ASSEMBLY, No. 951
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION
By Assemblyman FELICE
An Act concerning vocational education and supplementing P.L.1979, c.241 (C.18A:7C-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Vocational Student Opportunities Act."
2. The Legislature finds and declares that vocational education is one important component of the mix of educational opportunities offered to our students, that recent changes in high school graduation requirements adopted by the State Board of Education make it very difficult for students to attend vocational programs, that high school graduation requirements should accurately reflect the academic content of vocational education courses, and that students should be afforded the opportunity to acquire both a solid mastery of needed academic skills and valuable vocational training.
3. The Department of Education shall establish a standardized process for the evaluation of each vocational and technical education program offered by county vocational schools and local area vocational technical schools for the purpose of identifying the mathematics and science skills that are taught in the program. Any student who satisfactorily completes a vocational or technical course or program which is determined to contain appropriate mathematics and science skills shall receive credit toward meeting high school graduation requirements for mathematics or science established by statute or regulation.
4. The Department of Education shall provide technical assistance, including inservice training, to any vocational or technical education program which has been determined not to be teaching mathematics and science skills which can be credited for high school graduation pursuant to section 3 of this act and which program seeks to modify its curriculum in order for its courses to be credited toward the mathematics or science high school graduation requirements.
5. No student shall be denied admission to, nor be precluded from attending, a vocational or technical education program offered by a county vocational school or local area vocational technical school solely because that student has not received a passing grade on the State graduation proficiency test.
6. A county vocational school district or a local area vocational technical school may elect to offer an approved remedial education program for any student who is enrolled in a vocational program and who has not received a passing grade on the State graduation proficiency test. This program, if approved by the commissioner, shall satisfy the requirement for remedial instruction established by section 3 of P.L.1979, c.241 (C.18A:7C-3). For a student attending a local area vocational technical school on a part-time basis, the remedial education program may be offered by the vocational school in conjunction with the student's high school of attendance. For a student attending a county vocational school on a part-time basis, the remedial education program may be offered by the vocational school in conjunction with the student's local district.
7. A county vocational school which is providing remedial education, pursuant to the provisions of section 6 of this act, shall be eligible to receive State compensatory education aid pursuant to section 20 of P.L.1975, c.212 (C.18A:7A-20) in addition to other State funds to which it may be entitled pursuant to section 24 of that act (C.18A:7A-24). When a vocational school provides a remedial program in conjunction with a local district, the Commissioner of Education shall determine the appropriate distribution of State compensatory education aid money between the county vocational school district and the local district.
8. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill, the "Vocational Student Opportunities Act", modifies the State high school graduation requirements and procedures to facilitate the successful completion of programs offered by vocational schools. The bill provides that a student in a county vocational school or local area vocational technical school can receive a State endorsed high school diploma without completing the course requirements established by the State Board of Education provided that the student demonstrates mastery of the core subject matter in each curricular area and satisfies all other graduation requirements, including passage of the high school proficiency test.
The bill directs the State Department of Education to evaluate each vocational and technical program to identify the mathematics and science skills taught. A student who successfully completes a course or program which is identified as containing the appropriate skills shall receive credit toward high school graduation requirements in mathematics or science. The bill also directs the department to provide technical assistance, including inservice training to vocational or technical training programs to permit the program to alter the curriculum in order to meet the mathematics and science requirements.
The bill also provides that a student shall not be denied admission to a vocational education program because the student has failed to pass the graduation test. The bill authorizes the county vocational schools to offer remedial programs, on their own or in conjunction with local high schools, and to receive State compensatory education aid.
"Vocational Student Opportunities Act" which facilitates successful completion of vocational school programs.