complete the program and earn a high school diploma;99
(C) Remedial education services in numeracy and literacy;100
(D) A course catalog that includes all courses necessary to earn a high school diploma;101
(E) One or more programs through which eligible students can earn a workforce102
credential;103
(F) One or more programs through which eligible students can earn an employability104
skills certification;105
(G) One or more courses that help eligible students enter or advance within a specific106
occupation or occupational cluster; and107
(H) All courses necessary to meet the requirements to earn a high school diploma;108
(3) Have a graduation rate of not less than 50 percent; and109
(4) Have an average cost per graduate of not more than $7,500.00.110
(b) If an approved program provider fails to meet the standards set forth in paragraphs (3)111
and (4) of subsection (a) of this Code section, the state board shall place such approved112
program provider on probationary status for the remainder of the program year. If an113
approved program provider fails to meet such standards by the end of the subsequent114
program year, such approved program provider shall no longer be an approved program115
provider.116
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(c)(1) Average cost per graduate shall be calculated by dividing the total program117
funding disbursed to an approved program provider for a cohort during the time period118
from the beginning of the cohort through the end of the measurement period by the total119
number of students in that cohort who earned a high school diploma during the120
measurement period.121
(2) Graduation rate shall be calculated by dividing the number of students in a cohort122
who earned a high school diploma during the measurement period by the number of123
students in such cohort for which such approved program provider has received program124
funding.125
20-4-173.126
(a)(1) Subject to appropriations specifically for the purpose of the program, the state 127
board shall be authorized to disburse funds appropriated by the General Assembly for the128
implementation of the program to approved program providers for the following 129
milestones reached by students in amounts not to exceed:130
(A) For the completion of each half unit of high school credit when such credit is131
required to earn a high school diploma, $275.00;132
(B) For each employability skills certification earned by a student, $275.00;133
(C) For each workforce credential earned by a student when such credential requires134
not more than 50 hours of training, $275.00;135
(D) For each workforce credential earned by a student when such credential requires136
more than 50 but not more than 100 hours of training, $550.00;137
(E) For each workforce credential earned by a student when such credential requires138
more than 100 hours of training, $825.00; or139
(F) For each high school diploma earned by a student, $1,100.00.140
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(2) Funds shall be disbursed pursuant to this subsection to approved program providers141
in the order in which the reports required by subsection (b) of this Code section are142
received by the state board.143
(3) No later than the last day of each month, the state board shall notify approved144
program providers of the total amount of funds disbursed to approved program providers145
and the amount of funds remaining for the program for the fiscal year.146
(b) In order to receive the funds provided for in subsection (a) of this Code section,147
approved program providers shall, no later than the tenth day of each month, submit to the148
state board a report which shall include all milestones met by students in the previous149
month.150
(c) Funds received by approved program providers pursuant to this Code section shall be151
used for providing and preparing for instruction, instructional materials, and support152
services for students, including coaching and mentoring. Such funds shall not be used to153
build or expand brick-and-mortar infrastructure.154
20-4-174.155
(a) Beginning in 2027, no later than August 15 of each year, each approved program156
provider shall submit a report to the state board which shall include:157
(1) The number of eligible students participating in the program;158
(2) The number of units of high school credit earned by such students;159
(3) The number of employability skills certificates earned by such students;160
(4) The number of workforce credentials earned by such students; and161
(5) The number of students who earned a high school diploma through participation in162
the program.163
(b) Beginning in 2027, no later than December 1 of each year, the state board shall provide164
the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and165
the chairpersons of the House Committee on Education, the Senate Education and Youth166
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Committee, the House Committee on Higher Education, and the Senate Higher Education167
Committee with a report that includes:168
(1) The information reported to the state board pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code169
section;170
(2) The amount of funds disbursed to each approved program provider and the171
milestones for which such funding was disbursed;172
(3) The graduation rate for each approved program provider; and173
(4) The average cost per graduate for each approved program provider."174
SECTION 2.175
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.176
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