What's happening
This bill creates a career and technical education (CTE) pathway to a high school diploma for eligible New York students.
Why it matters
Expands diploma options for all students. By establishing a CTE pathway to a high school diploma, the bill gives students—including those with disabilities and English language learners—an alternative to traditional academic tracks, potentially reducing dropout rates and increasing graduation opportunities.
Aligns education with workforce needs. The required components (technical coursework, assessments, work-based learning, and employability profiling) are designed to ensure students gain practical, job-ready skills directly relevant to fields like agriculture, health, business, and trades, helping bridge the gap between education and employment.
Empowers local school districts and state oversight. While school districts can choose whether to offer the CTE pathway, the Board of Regents is tasked with setting consistent standards and criteria, ensuring quality and statewide alignment of curriculum and assessment.
Potentially impacts future economic mobility. By making career-focused education a recognized route to graduation, the bill could help students access well-paying careers without requiring a traditional college degree, supporting workforce development and economic growth in New York.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Create Vocational Diploma Option
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
47 Co-sponsors
- Inez E. Dickens
- William Colton
- Anthony D'Urso
- Angelo Santabarbara
- Kenneth Zebrowski
- Nader Sayegh
- Jaime R. Williams
- Catalina Cruz
- Albert A. Stirpe
- Ellen C. Jaffee
- Stacey Pheffer Amato
- Jamie Romeo
- Harry B. Bronson
- Tremaine Wright
- Vivian Cook
- Sandy Galef
- Patricia Fahy
- Linda Rosenthal
- Charles Barron
- Michaelle C. Solages
- Nily Rozic
- Donna Lupardo
- Patrick Burke
- Sean Ryan
- Carmen De La Rosa
- Amy Paulin
- Carrie Woerner
- Richard Gottfried
- David Weprin
- Daniel O'Donnell
- Billy Jones
- Nathalia Fernandez
- Joseph Lentol
- Harvey Epstein
- Latrice Walker
- Edward Braunstein
- Victor M. Pichardo
- Walter T. Mosley
- Steven Otis
- Thomas Abinanti
- Karines Reyes
- Pamela J. Hunter
- Jonathan Jacobson
- Latoya Joyner
- John T. McDonald III
- Didi Barrett
- Taylor Darling
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Create Career-Focused Diploma Option
In Senate Committee · Education · Sponsor Rachel May
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7181
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 10, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. BUTTENSCHON, DICKENS, COLTON, D'URSO, SANTABAR- BARA, ZEBROWSKI, SAYEGH, WILLIAMS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a career and technical education diploma
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 817 to read as follows:
§ 817. Career and technical education pathway to a high school diploma. 1. a. A career and technical education (CTE) pathway to a high school diploma is hereby established. A CTE pathway to a diploma, if made available by a school district shall:
(i) result in a regents or local diploma;
(ii) differ from the traditional requirements to a regents or local diploma with respect to required assessments, except as otherwise required by federal law;
(iii) be made available to all students, including, but not limited to students with disabilities and English language learners.
b. A CTE pathway to a diploma shall be based on a course of study designed to provide students with technical knowledge and skills and shall demonstrate that the student is ready for a career as determined by regulations of the commissioner. A CTE pathway to a diploma shall include, but not be limited to:
(i) completion of a CTE course of study;
(ii) completion of a three-part technical assessment;
(iii) completion of work-based learning experiences as provided by the state approved program; and
(iv) completion of a work-skills employability profile.
c. For purposes of this section, a career and technical education shall include, but not be limited to, a course of study in the following
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10453-01-9
A. 7181 2
career fields: agriculture education, business and marketing education, family and consumer sciences education, health occupations education, technical education, technology education, and trade and industrial education.
2. The board of regents shall promulgate such regulations of the commissioner as may be necessary to establish the curriculum, assessments and any other criteria that students must achieve to earn a regents or local diploma via a CTE pathway.
3. Students first entering ninth grade in the two thousand nineteen-- two thousand twenty school year and thereafter shall be eligible to earn a diploma via a CTE pathway if made available by a school district.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the timely implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized and directed to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.