Update: Gov. Dave Heineman signed this bill into law on May 4, 2011.
A bill introduced in the state Legislature directs the Coordinating Commission to conduct a study on dual-enrollment courses and career academies in Nebraska. LB 58 - which is now included in an amendment to LB 637 - calls on the Commission to collaborate with the State of Department of Education, public and private colleges and universities, school districts, and private secondary schools to complete the study, which would be due to the Legislature on or before Dec. 15, 2011.
As part of the study, the Commission would examine, among other things, the need for uniform policies and practices for dual-enrollment courses and career academies in Nebraska, including transferability of dual-enrollment courses and consistency of administration of career academies. Nebraska is one of only four states without such policies.
Dual-enrollment courses allow students to earn college credit while still in high school, often by taking college-level courses at their high schools. Generally speaking, career academies prepare high school students for both college and careers by providing broad information about a field such as health care, finance, engineering, media, or natural resources. These academies then incorporate those themes into academic curricula that qualify students for admission to colleges or universities.
Link to original bill.