H259 - 2023 Appropriations Act. (SL 2023-134)

Overview: Section 7.13 of S.L. 2023-134 requires, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, all middle and high school students in a local school administrative unit (LEA) to complete a career development plan (CDP) by the end of seventh grade and to revise the plan by the end of tenth grade. Charter schools are encouraged to have students complete CDPs. Local boards of education must ensure that CDPs are easily accessible to students and parents, including written notice to parents on the creation of the CDP and how to access it, and provide assistance to students in creating the CDP.

The State Board of Education (SBE) must adopt rules to establish the minimum requirements for CDPs and designate the electronic application that will be used to access CDPs. At a minimum, the CDPs must include the following:

• A self-assessment of the student's career interests and skills.
• An exploration and identification of career pathways aligned with the student's self-assessment that includes information on education and training, the most cost-efficient path to entry, and school opportunities to explore and prepare for the career.
• An alignment of academic courses and extracurricular activities with the student's identified career interests, including an inventory of aligned courses in middle and high school and a record of the student's completed dual-enrollment, advanced placement, and certain other courses, extracurricular activities, and awards and recognition.
• A career portfolio for the student, which can include items such as the students' résumé, documentation of postsecondary plans, completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and occupational outlook for identified career interests.

Prior to the start of the 2024-2025 school year, the SBE must develop standards and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the local boards of education, as appropriate, must provide curriculum content for an elective middle school course in which students investigate and learn about career pathways. The standards must align with the requirements for CDPs and include a focus on experiential and hands on learning.

For the 2023-2024 school year, the SBE must establish a pilot of at least 20 LEAs to develop the plan requirements and professional development necessary for successful statewide implementation of CDPs in the 2024-2025 school year. DPI must develop and provide a CDP electronic application no later than the 2024-2025 school year to provide access for all students and parents to the student's CDP and integrate with career information available through other State agencies.

Except as otherwise provided, this section became effective July 1, 2023.