Middle School STEP Act

Summary: Middle School Technical Education Program Act or the Middle School STEP Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to:   create a pilot program for career and technical education exploration programs, and  award grants to eligible partnerships (local educational agencies, area career and technical education schools, educational service agencies, and other organizations) to develop a middle school career and technical education exploration program that transition to career and technical education programs of study. 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Middle School Technical Education 
Program Act'' or the ``Middle School STEP Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Career and technical education prepares students to be 
        college and career ready by providing core academic, technical, 
        and employability skills.
            (2) Eighty percent of students taking a college preparatory 
        academic curriculum with rigorous career and technical 
        education courses met college and career readiness goals, 
        compared to 63 percent of students taking the same academic 
        core who did not experience rigorous career and technical 
        education courses.
            (3) Students concentrating in career and technical 
        education improved their 12th grade National Assessment of 
        Educational Progress scores by 8 points in reading and 11 
        points in mathematics, while students who took no career and 
        technical education courses did not increase their mathematics 
        scores and only increased reading scores by 4 points.
            (4) The average high school graduation rate in 2008 for 
        students concentrating in career and technical education 
        programs was 90 percent, compared to the average nationwide 
        high school graduation rate of 75 percent.
            (5) Partnerships between businesses and educators help 
        adults build academic, technical, and employability skills 
        through education and on-the-job training.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to support the development 
of middle school career exploration programs linked to career and 
technical education programs of study.
    (b) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Career and technical education exploration program.--
        The term ``career and technical education exploration program'' 
        means a program that is developed through an organized, 
        systemic framework and is designed to aid students in making 
        informed plans and decisions about future education and career 
        opportunities and enrollment in career and technical education 
        programs of study.
            (2) Eligible partnership.--The term ``eligible 
        partnership'' means an entity that--
                    (A) shall include--
                            (i) not less than 1 local educational 
                        agency that receives funding under section 131 
                        of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical 
                        Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2351), or an 
                        area career and technical education school or 
                        educational service agency described in such 
                        section;
                            (ii) not less than 1 eligible institution 
                        that receives funding under section 132 of the 
                        Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 
                        Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2352); and
                            (iii) not less than 1 representative of 
                        either a local or regional business, industry, 
                        nonprofit organization, or apprenticeship 
                        program; and
                    (B) may include other representatives of the 
                community, including representatives of parents' 
                organizations, labor organizations, nonprofit 
                organizations, employers, and representatives of local 
                workforce development boards (established under 
                subtitle A of title I of the Workforce Innovation and 
                Opportunity Act).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.

SEC. 4. CAREER EXPLORATION PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.

    (a) Authorization.--The Secretary shall create a pilot program to 
support the establishment of career and technical education exploration 
programs. In carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary shall award 
grants to eligible partnerships to enable the eligible partnerships to 
develop middle school career and technical education exploration 
programs that are aligned with career and technical education programs 
of study described in section 122(c)(1)(A) of the Carl D. Perkins 
Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2342(c)(1)(A)).
    (b) Grant Duration.--Grants awarded under this Act shall be for a 
period of not more than 4 years.
    (c) Application.--An eligible partnership seeking a grant under 
this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time 
and in such manner as the Secretary may require. Each application shall 
include--
            (1) a description of the partner entities comprising the 
        eligible partnership, the roles and responsibilities of each 
        partner, and a demonstration of each partner's capacity to 
        support the program;
            (2) a description of how the eligible partnership will use 
        grant funds to carry out each of the activities described under 
        subsection (e);
            (3) a description of how the middle school career and 
        technical education exploration program aligns to regional 
        economies and local emerging workforce needs;
            (4) a description of how the new middle school career and 
        technical education exploration program is linked to--
                    (A) one or more career and technical education 
                programs of study offered by the agency or school 
                described in section 3(b)(2)(A)(i); and
                    (B) one or more career and technical education 
                programs of study offered by the postsecondary 
                institution described in section 3(b)(2)(A)(ii);
            (5) a description of the students that will be served by 
        the middle school career and technical education exploration 
        program;
            (6) a description of how the middle school career and 
        technical education exploration program funded by the grant 
        will be replicable;
            (7) a description of how the eligible partnership will 
        disseminate information about best practices resulting from the 
        middle school career and technical education exploration 
        program to similar career and technical education programs of 
        study, including such programs in urban and rural areas;
            (8) a description of how the middle school career and 
        technical education exploration program will be implemented;
            (9) a description of how the middle school career and 
        technical education exploration program will provide 
        accessibility to students, especially economically 
        disadvantaged, low-performing, and urban and rural students; 
        and
            (10) a description of how the eligible partnership will 
        carry out the evaluation required under subsection (f).
    (d) Selection of Grantees.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall determine, based on 
        the peer review process described in paragraph (3) and subject 
        to the requirement in paragraph (4), which eligible partnership 
        applicants shall receive funding under this Act, and the amount 
        of the grant funding under this Act that each selected eligible 
        partnership will receive.
            (2) Grant amounts.--In determining the amount of each grant 
        awarded under this Act, the Secretary shall--
                    (A) ensure that all grants are of sufficient size, 
                scope, and quality to be effective; and
                    (B) take into account the total amount of funds 
                available for all grants under this Act and the types 
                of activities proposed to be carried out by the 
                eligible partnership.
            (3) Peer review process.--
                    (A) Establishment of peer review committee.--The 
                Secretary shall convene a peer review committee to 
                review applications for grants under this Act and to 
                make recommendations to the Secretary regarding the 
                selection of grantees.
                    (B) Members of the peer review committee.--The peer 
                review committee shall include the following members:
                            (i) Educators who have experience 
                        implementing career and technical education 
                        programs and career exploration programs.
                            (ii) Experts in the field of career and 
                        technical education.
            (4) Rural or small local educational agencies.--The 
        Secretary shall set aside not less than 5 percent of the funds 
        made available to award grants under this Act to award grants 
        to eligible partnerships that include rural or small local 
        educational agencies, as defined by the Secretary.
    (e) Use of Funds.--Each eligible partnership receiving a grant 
under this section shall use grant funds to develop and implement a 
middle school career and technical education exploration program that--
            (1) shall--
                    (A) include introductory courses or experiential 
                activities, such as student apprenticeships or other 
                work-based learning methods, and project-based learning 
                experiences;
                    (B) include the implementation of a plan that 
                demonstrates the transition from the middle school 
                career and technical education exploration program to a 
                career and technical education program of study that is 
                offered by the entity described in section 
                3(b)(2)(A)(i);
                    (C) include programs and activities related to the 
                development of individualized graduation and career 
                plans for students; and
                    (D) offer career guidance and academic counseling 
                that--
                            (i) provides information about 
                        postsecondary education and career options; and
                            (ii) provides participating students with 
                        readily available career and labor market 
                        information, such as information about 
                        employment sectors, educational requirements, 
                        information on workforce supply and demand, and 
                        other information on careers that are aligned 
                        to State or local economic priorities; and
            (2) may include expanded learning time activities that--
                    (A) focus on career exploration, including 
                apprenticeships and internships;
                    (B) are available to all students in a middle 
                school; and
                    (C) take place during a time that is outside of the 
                standard hours of enrollment for students that are 
                served by the local educational agency.
    (f) Evaluations and Report.--
            (1) Evaluation.--
                    (A) In general.--Each eligible partnership that 
                receives a grant under this Act shall collect 
                appropriate data, or otherwise document through records 
                (in a manner that complies with section 444 of the 
                General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g), 
                commonly known as the ``Family Educational Rights and 
                Privacy Act of 1974'' and other applicable Federal and 
                State privacy laws) the information necessary to 
                conduct an evaluation of grant activities, including an 
                evaluation of--
                            (i) the extent of student participation in 
                        the middle school career and technical 
                        education exploration program carried out under 
                        this Act;
                            (ii) the impact of the middle school career 
                        and technical education exploration program 
                        carried out under this Act on the students' 
                        transition to, or planned participation in, 
                        career and technical programs of study (as 
                        described in section 122(c)(1)(A) of the Carl 
                        D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act 
                        of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2342(c)(1)(A)); and
                            (iii) any other measurable outcomes 
                        specified by the Secretary.
                    (B) Resources of the eligible partnership.--The 
                evaluation described in this paragraph shall reflect 
                the resources and capacity of the local educational 
                agency, area career and technical education school, or 
                educational service agency that is part of the eligible 
                partnership in a manner determined by the Secretary.
            (2) Report.--The eligible partnership shall prepare and 
        submit to the Secretary a report containing the results of the 
        evaluation described in paragraph (1).