Career Ready Act of 2015

To promote career readiness indicators and career counseling for students. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Career Ready Act of 2015 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) (1) by striking include other academic indicators include other college and career ready indicators (2) by striking such as achievement on 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) (1) in clause (vi), by striking and (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. . 3. Career guidance and counseling Section 5421 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 7245 (1) in subsection (a)(2)(B), by striking for initiating or expanding school counseling 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 social service agencies, (ii) by inserting , where appropriate in the case of secondary school applications 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 (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 (B) in subparagraph (L) by striking the period at the end and inserting ; 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 (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. .

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.