Section 20-2-159.3. Academic core standards to be embedded in career, technical, and agricultural education courses

   (a) The competencies and curricula established for career, technical, and agricultural education courses pursuant to Code Section 20-2-140 shall include embedded standards in academic core subject areas, as appropriate. In establishing such competencies and curricula, the state board shall work to ensure that the coursework meets postsecondary requirements for acceptance of credit for such coursework at the postsecondary level. Such courses shall be taught by a highly qualified teacher in the academic content and trained or experienced in contextualized learning using project based methods; by a highly qualified career, technical, and agricultural education teacher who has completed a state-approved training program to strengthen academic content and has passed a state-approved exam for demonstrating mastery of academic content; or by a team made up of a highly qualified teacher in the academic content and a highly qualified career, technical, and agricultural education teacher working together to teach the course.

(b) Local school systems and individual charter schools may develop and implement career, technical, and agricultural courses with embedded standards in academic core subjects areas, including, but not limited to, English, language arts, science, social studies, and mathematics.

(c) For an academic core subject area for which an end-of-course assessment has been adopted pursuant to Code Section 20-2-281, students shall be given the opportunity to take such end-of-course assessment upon completion of the career, technical, and agricultural education course that includes embedded standards in such academic core subject area, unless such student has already passed such end-of-course assessment.

(d) Students who successfully complete a course in career, technical, and agricultural education that includes embedded standards in academic core subject areas, as adopted or approved by the state board, shall receive course credit for both the career, technical, and agricultural education course as well as for the academic core coursework embedded in such course.

(e) The guidelines shall limit the number of academic credits earned through career, technical, and agricultural education courses for any student to three credits and shall ensure acceptance of such credits for purposes of admission into a postsecondary institution. Further, such a credit shall count only once toward high school diploma requirements unless the course requires expanded time to cover the academic and career, technical, and agricultural education content found in both the academic and the career, technical, and agricultural education course.

Code 1981, § 20-2-159.3, enacted by Ga. L. 2011, p. 635, § 5/HB 186.