Definitions

For purposes of this part, the term: (1) “Articulation” means agreement between a high school and a postsecondary institution regarding the awarding of both secondary and postsecondary credit for a dual enrollment course. 513 20-2-326 (2) “Choice technical high school” means a high school, other than the high school to which a student is assigned by virtue of his or her residence and attendance zone, which is designed to prepare a high school student for postsecondary education and for employment in a career field. A choice technical high school may be operated by a local school system or a technical school or college. A choice technical high school may also be operated as a charter school under a governance board composed of parents, employers, and representatives from the local board of education. (3) “Chronically low-performing high school” means a public high school in this state that has a graduation rate of less than 60 percent for three consecutive years, as determined in accordance with methodology established by the National Governors Association’s Compact on High School Graduation Data, or that has received an unacceptable rating for three consecutive years, as defined by the Office of Student Achievement. (4) “College and career academy” means a specialized school established as a charter school or pursuant to a contract for a strategic waivers school system or charter system, which formalizes a partnership that demonstrates a collaboration between business, industry, and community stakeholders to advance work force development between one or more local boards of education, a private individual, a private organization, or a state or local public entity in cooperation with one or more postsecondary institutions. (5) “Focused program of study” means a rigorous academic core combined with a focus in mathematics and science; a focus in humanities, fine arts, and foreign language; or a coherent sequence of career pathway courses that is aligned with graduation requirements established by the State Board of Education and content standards established pursuant to Part 2 of this article that prepares a student for postsecondary education or immediate employment after high school graduation. (6) “Graduation plan” means a student specific plan developed in accordance with subsection (c) of Code Section 20-2-327 detailing the courses necessary for a high school student to graduate from high school and to successfully transition to postsecondary education and the work force. (7) “Industry certification” means a process of program evaluation that ensures that individual programs meet state, national, or international industry standards in the areas of curriculum, teacher qualification, lab specifications, equipment, and industry involvement. (7.1) “Industry credentialing” means a process through which students are assessed by an independent third-party certifying entity 514 20-2-326 ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUC. 20-2-326 using predetermined standards for knowledge, skills, and competencies, resulting in the award of individual certification or state licensure or an occupational competency that is state, nationally, or internationally recognized. (8) “Public college or university” means a two-year or four-year college, university, or other institution under the auspices of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. (9) “Small learning community” means an autonomous or semiautonomous small learning environment within a large high school which is made up of a subset of students and teachers for a two-year, three-year, or four-year period. The goal of a small learning community is to achieve greater personalization of learning with each community led by a principal or instructional leader. A small learning community blends academic studies around a broad career or academic theme where teachers have common planning time to connect teacher assignments and assessments to college and career readiness standards. Students voluntarily apply for enrollment in a small learning community but must be accepted, and such enrollment must be approved by the student’s parent or guardian. A small learning community also includes a college and career academy organized around a specific career theme which integrates academic and career instruction, provides work based learning opportunities, and prepares students for postsecondary education and employment, with support through partnerships with local employers, community organizations, and postsecondary institutions. (10) “Teacher adviser system” means a system where an individual professional educator in the school assists a small group of students and their parents or guardians throughout the students’ high school careers to set postsecondary goals and help them prepare programs of study, utilizing assessments and other data to track academic progress on a regular basis; communicates frequently with parents or guardians; and provides advisement, support, and encouragement as needed. (11) “Technical school or college” means a college, institution, or other branch of the Technical College System of Georgia. History. Code 1981, § 20-2-326, enacted by Ga. L. 2010, p. 186, § 1/HB 400; Ga. L. 2011, p. 421, § 2/SB 161; Ga. L. 2011, p. 752, § 20/HB 142; Ga. L. 2012, p. 775, § 20/HB 942; Ga. L. 2013, p. 1061, § 22/HB 283; Ga. L. 2015, p. 1376, § 33/HB 502; Ga. L. 2016, p. 822, § 2/SB 348; Ga. L. 2018, p. 731, § 7/SB 3. Editor’s notes. Ga. L. 2018, p. 731, § 1/SB 3, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “This Act shall be known and may be cited as the ‘Creating Opportunities Needed 515 20-2-327 Now to Expand Credentialed Training (CONNECT) Act.’” 20-2-327. Recognition of advanced proficiency/honors courses; counseling and development of individual graduation plans. (a) Student performance at the advanced proficiency/honors level on any assessments required for purposes of high school graduation shall be recognized as: (1) Meeting postsecondary entrance test requirements; and (2) Qualifying students to enroll in credit-bearing postsecondary coursework in accordance with policies and requirements established by the State Board of Education, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, and the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia. (b) Secondary and postsecondary credit shall be awarded immediately upon successful completion of any articulated or dual enrollment course in accordance with policies and requirements established by the State Board of Education, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, and the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia. (c)(1) Students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades shall be provided counseling, advisement, career awareness, career interest and career demand inventories, and information to assist them in evaluating their academic skills, career oriented aptitudes, and career interests. Before the end of the second semester of the eighth grade, students shall develop an individual graduation plan based on their academic skills, career oriented aptitudes, and career interests in consultation with their parents, guardians, or individuals appointed by the parents or guardians to serve as their designee. A student’s individual graduation plan shall be taken into consideration when scheduling a student’s courses in ninth grade. High school students shall be provided guidance, advisement, and counseling annually that will enable them to successfully update and implement their individual graduation plans, preparing them for a seamless transition to postsecondary study, further training, or employment, including information regarding occupations, degrees, industry credentials, certifications, and technical skills; work-ready skills in demand by Georgia employers through the department’s career pipeline website; and other career related inventories made available through the Technical College System of Georgia or the Office of Student Achievement. Beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, such guidance, advisement, and counseling for high school students 516 20-2-327 ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUC. 20-2-327 shall include providing career oriented aptitude and career interest guidance. An individual graduation plan shall: (A) Include rigorous academic core subjects and focused coursework in mathematics and science or in humanities, fine arts, and foreign language or sequenced career pathway coursework; (B) Incorporate provisions of a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), where applicable; (C) Align educational and broad career goals and a student’s course of study; (D) Be based on the student’s selected academic and career focus area as approved by the student’s parent or guardian; (E) Include experience based, career oriented learning experiences which may include, but not be limited to, participation in work based learning programs such as internships, apprenticeships, cooperative education, and employability skill development; (F) Include any applicable industry credentialing that pertains to the student’s focused program of study; (G) Include opportunities for postsecondary studies through articulation, dual enrollment, and joint enrollment; (H) Be flexible to allow change in the course of study but be sufficiently structured to meet graduation requirements and qualify the student for admission to postsecondary education; and (I) Be approved by the student and the student’s parent or guardian with guidance from the student’s school counselor or teacher adviser. (2) An individual graduation plan shall be reviewed annually, and revised, if appropriate, upon approval by the student and the student’s parent or guardian with guidance from the student’s school counselor or teacher adviser. An individual graduation plan may be changed at any time throughout a student’s high school career upon approval by the student and the student’s parent or guardian with guidance from the student’s school counselor or teacher adviser. (3) The General Assembly finds that school counselors help students focus on academic, career, social, and emotional development so that students can achieve success in school and be prepared to lead fulfilling lives as responsible members of society. The Department of Education shall review each school counselor’s role, workload, and program service delivery in grades six through 12. Such review shall include the scope of school counselor professional learning and annual school counselor evaluation instruments. The Department of 517 20-2-327.1 Education shall provide a report of its findings to the State Board of Education and the General Assembly by December 31, 2018, that includes recommendations for counselor improvements to ensure student success in academic skills, career oriented aptitudes, and career interests. This paragraph shall stand repealed on December 31, 2018. History. Code 1981, § 20-2-327, enacted by Ga. L. 2010, p. 186, § 1/HB 400; Ga. L. 2011, p. 632, § 3/HB 49; Ga. L. 2011, p. 752, § 20/HB 142; Ga. L. 2014, p. 341, § 4/HB 766; Ga. L. 2015, p. 5, § 20/HB 90; Ga. L. 2018, p. 731, § 8/SB 3; Ga. L. 2018, p. 747, § 2/SB 401.