(a)
The chancellor and the Superintendent shall assist economic and workforce regional development centers and consortia, community colleges, middle schools, high schools, and regional occupational centers and programs to improve linkages and career technical education pathways between high schools and community colleges to accomplish both of the following objectives:
(1)
Increase the readiness of middle school and high school pupils for, and their access to, postsecondary education and careers in high-need, high-growth, or emerging regional economic sectors.
(2)
Increase student success in postsecondary education and training for
careers in high-need, high-growth, or emerging regional economic sectors.
(b)
The assistance provided in subdivision (a) shall be provided in the form of contracts and competitive grants administered jointly by the chancellor and the Superintendent for programs and initiatives that demonstrate a plan for close collaboration among regional institutions and entities, including, but not limited to, school districts, public postsecondary educational institutions, regional occupational centers and programs, local workforce investment boards, and business or industry to jointly accomplish the following:
(1)
Align existing postsecondary technical preparation programs with high school career technical education curriculum to ensure seamless transitions for pupils.
(2)
Increase attainment of industry-recognized certificates
through community college and high school career technical education programs in high-need, high-growth, or emerging regional economic sectors.
(3)
Promote productive partnerships, such as those described in Article 5 (commencing with Section 54690) and Article 5.5 (commencing with Section 54698) of Chapter 9 of Part 29 of Division 4 of Title 2, between high school career technical education programs, postsecondary educational institutions, and emerging or growing regional businesses and industries, and labor organizations connected to those businesses and industries, preferably by building upon existing regional structures. These partnerships may include, but shall not be limited to, the provision of employee expertise, in-kind and other resources, equipment, and opportunities for pupil internships and teacher externships.
(4)
Promote and track the participation of middle school
and high school pupils and college students in articulated courses, such as those described in Section 66205.6, between high schools, community colleges, and, where appropriate, four-year postsecondary educational institutions, including a plan to disseminate or make available any new courses to interested schools and public postsecondary educational institutions statewide.
(5)
Provide professional development to middle and high school teachers and community college faculty to improve their delivery of career-oriented academic and technical education, such as the method described in paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 99200, earning a recognition of study in linked learning, as defined in Section 44257.3, or other assistance to teachers and faculty that prepares them to deliver the curriculum described in paragraph (4).
(6)
Expand middle and high school pupil and college
student opportunities for paid work opportunities, paid or unpaid internships, and participation in career technical student organizations, and expand teacher and faculty opportunities for externships in high-need, high-growth, or emerging regional job sectors.
(7)
Support a districtwide linked learning program pursuant to Section 52372.7.
(8)
Validate, or establish and validate, reliable and stable measures of pupil readiness for postsecondary education and career.
(c)
The chancellor and the Superintendent shall award first priority for contracts and grants to applicants that can demonstrate comprehensive regional collaboration to create new pathways or course sequences that begin with foundational preparation or exploration in middle school, continue with high school level courses that combine rigorous academics
with career education, and are articulated with local community colleges and four-year public postsecondary educational institutions, with meaningful involvement, where appropriate, from regional industry and labor organizations, professional trade associations, and local workforce investment boards. Where practicable, these applicants shall demonstrate that they can leverage additional financial and in-kind public and private resources to support their efforts.
(d)
The chancellor and the Superintendent shall grant second priority for contracts and grants to applicants that can display statewide benefit, through dissemination of courses, best practices, or other means.
(e)
It is the intent of the Legislature that applicants from rural regions of the state, where traditional articulation and collaboration among segments and public postsecondary educational institutions may not be
practicable due to geography, also be considered for contracts and grants.
(f)
(1)For the programs and initiatives described in paragraphs (2), (3), (4), (6), and (7) of subdivision (b), the chancellor and the Superintendent shall require applicants granted a contract or grant, pursuant to this article, to submit annual outcome-based data for evaluation, including, but not limited to, research-based indicators and measurable pupil and student outcomes for academic performance, attendance, graduation, certificates or other credentials earned, direct transitions from high school to postsecondary education and training, college eligibility, college preparedness, wages of graduates or certificate recipients, and other indicators as appropriate. The outcome-based data shall specifically identify the impact of the Career Technical Education Pathways Program on the success of participants in achieving the goals described in
paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (a).
(2)
For the programs and initiatives described in paragraphs (1), (5), and (8) of subdivision (b), the chancellor and the Superintendent shall agree upon an outcome-based evaluation that assesses the systemic impact of the specific assistance provided pursuant to this article, and require applicants granted a contract or grant, pursuant to this article, to submit annual data for that outcome-based evaluation.
(3)
The chancellor and the Superintendent shall do both of the following:
(A)
Develop standardized procedures and tools to collect the outcome-based data submitted pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2), and share that data, as appropriate, for the purposes of this article in compliance with applicable state and federal law.
(B)
Submit a report to the Governor and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature on or before March 1 of each year. The report shall include the outcome-based data submitted pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2). The report shall include the number of pupils and students served by the Career Technical Education Pathways Program and sufficient information to ensure an understanding of the expenditure of funding by type, industry, and region.
(g)
(1)The chancellor and the Superintendent shall consider the outcome-based data submitted pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (f) when determining eligibility for contract and grant renewal.
(2)
The chancellor and the Superintendent may terminate or rescind contracts and grants from grantees that fail to provide outcome-based
data pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (f).
(3)
The chancellor and the Superintendent shall consider past performance of grantees prior to awarding additional funds to those reapplying for contracts and grants, and shall deny applications from grantees that exhibited unsatisfactory performance.
(h)
The chancellor and the Superintendent shall provide notice to economic and workforce regional development centers and consortia, community colleges and other public postsecondary educational institutions, county offices of education, local educational agencies, middle schools, high schools, and regional occupational centers and programs eligible for contracts and grants under this section of the availability of contracts and grants and the process for submitting an application.
(i)
Notwithstanding any other
law, a community college district may enroll a high school pupil who is not a resident of that community college district in a program that is developed and implemented by the community college district pursuant to this section, and the district shall not be subject to any other geographic limitations for these purposes if the program is designed to serve high school pupils or involves multiple school districts or community college districts, or both, and the program is not offered at the pupil’s high school.
(j)
The chancellor and the Superintendent shall develop an implementation strategy for the program objectives listed in subdivision (a) as a part of an annual expenditure plan. The chancellor and the Superintendent shall provide the implementation strategy and annual expenditure plan to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature and to the Department of Finance at least 30 days before taking an action to implement the
expenditure plan.
(k)
This section shall be operative only in fiscal years for which funds have been appropriated by the Legislature expressly for purposes of this section.