Graduation requirements: career technical education.

Existing law prohibits a pupil from receiving a diploma of graduation from high school unless he or she completes specified requirements, including, but not limited to, completing one course in visual or performing arts or foreign language. This bill, commencing with the 2012–13 school year, would add completion of a course in career technical education, as defined, as an alternative to the requirement that a pupil complete a course in visual or performing arts or foreign language. The bill would require the governing board of a school district or county office of education that elects to offer career technical education courses pursuant to these provisions to provide parents, teachers, pupils, and the public, at a regularly scheduled meeting of the governing board, with specified information relating to the impact that offering these courses would have on graduation requirements and admission requirements to the California State University and the University of California. The bill also would require a school district that elects to allow a career technical education course to satisfy a specified course graduation requirement to include, as part of an existing notification requirement, information about the high school graduation requirements of the school district and how each requirement satisfies, or does not satisfy, college admission requirements, and a list of career technical education courses offered by the school district. The bill also would require the State Department of Education to submit a comprehensive report to the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature, on or before July 1, 2017, that includes specified information relating to this alternative means of satisfying the graduation requirement. The bill would authorize the Superintendent of Public Instruction to use existing state resources and federal funds for purposes of completing the report, and to apply for and receive grants and donations from public or private sources if existing resources are not available or sufficient. The bill would also authorize the Superintendent to accept support, including, but not limited to, financial and technical support, from high school reform advocates, teachers, chamber organizations, industry representatives, research centers, parents, and pupils. The bill would make these provisions inoperative on the earlier of 2 specified dates and would repeal these provisions on January 1 immediately following that earlier date.