Except as otherwise required under federal law, the department of education shall consider an industry-recognized credential, as described under division (B)(2)(d) of section 3302.03 of the Revised Code, or a license issued by a state agency or board for practice in a vocation that requires an examination for issuance of that license as an acceptable measure of technical skill attainment and shall not require a student with such credential or license to take additional technical assessments.

Additionally, the department shall not require a student who has participated in or will be participating in a credentialing assessment aligned to the student's career-technical education program or has participated in or will be participating in taking an examination for issuance of such a license aligned to the student's career-technical education program to take additional technical assessments.

However, if the student does not participate in the credentialing assessment or license examination, the student shall take the applicable technical assessments prescribed by the department.

The department shall develop, in consultation with the Ohio association for career and technical education, the Ohio association of career-technical superintendents, the Ohio association of city career-technical schools, and other stakeholders, procedures for identifying industry-recognized credentials and licenses aligned to a student's career-technical education program that can be used as an acceptable measure of technical skill, and for identifying students in the process of earning such credentials and licenses.

As used in this section, "technical assessments" shall not include the nationally recognized job skills assessment prescribed under division (G) of section 3301.0712 of the Revised Code.

Nothing in this section shall exempt a student who wishes to qualify for a high school diploma under division (A)(3) of section 3313.618 of the Revised Code from the requirement to attain a specified score on that assessment in order to qualify for a high school diploma under that section.

Added by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 3, §1, eff. 3/16/2017.