Hawaii-2021-HB1223-Amended

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that, in the current job market, nearly sixty-five per cent of available positions require postsecondary credentials. Industry-recognized credentials are important because they teach the specific knowledge and skills that are required for an occupation or industry. Full-time employees with industry credentials earn more than their uncredentialed counterparts, and, in some cases, the salaries of credential holders who do not hold college degrees are similar to the salaries of college graduates.

The legislature also finds that the State has critical shortages of qualified and credentialed workers in sectors including health, education, air travel, and technology. Given the recent downturn in the State's economy and the rise in unemployment, it is especially important for Hawaii to equip its students for the existing job market. To this end, the Promising Credentials project, a collaborative effort aimed at using Hawaii labor market data and local employer insights to identify high-value industry credentials in the State, was launched. This information will enable local career readiness programs to better tailor their offerings to Hawaii's job market and to deliver more effective services to both students and employers. However, there is a need for the data to be disaggregated by credential and to be consistently collected and reported by state agencies.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to:

(1) Require the state board for career and technical education to oversee and review annually the statewide data collection processes, reporting requirements, and business rules related to the student attainment of industry-recognized credentials;

(2) Require the state board for career and technical education to provide an annual report to the governor and the legislature on students' attainment of industry-recognized credentials; and

(3) Require all state agencies that administer educational or training courses that lead to, provide, or otherwise align with the attainment of an industry-recognized credential to collect and report certain categories of data.

SECTION 2. Chapter 304A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to subpart C of part I to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§304A- Industry recognized credentials; data collection. (a) The board shall review annually the statewide data collection processes, reporting requirements, and business rules related to the student attainment of industry-recognized credentials. The board shall ensure consistent data collection and transparent reporting across all state educational systems and agencies.

(b) All state data collection processes, reporting requirements, and business rules shall support the collection of data on student-level, industry-recognized credential attainment that may be:

(1) Integrated into the State's secondary, postsecondary, and longitudinal educational data systems to evaluate the equity and efficacy of state credentialing programs; and

(2) Used to analyze the State's return on investment by matching data on industry-recognized credential attainment with data on wages, employment, and the completion of postsecondary education.

(c) All state agencies that administer an educational course or training program that leads to, provides, or otherwise aligns with the attainment of an industry-recognized credential shall collect and report to the board annual data on student-level credential attainment, including:

(1) The number of students who enrolled in an educational course, training program, career program, postsecondary program, or other state-supported workforce training program that provides an industry-recognized credential, disaggregated by career field;

(2) The number of students who attempted to earn each industry-recognized credential;

(3) The number of students who successfully earned each industry-recognized credential;

(4) The number of students who attempted or earned each professional credential not recognized as a "promising credential" by the executive advisory committee of the Promising Credentials project;

(5) The number of students who were awarded postsecondary credit for industry-recognized credentials through articulation or transfer agreements;

(6) The geographic information, course enrollment information, and demographic information that will allow the data to be disaggregated by student group, program, career cluster, complex area, school system, postsecondary institution, and other categories. Demographic information tracked shall include the student's:

(A) Race;

(B) Gender;

(D) Disability status; and

(E) Primary language; and

(7) Any other data deemed necessary by the board.

(d) All state agencies that administer an educational course or training program that leads to, provides, or otherwise aligns with the attainment of an industry-recognized credential shall pursue data-sharing agreements with the appropriate credentialing entities; provided that the agreements:

(1) Comply with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and other applicable state and federal laws governing the privacy of student records;

(2) Share information on student credentialing exams, including raw scores, subsection scores, and other information related to exam performance and skill mastery;

(3) Provide sufficient student information to match credentialing data with other components of student records;

(4) Increase efficiency by sharing statewide data that spans secondary and postsecondary systems and students;

(5) Facilitate collaborations with other states to negotiate data-sharing agreements with credentialing entities that are consistent between states, to increase administrative efficiency; and

(6) Align information collected from students or candidates as part of the credentialing process with state agency data systems to allow for better matching within student and longitudinal information systems.

(e) Beginning on July 1, 2023, and no later than July 1 of each year thereafter, the board, in partnership with any agencies the board deems appropriate, shall submit a report to the governor and the legislature, providing the annual data required by subsection (c) and setting out the board's findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation. The report shall disclose the sources of all data, including data obtained through direct agreements with the credentialing entities.

(f) The board's annual report to the governor and legislature shall be published digitally and shall be made available to all relevant stakeholders, including students and families, educators, employers, and community members.

(g) All data collection and reporting activity under this section shall be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable federal and state laws governing the privacy and confidentiality of such data.

(h) As used in this section:

"Board" means the state board for career and technical education.

"Industry-recognized credential" means a credential recognized as a "promising credential" by the executive advisory committee of the Promising Credentials project."

SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1223
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII