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AN ACT establishing the Adult Workforce Diploma Pilot Program. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
ď˘SECTION 1. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 156 IS CREATED TO 3
READ AS FOLLOWS: 4
(1) As used in this section: 5
(a) "Academic skills intake assessment" means a criterion-referenced 6
assessment of numeracy and literacy skills with high reliability and validity 7
that is determined by third-party research and that may be administered in 8
person or online; 9
(b) "Accredited provider" means an entity that is currently accredited by one 10
(1) of the seven (7) regional accreditation organizations or any successor 11
entity; 12
(c) "Approved program provider" means a public, nonprofit, or other entity 13
that meets the requirements of this section and does not receive federal or 14
state funding or private tuition for a student in the program; 15
(d) "Average cost per graduate" means the total program funding dispersed to 16
an approved program provider divided by the total number of graduates for 17
a cohort calculated twelve (12) months after the close of the cohort; 18
(e) "Career pathways coursework" means one (1) or more courses that align 19
with the skill needs of industries within the state or region and assist 20
students to enter into or advance within a specific occupation or 21
occupational cluster; 22
(f) "Career placement services" means services designed to assist students in 23
obtaining employment, including career interest self-assessments, job 24
search skills, resume development, and mock interviews; 25
(g) "Cohort" means students who enter the program between July 1 and June 26
30 of each program year; 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 869
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(h) "Employability skills certification" means a certificate earned by 1
demonstrating professional nontechnical skills through assessment and 2
shall include the program standards of the United States Department of 3
Labor's Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success 4
curriculum; 5
(i) "Fund" means the Adult Workforce Diploma Pilot Program fund 6
established in subsection (3) of this section; 7
(j) "Graduate" means a student who has successfully completed all state and 8
approved program provider requirements to earn a high school diploma; 9
(k) "Graduation rate" means the total number of graduates from a cohort 10
divided by the total number of students from the same cohort calculated 11
twelve (12) months after the close of the cohort multiplied by one hundred 12
(100); 13
(l) "Graduation requirements" means course and credit requirements needed 14
to earn a high school diploma from an approved program provider; 15
(m) "High school diploma" means a diploma that is issued by an accredited 16
provider and that is recognized as a secondary school diploma by this state 17
and fits within the definition of a Tier 1 education credential as defined by 18
the United States Department of Defense; 19
(n) "Industry-recognized credential" means an education-related or work-20
related credential that verifies an individual's qualification or competence 21
and that is issued by a third party with the authority to issue the credential; 22
(o) "Learning plan" means a documented plan that both: 23
1. Is designed to prepare a student to succeed in the program and the 24
student's future endeavors; and 25
2. Identifies the courses and credits that are needed for a student to 26
complete the program and that are approved program provider 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 869
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graduation requirements; 1
(p) "Milestones" means objective measures of progress for which payment is 2
made to an approved program provider under this section, including earned 3
units of high school credit, earned industry-recognized credentials, and 4
earned high school diplomas; 5
(q) "Program" means the Adult Workforce Diploma Pilot Program; 6
(r) "Stackable credential" means a third-party credential that is part of a 7
sequence of credentials that can be accumulated over time to build up an 8
individual's qualifications to advance along a career pathway; 9
(s) "Student" means a participant in the program who is at least twenty-one 10
(21) years of age, a Kentucky resident, and has not earned a high school 11
diploma; 12
(t) "Transcript evaluation" means a documented summary of credits that were 13
earned in previous public or private accredited high schools compared with 14
program and approved program provider graduation requirements; and 15
(u) "Unit of high school credit" means a credit that is awarded based on a 16
student's demonstration that the student has successfully met the content 17
expectations for the credit area as defined by subject area standards, 18
expectations, or guidelines. 19
(2) The General Assembly hereby establishes the Adult Workforce Diploma Pilot 20
Program administered by the Education and Labor Cabinet to assist a person 21
who is at least twenty-one (21) years of age in earning a high school diploma and 22
developing critical employability and career and technical skills to prepare the 23
person for employment. 24
(3) (a) There is hereby created a trust and agency account called the Adult 25
Workforce Diploma Pilot Program fund to be administered by the 26
Education and Labor Cabinet for the purpose of funding approved program 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 869
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providers in accordance with subsection (6) of this section. 1
(b) The fund shall contain moneys received from the general fund, federal 2
funds, and any other proceeds from contributions, gifts, or grants made 3
available for the purposes of the fund. 4
(c) Moneys deposited in the fund are hereby appropriated for the purposes 5
under this section. 6
(d) Notwithstanding KRS 45.229, moneys in the fund at the close of a fiscal 7
year shall not lapse but shall be carried forward to the next fiscal year. 8
(4) The Education and Labor Cabinet shall create a standardized form for use by 9
accredited providers. On or before August 15 of each year, to be designated as an 10
approved program provider able to participate in the program, an accredited 11
provider shall submit a form to the Education and Labor Cabinet showing that 12
the accredited provider: 13
(a) Is operating a regionally accredited high school diploma-granting entity; 14
(b) Has the ability to develop a learning plan for each student that integrates 15
graduation requirements and career goals; 16
(c) Provides a course catalog that includes all courses that are necessary to 17
meet graduation requirements; and 18
(d) Has the ability to provide the following: 19
1. Remediation opportunities in literacy and numeracy; 20
2. Career pathways coursework; 21
3. Preparation for industry-recognized credentials and stackable 22
credentials; 23
4. Career placement services; and 24
5. Academic skills intake assessments and transcript evaluations. 25
(5) On or before October 15 of each year, the Education and Labor Cabinet shall 26
approve all accredited providers who meet the requirements in subsection (4) of 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 869
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this section and place all approved program providers on an approved program 1
providers list. Approved program providers shall begin enrolling students on or 2
before November 15 of each year. Approved program providers shall maintain 3
approval status unless the approved program provider is removed from the 4
approved program providers list pursuant to subsection (11) of this section. 5
(6) The Education and Labor Cabinet shall pay approved program providers the 6
following amounts for each student who completes the following milestones: 7
(a) Two hundred seventy-five dollars ($275) for each: 8
1. Completed half unit of high school credit; 9
2. Completed employability skills certification; and 10
3. Earned industry-recognized credential or stackable credential that 11
requires less than fifty (50) hours of training; 12
(b) Five hundred fifty dollars ($550) for each earned industry-recognized 13
credential or stackable credential that requires at least fifty (50) hours but 14
not more than one hundred (100) hours of training; 15
(c) Eight hundred twenty-five dollars ($825) for each earned industry-16
recognized credential or stackable credential that requires more than one 17
hundred (100) hours of training; and 18
(d) One thousand one hundred dollars ($1,100) for each earned high school 19
diploma. 20
(7) Approved program providers shall submit monthly invoices to the Education and 21
Labor Cabinet not later than the tenth calendar day of each month for milestones 22
met in the previous calendar month. The cabinet shall pay approved program 23
providers in the order in which invoices are submitted until all available monies 24
are exhausted. The cabinet shall provide a written update to the approved 25
program providers on or before the last calendar day of each month, including 26
the aggregate total dollars that have been paid to approved program providers to 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 869
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date and the estimated number of enrollments still available for the program year. 1
(8) An approved program provider shall only invoice for courses and credits required 2
to earn a high school diploma which may include additional courses that meet 3
workforce credential requirements. 4
(9) On or before October 30 of each year, each approved program provider shall 5
report the following to the Education and Labor Cabinet: 6
(a) The total number of: 7
1. Students who were funded through the program; 8
2. Earned credits; 9
3. Earned industry-recognized credentials or stackable credentials 10
earned for each tier of funding; and 11
4. Students who graduated through the program; and 12
(b) The information required by the performance measures established by the 13
Education and Labor Cabinet pursuant to subsection (12) of this section. 14
(10) The Education and Labor Cabinet shall compile the reports received from each 15
approved program provider in accordance with subsection (9) of this section and, 16
by December 15 of each year, shall provide an annual report to the Kentucky 17
Board of Education, the Secretary of State, and the Legislative Research 18
Commission for referral to the Senate Committee on Economic Development, 19
Tourism, and Labor and House Committee on Economic Development and 20
Workforce Investment. 21
(11) (a) Beginning July 1, 2026, and each July 1 thereafter, the Education and 22
Labor Cabinet shall review data from each approved program provider to 23
ensure that each provider is achieving minimum program performance 24
standards, including: 25
1. A graduation rate of at least fifty percent (50%) beginning with the 26
second cohort; and 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 869
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2. An average student cost per graduate of seven thousand five hundred 1
dollars ($7,500) or less. 2
(b) The Education and Labor Cabinet may implement a process to bring an 3
approved program provider into compliance. 4
(c) If the program is extended by an act of the General Assembly, the 5
Education and Labor Cabinet shall revoke an approved program provider's 6
authorization to participate in the program if the approved program 7
provider does not comply with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this 8
subsection within two (2) years. If the cabinet has revoked an approved 9
program provider's authorization, the provider shall be removed from the 10
program provider list. 11
(12) On or before November 1, 2026, the Education and Labor Cabinet shall 12
promulgate administrative regulations necessary to carry out this section, 13
including but not limited to: 14
(a) The form required by subsection (4) of this section; 15
(b) Performance measures to evaluate the performance of adult education and 16
workforce development programs offered by approved program providers 17
that: 18
1. Allow for a comparable evaluation across adult education and 19
workforce development programs; 20
2. Take into consideration the variety of learning levels of adult learners 21
entering the programs; and 22
3. Include: 23
a. Measurements of adult learner progress toward earning a high 24
school diploma; 25
b. The number of high school diplomas earned; 26
c. The number of industry-recognized credentials earned; 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 869
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d. The number of adult learners or graduates who have 1
matriculated at an institution of higher learning or 2
postsecondary educational institution; 3
e. The number of adult learners or graduates who have newly 4
acquired employment, went on to earn higher wages, or who 5
have obtained a better job or a promotion; and 6
f. Other relevant measures identified by the Education and Labor 7
Cabinet; and 8
(c) A compliance process for approved program providers. 9
(13) This section shall expire on and have no force or effect after July 1, 2028, unless 10
extended by an act of the General Assembly. 11