HB 539 - Comprehensive Career and Technical Education Reform (CCATER) Act

• Requires all students to take the ACT WorkKeys Assessment, with individual school districts determining whether administration occurs in grades 9, 10, or 11.

• Expands the Expert Citizen-Teacher license from one year to five years and removes the requirement for an associate or bachelor's degree, allowing business professionals with five years of experience to teach specialized or technical courses.

• Grants standard five-year renewable licenses to teachers employed in public or nonpublic schools for a minimum of five years before the act's effective date, provided they complete required professional development and continuing education.

• Revises career track curriculum to include technical writing, computer programming, personal finance, business/construction mathematics, computer science, earth/environmental science, and soft skills training.

• Incorporates ACT WorkKeys Assessment performance into school accreditation ratings, weighted equally with standard ACT Assessment results for college and career readiness evaluation.

• Requires all educator preparation programs to include Praxis Core Academic Skills and Praxis II examination preparatory coursework beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year.