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Portman Bill to Improve Career Readiness in Schools Included
in Final Education Bill
Senate Expected to Vote on Portman’s Bill Next Week
Special
to The Truth
Last week,
U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), co-chair of the
Senate
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus,
announced that his Career Ready Act of 2015 is included in
the final Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Portman’s bill
is intended to ensure students are college and career-ready
by strengthening school counseling programs and encouraging
states to keep track of career readiness factors implemented
in school districts. He authored this bipartisan legislation
with U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.). The Senate is expected
to vote on ESSA next week.
“While much focus is given to traditional college
preparation, career readiness programs are also critical to
help Ohio students obtain a job in a high-demand career
field,” Portman said. “Our bill will encourage states to
highlight these opportunities and to better prepare students
for jobs in the 21st century. I’m pleased my
provisions have been included in the final education bill
and I urge my colleagues to pass it quickly.”
The Career Ready Act of 2015 amends the Elementary and
Secondary Schools Act (ESEA) to encourage states to keep
track of school districts’ use of “career readiness
indicators,” which are factors that demonstrate a student’s
preparedness for postsecondary education and the workforce,
such as CTE course completion and the number of students
earning postsecondary credentials while in high school.
Currently, all 50 states track districts’ efforts to instill
academic knowledge for college preparation, but less than
half of states publicly report on career readiness
indicators. By tracking and publishing this data, businesses
and workforce leaders will be better-informed about the
level of career preparation in a given state or region.
Additionally, the bill amends the current Elementary and
Secondary School Counseling grant program to fund
professional development for school counselors and train
them to use information on the workforce needs of the local
community to help guide students toward in-demand career
paths.
The Career Ready Act has been endorsed by the Alliance for
Excellent Education, the American Federation of Teachers
(AFT), the Association for Career and Technical Education,
and the National Association of State Directors of Career
and Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc).
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