The following words and terms shall have the following meanings when used in this chapter unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Specialized terms unique to a specific subchapter are defined within that subchapter. "Career and technical education" is used synonymously throughout this chapter with "vocational-technical education" in places where "vocational-technical education" must be retained due to its basis in State statute.
"Admissions policy" means the process established by a county vocational school district for admittance of students into a career and technical education program or program of study.
"Apprenticeship training" means a paid structured learning experience in which students enrolled in an approved program are placed into an employer-sponsored training program to learn a skilled trade or technical occupation that is clearly identified and commonly recognized throughout an industry, and that is customarily learned in a practical way through a structured, systematic program of on-the-job supervised training. Apprenticeship training involves manual, mechanical, or technical skills and knowledge, and requires related theoretical instruction to supplement the on-the-job training. Apprentice training programs are registered with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, in compliance with 29 CFR §§ 29.29 and 29.30.
"Approved program" means career and technical education programs and programs of study that are developed and implemented in accordance with N.J.A.C. 6A:19-3.1, Program requirements, and 3.2, Program approval, and N.J.S.A. 18A:54-24, Approval of courses of study.
"Career and technical education" means organized educational activities that: offer a sequence of courses that provide individuals with the coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in current or emerging professions; provides technical skill proficiency, an industry-recognized credential, a certificate, or an associate degree; may include prerequisite courses (other than a remedial course) that meet the requirements of this definition; and include competency-based applied learning that contributes to the academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, and occupation-specific skills, and knowledge of all aspects of an industry.
"Career and technical education student" means a student who enrolls in an approved career and technical education program or program of study.
"Career and technical student organization" means an organization that engages students in career and technical education activities as an integral part of the instructional program. Such organizations must have State and national units that establish and coordinate the work and purposes of instruction in career and technical education at the local level.
"Career Clusters" means the 16 distinct groupings of occupations and industries based on the required knowledge and skills that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and by the New Jersey Department of Education.
"Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP)" means the taxonomic scheme that supports the accurate tracking, assessment, and reporting of fields of study and program completion activity. CIP was originally developed by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 1980, with revisions occurring in 1985 and 1990.
"Cooperative education experience" means a paid structured learning experience, which is a method of education for individuals who, through written cooperative arrangements between a school and employers, receive instruction, including required rigorous and challenging academic courses and related career and technical education instruction, by alternation of study in school with a job in any occupational field, that:
1. Shall be planned and supervised by the school and employer so each contributes to the education and employability of the individual; and
2. May include an arrangement in which work periods and school attendance may be on alternate half days, full days, weeks, or other periods of time in fulfilling the cooperative program.
"County vocational school district" means a school district established by a county board of chosen freeholders, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:54-2 and 18A:54-12, for the purpose of providing efficient occupational, technical, and academic education opportunities to secondary and postsecondary students.
"Course" means an organization of subject matter and related learning experiences designed to meet a career and technical education objective provided for the instruction of students as part of an approved career and technical education program or program of study.
"Displaced homemaker" means an individual who:
1. Has worked primarily without remuneration to care for a home and family, and for that reason has diminished marketable skills; and
2. Is unemployed or underemployed and is experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading employment; and
i. Is a parent whose youngest dependent child will become ineligible to receive assistance under part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 601 et seq.) not later than two years after the date on which the parent applies for assistance under this title; or
ii. Has been dependent on the income of another family member but is no longer supported by that income.
"Economically disadvantaged student" means a student who is a member of a household that meets Federal income poverty eligibility guidelines for free and reduced price meals or free milk established under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1758(b)(1) and 1766(c)(4) and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 42 U.S.C. §§ 1772(a)(6) and 1773(e)(1)(A), incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented. The U.S. Department of Agriculture annually issues the Income Eligibility Guidelines for free and reduced price meals for the National School Lunch Program ( 7 CFR Part 210).
"Employer/agency agreement" means a written, signed agreement between a school district and an employer or agency in which the terms and conditions of a structured learning experience are detailed, as well as the responsibilities of the participating parties, including the school district, the host employer or agency, the student, and the parent or guardian.
"Hazard analysis" means a method of reviewing career and technical education program tools, equipment, materials, procedures, and processes to identify potential causes of injury or illness.
"Hazardous occupation" means occupations regulated by State and Federal child-labor and wage-and-hour laws, regulations, and hazardous orders as prohibited for minors with limited exemptions permitted for students who are enrolled in an approved career and technical education program or program of study and who are participating in a cooperative education experience or apprenticeship training.
"Hazardous structured learning experiences" means work-based activities regulated by State and Federal child-labor and wage-and hour-laws, regulations, and hazardous orders as prohibited for minors with limited exemptions permitted for students who are enrolled in an approved career and technical education program or program of study and who are participating in a cooperative education experience or apprenticeship training.
"Hazardous substance" means any substance or substance contained in a mixture included on the workplace hazardous substance list developed by the Department of Health, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 34:5A-5, introduced by an employer to be used, studied, produced, or otherwise handled at a facility.
"Incident reporting form" means the electronic form provided by the Department for school districts to identify reportable incidents for submission to the Department.
"Individual with limited English proficiency" means a secondary school student, an adult, or an out-of-school youth who has limited ability in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language, and:
1. Whose native language is a language other than English; or
2. Who lives in a family or community environment in which a language other than English is the dominant language.
"Internship" means paid or unpaid structured learning experiences in non-hazardous occupations that are designed for career exploration and include supervised practical training.
"Job shadowing" means unpaid structured learning experiences in which students determine by observation, interview, and study the pertinent information related to an occupation or career.
"National and community service project" means unpaid structured learning experiences in nonhazardous settings in which students participate in any project, program, or undertaking designed to provide, or assist in providing, activities or services to promote conservation, restoration, or preservation of natural resources, open space of the environment, or public health, education and welfare among the general population or segments of the population having identifiable needs or deficiencies.
"Nontraditional fields" means occupations or fields of work in which individuals from one gender comprise less than 25 percent of the individuals employed in each such occupation or field of work.
"Perkins Act" means the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006, 20 U.S.C. §§ 2301 et seq., which has as its purpose to more fully develop the academic and career and technical skills of secondary and postsecondary education students who elect to enroll in career and technical education programs and programs of study.
"Postsecondary educational institution" means an institution legally authorized to provide postsecondary education within the State, including county colleges, county vocational school districts, and private career schools.
"Program of study" means career and technical content areas that: incorporate secondary and postsecondary education elements; include coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant career and technical content in a coordinated, nonduplicative progression of courses that align secondary and postsecondary education to adequately prepare students to succeed in postsecondary education; may include the opportunity for secondary students to participate in dual- or concurrent-enrollment programs or acquire postsecondary credit in other ways; and lead to an industry-recognized credential at the postsecondary level, or an associate or baccalaureate degree.
"Reportable incident" means any injury or illness incurred by a student or teacher resulting from participation in a career and technical education program or program of study, occurring either on school premises or off-premises at an approved structured learning experience training site, including travel to or from the off-premises site, or any other individual who incurred an injury or illness in a career and technical education classroom, and that requires treatment by a licensed medical doctor.
"Rigorous activities" means student activities with identifiable educational goals that support the New Jersey Student Learning Standards.
"School-based enterprises" means structured learning experiences in nonhazardous settings that are part of enterprises that involve the production of goods and services by students for sale to or use by others.
"Service learning" means unpaid structured learning experiences in nonhazardous settings taking place in the community that are designed to foster students' community service and civic responsibility.
"Special populations" means:
1. Individuals with disabilities;
2. Individuals from economically disadvantaged families, including foster children;
3. Individuals preparing for nontraditional fields;
4. Single parents, including single pregnant women;
5. Displaced homemakers; and
6. Individuals with limited English proficiency.
"State Board of Education" or "State Board" means the New Jersey State Board of Vocational Education. Under P.L. 109-270 and designated by N.J.S.A. 18A:59-5, the State Board of Vocational Education is established as the agent for the State in securing for the State the benefits of Federal career and technical education appropriations.
"State Employment and Training Commission" means the State commission established under P.L. 1989, c.295, to develop and assist in the implementation of a State employment and training policy with the goal of creating, in concert with the efforts of the private sector, a coherent, integrated system of employment and training programs and services that will provide each citizen of the State with equal access to the learning opportunities needed to attain and maintain high levels of productivity and earning power.
"State Plan" means the State Plan for Career and Technical Education that: describes the career and technical education programs, programs of study, and activities to be carried out by the State as authorized by the State Board; is accepted by the U.S. Department of Education; and is required under P.L. 109-270.
"Structured learning experience (SLE)" means experiential, supervised, in-depth learning experiences aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards that are designed to offer students the opportunity to more fully explore career interests within one or more of the Career Clusters. SLEs are designed as rigorous activities that are integrated into the curriculum and that provide students with opportunities to demonstrate and apply a high level of academic, and/or technical skills, and develop personal, academic and career goals.
"Student training plan" means a written plan describing the student learning objectives, activities, and assessments as part of a structured learning experience.
"Student with a disability" means a student who is eligible for special education and related services pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:14.
"Supervised agriculture experience" means activities for students who are enrolled in approved agriculture, food, and natural resources programs that are designed to promote career exploration; research, experimentation, and analysis; and business ownership and entrepreneurship; and placements into paid and unpaid external, work-based, supervised structured learning experiences in agriculture-related businesses.
"Technical skills assessment" means a written and/or performance assessment that may result in licensure, an industry certification, or a credential related to a specific career.
"Volunteer experience" means an unpaid structured learning experience where individuals donate their services to nonprofit or public-sector employers for civic, religious, or humanitarian objectives.
"Work Experience Career Exploration Program (WECEP)" means a school-supervised or -administered work experience program designed to permit students between the ages of 14 and 16 to explore career possibilities while they earn credit for both in-school related instruction and on-the-job experience. The program allows for the employment of minors, whom authoritative school district personnel identify as being able to benefit from the program, in otherwise prohibited circumstances for up to 23 hours per week when school is in session and for no more than three hours in any one day. WECEP programs must follow Department guidelines as approved by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Wage and Hour Division.
N.J. Admin. Code § 6A:19-1.2
See: 23 N.J.R. 1246(a), 23 N.J.R. 2331(c).
Amendments pursuant to Federal law P.L. 101-392 and the State Quality Education Act ( P.L. 1990 c. 52).
Amended by R.1999 d.51, effective 2/16/1999.
See: 30 N.J.R. 3623(a), 31 N.J.R. 537(a).
Deleted "Private industry council"; and added "Workforce Investment Board".
Amended by R.2001 d.473, effective 12/17/2001.
See: 33 N.J.R. 2770(a), 33 N.J.R. 3280(a), 33 N.J.R. 4319(a).
Rewrote the section.
Amended by R.2007 d.10, effective 1/2/2007.
See: 38 N.J.R. 3205(a), 39 N.J.R. 29(a).
Rewrote the section.
Amended by R.2013 d.122, effective 10/7/2013.
See: 45 N.J.R. 404(a), 45 N.J.R. 2239(a).
Rewrote the introductory paragraph; deleted definitions "Act", "Career awareness, exploration, and preparation", "Career education and counseling", "Commissioner", "Department", "Individualized education program (IEP)", and "Workforce Investment Board"; added definitions "Admissions policy", "Apprenticeship training", "Cooperative education experience", "Employer/agency agreement", "Hazard analysis", "Hazardous occupation", "Hazardous structured learning experiences", "Hazardous substance", "Incident reporting form", "Internship", "Job shadowing", "National and community service project", "Perkins Act", "Program of study", "Reportable incident", "Rigorous activities", "School-based enterprises", "Service learning", "Student training plan", "Student with a disability", "Supervised agriculture experience", "Technical skills assessment", "Volunteer experience", and "Work Experience Career Exploration Program (WECEP)"; rewrote definitions "Approved program", "Career and technical education", "Career Clusters", "Postsecondary educational institution", " 'State Board of Education' or 'State Board' ", "State Plan", and "Structured learning experience (SLE)"; in definitions "Career and technical education student" and "Course", inserted "or program of study"; in definition "Career and technical student organization", deleted "for students enrolled in an approved career and technical education program" following the second occurrence of "organization", and inserted "students"; in definition "Special populations", substituted "fields" for "training and employment" in subparagraph 3, and deleted "with other barriers to educational achievement, including individuals: preceding "with" in subparagraph 6; in definition "State Employment and Training Commission", inserted ", in concert with the efforts of the private sector," and substituted "that" for "which, in concert with the efforts of the private sector,"; and substituted definition "Nontraditional fields" for definition "Nontraditional training and employment".
Administrative change.
See: 48 N.J.R. 1802(a).