Career Ready Act of 2015

Summary: Career Ready Act of 2015 Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states to include certain career readiness indicators in their determination as to whether students are making adequate yearly progress toward state academic performance standards. Allows states to include on their annual report cards on student progress toward those standards:  the number and percentage of their public secondary school students who attain state and local adjusted levels of career and technical education performance, as defined by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006; the number and percentage of their public secondary school students that attain a recognized postsecondary credential, as defined by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; and high school graduation, enrollment, remediation, persistence, and completion rates.  Requires local educational agencies awarded a grant for elementary and secondary school counseling programs under part D of title V of the ESEA to use the funds for additional activities that include:  developing and implementing comprehensive school counseling programs that are aligned with their grant applications;  identifying regional workforce trends, in collaboration with entities experienced in identifying such trends, and enabling school counselor programs at the secondary school level to access that data;  training counselors to effectively provide labor market information to secondary school students; developing and implementing integrated, job-embedded, and ongoing professional development programs for educators who prepare students for postsecondary opportunities and careers; and developing personalized learning plans for each student that map a defined program of study based on the student's academic and career goals. 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Career Ready Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. CAREER READINESS INDICATORS.

    (a) Adequate Yearly Progress.--Section 1111(b)(2)(C)(vii) of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
6311(b)(2)(C)(vii)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``include other academic indicators'' and 
        inserting ``include other college and career ready 
        indicators''; and
            (2) by striking ``such as achievement on'' and all that 
        follows through the end of the clause and inserting ``such as--
                                    ``(I) achievement on additional 
                                State or locally administered 
                                assessments;
                                    ``(II) decreases in grade-to-grade 
                                retention rates;
                                    ``(III) attendance rates and rates 
                                of chronic absenteeism;
                                    ``(IV) the number and percentage of 
                                students attaining recognized 
                                postsecondary credentials, as defined 
                                by the Workforce Innovation and 
                                Opportunity Act, while in secondary 
                                school;
                                    ``(V) the number and percentage of 
                                students attaining State and local 
                                adjusted levels of performance, as 
                                defined in section 113(b) of the Carl 
                                D. Perkins Career and Technical 
                                Education Act of 2006, and reported by 
                                the State in a manner consistent with 
                                section 113(c) of such Act;
                                    ``(VI) measures that integrate 
                                preparation for postsecondary education 
                                and the workforce, including measures 
                                of performance in coursework sequences 
                                that include rigorous academics, work-
                                based learning, and career and 
                                technical education;
                                    ``(VII) performance on assessments 
                                of career readiness;
                                    ``(VIII) rates of enrollment, 
                                remediation, persistence, and 
                                completion of postsecondary education; 
                                and
                                    ``(IX) the number, percentage, and 
                                changes in the percentages of students 
                                completing gifted and talented, 
                                advanced placement, and college 
                                preparatory courses.''.
    (b) State Report Card Optional Information.--Section 1111(h)(1)(D) 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
6311(h)(1)(D)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (vi), by striking ``and'' after the 
        semicolon;
            (2) in clause (vii), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(viii) the number and percentage of 
                        students enrolled in each public secondary 
                        school in the State who attain State and local 
                        adjusted levels of performance, as defined in 
                        section 113(b) of the Carl D. Perkins Career 
                        and Technical Education Act of 2006, and 
                        reported by the State in a manner consistent 
                        with section 113(c) of such Act;
                            ``(ix) the number and percentage of 
                        students enrolled in each public secondary 
                        school in the State that attain a recognized 
                        postsecondary credential, as defined in section 
                        3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
                        Act, while in secondary school; and
                            ``(x) for high schools--
                                    ``(I) the high school graduation 
                                rate; and
                                    ``(II) rates of enrollment, 
                                remediation, persistence, and 
                                completion of postsecondary education 
                                for students.''.

SEC. 3. CAREER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING.

    Section 5421 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 7245) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(2)(B), by striking ``for initiating 
        or expanding school counseling'' and inserting ``for 
        initiating, enriching, or expanding school counseling and 
        career guidance'';
            (2) in subsection (b)(2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (D)--
                            (i) by inserting ``local workforce 
                        development board described in section 107 of 
                        the Workforce Opportunity and Investment Act 
                        (29 U.S.C. 3122), regional economic development 
                        agencies, area career and technical education 
                        schools (as defined in section 3 of the Carl D. 
                        Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 
                        2006), local businesses and industries, 
                        organizations offering apprenticeship programs, 
                        tribal organizations, labor organizations, 
                        programs leading to a recognized postsecondary 
                        credential,'' after ``social service 
                        agencies,''; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``, where appropriate in 
                        the case of secondary school applications'' 
                        after ``school-linked services integration'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (G), by striking and after the 
                semicolon;
                    (C) in subparagraph (H) by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(I) describe how the local educational agency 
                will provide college and career awareness and 
                exploration activities, which may begin prior to a 
                student entering high school; and
                    ``(J) describe how the local educational agency 
                will provide students with comprehensive and timely 
                school counseling that addresses both college and 
                career planning needs.''; and
            (3) in subsection (c)(2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (K) by striking ``and'' after 
                the semicolon;
                    (B) in subparagraph (L) by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(M) develop and implement comprehensive school 
                counseling programs that align with the local 
                educational agency's application;
                    ``(N) in the case of a program serving secondary 
                schools, identify regional workforce trends in 
                collaboration with entities with expertise in 
                identifying such trends, such as local workforce 
                development boards described in section 107 of the 
                Workforce Opportunity and Investment Act (29 U.S.C. 
                3122) and regional economic development organizations;
                    ``(O) in the case of a program serving secondary 
                schools, train counselors to effectively provide 
                students with labor market information;
                    ``(P) in the case of a program serving secondary 
                schools, develop and implement a process for school 
                counselors and school counselor programs to access the 
                information regarding the regional workforce trends 
                identified in paragraph (N);
                    ``(Q) where appropriate, develop and implement 
                integrated, job-embedded, and ongoing professional 
                development programs for counselors and other educators 
                involved in preparing students for postsecondary 
                opportunities and careers; and
                    ``(R) where appropriate, develop personalized 
                learning plans for each student that map a defined 
                program of study based on the student's academic and 
                career goals.''.