PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
An Act To Allow the Awarding of Graduation Credits by Career and Technical Education Centers and Regions
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.