2017 has been a busy year for state CTE policy—and it’s only August! Below is a sampling of state legislation, board of education actions, governor’s initiatives and more that are relevant to CTE. Our full review of this year’s state CTE policies, co-authored with Advance CTE, will be released in January 2018.
Arizona: The state Board of Education approved a college and career readiness indicator, weighted at 20 percent. Schools can qualify when their students complete a CTE sequence and pass a technical skills assessment; earn an industry certification, certificate or license; meet benchmarks for ASVAB or ACT WorkKeys; or complete at least 120 hours of work-based learning, among other actions.
Colorado: HB1041 requires K-12 career planning to address a variety of career pathways, including military service as well as non-degree options such as certificates and apprenticeships.
Illinois: HB2470 allows individuals to receive a CTE teaching endorsement if they have earned 60 credit hours from a trade/technical institution. Related legislation lets those with CTE endorsements on an Educator License with Stipulations to substitute teach in CTE classrooms, and waives a requirement that provisional CTE-endorsed teachers take 20 semester hours to renew their license.
Maine: LD1576 amends prior legislation to allow students in grades 6-8 to participate in CTE classes.
Missouri: The state Board of Education approved requirements for a CTE graduation certificate, which was authorized in 2016 legislation. Students entering high school in school year 2017-18 can earn this certificate if they meet all graduation requirements; qualify as a CTE concentrator; maintain a 3.0 GPA in their CTE area of study; pass a technical skills assessment/industry certification exam; complete at least 50 hours of work-based learning in their CTE area of study; maintain attendance; demonstrate soft skills; and achieve a passing score on any approved measure of college and career readiness.
Tennessee: The state passed a budget this year with a one-time increase of $16.25 million for College, Career and Technical Education, to be used for equipment for secondary CTE programs.
Virginia: The College Credits for Apprenticeships measure requires community colleges to award credit for completion of an approved apprenticeship.
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