,,ii #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #bghh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #aj1 #bjad ,mr4 ,kaine 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,boxer1 ,mr4 ,casey1 and ,mr4 ,warner7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to provide support for the development of middle school career exploration programs linked to career and technical education programs of study4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,middle ,school ,technical ,education ,program ,act or the ,middle ,school ,,step ,act4 #b4 ,findings 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,career and technical education prepares students to be college and career ready by providing core academic1 technical1 and employability skills4 7#b7 ,eighty percent of students taking a college preparatory academic curriculum with rigorous career and technical education courses met college and career readiness goals1 compared to #fc percent of students taking the same academic core who did not experience rigorous career and technical education courses4 7#c7 ,students concentrating in career and technical education improved their #abth grade ,national ,assessment of ,educational ,progress scores by #h points in reading and #aa points in mathematics1 while students who took no career and technical education courses did not increase their mathematics scores and only increased reading scores by #d points4 7#d7 ,the average high school graduation rate in #bjjh for students concentrating in career and technical education programs was #ij percent1 compared to the average nationwide high school graduation rate of #ge percent4 7#e7 ,partnerships between businesses and educators help adults build academic1 technical1 and employability skills through education and on-the-job training4 #c4 ,purpose and definitions 7a7 ,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 study4 7b7 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,career and technical education exploration program ,the term career and technical education exploration program means a program that is developed through an organized1 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 study4 7#b7 ,eligible partnership ,the term eligible partnership means an entity that-- 7,a7 shall include-- 7i7 not less than #a local educational agency that receives funding under section #aca of the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins ,career and ,technical ,education ,act of #bjjf 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #bcea71 or an area career and technical education school or educational service agency described in such section2 7ii7 not less than #a eligible institution that receives funding under section #acb of the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins ,career and ,technical ,education ,act of #bjjf 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #bceb72 and 7iii7 not less than #a representative of either a local or regional business1 industry1 nonprofit organization1 or apprenticeship program2 and 7,b7 may include other representatives of the community1 including representatives of parents' organizations1 labor organizations1 nonprofit organizations1 employers1 and representatives of local workforce development boards 7established under subtitle ,a of title ,i of the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act74 7#c7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,education4 #d4 ,career exploration program development grants 7a7 ,authorization ,the ,secretary shall create a pilot program to support the establishment of career and technical education exploration programs4 ,in carrying out the pilot program1 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 #abb7;c77#a77;,a7 of the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins ,career and ,technical ,education ,act of #bjjf 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #bcdb7;c77#a77;,a774 7b7 ,grant duration ,grants awarded under this ,act shall be for a period of not more than #d years4 7c7 ,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 require4 ,each application shall include-- 7#a7 a description of the partner entities comprising the eligible partnership1 the roles and responsibilities of each partner1 and a demonstration of each partner's capacity to support the program2 7#b7 a description of how the eligible partnership will use grant funds to carry out each of the activities described under subsection 7e72 7#c7 a description of how the middle school career and technical education exploration program aligns to regional economies and local emerging workforce needs2 7#d7 a description of how the new middle school career and technical education exploration program is linked to-- 7,a7 one or more career and technical education programs of study offered by the agency or school described in section #c7;b77#b77;,a77i72 and 7,b7 one or more career and technical education programs of study offered by the postsecondary institution described in section #c7;b77#b77;,a77ii72 7#e7 a description of the students that will be served by the middle school career and technical education exploration program2 7#f7 a description of how the middle school career and technical education exploration program funded by the grant will be replicable2 7#g7 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 study1 including such programs in urban and rural areas2 7#h7 a description of how the middle school career and technical education exploration program will be implemented2 7#i7 a description of how the middle school career and technical education exploration program will provide accessibility to students1 especially economically disadvantaged1 low-performing1 and urban and rural students2 and 7#aj7 a description of how the eligible partnership will carry out the evaluation required under subsection 7f74 7d7 ,selection of grantees 7#a7 ,in ,general ,the ,secretary shall determine1 based on the peer review process described in paragraph 7#c7 and subject to the requirement in paragraph 7#d71 which eligible partnership applicants shall receive funding under this ,act1 and the amount of the grant funding under this ,act that each selected eligible partnership will receive4 7#b7 ,grant ,amounts ,in determining the amount of each grant awarded under this ,act1 the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 ensure that all grants are of sufficient size1 scope1 and quality to be effective2 and 7,b7 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 partnership4 7#c7 ,peer ,review ,process 7,a7 ,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 grantees4 7,b7 ,members of the peer review committee ,the peer review committee shall include the following members3 7i7 ,educators who have experience implementing career and technical education programs and career exploration programs4 7ii7 ,experts in the field of career and technical education4 7#d7 ,rural or small local educational agencies ,the ,secretary shall set aside not less than #e 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 agencies1 as defined by the ,secretary4 7e7 ,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-- 7#a7 shall-- 7,a7 include introductory courses or experiential activities1 such as student apprenticeships or other work-based learning methods1 and project-based learning experiences2 7,b7 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 #c7;b77#b77;,a77i72 7,c7 include programs and activities related to the development of individualized graduation and career plans for students2 and 7,d7 offer career guidance and academic counseling that-- 7i7 provides information about postsecondary education and career options2 and 7ii7 provides participating students with readily available career and labor market information1 such as information about employment sectors1 educational requirements1 information on workforce supply and demand1 and other information on careers that are aligned to ,state or local economic priorities2 and 7#b7 may include expanded learning time activities that-- 7,a7 focus on career exploration1 including apprenticeships and internships2 7,b7 are available to all students in a middle school2 and 7,c7 take place during a time that is outside of the standard hours of enrollment for students that are served by the local educational agency4 7f7 ,evaluations and ,report 7#a7 ,evaluation 7,a7 ,in ,general ,each eligible partnership that receives a grant under this ,act shall collect appropriate data1 or otherwise document through records 7in a manner that complies with section #ddd of the ,general ,education ,provisions ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #abcb;g71 commonly known as the ,family ,educational ,rights and ,privacy ,act of #aigd and other applicable ,federal and ,state privacy laws7 the information necessary to conduct an evaluation of grant activities1 including an evaluation of-- 7i7 the extent of student participation in the middle school career and technical education exploration program carried out under this ,act2 7ii7 the impact of the middle school career and technical education exploration program carried out under this ,act on the students' transition to1 or planned participation in1 career and technical programs of study 7as described in section #abb7;c77#a77;,a7 of the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins ,career and ,technical ,education ,act of #bjjf 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #bcdb7;c77#a77;,a772 and 7iii7 any other measurable outcomes specified by the ,secretary4 7,b7 ,resources of the eligible partnership ,the evaluation described in this paragraph shall reflect the resources and capacity of the local educational agency1 area career and technical education school1 or educational service agency that is part of the eligible partnership in a manner determined by the ,secretary4 7#b7 ,report ,the eligible partnership shall prepare and submit to the ,secretary a report containing the results of the evaluation described in paragraph 7#a74