WHEREAS, the Alabama State Board of Education appointed a broad stakeholder group to review the current status of career and technical education (CTE) in Alabama and to make recommendations for future growth and improvement; and

WHEREAS, the Career and Technical Education Commission met over a period of months during the fall of 2011 and developed a set of recommendations presented to the Alabama State Board of Education on January 26, 2012; and

WHEREAS, based on input from the Alabama State Board of Education and a review by the Alabama State Department of Education staff, a set of revised recommendations were developed and shared across the state and in several Alabama State Board of Education Work Sessions; and

WHEREAS, the Alabama State Board of Education desires to see career and technical education become an equal and integral part of Alabama’s comprehensive public education system:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Alabama State Board of Education does endorse and approve the following recommendations:

RECOMMENDATION 1 – Add the State Superintendent of Education and/or his or her designee(s) to the State Economic Development Alliance.

RECOMMENDATION 2 – Add K-12 representation to each of the ten Work Force Development Councils.

RECOMMENDATION 3 – Ensure implementation of the state requirement that every entering ninth grade student have an academic and career interest four-year plan.

RECOMMENDATION 4 – Create a pathways document for use in development of the four-year plan that includes those academic and career and technical education courses that include substitute and dual enrollment credits.

RECOMMENDATION 5 – Replace the Computer Application .5 unit requirement for high school graduation with a .5 unit of Personal Finance/Financial Literacy that can serve as a CTE course.

RECOMMENDATION 6 – Develop active local partnerships between business and education to increase career awareness and provide financial support at the local level.

RECOMMENDATION 7 – Consolidate local K-12 and Postsecondary Business Advisory Councils.

RECOMMENDATION 8 – Define a Career and Technical Education Center and how K-12 and Postsecondary programs can be leveraged to serve both populations.

RECOMMENDATION 9 – Refine the Articulated Credit, Dual Enrollment Credit, and Early Enrollment Programs for clarity to ensure a clear pathway across both systems.

RECOMMENDATION 10 – Create a single high school diploma for Alabama high school students with multiple pathways and course sequences to meet the academic and career interests of every child.

RECOMMENDATION 11 – Involve local workforce development councils in the guidance program at area middle and high schools.

RECOMMENDATION 12 – Acknowledge industry credentials or demonstrated competencies as equitable to current teacher certification and compensation systems.

RECOMMENDATION 13 – Request legislative consideration of a bond issue for ongoing career and technical education program equipment and supplies.

RECOMMENDATION 14 – Request legislative funding for career and technical Education initiatives and Operations and Maintenance.

Done this 13th day of September 2012