HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
1223 |
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to education.
BE IT
ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that, in the current job market, nearly sixty-five per cent of available positions require postsecondary credentials. Industry-recognized credentials are important because they teach the specific knowledge and skills that are required for an occupation or industry. Full-time employees with industry credentials earn more than their uncredentialed counterparts, and, in some cases, the salaries of credential holders who do not hold college degrees are similar to the salaries of college graduates.
The legislature also finds that the State has critical shortages of qualified and credentialed workers in sectors including health, education, air travel, and technology. Given the recent downturn in the State's economy and the rise in unemployment, it is especially important for Hawaii to equip its students for the existing job market. To this end, the Promising Credentials project, a collaborative effort aimed at using Hawaii labor market data and local employer insights to identify high-value industry credentials in the State, was launched. This information will enable local career readiness programs to better tailor their offerings to Hawaii's job market and to deliver more effective services to both students and employers. However, there is a need for the data to be disaggregated by credential and to be consistently collected and reported by state agencies.
Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to:
(1) Require the state board for career and technical education to oversee and review annually the statewide data collection processes, reporting requirements, and business rules related to the student attainment of industry-recognized credentials;
(2) Require the state board for career and technical education to provide an annual report to the governor and the legislature on students' attainment of industry-recognized credentials; and
(3) Require all state agencies that administer educational or training courses that lead to, provide, or otherwise align with the attainment of an industry-recognized credential to collect and report certain categories of data.
SECTION 2. Chapter 304A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to subpart C of part I to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§304A- Industry recognized credentials; data collection.
(a) The board shall review annually
the statewide data collection processes, reporting requirements, and business rules
related to the student attainment of industry-recognized credentials. The board shall ensure consistent data collection
and transparent reporting across all state educational systems and agencies.
(b) All
state data collection processes, reporting requirements, and business rules shall
support the collection of data on student-level, industry-recognized credential
attainment that may be:
(1) Integrated into
the State's secondary, postsecondary, and longitudinal educational data systems
to evaluate the equity and efficacy of state credentialing programs; and
(2) Used to analyze
the State's return on investment by matching data on industry-recognized credential
attainment with data on wages, employment, and the completion of postsecondary education.
(c) All state agencies that administer an educational
course or training program that leads to, provides, or otherwise aligns with the
attainment of an industry-recognized credential shall collect and report to the
board annual data on student-level credential attainment, including:
(1) The number of students
who enrolled in an educational course, training program, career program, postsecondary
program, or other State-supported workforce training program that provides an industry-recognized
credential, disaggregated by career field;
(2) The number of students
who attempted to earn each industry-recognized credential;
(3) The number of students
who successfully earned each industry-recognized credential;
(4) The number of students
who attempted or earned each professional credential not recognized as a "promising
credential" by the executive advisory
committee of the Promising Credentials project;
(5) The number of students who were awarded postsecondary
credit for industry-recognized credentials through articulation or transfer agreements;
(6) The geographic information, course enrollment
information, and demographic information that will allow the data to be disaggregated
by student group, program, career cluster, district, school system, postsecondary
institution, and other categories. Demographic
information tracked shall include the student's:
(A) Race;
(B) Gender;
(C) Family
income;
(D) Disability
status; and
(E) Primary
language; and
(7) Any other data deemed
necessary by the board.
(d) All state agencies that administer an educational
course or training program that leads to, provides, or otherwise aligns with the
attainment of an industry-recognized credential shall pursue data-sharing agreements
with the appropriate credentialing entities; provided that the agreements:
(1) Comply with the
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and other applicable state and federal
laws governing the privacy of student records;
(2) Share information
on student credentialing exams, including raw scores, subsection scores, and other
information related to exam performance and skill mastery;
(3) Provide sufficient
student information to match credentialing data with other components of student
records;
(4) Increase efficiency
by sharing statewide data that spans secondary and postsecondary systems and students;
(5) Facilitate collaborations
with other states to negotiate data-sharing agreements with credentialing entities
that are consistent between states, to increase administrative efficiency; and
(6) Align information
collected from students or candidates as part of the credentialing process with
state agency data systems to allow for better matching within student and longitudinal
information systems.
(e) Beginning on July 1, 2022, and no later than July
1 of each year thereafter, the board, in partnership with any agencies the board
deems appropriate, shall submit a report to the governor and the legislature, providing
the annual data required by subsection (c) and setting out the board's findings
and recommendations, including any proposed legislation. The report shall disclose the sources of all data,
including data obtained through direct agreements with the credentialing entities.
(f) The board's annual report shall be published digitally
and shall be made available to all relevant stakeholders, including students and
families, educators, employers, and community members.
(g) As used in this section:
"Board" means the state board for career
and technical education.
"Industry-recognized credential" means
a credential recognized as a "promising credential" by the executive advisory
committee of the Promising Credentials project."
SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
Industry-Recognized Credentials; Data
Description:
Requires the State board for career and technical education to oversee and review annually statewide data collection processes and reporting requirements related to the student attainment of industry-recognized credentials. Requires certain agencies to collect and report disaggregated data on students' attainment of industry-recognized credentials. Requires certain agencies to pursue data-sharing agreements with credentialing entities. Requires an annual report to the governor and legislature.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.