In this chapter:

1. I. "Alternative education program" means a program providing at-risk students with a variety of options with a goal of graduation or completion by focusing on the student's individual social needs and the academic requirements for a high school diploma, including:

   1. (a) A program offered at a regional career technical education center or other comprehensive high school.
   2. (b) An adult high school diploma program administered pursuant to rules of the department.
   3. (c) An adult basic education program administered pursuant to rules of the department.
2. II. "At-risk student" means a high school student who has been evaluated by the local school district staff and deemed to be an individual in jeopardy of dropping out of school prior to graduation.

3. III. "Career and technical education" or "CTE" means organized educational activities that:

   1. (a) Offer a sequence of courses that:

      1. (1) Provides individuals with 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;
      2. (2) Provides technical skill proficiency, an industry-recognized credential, a certificate, or an associate degree; and
      3. (3) Might include prerequisite courses, other than a remedial course; and

   2. (b) 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, including entrepreneurship, of an individual.

      III-a. "Career pathway system" means a high quality education system that spans secondary education and postsecondary education, blending rigorous core academic and career instruction, offering focused career guidance and advisement systems including high-quality work-based learning experiences, to significantly expand access to, participation in, and successful completion of those pathways, culminating in postsecondary or industry credentials, licensure, and career-related technical skills.

      III-b. "Career readiness credential" includes completion of CTE courses or sequences of courses; enrollment in concurrent and/or dual enrollment courses; internships; apprenticeships; extended learning opportunities; work-based learning; bureau of career development, department of education career-pathway high schools; and the CCSNH running start program. "Career readiness credential" may also be a statewide established recognition signifying that a high school graduate has met or exceeded specific statewide or nationally normed metrics related to career readiness.

      III-c. "Career readiness pathways" mean pathways available to New Hampshire students that, on successful completion, lead to a career readiness credential.

4. IV. "Construction" means the actual construction of facilities and provision of initial equipment.

5. V. "Receiving district" means a school district operating a comprehensive high school or public academy pursuant to RSA 194:23 which is designated as a regional center or offers a designated regional program.

   V-a. "Regional career and technical education center agreement" or "RCTEA" means the governing agreement between receiving and sending schools.

6. VI. "Regional career and technical education student" means a student attending a regional center or a regional program, for career and technical education purposes, which is in a high school other than one the student would normally attend for his or her regular education program.
7. VII. "Renovation" means an upgrade and/or addition of career and technical education space, facility, and/or equipment at designated regional career and technical education centers.

8. VIII. "Sending district" means:

   1. (a) A school district where students reside who attend a regional center, regional program, or alternative education program other than within the district itself; or
   2. (b) If a student attends a chartered public school, private school, or is home schooled, the sending district shall be the school district in which the student resides.
9. IX. "Work-based learning" means an educational strategy that offers students an opportunity to reinforce and deepen their classroom learning, explore future career fields, and demonstrate their skills in an authentic setting supported by educators and trained workplace mentors.

Source. 1973, 567:1. 2007, 232:1, 2. 2012, 199:1. 2015, 252:4, eff. July 1, 2015. 2019, 322:3, 4, eff. Oct. 11, 2019. 2021, 210:2, Pt. II, Sec. 1, eff. Oct. 9, 2021. 2022, 272:1, eff. July 1, 2022.