Section 1 Short Title
This Act may be cited as the “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Professional Readiness Education Preparation Act” or the “STEM PREP Act of 2015” .
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Professional Readiness Education Preparation Act
A BILL
To amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to provide enhanced academic and career training in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 References
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.).
Sec. 3 Definitions
Section 3 (20 U.S.C. 2302) is amended—
by redesignating paragraphs (31) through (34) as paragraphs (32) through (35), respectively;
by inserting after paragraph (30) the following new paragraph:
“(31) STEM—The term STEM means science, technology, engineering, or mathematics as determined by the Secretary.”
in paragraph (33) (as so redesignated), in the paragraph heading, by striking “Tech prep” and inserting “STEM prep”.
Sec. 4 STEM Prep program
in subclause (I)(aa), by striking “2-year certificate program” and inserting “1-year or 2-year certificate program”; and
in subclause (II), by striking “2-year apprenticeship” and inserting “1-year or 2-year apprenticeship”.
Duration— Section 203(b) (20 U.S.C. 2373(b)) is amended by striking “4- or 6-year” and inserting “3-year to 6-year”.
in the subsection heading, by striking “Tech Prep” and inserting “STEM Prep”; and
in paragraph (2)—
in subparagraph (A)(ii)—
by striking “2 years” each place it appears and inserting “1 year”; and
in subclause (I), by inserting after “course of study” the following: “(which may be completed while a student is concurrently enrolled in a secondary school)”; and
by striking subparagraphs (B) through (G) and inserting the following new subparagraphs:
“(B) focuses on academic and professional training in STEM;
“(C) provides students with—
“(i) technical skill proficiency, an industry-recognized credential, a certificate, or a degree in a STEM discipline; or
“(ii) not less than one semester of academic credits in STEM subjects that may be transferred to an accredited public institution of higher education in the State in which the program is located;
“(D) gives each student an opportunity to participate in a STEM-related internship or apprenticeship lasting not less than 4 months;
“(E) builds student competence in technical skills and in core academic subjects (as defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965), as appropriate, through applied, contextual, and integrated instruction, in a coherent sequence of courses; and
“(F) leads to placement in high skill or high wage employment, or to further education;”
Indicators of Performance and Accountability— Section 203(e)(1) (20 U.S.C. 2373(e)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
“(D) Such other indicators of performance as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.”
Sec. 5 Consortium Applications
“(c) Approval
“(1) In General—The eligible agency shall approve applications under this title based on the potential of the activities described in the application to create an effective STEM prep program.
“(2) Consultation—In selecting applications for approval under paragraph (1), the eligible agency shall seek input from industry experts and educators in STEM fields as appropriate.”
in paragraph (5), by striking “and” at the end;
in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(7) showcase curricula that lead to greater critical thinking and problem solving skills in STEM by incorporating fine arts into the STEM prep program.”
Matching Requirement— Section 204 (20 U.S.C. 2374) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
“(g) Matching Requirement
“(1) In general—To be eligible for a grant under this title a consortium shall agree to provide not less than 25 percent in matching funds from non-Federal sources.
“(2) Limitation—Not more than 10 percent of such matching funds may be used to fund stipends for individuals participating in internships or apprenticeships under section 203(c)(2)(D).”
Sec. 6 Evaluations and Report
Section 205 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2375) is amended to read as follows:
“205. Evaluations and Report
“(a) Evaluations—Each eligible agency that receives an allotment under this title shall annually prepare and submit to the Secretary a written evaluation of the effectiveness of the STEM prep programs assisted under this title, including a description of how grants were awarded within the State.
“(b) Report—Using the evaluations described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall annually prepare a report comparing the effectiveness of the STEM prep programs assisted under this title and shall publish such report on a publicly accessible website of the Department of Education.”
Sec. 7 Authorization of appropriations
Section 206 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2376) is amended by striking “fiscal year 2007” and inserting “fiscal year 2016”.
Sec. 8 Conforming amendments
The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.) is amended by striking “tech prep” each place it appears (including in headings and table of contents items) and inserting “STEM prep”, in each case with the matter inserted to be in the same typeface and typestyle as the matter striken.