S 1146 Session 110 (1993-1994)
S 1146 General Bill, By Setzler, Giese, Hayes, Lander, Leatherman, Leventis and
J.V. Smith
Similar(H 4681)
A Bill to enact the "South Carolina School-to-Work Transition Act of 1994" so
as to establish a school-to-work system to equip all students with relevant
academic skills, marketable occupational skills, and appropriate work-place
behaviors, to accomplish the above through revisions in academic and
vocational curriculum, establishment of career exploration and counseling
initiatives, and a program of apprenticeships, mentorships, and work-place
experiences, to provide that beginning with the 1995-96 school year and under
certain conditions, completion of applied academic courses in mathematics,
science, and communications skills shall fulfill high school course
prerequisite requirements as equivalent to precollege curriculum requirements
for applicants to four-year post-secondary institutions, to establish a
committee to study and make recommendations concerning state tax credits for
work-based programs, how to maximize government and private funding for
education, and Workers' Compensation, insurance and liability issues relating
to the school-to-work system; and to amend Section 41-13-20, relating to child
labor, so as to provide that no child under the age of eighteen during the
regular school year may work more than twenty hours a week and to provide
exceptions.
02/09/94 Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-5
02/09/94 Senate Referred to Committee on Education SJ-5
03/24/94 Senate Committee report: Favorable with amendment
Education SJ-22
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
COMMITTEE REPORT
March 24, 1994
S. 1146
Introduced by SENATORS Setzler, Leventis, Leatherman, Giese,
J. Verne Smith, Hayes and Lander
S. Printed 3/24/94--S.
Read the first time February 9, 1994.
THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
To whom was referred a Bill (S. 1146), to enact the "South
Carolina School-To-Work Transition Act of 1994", etc., respectfully
REPORT:
That they have duly and carefully considered the same, and recommend
that the same do pass with amendment:
Amend the bill, as and if amended, by striking all after the enacting
words and inserting:
/ SECTION 1. This act is known and may be cited as the "South
Carolina School-To-Work Transition Act of 1994".
SECTION 2. The General Assembly finds:
(a) Even though more than half of the state's high school students do
not go on to college but seek to enter the job market, South Carolina has
no clear system for school-to-work transition. Low-skill jobs are quickly
disappearing. The job market increasingly demands that employees enter
the work force with middle-skill or high-skill capabilities, but educational
experiences typically leave high school graduates ill-prepared for the work
place. The absence of a coherent system has harmful effects for both
business competitiveness, school effectiveness and quality of life
standards.
Merely "tuning up" the high school "general
track" will not be enough to meet these demands. The combination
of unchallenging classes, low expectations, and isolation from the adult
work place results in too many students lacking the skills, motivation, and
connections that lead to successful and productive adult lives.
(b) Nations which compete internationally with the United States help
their students acquire academic and occupational skills that are essential
for success as we approach the twenty-first century. The specific
approaches vary by country but, typically, they include:
(1) quality schooling,
(2) career exploration,
(3) work-site experiences, and
(4) work-based teaching and apprenticeships.
In these countries, schools and employers work together to facilitate a
young person's entry into the work force.
(c) South Carolina's secondary education system does not provide
these steps in educating and preparing our youth for work. Our nation has
traditionally divided students into college-bound and noncollege bound.
While college-bound students are required to follow a challenging and
clearly defined curriculum, the noncollege bound have entered the
"general track" which is less academically challenging and is
often cited as preparing students for "nothing in particular." In
South Carolina, fifty-two percent of our students are in the "general
track" while twenty-eight percent of the students are directed into the
academic college-prep track, and the other twenty percent of the students
are placed in the vocational track. "General track" students
receive little preparation for higher education and little guidance on how
to move into a career that can support an acceptable quality of life. Their
reading, writing, math, and communications skills are generally inadequate
for the demands of today's quality employers and for higher education.
SECTION 3. For purposes of this act, unless the context indicates
otherwise, the words or phrases listed below are defined as follows:
(1) "Youth apprenticeship" means a program that offers
students, beginning in the eleventh grade, a course of study which integrates
academic curricula, work-site learning, and work experience leading to high
school graduation with post-secondary options and preparation for the
world of work.
(2) "Tech Prep" means a program of study designed
specifically to prepare students for careers and lives affected by
technology. Tech Prep involves applied academic courses, targeted
technology study, and specialized career guidance. Tech Prep blends
academics and technology education and emphasizes broad-based
competencies in career education. Tech Prep links high school and two-year college programs, eliminating gaps and overlaps to provide enhanced
academic and vocational preparation for mid-level technology careers. (3) "Mentoring" means an umbrella term for many forms of
formal one-on-one relationships between a community's citizens and their
students. The broad types of mentoring programs include:
(a) "Traditional mentor programs" means programs
which seek to build a long-lasting relationship during which the mentor and
protege work on the protege's personal development and interpersonal
skills. The relationship generally lasts a year, with the mentor maintaining
occasional contact with the protege for an additional one to two years.
(b) "Shadowing" means a short-term experience to
introduce a student to a particular job by pairing the student with a worker.
The protege follows or "shadows" the worker for a specified
time to better understand the requirements of a particular career.
(c) "Service learning" means an experience for one or
more students at a work site or community agency during which the
students work on a project each week after school. Under close adult
supervision, students develop work skills and learn how to behave in work
situations.
(4) "Internship" means a one-on-one relationship to
provide "hands on" learning in an area of student interest. A
learning contract outlines the expectations and responsibilities of both
parties. The protege works regularly after school for three or four hours
a week in exchange for the mentor's time in teaching and demonstrating.
The internship generally lasts from three to six months.
SECTION 4. (A) As a part of the school-to-work system, the State
Board of Education shall establish a structure for preparing students for
employment and lifelong learning which expands upon the current Tech
Prep model to include four components:
(1) quality schooling having a rigorous curriculum,
(2) career counseling,
(3) work exploration and experience, and
(4) structured work-based learning.
In developing the school-to-work system, the emphasis shall be on a
structure which is flexible to meet local school needs and available to all
students as needed and appropriate. Students and their parents will make
the decision as to which track the student will follow and students may
transfer between Tech Prep and College Prep tracks within guidelines
established by the State Board of Education to allow for transfer up to the
senior year of high school. The State Board of Education, for the purpose
of successfully establishing and implementing the school-to-work system,
shall endeavor to obtain the cooperation of employees, the Commission on
Higher Education, post-secondary institutions, and the several school
districts.
(B) The State Board of Education shall, beginning with school year
1994-95, establish by regulation quality schooling which, at a minimum
shall include:
(1) a rigorous, relevant academic curriculum which shall among other
changes or improvements:
(a) include rigorous applied academic methodologies in
mathematics, science, and communications skills where appropriate;
(b) increase mathematics instruction to include statistics, logic,
measurement, and probability;
(c) incorporate in the curriculum the skills and competencies
suggested in the United States Secretary of Labor's Commission on
Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) report and those identified in the
employer survey report of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce's
Business Center for Excellence in Education including an emphasis on the
importance of individual achievement as a cornerstone upon which self-respect, academic, and personal success are founded;
(d) eliminate the "general track" for students first
enrolling in high school on or after the 1996-97 school year;
(e) develop plans to accelerate the learning of students that are
behind their age peers; and
(f) develop plans that takes into account student learning style.
(2) changes in vocational education programs which:
(a) redefine vocational programs so as to expand their content,
relevancy, and rigor in preparation for lifelong learning and living in a
technological society; and
(b) integrate competency-based instruction in academic and
occupational courses;
(C) With the advice of the statewide advisory council hereinafter
established, the State Board of Education shall, beginning in school year
1996-97, establish regulations for:
(1) Career exploration and counseling which includes:
(a) student exposure to career options by integrating career
counseling activities into the kindergarten through grade twelve curriculum;
(b) a comprehensive career guidance plan which has a major plan
and an alternate plan for each student starting in grade six and is revised
each year as the student progresses towards graduation and which requires
the districts to seek parental assistance in the development of the plan;
(c) in-service courses to equip guidance counselors with skills
necessary to integrate career guidance and career planning.
(2) A range of mentoring opportunities beginning no later than the
seventh grade which includes traditional mentoring, shadowing, service-
learning, school-based enterprises, and internships as defined in Section 3.
Mentoring activities shall emphasize students' interests, skills, and needs.
(3) Structured work-based learning opportunities and components
of these work-based opportunities include:
(a) structured work-based learning to include the establishment
of a youth apprenticeship model as defined in Section 3;
(b) integration of academic and vocational learning;
(c) coordination and integration of school and work-place
learning; and
(d) credentials for both academic and occupational skills.
These programs shall be governed by broad coalitions of institutional
partners.
SECTION 5. School district boards of trustees shall by school year
1995-96:
(a) implement the rigorous academic changes and changes to vocational
education programs as directed by the State Board of Education pursuant
to Section 4;
(b) develop plans for elimination of the general track by school year
1996-97; and
(c) implement career exploration and counseling pursuant to Section 4
by school year 1996-97.
Districts must report steps taken to integrate these changes in the annual
updates of the comprehensive five year plans mandated by the Early
Childhood Development and Academic Assistance Act of 1993.
SECTION 6. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the stipulated
completion dates required in SECTION 5 of this act may be extended by
one year upon approval from the State Board of Education. Districts
requesting such a waiver must outline how the extension will improve the
planning and implementation of this act.
SECTION 7. (A) In establishing a school-to-work system, the State
Board of Education shall provide for professional development in applied
techniques and integration of curriculum, professional development in
career guidance for teachers and guidance counselors, and training for
mentors.
(B) The school-to-work system required by this act as established by
the State Board of Education shall include a program of accountability of
student progress to ensure quality which shall include a survey of Tech
Prep graduates in order to obtain such information as the rate of hire,
starting wages or salaries, wages or salary rates five years after graduation,
and additional education pursued.
SECTION 8. (A) As a part of the school-to-work system, the South
Carolina Employment Security Commission shall work with the
Department of Education, the State Board for Technical and
Comprehensive Education, and the Commission on Higher Education to
assist in the planning and promotion of the school-to-work opportunities
by:
(1) identifying potential employers to participate in the work-based
learning programs sponsored under this act;
(2) serving as a contact point for employers seeking information on
school-to-work activities;
(3) providing labor market information relative to supply and demand,
and non-traditional jobs for women; and
(4) promoting increased career awareness and career counseling
through the management and promotion of the South Carolina Occupational
Information System (SCOIS).
(B) The South Carolina Employment Security Commission will provide
the link between employers in South Carolina and youth seeking
employment.
SECTION 9. (A) The South Carolina School-To-Work Advisory Council
appointed by the Governor representing a broad-based coalition of business
and industry and including representatives of the State Department of
Education, Employment Security Commission, the Commission on Higher
Education, State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education, the
South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, the Urban League, Tech Prep
Consortia and local school districts shall convene no later than July 1,
1994 to guide, encourage, and facilitate actions which enable the school-to-work system to be implemented. The role of the Advisory Council is to
work with the State Board of Education to:
(1) provide input to shape the development and scope of a statewide
initiative;
(2) help promote the school-to-work system to key employers and
education leaders across the State and encourage active participation of
employers across the state; and
(3) identify and recognize exemplary programs and practices and
help disseminate general information to interested parties across the State.
The School-To-Work Advisory Council shall report to the House
Education and Public Works and the Senate Education Committees by
January 1, 1996 as to the progress made in establishing the school-to-work
system, difficulties encountered and any actions required by the General
Assembly to ensure success of the system.
(B) Because of the need to link education and labor in the planning and
delivery of youth apprenticeship programs and with increasing emphasis on
partnerships between labor and education in pending federal school-to-work legislation, the State Department of Education with the South
Carolina Employment Security Commission are jointly responsible for
implementing the school-to-work transition system.
(C) The school-to-work system established by this act shall be
coordinated with the South Carolina's Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)
delivery system at both the state and local levels. This coordination may
include staff directors of JTPA service delivery areas and Private Industry
Council (PIC) chairmen participating in ongoing state, regional, and local
advisory committees. The Director of the Department of Commerce with
the State Superintendent of Education shall establish an ongoing statewide
advisory committee with representation from the agencies designated in
subsection (A) and public and private entities involved in the development
of South Carolina's work force. The committee shall be charged with the
overall coordination activities of a school-to-work plan and the liaison
function with other public and private agencies to monitor participation of
employers and cooperation of all parties involved. Regional coordination
of the plan shall become a function of the sixteen Tech Prep consortium
hubs established pursuant to the current Tech Prep system, and these Tech
Prep consortium hubs also shall serve as the region advisory committees.
Each school district board of trustees shall establish local advisory
committees to address unique employment needs of their areas.
SECTION 10. (A) The State Board for Technical and Comprehensive
Education in conjunction with the State Board of Education shall develop
measures for articulation of high school courses to post-secondary
technical institutions including procedures to enable qualified students to
achieve advanced standing in technical college programs.
(B) Beginning with the 1995-96 school year, completion of applied
academic courses in mathematics, science, and communications skills shall
fulfill high school course prerequisite requirements as equivalent to
precollege curriculum requirements for applicants to four-year post-secondary institutions, unless by December 1, 1994, a four-year post-secondary institution reports its reasons for not accepting those courses
to the House Education and Public Works Committee and the Senate
Education Committee. School districts must certify that the applied
academic courses offered are equivalent to the precollege curriculum
requirements.
(C) The State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education and
the Council of College Presidents, or their designees, through the
Commission on Higher Education, shall clarify and strengthen articulation
agreements between associate degree programs and baccalaureate degree
programs.
(D) Actions taken related to all articulation measures must be reported
to the School-To-Work Advisory Council no later than July 1, 1995.
(E) Four-year institutions having teacher education programs must
offer courses to equip potential teachers and guidance counselors with
skills necessary to integrate career guidance and career planning. These
institutions must also train potential teachers in how to use applied
methodologies for academic courses. Changes in course offering and
course curriculum shall be reported to the School-To-Work Advisory
Council no later than July 1, 1995.
SECTION 11. Representatives from the Department of Commerce, the
Department of Revenue and Taxation, Workers' Compensation
Commission, the Department of Insurance, and the Department of Labor,
Licensing, and Regulation shall be convened by the Department of
Commerce to conduct a feasibility study and make recommendations
regarding tax credits for work-based programs, maximizing government and
private funding spent on education, and issues related to workers'
compensation, insurance and liability as each relates to the school-to-work
system. Within six months after the effective date of this act, findings
from the study and recommendations must be made to the School-To-Work
Advisory Council, the House Ways and Means Committee, the House
Education and Public Works Committee, the Senate Education Committee
and the Senate Finance Committee.
SECTION 12. Representatives from the Department of Education, the
Tech Prep Consortia, local school districts, and businesses involved in
mentoring and work-site learning shall be convened by the Department of
Education no later than March 1, 1996 for a review to include the
following: transportation, staff for the transition system at the district
level, training for staff and volunteers, textbook changes, and other issues
related to the establishment of the School-To-Work Transition system. No
later than October 1, 1996, the results of this review shall be given to the
School-To-Work Advisory Council, the House Ways and Means
Committee, the House Education and Public Works Committee, Senate
Finance Committee and the Senate Education Committee.
SECTION 13. Section 41-13-20 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 41-13-20. No employer in this State shall engage in any
oppressive child labor practices. The Commissioner of Labor
Director of the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation
shall promulgate regulations pursuant to Sections Section
1-23-10 et seq. which will prohibit and prevent such oppressive
child labor practices provided that such regulations shall not be more
restrictive or burdensome than applicable federal laws or regulations.
During the regular school year, not including holiday periods, no
child under eighteen years of age who is enrolled in middle school or high
school may be employed more than twenty hours a week. This restriction
does not apply to children sixteen and seventeen years of age if the
employer receives written approval for the child to work beyond twenty
hours a week from the child's parent or guardian and from the child's
principal or a designee. However, a local school district board of trustees
may, upon a positive vote, exempt a school district from this
requirement."
SECTION 14. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor. /
Amend title to conform.
NIKKI G. SETZLER, for Committee.
STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED FISCAL
IMPACT
1. Estimated Cost to State-First Year $ See Below
2. Estimated Cost to State-Annually
Thereafter $ See Below
Senate Bill 1146 amends current legislation to enact the "South
Carolina School-To-Work Act of 1994" to establish a school to work
system to equip all students with relevant academic skills, marketable
occupational skills, and appropriate work-place behaviors.
Section 4(A) requires the State Board of Education to establish a
structure for preparing students for employment and lifelong learning. The
current Tech Prep Model will be expanded to include four components:
(1) Quality Schooling
(2) Career Counseling
(3) Work Exploration and Experience
(4) Structured Work-Based Learning
Beginning with school year 1994-95, Section 4(B) further requires the
State Board of Education, to establish by regulation quality schooling
including a rigorous, relevant, academic curriculum and changes in
vocational education programs.
Section 4(C) also requires the State Board of Education, beginning in
school year 1996-97, to establish regulations for career exploration and
counseling, a range of mentoring opportunities beginning no later than the
seventh grade, and structured work-based learning opportunities and
components.
Section 4 includes the most important components in expanding the
School-To-Work initiative and will have a fiscal impact on the State
Department of Education and the 91 school districts. The School-To-Work
initiative is believed to have the potential to expand to the extent of the
availability of funding, especially in the staffing of district-level career
specialists.
IMPACT FOR SECTION 4
Integration of Academic and Occupational Education
Inservice sessions and institutes for occupational and academic teachers
will be offered on integration. Participation will involve approximately
1,000 teachers in 224 high schools and 50 career centers. All 91 school
districts will participate.
AMOUNT $ 825,000
Expand and Implement Career Guidance Middle Schools
Career education materials, videos, books, and other resources will be
purchased and inservice provided to train guidance counselors on career
options and opportunities for students. Approximately 250 guidance
counselors from 168 middle schools will participate. In addition, career
information will be provided to approximately 100 high schools.
AMOUNT $ 1,000,000
School-Based and Work-Based Initiatives
Workshops, institutes, seminars and actual field experience(s) in
business/industry will be provided to approximately 5,000 students in youth
apprenticeship. Approximately 500 administrators and 1,000 teachers will
be provided with on-site business/industry experience to observe and
become knowledgeable of current job market needs. Approximately 500
teachers will work in industry as employees during the summer months in
an apprenticeship experience.
AMOUNT $ 500,000
Staffing District-Level Career Specialists
Approximately 20 career specialists will be employed in 20 school
districts to provide career guidance information and to coordinate the
implementation of career guidance plans of approximately 5,000 students
who pursue Tech Prep and School-To-Work opportunities. These career
specialist will work closely with guidance counselors in career
development opportunities for students district-wide.
AMOUNT $ 500,000
SUBTOTAL $2,825,000
Section 5 requires the school district boards, by school year 1995-96,
to implement the academic changes, as well as, the changes to the
vocational education programs, to develop plans for the elimination of the
general track by the 1996-97 school year, and to implement career
exploration and counseling by school year 1996-97. The fiscal impact of
this section is included under the activities addressed in Section 4.
Section 6(A) requires the State Board of Education to provide for
professional development in applied techniques and integration of
curriculum, professional development in career guidance for teachers and
guidance counselors, and training of mentors.
Section 6(B) requires the board to establish a program of accountability
of student progress for the School-To-Work system.
FISCAL IMPACT FOR SECTION 6
Staff Development
Approximately 16 state wide conferences will be conducted to provide
training sessions for approximately 500 administrators, 1,000 teachers and
500 counselors in the 1,000 teachers and 500 counselors in the various
School-To-Work components (shadowing, mentoring, cooperative
education, career academics, service learning and youth apprenticeship) to
connect school-based learning with work-based experience.
SUBTOTAL $ 75,000
Section 7(A) requires the Director of the Department of Commerce
with the State Superintendent of Education to convene a School-To-Work
Task Force by July 1, 1994. The role of the task force is to work with the
board to provide input, help promote the School-To-Work system, and
identify and recognize exemplary programs and practices and help
disseminate general information. The Task Force shall report to the House
Education and Public Works Committee by January 1, 1996.
Section 7(B) requires the School-To-Work system to be coordinated
with the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) delivery system at both state
and local levels. The Director of the Department of Commerce with the
State Superintendent of Education shall establish an ongoing statewide
advisory committee. The committee shall coordinate the activities of the
School-To-Work plan and the liaison functions with other public and
private agencies to monitor participation of employers and cooperation of
all parties involved. The regional coordination of the plan shall become a
function of the sixteen Tech Prep Consortium hubs.
The School-To-Work Task Force will operate within existing resources.
The School-To-Work Advisory Committee will be tasked with developing
a marketing plan for South Carolina to inform parents, students, business
leaders, and the general community. Although the role of the JTPA
Program is unclear at this time, the Employment Security Commission has
been awarded a federal grant in the amount of $260,000 for a pilot to assist
the State in the development of the School-To-Work transition system.
MARKETING PLAN $100,000
Section 8(A) provides the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive
Education in conjunction with the State Board of Education to develop
measures for coordination of high school courses to post-secondary
technical institutions. Actions taken must be reported to the School-To-Work Task Force no later than July 1, 1995. No fiscal impact is
anticipated as a result of this requirement.
Section 9 requires representatives from the Department of Commerce,
the Department of Revenue and Taxation, Workers' Compensation
Commission, the Department of Insurance, and the Department of Labor,
Licensing, and Regulation to be convened by the Department of Commerce
to conduct a feasibility study and make recommendations regarding tax
credits for work-based programs. Compliance with this section should be
accomplished within the existing resources of the representatives agencies.
Section 10 amends Section 41-13-20 of current legislation to require
the Director of the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation to
develop regulations to prohibit and prevent oppressive child labor
practices. The department has indicated there will be no impact to the
General Fund of the State since the agency is currently complying with this
legislation.
House Bill 4681 is a companion bill to Senate Bill 1146.
Prepared By: Approved By:
JoAnne L. Payton George N. Dorn, Jr.
State Budget Analyst State Budget Division
A BILL
TO ENACT THE "SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL-TO-WORK
TRANSITION ACT OF 1994" SO AS TO ESTABLISH A SCHOOL-TO-WORK SYSTEM TO EQUIP ALL STUDENTS WITH RELEVANT
ACADEMIC SKILLS, MARKETABLE OCCUPATIONAL SKILLS, AND
APPROPRIATE WORK-PLACE BEHAVIORS, TO ACCOMPLISH THE
ABOVE THROUGH REVISIONS IN ACADEMIC AND VOCATIONAL
CURRICULUM, ESTABLISHMENT OF CAREER EXPLORATION AND
COUNSELING INITIATIVES, AND A PROGRAM OF
APPRENTICESHIPS, MENTORSHIPS, AND WORK-PLACE
EXPERIENCES, TO PROVIDE THAT BEGINNING WITH THE 1995-96
SCHOOL YEAR AND UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, COMPLETION
OF APPLIED ACADEMIC COURSES IN MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE,
AND COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS SHALL FULFILL HIGH SCHOOL
COURSE PREREQUISITE REQUIREMENTS AS EQUIVALENT TO
PRECOLLEGE CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS TO
FOUR-YEAR POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS, TO ESTABLISH A
COMMITTEE TO STUDY AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS
CONCERNING STATE TAX CREDITS FOR WORK-BASED
PROGRAMS, HOW TO MAXIMIZE GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE
FUNDING FOR EDUCATION, AND WORKERS' COMPENSATION,
INSURANCE AND LIABILITY ISSUES RELATING TO THE SCHOOL-TO-WORK SYSTEM; AND TO AMEND SECTION 41-13-20, RELATING
TO CHILD LABOR, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT NO CHILD UNDER THE
AGE OF EIGHTEEN DURING THE REGULAR SCHOOL YEAR MAY
WORK MORE THAN TWENTY HOURS A WEEK AND TO PROVIDE
EXCEPTIONS.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. This act is known and may be cited as the "South
Carolina School-To-Work Transition Act of 1994".
SECTION 2. The General Assembly finds:
(a) Even though more than half of the state's high school students do
not go on to college but seek to enter the job market, South Carolina has
no clear system for school-to-work transition. Low-skill jobs are quickly
disappearing. The job market increasingly demands that employees enter
the work force with middle-skill or high-skill capabilities, but educational
experiences typically leave high school graduates ill-prepared for the work
place. The absence of a coherent system has harmful effects for both
business competitiveness, school effectiveness and quality of life
standards.
Merely "tuning up" the high school "general
track" will not be enough to meet these demands. The combination
of unchallenging classes, low expectations, and isolation from the adult
work place results in too many students lacking the skills, motivation, and
connections that lead to successful and productive adult lives.
(b) Nations which compete internationally with the United States help
their students acquire academic and occupational skills that are essential
for success as we approach the twenty-first century. The specific
approaches vary by country but, typically, they include:
(1) quality schooling,
(2) career exploration,
(3) work-site experiences, and
(4) work-based teaching and apprenticeships.
In these countries, schools and employers work together to facilitate a
young person's entry into the work force.
(c) South Carolina's secondary education system does not provide
these steps in educating and preparing our youth for work. Our nation has
traditionally divided students into college-bound and noncollege bound.
While college-bound students are required to follow a challenging and
clearly defined curriculum, the noncollege bound have entered the
"general track" which is less academically challenging and is
often cited as preparing students for "nothing in particular." In
South Carolina, fifty-two percent of our students are in the "general
track" while twenty-eight percent of the students are directed into the
academic college-prep track, and the other twenty percent of the students
are placed in the vocational track. "General track" students
receive little preparation for higher education and little guidance on how
to move into a career that can support an acceptable quality of life. Their
reading, writing, math, and communications skills are generally inadequate
for the demands of today's quality employers and for higher education.
SECTION 3. For purposes of this act, unless the context indicates
otherwise, the words or phrases listed below are defined as follows:
(1) "Youth apprenticeship" means a program that offers
students, beginning in the eleventh grade, a course of study which integrates
academic curricula, work-site learning, and work experience leading to high
school graduation with post-secondary options and preparation for the
world of work.
(2) "Tech Prep" means a program of study designed
specifically to prepare students for careers and lives affected by
technology. Tech Prep involves applied academic courses, targeted
technology study, and specialized career guidance. Tech Prep blends
academics and technology education and emphasizes broad-based
competencies in career education. Tech Prep links high school and two-year college programs, eliminating gaps and overlaps to provide enhanced
academic and vocational preparation for mid-level technology careers.
(3) "Mentoring" means an umbrella term for many forms
of formal one-on-one relationships between a community's citizens and
their students. The broad types of mentoring programs include:
(a) "Traditional mentor programs" means programs
which seek to build a long-lasting relationship during which the mentor and
protege work on the protege's personal development and interpersonal
skills. The relationship generally lasts a year, with the mentor maintaining
occasional contact with the protege for an additional one to two years.
(b) "Shadowing" means a short-term experience to
introduce a student to a particular job by pairing the student with a worker.
The protege follows or "shadows" the worker for a specified
time to better understand the requirements of a particular career.
(c) "Service learning" means an experience for one or
more students at a work site or community agency during which the
students work on a project each week after school. Under close adult
supervision, students develop work skills and learn how to behave in work
situations.
(4) "Internship" means a one-on-one relationship to
provide "hands on" learning in an area of student interest. A
learning contract outlines the expectations and responsibilities of both
parties. The protege works regularly after school for three or four hours
a week in exchange for the mentor's time in teaching and demonstrating.
The internship generally lasts from three to six months.
SECTION 4. (A) As a part of the school-to-work system, the State
Board of Education shall establish a structure for preparing students for
employment and lifelong learning which expands upon the current Tech
Prep model to include four components:
(1) quality schooling having a rigorous curriculum,
(2) career counseling,
(3) work exploration and experience, and
(4) structured work-based learning.
In developing the school-to-work system, the emphasis shall be on a
structure which is flexible to meet local school needs and available to all
students as needed and appropriate. The State Board of Education, for the
purpose of successfully establishing and implementing the school-to-work
system, shall endeavor to obtain the cooperation of employees, the
Commission on Higher Education, post-secondary institutions, and the
several school districts.
(B) The State Board of Education shall, beginning with school year
1994-95, establish by regulation quality schooling which, at a minimum
shall include:
(1) a rigorous, relevant academic curriculum which shall among other
changes or improvements:
(a) include rigorous applied academic methodologies in
mathematics, science, and communications skills where appropriate;
(b) increase mathematics instruction to include statistics, logic,
measurement, and probability;
(c) incorporate in the curriculum the skills and competencies
suggested in the United States Secretary of Labor's Commission on
Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) report;
(d) eliminate the "general track" for students first
enrolling in high school on or after the 1996-97 school year;
(e) develop plans to accelerate the learning of students that are
behind their age peers; and
(f) develop plans that takes into account student learning style.
(2) changes in vocational education programs which:
(a) redefine vocational programs so as to expand their content,
relevancy, and rigor in preparation for lifelong learning and living in a
technological society; and
(b) integrate competency-based instruction in academic and
occupational courses;
(C) With the advice of the statewide advisory committee hereinafter
established, the State Board of Education shall, beginning in school year
1996-97, establish regulations for:
(1) Career exploration and counseling which includes: (a) student exposure to career options by integrating career counseling
activities into the kindergarten through grade twelve curriculum;
(b) a comprehensive career guidance plan which has a major plan
and an alternate plan for each student starting in grade six and is revised
each year as the student progresses towards graduation and which requires
parental assistance in the development of the plan;
(c) in-service courses to equip guidance counselors with skills
necessary to integrate career guidance and career planning.
(2) A range of mentoring opportunities beginning no later than the
seventh grade which includes traditional mentoring, shadowing, service-
learning, school-based enterprises, and internships as defined in Section 3.
Mentoring activities shall emphasize students' interests, skills, and needs.
(3) Structured work-based learning opportunities and components
of these work-based opportunities include:
(a) structured work-based learning to include the establishment
of a youth apprenticeship model as defined in Section 3;
(b) integration of academic and vocational learning;
(c) coordination and integration of school and work-place
learning; and
(d) credentials for both academic and occupational skills.
These programs shall be governed by broad coalitions of institutional
partners.
SECTION 5. School district boards of trustees shall by school year 1995-96:
(a) implement the rigorous academic changes and changes to
vocational education programs as directed by the State Board of Education
pursuant to Section 4;
(b) develop plans for elimination of the general track by school year
1996-97; and
(c) implement career exploration and counseling pursuant to Section
4 by school year 1996-97.
Districts must report steps taken to integrate these changes in the annual
updates of the comprehensive five year plans mandated by the Early
Childhood Development and Academic Assistance Act of 1993.
SECTION 6. (A) In establishing a school-to-work system, the State Board
of Education shall provide for professional development in applied
techniques and integration of curriculum, professional development in
career guidance for teachers and guidance counselors, and training for
mentors.
(B) The school-to-work system required by this act as established by
the State Board of Education shall include a program of accountability of
student progress to ensure quality.
SECTION 7. (A) By July 1, 1994, the Director of the Department of
Commerce, with the State Superintendent of Education, shall convene a
School-To-Work Task Force representing a broad-based coalition of
business and industry leaders, and with representatives from the
Department of Commerce, the Department of Labor, the Employment
Security Commission, the State Chamber of Commerce, the State
Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, Job
Training Partnership Act (JTPA), school districts, and post-secondary
institutions. This task force shall guide, encourage, and facilitate actions
which enable the school-to-work system to be implemented. The role of
the task force is to work with the State Board of Education to:
(1) provide input to shape the development and scope of a statewide
initiative;
(2) help promote the school-to-work system to key employers and
education leaders across the State and encourage active participation of
employers across the state; and
(3) identify and recognize exemplary programs and practices and
help disseminate general information to interested parties across the State.
The School-To-Work Task Force shall report to the House Education
and Public Works and the Senate Education Committees by January 1,
1996 as to the progress made in establishing the school-to-work system,
difficulties encountered and any actions required by the General Assembly
to ensure success of the system.
(B) Because of the need to link education and labor in the planning and
delivery of youth apprenticeship programs and with increasing emphasis on
partnerships between labor and education in pending federal school-to-work legislation, the school-to-work system established by this act shall be
coordinated with the South Carolina's Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)
delivery system at both the state and local levels. This coordination may
include staff directors of JTPA service delivery areas and Private Industry
Council (PIC) chairmen participating in ongoing state, regional, and local
advisory committees. The Director of the Department of Commerce with
the State Superintendent of Education shall establish an ongoing statewide
advisory committee with representation from the agencies designated in
subsection (A) and public and private entities involved in the development
of South Carolina's work force. The committee shall be charged with the
overall coordination activities of a school-to-work plan and the liaison
function with other public and private agencies to monitor participation of
employers and cooperation of all parties involved. Regional coordination
of the plan shall become a function of the sixteen Tech Prep consortium
hubs established pursuant to the current Tech Prep system, and these Tech
Prep consortium hubs also shall serve as the region advisory committees.
Each school district board of trustees shall establish local advisory
committees to address unique employment needs of their areas.
SECTION 8. (A) The State Board for Technical and Comprehensive
Education in conjunction with the State Board of Education shall develop
measures for articulation of high school courses to post-secondary
technical institutions including procedures to enable qualified students to
achieve advanced standing in technical college programs.
(B) Beginning with the 1995-96 school year, completion of applied
academic courses in mathematics, science, and communications skills shall
fulfill high school course prerequisite requirements as equivalent to
precollege curriculum requirements for applicants to four-year post-secondary institutions, unless by December 1, 1994, a four-year post-secondary institution reports its reasons for not accepting those courses
to the House Education and Public Works Committee and the Senate
Education Committee. School districts must certify that the applied
academic courses offered are equivalent to the precollege curriculum
requirements.
(C) The State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education and
the Council of College Presidents, or their designees, through the
Commission on Higher Education, shall clarify and strengthen articulation
agreements between associate degree programs and baccalaureate degree
programs.
(D) Actions taken related to all articulation measures must be reported
to the School-To-Work Task Force no later than July 1, 1995.
(E) Four-year institutions having teacher education programs must
offer courses to equip potential teachers and guidance counselors with
skills necessary to integrate career guidance and career planning. These
institutions must also train potential teachers in how to use applied
methodologies for academic courses. Changes in course offering and
course curriculum shall be reported to the School-To-Work Task Force no
later than July 1, 1995. SECTION 9. Representatives from the
Department of Commerce, the Department of Revenue and Taxation,
Workers' Compensation Commission, the Department of Insurance, and the
Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation shall be convened by the
Department of Commerce to conduct a feasibility study and make
recommendations regarding tax credits for work-based programs,
maximizing government and private funding spent on education, and issues
related to workers' compensation, insurance and liability as each relates to
the school-to-work system. Within six months after the effective date of
this act, findings from the study and recommendations must be made to the
School-To-Work Task Force, the House Ways and Means Committee, the
House Education and Public Works Committee, the Senate Education
Committee and the Senate Finance Committee.
SECTION 10. Section 41-13-20 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 41-13-20. No employer in this State shall engage in any
oppressive child labor practices. The Commissioner of Labor
Director of the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation
shall promulgate regulations pursuant to Sections Section
1-23-10 et seq. which will prohibit and prevent such oppressive
child labor practices provided that such regulations shall not be more
restrictive or burdensome than applicable federal laws or regulations.
During the regular school year, not including holiday periods, no
child under eighteen years of age who is enrolled in middle school or high
school may be employed more than twenty hours a week. This restriction
does not apply to children sixteen and seventeen years of age if the
employer receives written approval for the child to work beyond twenty
hours a week from the child's parent or guardian and from the child's
principal."
SECTION 11. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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