North Carolina § 115C-174 - 25. WorkKeys.

§ 115C-174. 25. WorkKeys.

To the extent funds are made available for this purpose, the State Board shall plan for and require local school administrative units to make available the appropriate WorkKeys tests for all students who complete a concentration in career and technical education courses. History (2011-145, s. 7.30(b); 2011-280, ss. 2, 2.1; 2017-57, s. 7.23H(f).) Editor's Note. - Session Laws 2011-280, s. 3, made this Part effective July 1, 2011, and applicable beginning with the 2011-2012 school year. Session Laws 2011-145, s. 7.30(b) enacted identical provisions effective July 1, 2011; however, Sessions Laws 2011-280, s. 2.1 repealed Sessions Laws 2011-145, s. 7.30, effective July 1, 2011. Session Laws 2011-145, s. 1.1, provides: "This act shall be known as the 'Current Operations and Capital Improvements Appropriations Act of 2011.'" Session Laws 2011-145, s. 32.5 is a severability clause. Session Laws 2014-5, s. 11, effective June 10, 2014, rewrote the Part 5 heading, which formerly read "Career Readiness." Session Laws 2017-57, s. 7.23H(k), made the amendment to this section by Session Laws 2017-57, s. 7.23H(f), applicable beginning with the 2017-2018 school year. Session Laws 2017-57, s. 1.1, provides: "This act shall be known as the 'Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2017.'" Session Laws 2017-57, s. 39.6, is a severability clause. Session Laws 2020-3, s. 2.1, as amended by Session Laws 2020-49, s. 3(a), provides: "For the purposes of this Part, the following definitions apply: "(1) Authority. - State Education Assistance Authority. "(2) Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency. - The period beginning March 10, 2020, and continuing until the Governor signs an executive order rescinding Executive Order No. 116 (Declaration of a State of Emergency to Coordinate Response and Protective Actions to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19). "(3) Federal testing waiver. - The testing waiver granted to the State Board of Education by the United States Department of Education for the 2019-2020 school year, pursuant to section 8401(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended, which, pursuant to G.S. 115C-174.11 , eliminated the collection of certain student assessment data for the 2019-2020 school year. "(4) Modified calendar school. - A school that a local board designated as having a modified calendar for the 2003-2004 school year or any school that was part of a planned program in the 2003-2004 school year for a system of modified calendar schools, so long as the school operates under a modified calendar. "(5) State Board. - The State Board of Education. "(6) Year-round school. - A school with a single or multi-track instructional calendar that was adopted prior to March 1, 2020, and provides instructional days in compliance with Section 2.11(b)(1) of this Part throughout the entire school calendar year, beginning July 1 and ending June 30, by utilizing at least one of the following plans: "a. A plan dividing students into four groups and requiring each group to be in school for assigned and staggered quarters each school calendar year. "b. A plan providing students be scheduled to attend an average of between 44 and 46 instructional days followed by an average of between 15 and 20 days of vacation, repeated throughout the school calendar year. "c. A plan dividing the school calendar year into five nine-week sessions of classes and requiring each student to attend four assigned and staggered sessions out of the five nine-week sessions to complete the student's instructional year." Session Laws 2020-3, s. 2.2, provides: "The purpose of this Part is to clarify or modify certain requirements in consideration of actions and circumstances related to the COVID-19 emergency, including, but not limited to, the federal testing waiver and the closure of schools for in-person instruction during the 2019-2020 school year." Session Laws 2020-3, s. 2.3(d), provides: "WorkKeys. - For the spring semester of the 2019-2020 school year only, notwithstanding G.S. 115C-174.25 , a local school administrative unit shall not be required to administer the WorkKeys tests to any students who complete a concentration in career and technical education courses." Session Laws 2020-3, s. 5, is a severability clause. Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2017-57, s. 7.23H(f), effective July 1, 2017, substituted "a concentration in career and technical education" for "the second level of vocational/career" in the introductory text. For applicability, see editor's note.