Existing legislation contains a provision allowing for one career technical education (CTE) course to count toward the California high school graduation requirement, granting CTE the same status as classes in the visual and performing arts and foreign languages. That provision, established for the 2012–13 school year, was set to expire at the end of the current 2022–23 school year, but that is no longer case. Education omnibus trailer bill legislation signed Sept. 27 has extended the provision by four years, meaning one CTE course can be counted toward the high school graduation requirement through at least June 30, 2027.
This change was not captured in CSBA’s most recent policy update on Sept. 15, which predated by two weeks the signing of the education trailer bill and the extension of the CTE high school graduation requirement provision. CSBA is presently revising policy 6146.1 in GAMUT and notifying GAMUT Policy and GAMUT Policy Plus users of the revisions to ensure members reference the new policy rather than the Sept. 15th update packet version.
More information will be provided in the forthcoming policy update based on this relevant language from the Assembly Bill 185 digest:
“Existing law requires each pupil completing grade 12 to satisfy certain requirements as a condition of receiving a diploma of graduation from high school. These requirements include the completion of designated coursework in grades 9 to 12, inclusive. The coursework requirements include, among others, the completion of one course in visual or performing arts, foreign language, or, commencing with the 2012–13 school year, career technical education. Existing law eliminates the authorization for career technical education to count toward that graduation requirement on July 1, 2022, or upon the occurrence of a specified event relating to career technical education requirements of the University of California and the California State University, whichever occurs earlier, as specified.
This bill would extend the inoperative date of that graduation requirement to July 1, 2027, or upon the occurrence of a specified event relating to career technical education requirements of the University of California and the California State University, whichever occurs earlier, as specified. If a pupil completed a career technical education course that met that graduation requirement between July 1, 2022, and the effective date of this bill, the bill would, notwithstanding any other law, require the course to be deemed to have fulfilled that requirement. To the extent the bill would impose additional duties on local educational agency officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.”
