House Bill 1556 - Comprehensive Career and Technical Education Reform (CCATER) Act

• Dual credit career and technical education instructors are no longer required to hold an associate or bachelor's degree if they meet alternative minimum qualifications for their positions.

• State Board of Education must provide notice to all incoming middle school and junior high students about career track programs offered locally, including program availability, course requirements, and enrollment procedures.

• All students in the career and technical education track must take the ACT WorkKeys Assessment; requires curriculum changes including technical writing, computer programming, personal finance, business/construction mathematics, and soft skills training.

• Local business and professional personnel can obtain one-year expert citizen-teacher licenses without an associate or bachelor's degree, provided they possess minimum qualifications for their profession.

• ACT WorkKeys Assessment performance is included in school accreditation ratings with equal weighting to standard ACT scores, with Silver Status on WorkKeys equivalent to an ACT composite score of 22-25.