(a) The Council on Postsecondary Education and Career Readiness shall:

(1) Develop a unified strategy to:

(A) Reduce remediation rates among high school graduates entering postsecondary education by at least fifty percent (50%) by the year 2020; and

(B) Increase postsecondary graduation and completion rates;

(2) (A) Support college and career readiness standards that:

(i) Require higher performance levels than those currently required for high school graduation; and

(ii) Promote accelerated learning opportunities, including without limitation Advanced Placement courses, concurrent credit opportunities, and other accelerated opportunities with college or vocational-technical school assistance to ensure that all students have the skills to be successful in either employment or postsecondary education.

(B) College and career readiness standards shall be implemented with the understanding that until July 1, 2022, interim high school graduation standards may be used until the high school graduation standards adopted by the State Board of Education are equal to the college and career readiness standards;

(3) Develop a successful transition-to-work matrix that schools and students may use to help students develop employment skills;

(4) Develop guidelines for secondary school intervention programs and transitional courses;

(5) Develop guidelines for professional development for teachers of transitional courses and opportunities for collaboration among high school, vocational-technical school, and college faculty to ensure that transitional courses target gaps in students' college and career readiness skills; and

(6) Provide the reports required under this subchapter.

(b)

(1) The council shall establish working groups of its members, or staff of the agencies or institutions employing the members, to direct the planning process and strategic implementation of its plans.

(2) The working groups shall:

(A) Develop goals and action plans;

(B) Identify resources; and

(C) Determine expected outcomes to measure for each strategy promoting college and career readiness and postsecondary completion.