Amends TCA Title 49.

This bill requires the state board of education to develop an Industry 4.0 diploma as an alternative to the traditional diploma for high school students who are interested in pursuing a career in a high-need, high-skill industry after graduation. Under this bill, a high school student interested in receiving an Industry 4.0 diploma must: (1) Before the end of the student's sophomore year: (A) Notify the student's counselor or school principal of the student's intent to pursue an Industry 4.0 diploma; (B) Provide the student's counselor or school principal with documentation signed by the student's parent or legal guardian indicating that the student's parent or legal guardian is aware of the requirements for the parent's or legal guardian's student to obtain an Industry 4.0 diploma and consenting to the student's participation; (C) Register with a regional American Job Center or other career counseling or community partner approved by the student's school; and (D) Enroll in work-based learning or dual enrollment courses for the student's junior year; (2) Beginning in the student's junior year, meet, no less than once per month, with a career coach who meets the requirements of this bill and who has been approved to provide career coaching services by the student's school; (3) Before the end of the student's junior year, enroll in work-based learning or dual enrollment courses for the student's senior year; and (4) Successfully complete all coursework required for graduation. This bill requires a career coach to: (1) Be an American Job Center career coach, a career coach from a career counseling or community partner approved by the U.S. department of labor's regional office for this state, or a certified school counselor or an educator who holds a work-based learning credential; and (2) Meet, no less than once per month, with students assigned to the career coach by the student's school principal to assist students in: (A) Developing the personal attributes required for success in the workforce, which include, but are not limited to, time management, networking, communication, teamwork, creative thinking, and conflict resolution; (B) Applying for dual enrollment grants or other available financial aid opportunities, including, but not limited to, grants and scholarships administered by the Tennessee student assistance corporation; (C) Identifying the best combination of dual enrollment, work-based learning, and internship opportunities available to the student; and (D) Preparing for standardized assessments such as the ACT. Transportation to and from a college of applied technology, work-based learning location, or career and technical education center may be provided by the student's LEA or public charter school using local school funds in the same manner as provided for students attending other public schools. Each public high school, including public charter high schools, must notify freshman and sophomore students enrolled in the public high school or public charter high school of the opportunity to pursue an Industry 4.0 diploma. This bill requires the state board of education to develop and adopt high school course graduation requirements for students pursuing an Industry 4.0 diploma that allow students to graduate from high school upon successfully completing: (1) Four credits of English; (2) Three credits of mathematics, which must be completed before the student's senior year of high school; (3) Three credits of science, one credit of which may be satisfied by the student's successful completion of a dual enrollment course or work-based learning course; (4) Two credits of social studies; (5) One-half credit of personal finance; (6) One-half credit of physical education; and (7) Nine credits of dual enrollment or work-based learning, which may be satisfied by the student's successful completion of dual enrollment coursework, work-based learning experiences, on-the-job training, or other mentorships or structured educational experiences that allow the student to apply the student's knowledge and skills in a work environment to develop an understanding of workplace expectations. This bill provides that in a work-based learning program, a maximum of three credits may be earned in one school year. At least one credit must be earned through related classroom experience, which must include a minimum of two periods per week of classroom instruction. A minimum of 10 hours per week of supervised work experience is required for one additional credit, and a minimum of 20 hours per week is required for two additional credits. Students earning credits for work experience must be supervised by a certified work-based learning coordinator. Work-based learning programs must adhere to all state and federal child labor laws. This bill requires a person to meet the following requirements in order to obtain a practitioner occupational teacher license: (A) Hold, at a minimum, a high school diploma; (B) Have a minimum of three years of relevant work experience completed within the five-year period immediately preceding the date on which the person submits an application for a practitioner occupational teacher license in the area of endorsement or equivalent educational attainment, as defined by the department of education; and (C) Hold an active industry certification from the area of endorsement, as defined by the department, if applicable. This bill specifies that the person will not be required to: (A) Take an assessment to obtain, advance, or renew a practitioner or professional occupational teacher license; or (B) Be enrolled, or complete a set number of hours or credits in, a state-board-approved educator preparation program to obtain, advance, or renew a practitioner or professional occupational teacher license. This bill prohibits the state board of education from establishing, through policy or rule, requirements for a person to obtain a practitioner occupational teacher license other than the requirements established above. ON APRIL 4, 2022, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 2429, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 provides for an Industry 4.0 "diploma distinction" instead of an Industry 4.0 "diploma," and removes this bill's provision regarding transportation to and from a college of applied technology, work-based learning location, or career and technical education center, as discussed above in the bill summary. This amendment also rewrites the provisions regarding the graduation requirements to be established by the state board to require that graduation requirements to: (1) Allow a student to earn at least one science credit and at least one math credit through course substitutions approved by the state board, including, but not limited to, dual enrollment and work-based learning courses that are aligned to a student's chosen career path; and (2) Require a student to earn nine credits of dual enrollment or work-based learning, which may be satisfied by the student's successful completion of dual enrollment coursework, work-based learning experiences, on-the-job training, or other mentorships or structured educational experiences that allow the student to apply the student's knowledge and skills in a work environment to develop an understanding of workplace expectations. This amendment removes this bill's provisions regarding requirements for obtaining a practitioner occupational teacher license.