An Act To Allow the Awarding of Graduation Credits by Career and Technical Education Centers and Regions
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1267
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: POULIOT, STEARNS, GRATWICK, HERBIG, LIBBY, MILLETT, TIMBERLAKE, DAUGHTRY
Amends: 20-A MRSA §4722, 20-A MRSA §4722-A, 20-A MRSA §8306-C

Legislative Document
No. 1267
S.P. 387
In Senate, March 14, 2019
An Act To Allow the Awarding of Graduation Credits by Career 
and Technical Education Centers and Regions
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator POULIOT of Kennebec.
Cosponsored by Representative STEARNS of Guilford and
Senators: GRATWICK of Penobscot, HERBIG of Waldo, LIBBY of Androscoggin, 
MILLETT of Cumberland, TIMBERLAKE of Androscoggin, Representative: DAUGHTRY of 
Brunswick.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §4722, sub-§2-B is enacted to read:
2-B.  Career and technical education credit toward graduation requirements. 
Course credit earned by a student of a school administrative unit through career and 
technical education courses and programs approved by the commissioner under section 
8306-C must be applied by the school administrative unit toward the student's 
achievement of the graduation requirements of this section and the parameters for 
essential instruction and graduation requirements established under section 6209, 
subsection 2.
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §4722-A, sub-§3, ¶F is enacted to read:
F.  In addition to the circumstances under paragraph B-2, course credit earned 
through career and technical education courses and programs approved by the 
commissioner under section 8306-C must be applied to the content areas in the 
statewide system of learning results established pursuant to section 6209.
Sec. 3.  20-A MRSA §8306-C is enacted to read:
§8306-C.  Approval of programs and courses for credit toward graduation 
requirements
A career and technical education center or region may award course credit in the 
content areas of the statewide system of learning results established pursuant to section 
6209 for approved courses under this section.  A unit shall count course credit awarded 
under this section toward the graduation requirements established under sections 4722 
and 4722-A. 
1.  Procedure.  A career and technical education center or region may submit a 
course or program to the commissioner for approval pursuant to subsection 2.
2.  Approval.  The commissioner shall approve courses and programs that meet the 
criteria established pursuant to rule.  For each course or program approved by the 
commissioner, the commissioner shall establish the credit to be awarded on completion of 
the course or program and the content area toward which a unit must count the credit.
3.  Rules.  The commissioner shall adopt rules to implement this section.  The rules 
must include:
A.  A procedure for a career and technical education center or region to submit a 
course or program to be approved for credit toward graduation requirements under 
subsection 1; and
B.  Criteria in each content area established under sections 4722, 4722-A and 6209 
that a career and technical education course or program must meet for approval under 
this section.
Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
SUMMARY
This bill allows career and technical education centers and regions to award credit 
toward graduation requirements for courses and programs that are approved by the 
Commissioner of Education.  The commissioner is required to establish the credit to be 
awarded and the content area toward which the school administrative unit must apply the 
credit.  Finally, the commissioner must adopt routine technical rules that develop a 
procedure for career and technical education centers and regions to submit courses and 
programs for approval and criteria in each content area that the course or program must 
meet to be approved.