II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1166 

To establish a pilot grant program to support career and technical education 

exploration programs in middle schools and high schools. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 30, 2015 

Mr. MERKLEY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To establish a pilot grant program to support career and 

technical education exploration programs in middle 

schools and high schools. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Building Under5 standing, Investment, Learning, and Direction Career and 

6 Technical Education Act of 2015’’ or the ‘‘BUILD Career 

7 and Technical Education Act of 2015’’. 

8 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

9 Congress finds the following: 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 1166 IS

1 (1) The average high school graduation rate for 

2 students concentrating in career and technical edu3 cation programs is 93 percent. 

4 (2) Students at schools with highly integrated 

5 rigorous academic and career and technical edu6 cation programs have significantly higher achieve7 ment in reading, mathematics, and science than do 

8 students at schools with less integrated programs. 

9 (3) Four out of 5 graduates of secondary-level 

10 career and technical education programs who pur11 sued postsecondary education after secondary school 

12 had earned a credential or were still enrolled in post13 secondary education 2 years later. 

14 (4) Eighty percent of students taking a college 

15 preparatory academic curriculum with rigorous ca16 reer and technical education programs met college 

17 and career readiness goals, compared to only 63 per18 cent of students taking the same academic core who 

19 did not experience rigorous career and technical edu20 cation programs. 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 1166 IS

1 SEC. 3. PILOT GRANT PROGRAM TO SUPPORT CAREER AND 

2 TECHNICAL EDUCATION EXPLORATION PRO3 GRAM IN MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH 

4 SCHOOLS. 

5 (a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are the fol6 lowing: 

7 (1) To provide students with opportunities to 

8 participate in career and technical education explo9 ration programs and to provide information on avail10 able career and technical education programs and 

11 their impact on college and career readiness. 

12 (2) To expand professional growth of, and ca13 reer opportunities for, students through career and 

14 technical education exploration programs. 

15 (3) To enhance collaboration between education 

16 providers and employers. 

17 (4) To develop or enhance career and technical 

18 education exploration programs with ties to a career 

19 and technical education program of study. 

20 (5) To evaluate students’ participation in co21 ordinated middle school and high school career and 

22 technical education exploration programs. 

23 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 

24 (1) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION EX25 PLORATION PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘career and tech26 nical education exploration program’’ means a 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 1166 IS

1 course or series of courses that provides experiential 

2 learning opportunities in 1 or more programs of 

3 study (including after school and during the sum4 mer), as appropriate, and the opportunity to connect 

5 experiential learning to education and career path6 ways that is offered to middle school students or 

7 high school students, or both. 

8 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

9 the Secretary of Education. 

10 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF GRANT PROGRAM.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 

12 grants to local educational agencies to support ca13 reer and technical education exploration programs. 

14 (2) GRANT DURATION.—Grants awarded under 

15 this Act shall be 2 years in duration. 

16 (3) DISTRICT CAPACITY TAKEN INTO AC17 COUNT.—In awarding grants under paragraph (1), 

18 the Secretary shall take into account the resources 

19 and capacity of each local educational agency that 

20 applies for a grant. 

21 (d) APPLICATIONS.—A local educational agency that 

22 desires to receive a grant under this Act shall submit an 

23 application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 

24 and accompanied by such information as the Secretary 

25 may require. 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 1166 IS

1 (e) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this Act, 

2 the Secretary shall give priority to grant proposals that— 

3 (1) demonstrate— 

4 (A) that a partnership among the local 

5 educational agency and business, industry, 

6 labor, or institutions of higher education, where 

7 appropriate to the grant project, exists and will 

8 participate in carrying out grant activities 

9 under this Act; 

10 (B) innovative and sustainable design; 

11 (C) a curriculum aligned with State di12 ploma requirements; 

13 (D) a focus on preparing students, includ14 ing special populations and nontraditional stu15 dents, with opportunities to explore careers and 

16 skills required for jobs in their State and that 

17 provide high wages and are in demand; 

18 (E) a method of evaluating success; and 

19 (F) that the programs to be assisted with 

20 grant funds are not receiving assistance under 

21 the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Edu22 cation Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.); 

23 and 

24 (2) include an assurance that— 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 1166 IS

1 (A) the local educational agency will fund 

2 the operational costs of the activities described 

3 in this Act after the grant period expires; and 

4 (B) if the local educational agency charges 

5 a fee to participate in the after school and sum6 mer components of the career and technical 

7 education exploration program to be carried out 

8 by the agency, the agency will implement such 

9 fee on a sliding scale according to income and 

10 established in a manner that makes participa11 tion financially feasible for all students. 

12 (f) USES OF FUNDS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—A local educational agency 

14 that receives a grant under this Act shall use the 

15 grant funds to carry out any of the following: 

16 (A) Leasing, purchasing, upgrading, or 

17 adapting equipment related to the content of 

18 career and technical education exploration pro19 gram activities. 

20 (B) Program director, instructor, or other 

21 staff expenses to coordinate or implement pro22 gram activities. 

23 (C) Consultation services with a direct 

24 alignment to the program goals. 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 1166 IS

1 (D) Support of professional development 

2 programs aligned to the program goals. 

3 (E) Minor remodeling, if any, necessary to 

4 accommodate new equipment obtained pursuant 

5 to subparagraph (A). 

6 (F) Evaluating the access to career and 

7 technical education exploration programs and 

8 the impact such programs have on the transi9 tion to career and technical programs of study 

10 (as described in section 122(c)(1)(A) of the 

11 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Edu12 cation Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2342(c)(1)(A))), 

13 or other postsecondary programs of study, high 

14 school completion, and the number of students 

15 who earn an industry-recognized credential, as16 sociate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or other ca17 reer and technical education related postsec18 ondary credit in addition to a high school di19 ploma. 

20 (2) USE AND OWNERSHIP OF MATERIALS OR

21 EQUIPMENT.—Any materials or equipment pur22 chased with grant funds awarded under this Act 

23 shall be the property of the local educational agency. 

24 (3) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—A local edu25 cational agency that receives a grant under this Act 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 1166 IS

1 may use not more than 5 percent of the grant funds 

2 for administrative costs associated with carrying out 

3 activities under this Act. 

4 (g) EVALUATIONS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—A local educational agency 

6 that receives a grant under this Act shall develop an 

7 evaluation plan of grant activities that shall include 

8 an evaluation of specific outcomes, described in 

9 paragraph (2), and progress toward meeting such 

10 outcomes within the timeline of the grant that shall 

11 be measurable through collection of appropriate data 

12 or documented through other records. Such evalua13 tion shall reflect the resources and capacity of the 

14 local educational agency. 

15 (2) OUTCOMES.—The specific outcomes shall 

16 clearly address the following areas: 

17 (A) The extent of student participation in 

18 career and technical education exploration pro19 grams. 

20 (B) Improved rigor in technical or aca21 demic content aligned to diploma requirements 

22 and industry recognized technical standards. 

23 (C) Improved alignment between career 

24 and technical education and other courses, in25 cluding core academic subjects. 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 1166 IS

1 (D) The impact such programs have on the 

2 transition to career and technical programs of 

3 study (as described in section 122(c)(1)(A) of 

4 the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Edu5 cation Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2342(c)(1)(A))) 

6 and other postsecondary programs of study. 

7 (3) SUBMISSION TO THE DEPARTMENT.—A 

8 local educational agency that receives a grant under 

9 this Act shall submit evaluations conducted under 

10 this subsection to the Secretary. 

11 (h) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds received 

12 under this Act shall be used to supplement, and not sup13 plant, funds that would otherwise be used for activities 

14 authorized under this Act. 

15 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 

17 $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 and 2017. 

Æ 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS