Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H631 Compare Versions

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

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1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 874 FILED ON: 1/13/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 631
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Kate Lipper-Garabedian and Jessica Ann Giannino
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 to increase student access to career technical education schools and programs which are
13	13	aligned with regional labor market needs.
14	14	_______________
15	15	PETITION OF:
16	16	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Kate Lipper-Garabedian32nd Middlesex1/13/2025Jessica Ann Giannino16th Suffolk1/13/2025 1 of 5
17	17	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 874 FILED ON: 1/13/2025
18	18	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 631
19	19	By Representatives Lipper-Garabedian of Melrose and Giannino of Revere, a petition
20	20	(accompanied by bill, House, No. 631) of Kate Lipper-Garabedian and Jessica Ann Giannino for
21	21	legislation to increase student access to career technical education schools and programs which
22	22	are aligned with regional labor market needs. Education.
23	23	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
24	24	SEE HOUSE, NO. 531 OF 2023-2024.]
25	25	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
26	26	_______________
27	27	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
28	28	(2025-2026)
29	29	_______________
30	30	An Act to increase student access to career technical education schools and programs which are
31	31	aligned with regional labor market needs.
32	32	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
33	33	of the same, as follows:
34	34	1 SECTION 1. Chapter 69 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following
35	35	26 sections:-
36	36	3 Section 37. For the purposes of sections 38 through 42, inclusive, the following terms
37	37	4shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly requires otherwise:-
38	38	5 “Career technical education”, shall have the same meaning as vocational-technical
39	39	6education pursuant to section 1 of chapter 74.
40	40	7 “Office”, shall mean the office of career technical education. 2 of 5
41	41	8 Section 38. There shall be established within the department of elementary and
42	42	9secondary education an office of career technical education, which shall be under the supervision
43	43	10and management of the deputy commissioner of career technical education. The deputy
44	44	11commissioner shall be appointed by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education,
45	45	12with the approval of the board. It shall be the duty of said deputy commissioner to improve and
46	46	13maximize career technical education throughout the commonwealth, and to collaborate with the
47	47	14board to promulgate regulations and develop and implement polices to enhance the
48	48	15commonwealth’s career technical education programs, including but not limited to the ensuring
49	49	16the enforcement of regulations relative to certificates of occupational proficiency.
50	50	17 Section 39. The office shall promote and support with available resources innovative and
51	51	18collaborative career technical education demonstration programs in which students split time
52	52	19between their comprehensive high school and a school offering programs under chapter 74;
53	53	20provided, that under such programs, participating students’ daily schedule shall include required
54	54	21academic classes and vocational courses when the equipment is available.
55	55	22 Section 40. (a) The office shall develop credentials for students graduating from high
56	56	23quality career technical education programs in applied knowledge, effective relationships, and
57	57	24workplace skills as described in the federal Employability Skills Framework.
58	58	25 (b) The office shall ensure instructional ability and competence of career technical
59	59	26education instructors through the utilization of occupational advisory boards and nationally
60	60	27validated teacher competency testing.
61	61	28 (c)The office shall utilize both pre- and post-technical assessment in both cognitive and
62	62	29psychomotor domains to determine what students know and are able to do. 3 of 5
63	63	30 (d) The office shall collaborate with recognized industry credential providers such as a
64	64	31recognized industry credential provider to develop state-customized credentials to measure
65	65	32career readiness through skill assessments appropriate to each tier of career technical education.
66	66	33 (e) The office shall consider the use of the 21st Century Skills for Workplace Success
67	67	34Credential, including but not limited for use in validation of basic competencies prior to
68	68	35participation in externships or school-based enterprises and as a graduation or completion
69	69	36requirement for post-graduate and postsecondary chapter 74 programs.
70	70	37 (f) The office shall support the use of Industry Recognized Credentials, known as IRCs,
71	71	38in chapter 74 programs.
72	72	39 (g) The office shall support the use of both longitudinal and pre- and post-student
73	73	40assessment as a means of obtaining meaningful data for curricular improvement. Data may be
74	74	41utilized for facilities improvement, equipment investments, mission success, and professional
75	75	42development.
76	76	43 (h) The office shall engage in statewide data sharing agreements with credential providers
77	77	44that include a variety of access portals for a variety of levels of personnel, including but not
78	78	45limited to state, local career technical education administration, career technical education
79	79	46teachers, parents, and students, giving access to stakeholders to assess program effectiveness.
80	80	47 (i) The office shall encourage and work to increase the use of articulation agreements
81	81	48with community colleges and public universities and other dual credit programs to allow career
82	82	49technical education students to earn credit and stacked credentials that lead to an associate’s
83	83	50degree. 4 of 5
84	84	51 (j) The office shall implement and promote efforts, including those related to student
85	85	52outreach and retention, to ensure that career technical education programs are accessible to all
86	86	53students, including English language learners, students with disabilities, and student populations
87	87	54traditionally underrepresented in career technical education programs.
88	88	55 Section 41. The office shall work with the Regional Workforce Boards on an annual basis
89	89	56to determine the labor market needs in their region and, using that information, shall actively
90	90	57promote and facilitate the introduction of career technical education programs that align with
91	91	58regional demand. The office shall work with the regional workforce boards to assure curricular
92	92	59alignment to both local employers’ need and expected national standards for labor market needs.
93	93	60 Section 42. Any comprehensive high school shall have access to a minimum of 1 career
94	94	61technical education course or an approved career technical education internship to increase all
95	95	62students’ exposure to career technical education fields, enabling students to have the knowledge
96	96	63to access both college and careers.
97	97	64 SECTION 2. Section 3A of Chapter 70B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
98	98	65Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking the number “17” and inserting “19” in place
99	99	66thereof, and further by inserting, after “Fire Chiefs' Association of Massachusetts, Inc.” the
100	100	67following:-
101	101	68 “, Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators, Inc., Alliance for Vocational
102	102	69Technical Education Coalition,”
103	103	70 SECTION 3. Subsection (c) of section 14B of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as so
104	104	71appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the third sentence and inserting in place thereof the
105	105	72following 2 sentences:- 5 of 5
106	106	73 “Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a city or town may
107	107	74simultaneously be a member of a vocational regional school district and any other type of
108	108	75regional school district. A city or town that belongs to a regional vocational school district may
109	109	76offer a vocational technical education program in its municipal high school; provided, however,
110	110	77that the program is approved under section 2 of chapter 74 of the General Laws; provided,
111	111	78further, that a vocational regional school district and any other type of regional school district
112	112	79serving the same town shall collaborate through the office of career technical education in
113	113	80offering reciprocal non-competitive programs under chapter 74 of the General Laws; provided,
114	114	81further, that said programs meet the labor market needs in a community’s region as determined
115	115	82by Regional Workforce Boards.”
116	116	83 SECTION 4. Subsection (q) of section 16 of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as so
117	117	84appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the word “five” and inserting in place thereof the
118	118	85number “25”.
119	119	86 SECTION 5. The department of elementary and secondary education shall establish and
120	120	87administer a pilot program to incentivize collaboration between high school faculty and guidance
121	121	88counselors of schools offering chapter 74 programs and those that do not to utilize resources
122	122	89developed by career technical education to provide access to skill-training and career options for
123	123	90all students. The pilot program shall be administered for 2 years from the date the program is
124	124	91initiated. At the end of said 2-year period, the department shall submit a report on the effects of
125	125	92the program and the feasibility of continuing such program to the clerks of the house of
126	126	93representatives and the senate, and to the house and senate co-chairs of the joint committee on
127	127	94education.