Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H4119 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4510 FILED ON: 8/3/2023
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4119
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Jeffrey N. Roy
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act relative to adult education and workforce.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Jeffrey N. Roy10th Norfolk8/3/2023 1 of 9
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4510 FILED ON: 8/3/2023
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4119
18	18	By Representative Roy of Franklin, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Jeffrey N. Roy that
19	19	the Executive Office of Education establish an adult workforce diploma program to assist certain
20	20	adults in obtaining high school diplomas and developing employability and career technical
21	21	skills. Education.
22	22	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
23	23	_______________
24	24	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
25	25	(2023-2024)
26	26	_______________
27	27	An Act relative to adult education and workforce.
28	28	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
29	29	of the same, as follows:
30	30	1 SECTION 1. The executive office of education shall establish an adult workforce
31	31	2diploma program to assist adults age 22 and older to obtain a high school diploma and develop
32	32	3employability and career technical skills. The workforce diploma program may be delivered in
33	33	4campus-based, online, or hybrid modalities or a combination thereof.
34	34	5 For the purposes of this section the following words shall have the following meanings:
35	35	6 “Academic skill intake assessment,” a criterion-referenced assessment of numeracy and
36	36	7literacy skill with high reliability and validity. Assessments can be administered in person or
37	37	8online.
38	38	9 “Accredited”, holding an active accreditation from one of the seven United States
39	39	10regional accreditors, including:
40	40	11 (i) Middle States Commission on Higher Education; 2 of 9
41	41	12 (ii) New England Association of Schools and Colleges;
42	42	13 (iii) Higher Learning Commission;
43	43	14 (iv) Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities;
44	44	15 (v) Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges;
45	45	16 (vi) Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges;
46	46	17 (vii) Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges; or
47	47	18 (viii) any successor entities or consolidations of the above, including Cognia.
48	48	19 “Approved program provider,” a public, non-profit, or other entity that meets the
49	49	20requirements of Section 2 below.
50	50	21 “Average cost per graduate,” total program funding dispersed to an approved program
51	51	22provider for a cohort during the time period from the beginning of the cohort through the end of
52	52	23the measurement period divided by the total number of students who graduated from the cohort
53	53	24during the measurement period.
54	54	25 “Career pathways coursework,” one or more courses that help a student enter or advance
55	55	26within a specific occupation or occupational cluster.
56	56	27 “Career advising services,” services designed to assist students in obtaining employment,
57	57	28including but not limited to resume development and mock interviews.
58	58	29 “Coaching,” proactive communication between the approved program provider and the
59	59	30student related to the student’s pace and progress through their learning plan. 3 of 9
60	60	31 “Cohort,” students who enter the program between July 1 and June 30 of each program
61	61	32year.
62	62	33 “Employability skills certification,” a certificate earned by demonstrating professional
63	63	34non-technical skills through assessment, and shall include but are not limited to the program
64	64	35standards of the United States Department of Labor’s “Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft
65	65	36Skills for Workplace Success.”
66	66	37 “Executive office”, the executive office of education.
67	67	38 “Graduate,” a student who has successfully completed all of the approved program
68	68	39provider requirements in order to obtain a high school diploma.
69	69	40 “Graduation rate,” the total number of graduates from a cohort who graduated during the
70	70	41measurement period divided by the total number of students included in the same cohort for
71	71	42which a provider has received funding.
72	72	43 “Graduation requirements,” course and credit requirements needed to earn a high school
73	73	44diploma from an approved program provider.
74	74	45 “High school diploma,” a diploma issued by an Accredited institution. A diploma issued
75	75	46under this section is recognized as a secondary school diploma by the commonwealth of
76	76	47Massachusetts.
77	77	48 “Learning plan,” a documented plan for courses and/ or credits needed for each
78	78	49individual in order to complete program and approved program provider graduation
79	79	50requirements. 4 of 9
80	80	51 “Measurement period,” the two-year period beginning July 1 of the year the cohort
81	81	52begins through June 30 of the subsequent state fiscal year.
82	82	53 “Mentoring,” a direct relationship between a coach and a student to facilitate the
83	83	54completion of the student’s learning plan designed to prepare the student to succeed in the
84	84	55program and their future endeavors.
85	85	56 “Milestones,” objective measures of progress for which payment is made to an approved
86	86	57program provider under this section, including earned units of high school credit, attainment of
87	87	58an employability skills certificate, attainment of an industry-recognized credential or stackable
88	88	59credentials, and attainment of an accredited high school diploma.
89	89	60 “Probationary status,” the status of any approved program providers that does not meet
90	90	61the program performance standards as identified in Section 3 and 4.
91	91	62 “Request for qualifications,” A request for interested public, non-profit, or other entities
92	92	63to submit evidence that they meet the qualifications established in section X all of which once
93	93	64confirmed by the executive office of labor and workforce development that they meet the
94	94	65qualifications become approved program providers.
95	95	66 “Student,” a participant in the workforce diploma program who is age 22 or older, who is
96	96	67a resident of the commonwealth, and who has not yet earned a high school diploma.
97	97	68 “Transcript evaluation,” a documented summary of credits earned in previous public or
98	98	69private accredited high schools compared with program and approved program provider
99	99	70graduation requirements. 5 of 9
100	100	71 “Unit of high school credit,” credit awarded based on a student’s demonstration that they
101	101	72have successfully met the content expectations for the credit area as defined by subject area
102	102	73standards, expectations, or guidelines.
103	103	74 “Workforce credential,” a third-party credential that is either a part of a sequence of
104	104	75credentials that can be accumulated over time to build an individual’s qualifications to advance
105	105	76along a career pathway and results in a certificate, or verifies an individual’s qualification or
106	106	77competence and that is issued by a third party with the relevant authority to issue said credential.
107	107	78 “Workforce diploma program,” program to assist adults 22 and older to obtain a high
108	108	79school diploma and develop employability and career technical skills.
109	109	80 SECTION 2. The executive office shall issue a request for qualifications for entities to
110	110	81become approved program providers and participate in the workforce diploma program by
111	111	82August 15 or annually thereafter. The criteria for approved program providers shall include, but
112	112	83shall not be limited to:
113	113	84 i) regionally accredited high school diploma-granting entity;
114	114	85 ii)ability to provide Academic Skill Intake Assessments and Transcript Evaluations;
115	115	86 iii)ability to develop a Learning Plan for each Student that integrates Graduation
116	116	87Requirements and career goals;
117	117	88 iv)provides a course catalog that includes all courses necessary to meet Graduation
118	118	89Requirements;
119	119	90 v) ability to provide remediation opportunities in literacy and numeracy; 6 of 9
120	120	91 vi)ability to provide Employability Skills Certification;
121	121	92 vii)ability to provide Career Pathways Coursework;
122	122	93 viii)ability to provide preparation for Workforce Credentials;
123	123	94 ix)ability to provide Career Advising Services.
124	124	95 An approved program provider may not receive funding for a student under this section if
125	125	96the approved program provider receives federal or state funding or private tuition for that
126	126	97student.
127	127	98 The executive office shall announce the approved program providers no later than
128	128	99October 15, with authorization for the approved program providers to begin enrolling students
129	129	100starting no later than November 15, annually. Approved program providers shall maintain their
130	130	101approval without reapplying annually provided that the provider has not been removed from the
131	131	102approved program provider list in accordance with section 4.
132	132	103 The executive office shall pay approved program providers for the completion of the
133	133	104following milestones by each student.
134	134	105 a. $250 for the completion of each half Unit of High School Credit
135	135	106 b. $250 for the attainment of an Employability Skills Certification
136	136	107 c. $250 for the attainment of a Workforce Credential Requiring up to 50 hours of
137	137	108training
138	138	109 d. $500 for the attainment of a Workforce Credential Requiring between 51-100
139	139	110hours of training 7 of 9
140	140	111 e. $750 for the attainment of a Workforce Credential requiring more than 100 hours
141	141	112of training
142	142	113 f. $1,000 for the attainment of an Accredited High School Diploma
143	143	114 Approved program providers shall submit monthly invoices to the executive office no
144	144	115later than the 10th calendar day of each month for milestones met in the previous calendar
145	145	116month. The executive office shall pay approved program providers in the order in which invoices
146	146	117are submitted until all available funds are exhausted. The executive office shall provide a written
147	147	118update to approved program providers by the last calendar day of each month including the
148	148	119aggregate total dollars that have been paid to approved program providers to date and the
149	149	120estimated number of enrollments still available for the program year.
150	150	121 SECTION 3. On or before August 15 of the second fiscal year of the program, Approved
151	151	122Program Providers shall provide a report covering paragraphs (i) through (vii) of this section.
152	152	123On or before August 15, after the conclusion of the first measurement period of the program and
153	153	124each year thereafter in which program payments were disbursed for the prior state fiscal year,
154	154	125each approved program provider that received payments pursuant to Section 2 under the program
155	155	126for the preceding state fiscal year shall report the following information to the department by
156	156	127cohort:
157	157	128 i) the total number of students for whom the approved program provider has
158	158	129received payments;
159	159	130 ii)the total number of credits earned by students for whom the approved program
160	160	131provider is receiving payments; 8 of 9
161	161	132 iii)the total number of employability skills certifications issued to students for whom
162	162	133the approved program provider is receiving payments;
163	163	134 iv)the total number of workforce credentials earned for each tier of funding
164	164	135described in section 2 by students for whom the approved program provider is receiving
165	165	136payments;
166	166	137 v) the total number of students for whom the approved program provider is receiving
167	167	138payments who receive high school diplomas;
168	168	139 vi)the average cost per graduate for the cohort for which the measurement period
169	169	140ended in the prior state fiscal year and updated average cost per graduate for any previous cohort
170	170	141for which the measurement period has ended but the students from the cohort achieved one of the
171	171	142outcomes described in section 3 in the prior state fiscal year;
172	172	143 vii)The graduation rate for the cohort for which the measurement period ended in the
173	173	144prior state fiscal year and updated graduation rate from any previous cohort for which the
174	174	145measurement period has ended but students from the cohort achieved one of the outcomes
175	175	146described in section 2.
176	176	147 SECTION 4. Beginning at the end of the second fiscal year of the program, the executive
177	177	148office shall review data from each approved program provider to ensure that each is achieving
178	178	149minimum program performance standards, including minimum of 50% graduation rate for each
179	179	150cohort measurement period, as developed by the department. The average cost per graduate shall
180	180	151be $7,000 or less for each cohort’s measurement period.
181	181	152 9 of 9
182	182	153 The executive office shall place an approved program provider that does not meet the
183	183	154minimum program performance standards identified in Section 3 and 4 probationary status for
184	184	155the remainder of the fiscal year. During this period, an approved program provider must provide
185	185	156any additional reporting required by the department. The provider must provide biweekly reports
186	186	157as prescribed by the requirements in Section 3. An approved program provider that does not
187	187	158meet the minimum performance standards for two consecutive years shall be removed from the
188	188	159approved program provider list.