ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Fifty-fifth Legislature

Second Regular Session

HB 2034: CTEDs; associate degrees

Sponsor: Representative Udall, LD 25

Committee on Education

Overview

Allows career technical education districts (CTEDs) to offer accredited associate degrees.

History

A CTED offers career technical education (CTE) courses that must: 1) be taught by a certified instructor; 2) be part of a program that requires students to obtain at least a 60% on a competency assessment; 3) be part of an approved CTED program; 4) require the majority of instructional time to be conducted in a laboratory, field-based or work-based learning environment; 5) demonstrate a need for extra funding; and 6) require specialized equipment and materials. Additionally, a CTE course must be approved by the Career and Technical Education Division of the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) (A.R.S. § 15-391).

The in-demand regional education list, compiled annually by the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) and ADE, is a listing of approved CTE programs that lead to a career path in high demand with median-to-high wage jobs by region. OEO is required to incorporate industry feedback when developing the in-demand regional education list and must also submit the list to the Arizona Career and Technical Education Quality Commission for review and approval (A.R.S. § 15-393).

Provisions

1. Permits a CTED to offer associate degrees that are accredited by a regional accreditation agency approved by the United States Department of Education. (Sec. 1)

2. Requires that a CTED offering an associate degree program meet all applicable regional accreditation and state licensure requirements. (Sec. 1)

3. Specifies that a CTED may only offer associate degrees for CTED programs that are on the in-demand regional education list. (Sec. 1)

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