A. A "career technical education pilot project" is created as a seven-year pilot project administered by the department to fund high-quality career technical education programs and monitor their effect on student outcomes, including achievement scores, academic growth, remediation rates and graduation rates. The department shall consult with the higher education department and the workforce solutions department as it develops its measures to determine what constitutes a high-quality career technical education program and what students should know and be able to demonstrate to an employer or to succeed in a post-secondary career technical education program. School districts and charter schools may apply to participate in the pilot project on forms provided by the department. The department may provide grants to school districts and charter schools to:

(1) establish career technical education programs as part of the pilot project; and

(2) provide professional development and training to career technical education teachers in the pilot project.

B. At a minimum, the career technical education programs funded by the department as part of the pilot project shall:

(1) include rigorous content aligned with academic standards and relevant career technical content that align secondary and post-secondary education;

(2) incorporate permeable pathways through post-secondary education;

(3) include potential for dual credit courses;

(4) require competency in science, technology, engineering and mathematics;

(5) require training in soft skills and social skills;

(6) lead to an industry-recognized credential at the post-secondary level or to an associate's or bachelor's degree;

(7) establish partnerships among the local school district or charter school, post-secondary institutions and local business and industry; and

(8) provide the data necessary to the department and the participating public schools to evaluate each program and the pilot project.

C. The department shall provide professional development to existing career technical education teachers and training to new teachers in career technical education that:

(1) addresses project-based learning;

(2) includes the basics of pedagogy;

(3) promotes integration of career technical curricula with core content areas;

(4) includes training in instruction for employability and soft skills;

(5) includes training in social-emotional learning and trauma-informed instruction; and

(6) addresses department standards and benchmarks for career technical education.

D. The department shall promulgate rules for the administration of the pilot project, the collection and analysis of student, program and instructor data and required reporting by participating public schools.

E. The department shall provide annual and final reports to the legislature through the legislative education study committee and the governor on the efficacy of the pilot project.

History: Laws 2019, ch. 61, § 1.

Effective dates. — Laws 2019, ch. 61 contained no effective date provision, but, pursuant to N.M. Const., art. IV, § 23, was effective June 14, 2019, 90 days after the adjournment of the legislature.