July 14, 2008
After an in depth review and negotiation process, the Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) has approved the five-year Perkins state plans of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam! While a few of these grants were approved with conditions, the approval allowed for the first installment of Perkins funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 to be distributed to states on July 1. States will in turn distribute funding to local school districts and postsecondary institutions as described in the Perkins Act and in each state plan.
The approval of state plans is an important step in the implementation of the 2006 Perkins Act and allows states to begin using Perkins resources to implement new programs and projects that they have included in their plans. However, before distributing the second installment of FY 2008 funds on October 1, OVAE will complete a more thorough review of the local funding application that each state is using to award local Perkins funds. This review will ensure that the application meets the requirements laid out in the 2006 Perkins Act.
Many draft state plans are available on their respective state agency Web sites, and ACTE will be posting them below once final versions are released.
June 2, 2008
On May 20, the federal Office of Vocational and Adult Education announced the availability of grant funding to support state efforts to offer rigorous CTE programs of study under the new Perkins law and to institutionalize those CTE programs of study through statewide or multi-state articulation agreements. OVAE will award up to six grants competitively, ranging from $120,000 - $130,000 for a 24-month period. Application information is available through the federal register. The deadline for states to transmit their applications is July 7, 2008.
In other Perkins reauthorization news, the Office of Management and Budget has just released the 2008 Compliance Supplement, known as OMB Circular A-133. This document contains information necessary to ensure compliance with all applicable federal laws and regulations and assists in the preparation for and performance of federal audits of state and local entities. Auditors will consider the supplement and other referenced laws, regulations, and OMB Circulars in determining the compliance requirements for programs under review.
April 22, 2008
The implementation of the 2006 Carl D. Perkins Act took another step forward in recent weeks as states submitted five-year plans to the Department of Education. These official plans were due at the Department on April 1, and are currently undergoing review.
In recent weeks the Department of Education also published the proposed 2008 Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) for public review and comment. The CAR is the form used by states to submit accountability data to the federal government. The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium and ACTE submitted joint comments. The Department has also released Perkins and Tech Prep grant amounts for each state for FY 2008, which will be distributed on July 1, 2008 and October 1, 2008. These funding amounts and all of the guidance from the Department are available online.
December 20, 2007
Under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, states are required to report on students’ attainment of challenging technical skill proficiencies that are aligned with industry-recognized standards where available and appropriate, and that are measured in a valid and reliable way. Although a handful of States have established statewide exams or contracted for third-party assessments, a majority lack standardized testing systems and the resources to create such systems.
To assist states in collecting and reporting this information, ACTE is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc), and other technical education stakeholders to explore the feasibility of establishing a Web-based, nationally-validated test item bank.
Working group members are currently focusing on clarifying the purpose of such an item bank and surveying states as to their needs and interest in participating. A Design and Feasibility Report will be created to address such issues as item bank organization and housing, strategies for soliciting and validating test items, assessment development and reporting features, and system design and maintenance costs. The goal is to have a draft of this document completed by March 2008, and a final version printed in April 2008. If conditions warrant, the group will then move forward to secure funding commitments and develop a bidding process, with initial work on the item bank to begin in the fall of 2008.
October 24, 2007
As states work to implement transition plans approved by the Department of Education for the first year of the new Perkins law, work continues toward full five-year plans. The Department of Education has announced that complete state plans will be due on April 1, 2008. Requirements for state plans are outlined in the State Plan Guide released on March 12, 2007.
Before submitting state plans for approval, each state must hold public hearings to solicit feedback and input from a broad group of stakeholders. These public hearings will be held in a variety of formats, both electronic and face-to-face, throughout the fall and spring. It is critical for career and technical educators to take advantage of the opportunity to provide input and help shape each state’s priorities under the new Perkins law.
June 6, 2007
OVAE Q & A, Part 2
The Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education has released the second part of a series of questions and answers on the implementation of the new Perkins Act. The Q and A provides non-regulatory guidance to states and locals working to implement the new law, and covers issues such as accountability, incentives and sanctions, and occupational and employment information programs.
June 1, 2007
All states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico submitted a one-year transition plan in May to cover the first year of Perkins implementation. The Office of Vocational and Adult Education is now reviewing those plans and between now and mid-June, regional accountability specialists (RAS’) will be holding final conversations with states on their Perkins IV student definitions and measurement approaches and final negotiations on their Final Agreed Upon Performance Levels (FAUPL). Final approval of state transition plans is expected by June 22 so that grant awards with the first installment of Perkins IV funds for federal FY 2007 may be issued on schedule on July 2.
March 14, 2007
On March 12, 2007, the U.S. Department of Education released the final Perkins State Plan Guide to assist states in preparing and submitting their state plans under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006. New state plans (either one-year transition plans or full six-year plans) are due to the Office of Vocational and Adult Education on Monday, May 7, 2007.
Some of the changes requested by ACTE and other CTE stakeholders were included in the final state plan guide, but concerns still remain related to establishing an accountability system that accurately measures the impact of CTE programs on student achievement. Additional non-regulatory guidance related to the accountability system was also released by the Department of Education. While formal regulations are still a possibility, they are not expected at this time. States may use the measurement approaches in the non-regulatory guidance or propose new valid and reliable measures when submitting their state plans. The final state plan guide and non-regulatory guidance can be found on the Perkins Implementation page of ACTE’s Web site.
February 28, 2007
Recently, the new members of the independent advisory panel of the National Assessment of Career and Technical Education (NACTE) were appointed. The NACTE, formerly known as the “National Assessment of Vocational Education (NAVE),” is authorized under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006. The independent panel is charged with advising the Secretary on the implementation of the national assessment, including the issues to be addressed and the methodology to be used in research studies. The panel will also prepare an independent analysis of the findings and recommendations resulting from the national assessment upon its completion (scheduled for July 2011). Members appointed include:
- Dr. Walter Bumphus, Professor of Educational Administration, University of Texas at Austin
- Mr. David Byer, Senior Manager, Education Leadership and Policy, Apple
- Dr. Adam Gamoran, Professor of Sociology and Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Mr. Timothy W. Lawrence, Executive Director, SkillsUSA
- Dr. Belinda McCharen, Associate State Director for Career Services, Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education
- Ms. Katharine Oliver, Assistant State Superintendent, Division of Career Technology & Adult Learning, Maryland State Department of Education
- Dr. James Palmer, Professor of Educational Administration and Foundations, Illinois State University
- Mr. Jay Pfeiffer, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Accountability, Research, and Measurement, Florida Department of Education
- Dr. James Rosenbaum, Professor of Sociology, Education & Social Policy, Northwestern University
- Mr. Larry Rosenstock, Chief Executive Officer, High Tech High
- Dr. Becky Smerdon, Senior Associate, Education Policy Center, The Urban Institute
- Mr. John Tarka, President, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers
- Ms. Mala Thakur, Executive Director, National Youth Employment Coalition
- Dr. John Tyler, Professor of Education, Public Policy and Economics, Brown University
- Mr. Charlie Ware, Chair, Workforce Development Council, National Association of State Workforce Board Chairs, and Executive Vice President, Wyoming Contractors Association
- Mr. Ross Wiener, Vice President for Practice and Policy Development, The Education Trust
2006 Detailed Archives
