Cal. Education Code - EDC § 53020. Section 53020.
This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the Golden State Pathways Program Act.
CHAPTER 16.1. Golden State Pathways Program [53020. - 53025.]
Cal. Education Code - EDC 16.1.
in effectCal. Education Code - EDC § 53021. Section 53021.
The Golden State Pathways Program is hereby established to do all of the following:
(a)
Promote pathways in high-wage, high-skill, high-growth areas, including, but not limited to, technology, health care, education, including early education and child development, and climate-related fields that allow pupils to advance seamlessly from high school to college and career and, provide the workforce needed for economic growth.
(b)
Encourage collaboration between local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, local and regional employers, and other relevant community interest holders to develop, or expand the availability of, innovative college and career pathways that simultaneously
align with a local educational agency’s local or regional labor market needs.
(c)
Enable more pupils to access postsecondary education opportunities and workforce training opportunities, or to obtain gainful employment in an industry that simultaneously aligns with local, regional, or state labor market needs.
(d)
Support the continued development of a skilled and educated workforce, with an emphasis on addressing areas of acute statewide need, such as developing a diverse workforce to meet the need for professional and learning support positions in childcare settings, preschools, and schools maintaining prekindergarten, kindergarten, or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
Cal. Education Code - EDC § 53022. Section 53022.
For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:
(a)
“High-priority local educational agency” means a local educational agency that meets any of the following criteria:
(1)
Fifty percent or more of the enrolled pupils at the local educational agency are unduplicated pupils, as defined in Section 42238.02.
(2)
The local educational agency has a higher than state average dropout rate.
(3)
The local educational agency has a higher than state average rate of suspension and a higher than state average rate of expulsion.
(4)
The local educational agency has higher than state average rates of child homelessness, foster youth, or justice-involved youth.
(5)
The local educational agency has a lower than state average rate of pupils completing all of the A–G courses required to be eligible for admission to the University of California or the California State University.
(b)
“Local educational agency” means a school district, charter school, county office of education, or regional occupational center or program operated by a joint powers authority or county office of education.
(c)
“Region” means the regional planning unit as defined by California’s Unified Strategic Workforce Development Plan, developed by the California Workforce Development Board, pursuant to the federal
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (Public Law 113–128).
Cal. Education Code - EDC § 53023. Section 53023.
Contingent upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or other statute, the department shall administer the Golden State Pathways Program as a competitive grant program. In order to be eligible to receive a grant award, grant recipients shall do the following, as applicable:
(a)
Commit to providing participating pupils with all of the following:
(1)
An integrated program of study that includes all of the courses to meet the A–G course requirements needed to be eligible for admission to the University of California or the California State University and at least one of the other criteria to be considered prepared for the purposes of meeting academic and career-readiness standards
as defined in the College/Career Indicator associated with the California School Dashboard maintained by the department pursuant to Section 52064.5. Local educational agencies are encouraged to integrate career pathways content and applications into A–G courses. Local educational agencies may also provide or expand access to courses that satisfy A–G course requirements through existing programs such as:
(A)
UC Scout, which is a University of California Student Academic Preparation and Educational Partnerships (SAPEP) program that develops and delivers A–G approved online classes and curriculum to pupils.
(B)
University of California and California State University extended learning programs that offer college preparatory courses that fulfill the A–G subject requirements for admission to the University of California and the California State University.
(2)
The opportunity to earn at least 12 postsecondary credits that are applicable toward the completion of a degree, certificate, or credential through any of the following:
(A)
(i)
Consistent with the requirements of Section 76004, College and Career Access Pathways dual enrollment courses.
(ii)
To meet the requirements of clause (i), grant recipients are expected to establish, expand, or maintain a College and Career Access Pathways partnership agreement with their local community college district consistent with the requirements of Section 76004.
(B)
Advanced Placement courses.
(C)
International Baccalaureate courses.
(3)
Opportunities to participate in work-based learning experiences in partnership with regional businesses and industries, state and local governmental entities, and nonprofit and community-based organizations that do all of the following:
(A)
Integrate career awareness and career exposure activities.
(B)
Emphasize opportunities to pupils in paid internships, preapprenticeships, or apprenticeships that offer pupils the ability to learn technical and professional skills.
(C)
Emphasize opportunities for pupils to develop social and professional networks that will better enable them to launch their careers.
(4)
Integrated support services necessary to address a pupil’s social, emotional, and
academic needs.
(b)
Develop and integrate standards-based academics with a career-relevant, sequenced curriculum following industry-themed pathways that are aligned to high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand jobs in their regional economy or the state economy.
(c)
Provide articulated pathways from high school to postsecondary education and training that are aligned with the workforce development needs of their regional economy.
(d)
Collaborate with other local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, local and regional employers, and other relevant community interest holders to develop, or expand the availability of, innovative college and career pathways that align with their regional labor market needs.
(e)
Leverage available resources or
in-kind contributions from public, private, and philanthropic sources to sustain the ongoing operation of their Golden State Pathways Program.
Cal. Education Code - EDC § 53023.5. Section 53023.5.
Community college districts may partner with local educational agencies to submit applications to receive funding under this program to support the offering of a Golden State Pathways Program.
Cal. Education Code - EDC § 53024. Section 53024.
(a)
As a condition of receiving a Golden State Pathways Program grant, a recipient shall:
(1)
Not use Golden State Pathways Program grant funds to supplant state, federal, or any other public or private sources of funding that is otherwise, or would otherwise be, used to support the activities required of a Golden State Pathways Program grant recipient.
(2)
Identify and set aside funding within its own budget or obtain funding commitments from program partners to fully sustain the ongoing operation of their Golden State Pathways Program and how other programs would be supported or integrated with, or that have been aligned with, a local educational agency’s Golden State
Pathways Program.
(b)
A grant recipient subject to the requirements of Sections 52060 and 52061, Sections 52066 and 52067, or Section 47606.5, as applicable, shall ensure that the activities supported by a Golden State Pathways Program grant are in alignment with the priorities and activities of the grant recipient’s local control and accountability plan.
(c)
(1)
A grant recipient shall annually collect and submit data, disaggregated by pupil subgroup, on outcome measures to the department, which shall include, but are not limited to, the quality indicators described in the California State Plan for Career Technical Education required by the federal Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V), and all of the following as applicable:
(A)
Pupil academic
performance indicators, including information disaggregated by pupil subgroups.
(B)
The number and rate of school or program graduates by pupil subgroups.
(C)
The rate of pupils completing the courses to meet the A–G course requirements needed to be eligible for admission to the University of California or the California State University at the participating schoolsite, disaggregated by pupils participating in a pathways program pursuant to this chapter and pupils not participating in a pathways program pursuant to this chapter.
(D)
The number of postsecondary credits earned, internships and apprenticeships completed, and career technical education courses completed.
(E)
Attainment of certificates, credentials, and degrees.
(F)
Postsecondary enrollment, or pupils who meet the requirements to be considered a pupil who successfully transferred to a four-year university for purposes of Section 84750.4.
(G)
Transitions to employment, apprenticeships, or job training in the industry sector educational pathway program offered by the participating local educational agency.
(H)
The number of pupils completing career technical education coursework and the number of pupils completing a career technical education pathway consisting of a sequence of two or more career technical education courses in the same career technical education subject matter discipline.
(2)
To the extent feasible, it is the intent of the Legislature that upon the implementation of the California Cradle-to-Career
Data System established in Section 10860, the data required pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be integrated within the California Cradle-to-Career Data System.
Cal. Education Code - EDC § 53025. Section 53025.
(a)
The Superintendent, in consultation with the executive director of the state board, shall award grants on a competitive basis to grant recipients for the following:
(1)
Consortium development and planning grants to support collaborative planning between a grant recipient and their program partners in the development of high-quality college and career pathways opportunities that are consistent with the requirements of this chapter. Of the amounts appropriated to support the Golden State Pathways Program, the Superintendent may use up to 10 percent of the funds for consortium development and planning grants.
(2)
Implementation grants to support a grant recipient’s ability to
offer participating pupils high-quality college and career pathways opportunities consistent with the requirements of this chapter. Of the amounts appropriated to support the Golden State Pathways Program, the Superintendent shall use not less than 85 percent of the funds for implementation grants.
(b)
(1)
Of the amounts appropriated to support the Golden State Pathways Program, the Superintendent may use up to 5 percent of the appropriation to contract, in consultation with the executive director of the state board, with up to 10 local educational agencies for the provision of technical assistance to local educational agencies, applicants, and grant recipients that is aligned to technical assistance provided for other College and career readiness initiatives, including, but not limited to, those established pursuant to this chapter and the California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program pursuant to Chapter
16.5 (commencing with Section 53070). Of these technical assistance grantees, one local educational agency with demonstrated expertise in the design and implementation of college and career pathways will act as the lead technical assistance grantee and work with the department to provide leadership and direction for the other technical assistance grantees, who will provide technical assistance to different regions in the state.
(2)
To be eligible for the contract pursuant to paragraph (1), the local educational agency shall commit to all of the following:
(A)
Assisting local educational agencies in the continuous improvement of their Golden State Pathways Programs.
(B)
Leveraging evidence-based program frameworks, such as linked learning framework and quality standards, to provide assistance to grantees.
(C)
Providing prospective applicants and grantees with feedback regarding the development of their planned application, implementation, and continuous improvement of their Golden State Pathways Program and other career technical education programs, courses, and pathways that have been integrated with, or that have been aligned with, a local educational agency’s Golden State Pathways Program.
(D)
Creating a community of practice network that enables grantees to share best practices with other grantees and other interested local educational agencies.
(E)
Assisting grant recipients with the collection and reporting of required data pursuant to this chapter.
(3)
It is the intent of the Legislature that the Superintendent identify and contract with a local
educational agency to provide technical assistance consistent with the requirements of paragraph (2) not less than three months prior to grant applications being due to the Superintendent.
(4)
The Superintendent, in consultation with the executive director of the state board, shall contract with an independent entity to evaluate the program’s effectiveness in meeting the goals described in Section 53021. This evaluation shall be completed no sooner than June 30, 2027, and no later than June 30, 2028.
(5)
Any funds used by the Superintendent for purposes of paragraph (1) shall be available for encumbrance and expenditure for five fiscal years.
(c)
In determining the grant amounts for an implementation grant and for a consortium development and planning grant, the Superintendent, in consultation with the executive
director of the state board, shall consider all of the following:
(1)
The number of pupils enrolled by the applicant.
(2)
The number of pathways programs proposed to be established or expanded by the applicant and the number of schoolsites that would participate in the pathways program.
(3)
The estimated number of pupils that would be enrolled in the applicant’s pathways programs.
(4)
The number of entities collaborating with the applicant to achieve the goal outlined in subdivision (a) of Section 53021.
(d)
An applicant seeking a grant under this chapter shall submit an application to the Superintendent at a time, in a manner, and with any appropriate information, as the Superintendent
may reasonably require. Each grant application submitted shall include all of the following:
(1)
A description and documentation of how the applicant will collaborate with their local or regional interest holders to develop or offer high-quality college and career pathways opportunities consistent with the requirements of this chapter.
(2)
A description of all of the educational, career, or support services to be provided at the schoolsite, a partnering college or university site, virtually, or at the locations where eligible work-based learning would occur.
(3)
A description regarding how the applicant’s Golden State Pathways Program would support the needs of the applicant’s underrepresented pupils.
(4)
A description of all direct and indirect
resources, and partner entities that will support the applicant’s development or implementation of high-quality college and career pathways opportunities consistent with the requirements of this chapter.
(5)
A description of the applicant’s current and future efforts to sustain the ongoing operation of their Golden State Pathways Program beyond the life of their grant. Additionally, if applicants participate in the California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program established pursuant to Section 53070, the K–12 component of the Strong Workforce Program, or any other state college and career programs, they are encouraged to describe how they will create cohesion between those programs and college and career pathways developed or offered under the Golden State Pathways Program.
(6)
Provisions for data collection and recordkeeping necessary to comply with the requirements
of subdivision (c) of Section 53024 and to verify that the grant funds were expended to develop or implement high-quality college and career pathways opportunities consistent with the requirements of this chapter.
(e)
(1)
An applicant seeking a grant under this chapter may request both a planning and implementation grant.
(2)
An applicant that is seeking both a planning and implementation grant shall submit, and receive approval of, a supplemental report to the Superintendent detailing the implementation plan developed using the resources received from their planning grant, before expending their implementation grant resources.
(f)
In awarding grants pursuant to this chapter, the Superintendent shall prioritize applications submitted by a high-priority local educational agency that seeks to
establish pathways programs in the following areas:
(1)
Education, including early education and child development.
(2)
Computer science.
(3)
Health care.
(4)
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics pathways that also focus on climate resilience.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026