This week, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Rob Portman (R-OH), co-chairs of the Senate Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus, introduced the Career Ready Act of 2015, a bill to help ensure students are college-and career-ready by strengthening school counseling programs and encouraging states to keep track of career readiness indicators by amending the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
The bill has two key provisions, the first seeking to expand state efforts to utilize career readiness indicators of student performance by allowing states to incorporate such indicators, including student attainment of postsecondary credentials while in high school and student achievement on technical skills proficiencies, into their ESEA state accountability system and to report on those indicators as part of their annual state report card. Second, it would strengthen the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling grant program in current law by emphasizing career guidance activities, and would provide school counselors with professional development and other resources to better advise students on postsecondary education and career opportunities.
The bipartisan cosponsors of the bill expressed their desire to promote career readiness through this legislation. “By keeping track of efforts to prepare students for the careers of the 21st century, we encourage states to place an emphasis on career and technical education because employers will see this data and locate their operations in regions with a high-skilled workforce,” said Sen. Kaine. Sen. Baldwin stated that the Career Ready Act “will allow students to be career-ready on graduation day with a solid foundation for any further training needed to enter the field of their choice.” Sen. Portman added, “While much focus is given to traditional college preparation, career readiness programs are also critical to help students obtain a job in a high-demand career field – and we must do better at encouraging states to highlight these opportunities.”
ACTE proudly endorses the Career Ready Act, and we urge Congress to incorporate these initiatives as it considers as part of the ESEA reauthorization. "By encouraging greater use of career readiness performance indicators, we're giving states and school districts the tools they need to ensure every student graduates college- and career- ready, and providing employers with meaningful data about student achievement,” said ACTE Executive Director LeAnn Wilson. “I also want to applaud these Senators' recognition of the need to support career and guidance counselors in their work by creating increased professional development opportunities. In doing so, we can guide students to educational opportunities that will prepare them for workforce success in their local community and lay the foundation for America's global economic competitiveness."
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