Bill Approved Requiring School Report Cards to Track Apprenticeships
The New Jersey Senate voted on Monday in favor of a bill, supported by NJBIA, that would require all state-issued School Performance Reports, commonly called school report cards, to include data about high school graduates placed in apprenticeships.
The annual accountability reports prepared by the state Department of Education currently include a broad set of data about each school’s performance, including college-bound high school graduates.
The bill, S-1773, sponsored by Sen. Troy Singleton (D-7), would require school report cards to recognize and track students placed in apprenticeships as well. NJBIA is seeking future amendments that would go a step further by also requiring report cards to include placements in workforce training programs because these are valued postsecondary outcomes as well.
“High-quality workforce training programs—offered through county colleges, vocational schools, nonprofit providers, and employer-led partnerships—are often the fastest and most effective pathway into in-demand jobs,” NJBIA Vice President of Government Affairs Althea D. Ford said.
“Recognizing placement into these programs validates the real-world outcomes that high schools are increasingly working to deliver and aligns accountability metrics with today’s labor market,” Ford said.
Ford said NJBIA would continue to work with the sponsor to secure amendments to ensure school report cards also capture workforce training programs.