81R12896 JRJ-D
By: Rose H.B. No. 4150
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the collection and provision of information concerning
public school career and technology education programs.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 7.009, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 7.009. BEST PRACTICES; CLEARINGHOUSE. (a) In
coordination with the Legislative Budget Board, the agency shall
establish an online clearinghouse of information relating to best
practices of campuses, [and] school districts, and open-enrollment
charter schools. In addition to information required under
Subsection (e), the agency shall determine the appropriate topic
categories for which a campus, district, or charter school may
submit best [regarding instruction, dropout prevention, public
school finance, resource allocation, and business] practices. To
the extent practicable, the agency shall ensure that information
provided through the online clearinghouse is specific, actionable
information relating to the best practices of high-performing and
highly efficient campuses, [and school] districts, and
open-enrollment charter schools and of academically acceptable
campuses, districts, and open-enrollment charter schools that have
demonstrated significant improvement in student achievement rather
than general guidelines relating to campus, [and school] district,
and open-enrollment charter school operation. The information must
be accessible by campuses, school districts, open-enrollment
charter schools, and interested members of the public.
(b) The agency shall solicit and collect from the
Legislative Budget Board, centers for education research
established under Section 1.005, and [exemplary or recognized]
school districts, campuses, and open-enrollment charter schools[,
as rated under Section 39.072,] examples of best practices as
determined by the agency under Subsection (a) and as required under
Subsection (e) [relating to instruction, dropout prevention,
public school finance, resource allocation, and business
practices, including best practices relating to curriculum, scope
and sequence, compensation and incentive systems, bilingual
education and special language programs, compensatory education
programs, and the effective use of instructional technology,
including online courses].
(c) The agency shall contract for the services of one or
more third-party contractors to develop, implement, and maintain a
system of collecting and evaluating the best practices of campuses,
[and] school districts, and open-enrollment charter schools as
provided by this section. In addition to any other considerations
required by law, the agency must consider an applicant's
demonstrated competence and qualifications in analyzing campus,
[and] school district, and open-enrollment charter school
practices in awarding a contract under this subsection.
(d) The commissioner may purchase from available funds
curriculum and other instructional tools identified under this
section to provide for use by school districts and open-enrollment
charter schools.
(e) The clearinghouse shall collect and provide information
relating to best practices in career and technology education,
including:
(1) model programs that connect kindergarten through
grade 12 to postsecondary employment or higher education in a
seamless system that includes the use of quality internship
programs;
(2) courses that teach the required curriculum under
Section 28.002 in a manner that may be applied to employment skills;
(3) models of course scheduling that allow students to
participate in a coherent sequence of career and technology courses
while meeting the requirement adopted under Section 28.025 that
students complete four courses in each subject of the foundation
curriculum under Section 28.002(a)(1);
(4) counseling that:
(A) assists students in identifying high-demand,
high-wage occupations appropriate for the student;
(B) diagnoses the current skills of students and
determines the skills needed for those high-demand, high-wage
occupations;
(C) assists students in planning courses and
schedules to acquire needed skills; and
(D) connects students to employment
opportunities and to institutions of higher education; and
(5) the integration and use of Internet courses into
the career and technology education course sequences.
(f) This subsection expires January 31, 2011. Not later
than January 1, 2011, the agency shall report to the chair of each
standing committee of the legislature with primary jurisdiction
over public education recommendations regarding how to use the
clearinghouse established under this section as a dynamic technical
assistance and support tool. The recommendations must include
recommendations regarding:
(1) using the clearinghouse to provide classroom
teachers, school districts, and open-enrollment charter schools
with statewide access to high-quality curricula;
(2) consolidating similar state Internet web portals
into a central framework; and
(3) providing students access to Internet-based
academic and career counseling that includes cooperation among the
relevant state agencies for the purpose of transitioning students,
including students enrolled in a special education program under
Subchapter A, Chapter 29, from kindergarten through grade 12 to
postsecondary employment or higher education.
SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 33, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 33.008 to read as follows:
Sec. 33.008. COUNSELING REGARDING CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY
EDUCATION. (a) Each counselor at a middle or junior high school,
including an open-enrollment charter school offering those grades,
shall advise students and their parents or guardians regarding the
purposes of and available options for career and technology
education as part of any information provided to a student for
purposes of establishing a personal graduation plan.
(b) During the first school year a student is enrolled in a
high school or at the high school level in an open-enrollment
charter school, a counselor shall provide information about career
and technology education to the student and the student's parent or
guardian as part of any information provided to a student for
purposes of establishing a personal graduation plan. The career
and technology information provided must include information
regarding:
(1) obtaining an aptitude or interest assessment;
(2) available course and career options, including
projected future demand for particular careers;
(3) certification and licensing requirements,
including skills needed and coursework required to meet those
requirements; and
(4) postsecondary education and training
opportunities.
SECTION 3. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 61.0663 to read as follows:
Sec. 61.0663. ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY. (a) To assess the
economic benefits and preparation for employment provided by public
institutions of higher education, the board shall identify students
enrolled in the public education system and collect data on which
postsecondary program, if any, the students enroll in and the type
of employment the students obtain following completion of high
school or the program, as applicable.
(b) The board, in consultation with the Texas Education
Agency, the Texas Workforce Commission, and the comptroller, shall
use the education and employment data collected under Subsection
(a), and any additional relevant data, to assess the economic
impact of secondary and postsecondary training and education. The
information must be produced in a manner that:
(1) demonstrates patterns of postsecondary enrollment
and employment placement;
(2) provides an assessment of the economic benefits of
institutions of higher education and programs at those institutions
to students and the state; and
(3) provides an assessment of the economic benefit of
public education programs that prepare students who transition
directly to postsecondary employment.
(c) The information produced under this section must be
capable of electronic dissemination and made available to the
public in a format that assists students in making decisions
regarding education and career choices.
(d) This section does not authorize the disclosure of
student information that may not be disclosed under the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Section
1232g). The board, in conjunction with the commissioner of
education, the comptroller, and the Texas Workforce Commission,
shall adopt rules to protect the confidentiality of student
information.
SECTION 4. Section 61.0762, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 61.0762. PROGRAMS TO ENHANCE STUDENT SUCCESS. (a) To
implement the college readiness and success strategic action plan
adopted under Section 61.0761 and to enhance the success of
students at institutions of higher education, the board by rule
shall develop:
(1) summer higher education bridge programs in the
subject areas of mathematics, science, and English language arts;
(2) incentive programs for institutions of higher
education that implement research-based, innovative developmental
education initiatives;
(3) financial assistance programs for educationally
disadvantaged students, as defined by Section 5.001, who take
college entrance and college readiness assessment instruments;
(4) professional development programs for faculty of
institutions of higher education on college readiness standards and
the implications of such standards on instruction; and
(5) other programs as determined by the board that
support the participation and success goals in "Closing the Gaps,"
the state's master plan for higher education.
(b) As one of the programs adopted under Subsection (a)(5),
the board shall establish education resource centers to create
within school communities interest in and information concerning
attendance at institutions of higher education. Each center must
attempt to coordinate among students, parents, school counselors,
and institutions of higher education in providing access to
resources helpful in preparation for attendance at and admission to
institutions of higher education. One or more persons associated
with each center shall be trained and able to assist the families of
high school students complete the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) form. Each center shall provide information
concerning career and technical education, including certification
and licensing requirements and available course and career options
and degree programs. A center under this subsection may be located
on a high school or middle school campus or at a site within a
community that is conveniently located to many students, such as a
public library or local workforce or community center, or may be a
mobile center that visits schools or other places where students
are likely to gather.
(c) The board shall conduct ongoing evaluations of programs
developed under Subsection (a) and any other programs developed to
provide information concerning postsecondary educational or
employment opportunities to determine the effectiveness of the
programs in meeting the goals of "Closing the Gaps," the state's
master plan for higher education.
(d) In conjunction with the comptroller, the board shall
develop an Internet website for the purpose of providing
information to the public about postsecondary educational and
employment opportunities. The website shall provide information in
English and Spanish concerning:
(1) career and technical education programs that
integrate academic, technical, and career skills that lead to a
license, certificate, or postsecondary degree;
(2) available employment opportunities and the
educational requirements needed for employment at entry and
advanced levels;
(3) which occupations are considered high-demand, as
determined by the board in conjunction with the Texas Workforce
Commission;
(4) the skills needed and the available avenues for
obtaining employment in a high-demand occupation; and
(5) how to obtain financial aid and what forms of
financial aid are available to students entering certain
occupations.
(e) For the purpose of developing the Internet website under
Subsection (d), the board may require the Texas Education Agency to
provide information on educational programs and outcomes and the
Texas Workforce Commission to provide information on workforce
programs and outcomes.
(f) As one of the programs adopted under Subsection (a)(5),
the board, in conjunction with the comptroller and the Texas
Workforce Commission, shall establish mobile career centers that
visit schools or other places where students are likely to gather.
The mobile career centers shall provide students information on
various occupations including:
(1) the potential future employment demand for the
occupation;
(2) the earning potential for a person employed in the
occupation;
(3) the skills and training needed for employment in
the occupation;
(4) a list of courses applicable to the occupation,
including courses offered in high school, for dual credit, on the
Internet, and at institutions of higher education, and the extent
to which those courses are available to the student; and
(5) information concerning post entry-level
employment opportunities in the occupation and, to the extent
feasible, information concerning the education required to access
those future opportunities.
SECTION 5. Section 2 of this Act applies beginning with the
2009-2010 school year.
SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2009.