172.00.08 Ark. Code R. 001
ARKANSAS STATE FIVE-YEAR PLAN FOR THE CARL D. PERKINS CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION - JULY 1, 2008, THROUGH JUNE 30, 2013
Overview of Administration of Perkins in Arkansas
The Arkansas State Board of Workforce Education and Career Opportunities (SBWECO) is the sole state agency responsible for Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act funds. SBWECO, through the Arkansas Department of Workforce Education (DWE), oversees secondary career and technical education in the public school system and technical education in two public postsecondary technical institutes and one institution that is located within the Arkansas prison system. The director of DWE, who is employed by SBWECO and serves at the pleasure of the governor, is a member of the Arkansas Workforce Investment Board.
Since 1991, SBWECO has delegated responsibility for the administration and leadership of Perkins activities in institutions of higher education to the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board through a memorandum of understanding with the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE). In addition to responsibility for the higher education institutions, ADHE oversees the Perkins program in the two public technical institutes. The director of ADHE is also a member of the Arkansas Workforce Investment Board.
The administration and leadership funds that are available to the state are split between the Department of Workforce Education and Department of Higher Education through the memorandum of understanding. The staffs of the two departments work closely together to ensure coordination with regard to Perkins between the secondary and postsecondary programs.
There were 245 public school districts in the state eligible for Perkins funding during 2007-08. Of these, 101 received less than the $15,000 minimum required. However, of the 151 eligible to keep their own funds and manage their own Perkins programs, only 64 did so. The remaining districts joined one of 15 secondary consortia. Therefore, there were a total of 79 secondary recipients (including consortia) in 2007-08.
Students enrolled in for-credit CTE programs at the postsecondary level may receive a certificate of proficiency, a technical certificate, or an associate of applied science award. In Arkansas, there are eight four-year universities, 22 two-year colleges, and two technical institutes offering these programs that receive Perkins funding. Five universities, five colleges, and the two technical institutes are members of consortia. Three universities in Arkansas do not participate in Perkins programs.
A series of three public hearings were held in the state between February 25 and March 14, 2008:
Pulaski Technical College in North Little Rock on February 26 with 32 in attendance
Great Rivers Educational Cooperative in Helena on March 4 with 6 in attendance
North Arkansas College in Harrison on March 11 with 15 in attendance
The public hearings were jointly planned and conducted by staff members from DWE and DHE. Two hearings were hosted by postsecondary institutions and one by a secondary educational cooperative. Prior to the public hearings, the draft State Plan was published on the Department's home page and a summary of major points was sent to all secondary and postsecondary school administrators and Perkins coordinators. In addition, the public hearing information was posted on the secondary CTE teacher list servs in the state. A legal notice was published in the state's major newspaper as required by the Arkansas Administrative Procedures Act. The State Plan was also reviewed by the Administrative Rules and Regulations Subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council.
Comment: $600,000 for the secondary reserve fund may not be sufficient.
Response: Although 10% of the local funds are allowed to be set aside by the state for the reserve fund, in 2007-08 the Department chose to set aside $600,000 (or about 7%) of the secondary allocation. In the 2008-09 fiscal year, secondary will again set aside $600,000 (which is almost 8%) of the local allocation into the reserve fund. The percentage increased (although the amount did not) because the overall state grant was less than the previous year. Postsecondary chose not to use the reserve in 2007-08 or in 2008-09. The State Plan allows the state to review funding levels and to reserve up to the full 10% each year as appropriate. No change in the State Plan is required.
Comment: Successful strategies employed by various districts should be shared with all recipients.
Response: DWE has already taken steps to ensure that information on successful projects is made available to all recipients. In addition, the evaluation criteria used by Department staff to approved projects will be more fully communicated at the Perkins workshop in April. This is a specific inservice training need and does not require any change in the State Plan.
Comment: The actual number of students in disaggregated data for special population groups may be too small to be significant.
Response: Secondary districts should use the same criteria as used by the state's NCLB plan for public reporting requirements. Postsecondary institutions should use the reporting policies they have in place to protect individual student identity. The following statement has been added to the Accountability and Evaluation section of the State Plan: "As required by the Act, local recipients must report performance results to the public in a variety of methods including electronically. However, all reports of performance should follow established guidelines that protect individual student identity."
Comment: Small districts are restricted by the high wage, high demand, and high skill requirement for program improvement.
Response: Perkins funds can be used to improve the performance of students in any program of study or support course (such as JAG or Internship). No change in the State Plan is recommended.
Comment: Give serious consideration to the types of programs that promote the most universally applicable skills and knowledge and that will help workers to better transition into new technologies and jobs. Focus on life-long learning skills and occupational areas that best fit this model and less on a narrow range of specific occupations.
Response: Perkins IV (and this state plan) does push the state toward broader career preparation through the career cluster model. The section of this state plan describing the programs that will be developed and improved discusses this movement and model. No change in the State Plan is required.
Multiple work sessions and meetings were held with the secondary and postsecondary eligible recipients during the transition year as the state plan was written. Representatives from the recipients included secondary and postsecondary administrators and CTE teachers. Several consultations were held with various specialists from the Department of Education (K-12 general education) who work with special population students and teachers, who plan the professional development for academic teachers, and who direct the literacy and math specialists in the secondary schools. The chief academic officers from the colleges and universities were consulted as were the presidents and chancellors.
A meeting was held with the Small Business Administration to explain the act and get input early in the plan development. The members of the Workforce Investment Board represent many business and industry sectors as well as labor organizations. A summary of the state plan was provided with the invitation to attend the public hearings to the WIA Board.
The Arkansas Administrative Procedures Act (described below) requires legislative review. The legislators on the review committee also represent several of the groups listed above.
The DWE director consulted with the Governor and his staff regarding the policies contained in the plan - particularly changes that affect secondary and postsecondary institutions as the state plan is implemented at the local level. The Governor stated his approval of the State Plan on Monday, March 31, 2008.
DWE followed the requirements of the state's Administrative Procedures Act. A legal notice of 30 days of public review was placed in a newspaper with statewide circulation for a minimum of 3 days. The 30 days of public review began following the legal notice. A notice announcing the public review along with a brief summary of the issues addressed in the state plan was sent (via email or hard copy) to many of the groups listed in paragraph 3 above. The notice contained information on the four public hearings that were held around the state. In addition to the notices that were mailed, information on the public hearings was placed on the various listservs for the CTE teachers. The draft of the state plan was placed on the DWE and DHE websites during the 30 days of public review. Information on how to comment was included in the notices. All oral comments presented at the public hearings as well as all written comments submitted were considered in the final development of the state plan.
Arkansas submitted a one-year transition plan for the 2007-08 fiscal year. This five-year plan has been prepared by the secondary and postsecondary career and technical education agencies described above - the Department of Workforce Education and the Department of Higher Education - with input from representatives of both levels. The State Board of Workforce Education and Career Opportunities approved this five-year state plan during a regular meeting on April 3, 2008.
Arkansas's career and technical system is based on the national model of 16 career clusters and 81 pathways. The state's existing approved programs of study were the basis for the cluster/pathway system. At the secondary level, at least one program of study is approved from each of the clusters. In all, 55 secondary programs of study are approved in 33 different pathways.
Postsecondary certificate and degree programs of study are approved by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board and are reviewed by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools during the accreditation process for postsecondary institutions. There are currently 145 programs of study that have been designated as occupational in nature and assigned to career clusters and career pathways. Career pathways were formally introduced into postsecondary education in 2005 with 11 two-year institutions selected for the Career Pathways Initiative. This initiative has expanded to include all two-year colleges in the state. These pathways are designed to assist people from poverty (which includes many of the Perkins special population categories) to attain additional education and find employment.
The secondary and postsecondary state leadership has worked extensively with the Department of Workforce Services (the state's labor market information office) to identify the career pathways that are high skill, high wage, and high demand for Arkansas. As described in section B below, these identified career pathways are the state's focus for Perkins funds.
Certificates of proficiency require 7-18 credit hours; technical certificates require 24-42 credit hours; associate of applied science degrees require 60-72 credit hours; and bachelor's degrees require 120-136 credit hours. Certificate programs designed for professional certification or licensure also require documentation of approval by the appropriate agency or board. Programs are closely monitored by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and are expected to meet rigid productivity requirements established by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
With the efforts begun during Perkins III through the Tech Prep consortia, the state began to link the secondary and postsecondary programs several years ago. Arkansas law encourages the enrollment of high school students in college-level courses while still in high school through concurrent (high school- and college-level credit awarded) and dual enrollment (college-level credit awarded to high school students) programs. Articulation agreements linking secondary and postsecondary institutions also are negotiated between individual institutions to facilitate student achievement of postsecondary credentials. While not all CTE articulation was accomplished through the tech prep consortia, only the consortia collected data on the credit hours earned by students. More than CTE 35,000 articulated credit hours were reported each year for the past few years.
The state has a network of 25 secondary area career and technical education centers. These centers enroll students in CTE programs of study for a one- to three-hour block of time each day. Nine of the centers are operated by secondary school districts, while the remaining 16 are operated by postsecondary institutions. In many cases, the center is located on the college campus and may even share facilities with the college programs. This arrangement has allowed many high school students to receive concurrent credit for the CTE courses. Over 3,600 students earned 24,600 concurrent credit hours in the 2006-07 school year at the secondary centers. That is a $1.6 million value, or to put it another way, it equates to 200 bachelors degrees.
Secondary CTE programs of study are offered in every public school district in the state. To meet the state's Standards of Accreditation for Public Schools, each high school must offer access to a minimum of three CTE programs of study from three different pathways. Each program of study must be approved by the Department of Workforce Education and must include a minimum of three Carnegie units of credit. Any program of study and any course not approved by DWE cannot be offered for state graduation credit by school districts.
Each secondary program of study has a state-defined core of 11/2 or 2 units of credit. In addition, each course must have a state-approved curriculum framework that describes what the students should know and be able to do upon completion of the course. Statewide end-of-course assessments are based on the frameworks and are used for the CTE skill attainment measure.
The state recently adopted the "Smart Core" for all high school students, which includes 4 units of English, 4 units of mathematics (Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra II, and a fourth math above Algebra II that might be Pre-Calculus, Trigonometry, Statistics, etc.), 3 units of natural science, 3 units of social studies, 1/2 unit of oral communications, 1/2 unit of physical education, 1/2 unit of health and safety, and 1/2 unit of fine arts. All students are enrolled in these units unless their parents meet with the school administration to sign a waiver requesting an alternative curriculum. All CTE programs of study are designed with this academic base for students. The Smart Core aligns with the requirements of the state's Academic Challenge Scholarship with the exception that the scholarship (which would cover most of the tuition cost at a state-supported institution) also requires two units of a foreign language.
National certification for CTE programs and/or teachers has been encouraged for several years. Automotive service technology and automotive collision programs must be NATEF-certified in order to be approved programs of study. Construction programs require NCCER certification to be approved. Recipients offering programs with national certifications have used Perkins funds to ensure their teachers are certified and to bring the programs into compliance for certification.
All new CTE programs of study developed and approved will include the secondary and postsecondary connections in the framework, will use the Smart Core as the academic base, and will identify the industry credential/certification available for students upon completion at the secondary level, if any, and the further education or apprenticeship opportunities after high school as well as the industry credentials available upon completion of those levels. The CCTI/NASDVTEc model template will be used to outline the academic and CTE sequence of courses.
As the career clusters and pathways were implemented in the state over the past few years at the secondary and postsecondary levels, the scope of CTE broadened - for example, at the secondary level the Arts career cluster was used to develop a Performing Arts pathway program in several districts. Within the Education and Training cluster, an associate of arts in Teaching with the secondary and postsecondary elements has been developed.
Career guidance and counseling was an important initiative under the previous Perkins act and continues to be under this state plan. One model that has been encouraged by DWE involves teachers as advisors with annual parental involvement. Commonly referred to in the state as career action planning, this model has been extremely effective in many districts. Some high schools can boast a rate of over 90% parental involvement in planning the student's educational program each year. Used appropriately, the career action plans direct the school administration in scheduling classes and staffing decisions since the students' career interests and programs of study are identified during the advising session.
In addition to the leadership funds at the secondary level, a reserve fund (described later in this plan) will target the development of new or expanded pathways/programs that have all of the elements described in this section and that are high skill, high wage, and high demand.
Secondary state leadership funds are being used to encourage interest in the career pathways that are high wage and high demand and that are targeted by our state's economic development agency as being of importance to the growth of the economy in our state. One initiative undertaken during 2007-08 was a conference to help middle school career orientation teachers and secondary counselors/administrators understand the manufacturing cluster and the many career fields available to students in that cluster. Through use of the Kuder career interest program, described in Section D below, state leaders know that student interest in the manufacturing cluster does not match the state's employment demands. Helping teachers and counselors understand the new manufacturing workplace is the first step in changing student interest.
At the postsecondary level, state leadership funds will be used to assist institutions in completing self-assessments to identify existing linkages between secondary and postsecondary and to develop an action plan to continue development of career pathways. State leadership funds will also be used to achieve greater transferability of CTE courses at the postsecondary level and to support efforts that result in statewide articulation agreements. When appropriate, ADHE may use reserve funds to target development of pathways that meet the academic and economic goals of the state.
Arkansas has adopted the WorkKeys assessment as its measure for workforce readiness and is implementing several initiatives related to the use of this system. For example, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services have begun issuing workforce readiness certificates at the bronze, silver and gold levels based upon WorkKeys assessment results for industry training programs. As this assessment becomes accepted within business and industry, CTE administrators are also incorporating the assessment into their programs as an option for students so they may take a "Career Readiness Certificate" with them upon graduation.
DWE has encouraged the development of new programs of study, particularly in pathways not currently offered in the state, through leadership in designing the program curriculum frameworks and offering funding for pilot projects with either state funds or Perkins leadership funds. State funds available to DWE will continue to be used for developing new programs of study in all areas. However, Perkins funds will be used to develop programs of study in pathways that are designated high skill, high wage, and high demand. Arkansas is going to use the requirement of all three designations to focus the small amount of federal funds into targeted areas that will impact economic development in the state.
At the postsecondary level, during the approval process for new programs of study, the requesting institution must demonstrate how the program is responsive to needs of the local community. Funding of new programs using local Perkins funds will be approved if the program fits all three of the high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand definitions or if the program has been designated as one related to emerging industries. Funding of new programs may also be approved for programs that are needed to complete a secondary to postsecondary pathway, programs that facilitate transition from sub-baccalaureate to baccalaureate programs and/or for programs that increase nontraditional participation.
In the fall of 2006, a core team of individuals with responsibility for overseeing the Perkins funds at the state, consortia, and local level began meeting monthly to identify the issues and work through the requirements in the new Act. The core team met separately as secondary and postsecondary groups and also met together to discuss issues that impact the entire system of CTE.
The designation and development of the high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand list of pathways was a work undertaken between the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services (the state's Labor Market Information and WIA/unemployment agency) and DWE and ADHE. The core team reviewed the list - using different scenarios for the high-wage definition. After much discussion, the consensus of the team was to use the definition of 20 percent above the average wage for all occupations in Arkansas as high wage. Using national crosswalks, occupational data was categorized by CIP code and placed into appropriate pathways and career clusters. Any pathway in which 50 percent or more of the occupations met the high-wage definition was designated as a high-wage pathway. A committee from the core team studied the crosswalks used to match the occupational data to the pathways and met with the Department of Workforce Services staff to determine final designations.
For high demand, the team adopted the Department of Workforce Services high-demand list that is used for other economic and workforce development purposes - such as the workforce investment boards for expenditure of their funds. Any pathway in which 50 percent or more of the occupations were on the high-demand list was designated as a high-demand pathway.
For high skill, any pathway that leads to a postsecondary award or an apprenticeship was designated as high skill in the secondary sector. At the postsecondary level, any pathway that leads to a baccalaureate or higher degree or leads to an occupation that requires certification or licensure was designated as high skill.
Using these three criteria, there are 35 pathways that are on the high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand list for the 2008-09 fiscal year. There are 44 programs of study currently offered at the postsecondary level in these pathways. There are 20 programs of study currently offered at the secondary level in these pathways.
Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
Animal Systems
Food Products and Processing Systems
Plant Systems
Architecture and Construction
Construction
Arts, A/V Technology and Communications
Telecommunications
Business, Management and Administration Services
Business Analysis
Business Financial Management and Accounting
Human Resources
Management
Marketing
Education and Training
Administration and Administrative Support
Professional Support Services (Education)
Teaching & Training
Finance
Banking and Related Services
Business Financial Management
Financial and Investment Planning
Insurance Services
Government and Public Administration
Foreign Service
Public Management and Administration
Regulation
Revenue and Taxation
Health Science
Health Informatics
Human Services
Consumer Services
Early Childhood Development & Services
Information Technology
Information Support and Services
Interactive Media
Network Systems
Programming and Software Development
Manufacturing
Production
Marketing, Sales and Service
E-Marketing
Management and Entrepreneurship
Marketing Communication and Promotion
Marketing Information Management & Research
Transportation, Distribution and Logistics
Logistics Planning and Management Services
The state will build on the success of articulation agreements in place as a result of the tech prep initiative. The goal for articulation is to have an integrated system of statewide agreements in place. The state legislature is very inclined toward statewide agreements. During the previous legislative session, a bill was passed that required establishment of a statewide transfer system for core courses among all public postsecondary institutions, resulting in the creation of the Arkansas Course Transfer System (ACTS). This system contains information about the transferability of more than 90 general education courses within Arkansas public colleges and universities. Students are guaranteed the transfer of applicable credits and equitable treatment in the application of general education credits for admissions and degree requirements. Students may complete specified general education courses anywhere in the public system as well as many courses in the degree/major that have been pre-identified for transfer. Additional information on the ACTS is accessible at http://acts.adhe.edu. Although the impetus for this project was a legislative directive, there is now a growing interest in expanding the project to include career and technical courses. And with so many individual articulation agreements and concurrent credit possibilities in place already in career and technical courses, secondary CTE and DWE will work collaboratively to establish an integrated system of statewide articulation agreements between secondary and postsecondary institutions. ADHE already has begun discussions with postsecondary chief academic officers regarding expansion of the ACTS system to include CTE courses.
A model for career action planning was developed under Perkins III and has become widely implemented. This model encourages annual involvement of parents and uses teachers as advisors. The Arkansas Department of Education has encouraged the adoption of this model and even allows schools to count the student/parent advisement days under this model as student attendance days. Some districts have as high as 98 percent parental involvement for their high school students each year. The advisors review the programs of study and activities available with the students and parents as they discuss the students' attainment and interests.
The state also has used the web-based Kuder career planning system as one way to help direct students in the discovery of their career interests, skills, and work values beginning in seventh grade and continuing into postsecondary education and adulthood. Kuder users will be able to document career development activities, education and work-related experiences, community service, special skills, honors, and goals in their electronic portfolio. Students can retrieve this information at any time as they apply for jobs, internships, college, scholarships, or other opportunities where a record of these activities is essential. With access to the Internet, they will be able to access their portfolio at any time and from any location.
DWE is using some state leadership funds for the development of a series of career cluster publications to target high school students that highlight Arkansas business and industry leaders, particularly nontraditional role models. The first two of these publications, titled Future Focus, are for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and the Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security career clusters. Although hard copies were printed and sent to all schools, the magazines also are available online at the department's Web site (http://dwe.arkansas.gov/careerclusters/careerclusters.htm).
One model for expanding and improving technology at the secondary level is the incorporation of the EAST Initiative into the CTE programs of study. EAST is the Environmental and Spatial Technology, Inc. Founded in Greenbrier, Arkansas, in 1996, the EAST Initiative has grown to more than 170 schools in seven states. The EAST model is grounded in solid pedagogical theory related to the use of technology as a catalyst for learning, collaborative learning, and performance-based learning. Research outcomes that support the EAST model show the following can occur when using this model:
* Technology is used to promote collaboration, higher order thinking, and problem solving.
* Professional development is an important component of the education technology program.
* Technology is effectively integrated into the curriculum.
* Students are allowed to select appropriate technology tools to obtain, analyze, synthesize, and assimilate information.
* Effective use of technology allows the creation of new learning environments.
* Home/school connections are enhanced through technology.
* There is adequate access to technology for all students.
* Teachers encourage students to utilize technology to find and make sense of information.
Another model for expanding access for technology is the Internet & Computer Core Certification (IC3), which is a standards-based certification program for basic computer and Internet literacy. IC3 provides specific guidelines for the knowledge and skills required to be a functional user of computer hardware, software, networks, and the Internet. By establishing this vendor-independent standard, IC3 provides a reliable, universal measure of basic computing and Internet skills.
IC3 consists of three different competency exams. Passing all three IC3 exams qualifies an individual to receive IC3 certification.
* Computing Fundamentals: This exam measures knowledge of computer hardware, software, and basic operating system skills.
* Key Applications: This exam evaluates proficiency in two computer applications (a word processor and spreadsheet) and the common features of different applications.
* Living Online: This exam measures basic skills in using networks, electronic mail, the Internet, and Web browsing software as well as an understanding of how computers and the Internet affect society.
The appropriate mix of linear and performance-based testing questions to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities of candidates for IC3 ensures a high degree of validity, reliability, and impartiality for all participants in the program.
In addition to encouraging industry certifications, DWE, through continuous revision of the curriculum frameworks for courses, seeks industry input to ensure that the content, and therefore the appropriate industry-standard technology, for teaching CTE programs is current.
At the postsecondary level, significant efforts are made to incorporate into classroom instruction the type of cutting-edge technology that students are likely to find upon entering the workplace. New programs have been approved for advanced manufacturing with Perkins funds used to develop curriculum and purchase equipment that will serve a consortium of five institutions. Allied health programs have provided software-based mannequins with a sophisticated reality sufficient to substitute as required clinical experience in rural areas with limited clinical locations. Using Perkins funds, one institution established a model virtual hospital to provide a complete real-life learning experience for students across all allied health programs, and this approach is being duplicated by other institutions. Another institution has provided PDAs to nursing students to assist them with textbook and reference materials while on-site during clinical exercises. Programs of study have been approved for geographic information systems complete with computer hardware and software systems used to store, display, analyze, and map information. While these programs prepare students for a broad spectrum of employment options, they are intended primarily for agricultural uses in some of the most rural and economically depressed sections of Arkansas.
The presence of distance-delivered postsecondary instruction continues to grow. Several postsecondary institutions are offering entire degree programs online. In addition to Web-based instruction, institutions utilize a variety of other distance learning technologies, including electronic discussion group classes, videoconferencing, and courses that include both traditional and online components of instruction.
Perkins funds will continue to be used to support the effective use of technology, including online instruction, and state leadership monies will continue to provide professional development to support these efforts. New technology and equipment purchase guidelines have been established for postsecondary funding with requirements related to business and industry standards and for use in high-skill, high-wage, high-demand or emerging industry program areas. This assures that technology is effectively integrated into the curriculum and that suitable equipment is available for student preparation for employment.
Each recipient must submit a five-year local plan that will span 2008-09 through 2012-13. In addition to the local plan, each recipient must submit an annual application that describes exactly how the funds for each year will be expended. A copy of the minimum requirements for the local plan is included as Attachment 1. Once the five-year plan is submitted, subsequent annual applications must support and be consistent with the five-year plan although amendment of the five-year plan is also an option each year.
The secondary annual application (Attachment 2) includes the previous year's accountability results and requires that the recipient address those results in the application. The secondary application is a Web-based portal that includes other pieces of the secondary CTE accountability system - some pieces are used in reporting on performance indicators and others are used within the broader CTE evaluation system for the state. As Perkins IV is implemented, historical performance results will be available to recipients though this Web-based portal. Currently, recipients have to go to additional Web sites to access previous year's performance data.
The postsecondary annual application (Attachment 3) will be based on previous year results and will require recipients to address deficient performance measures (individual indicators or projects that cut across all indicators) or implement projects that support development of a career pathway. The existing Web-based portal has been redesigned to allow for the submission and approval of local transition plans, five-year plans, and annual applications. The site can be accessed at www.adheperkins.com and was designed to provide current and historical accountability information for both state and local recipients.
In addition to annual plan management, the accountability section of the site includes a performance report card beginning with program year 2004 that includes historical information on program effectiveness, a return on investment analysis, use of funds by indicator and function, and historical enrollment and allocations levels. This report is available for each local recipient and forms the basis of the accountability portion of the on-site compliance visit. The site also includes technical information such as program of study crosswalks, high-skill, high-wage, high-demand, emerging industry CIP codes, and other resources for program improvement for use by local recipients and state staff that should promote continuous improvement in all performance areas. The site will continue to be updated and serve as the first point of reference for postsecondary Perkins matters.
The local five-year plan and local application must be submitted in substantially approvable form prior to July 1, 2008, in order for the recipient to begin obligating funds. The state's definition of "substantially approvable" is that the Perkins plan and application are complete and generally acceptable even though some projects/activities may need minor revision.
The criteria for approval will include action to determine that all funds are directed toward projects/activities that identify the performance indicator that will be addressed by the expenditure of the funds or that identify the program of study within the high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand pathway that is being improved. The method of measurement must be identified in the project/activity description.
Any recipient who fails to submit the local plan and/or local application in substantially approvable form by November 1 or who still has portions of the annual application that are not approvable and who does not have a signed waiver from DWE or ADHE allowing additional time for submission may lose the ability to file the plan and/or application for that year.
The basis for all career guidance and planning is the state's Smart Core program as described in Section (a) above. This academic base is recommended for all students. Two programs specifically designed to assist special populations in succeeding academically in the CTE programs are the STRIVE and JAG programs described in the Provision of Services to Special Populations Section that follows. In addition to these special programs, many local recipients have used Perkins funds to purchase reading pens and voice recognition software to assist students with reading difficulties. A professional development strand at the summer conference is planned that will provide additional strategies for teachers to assist them with instruction of special population students.
DWE also oversees a state fund that provides adaptive equipment for students enrolled in CTE programs. These state monies provide specialized equipment and software that enable students such as those with physical disabilities to succeed in CTE courses. The districts may apply for these funds and will keep the equipment until the student graduates or until it is no longer needed. At that point, usable equipment is returned to the state for reassignment.
As frameworks for the secondary programs of study are revised over the next few years, the postsecondary components, as well as the options in immediate employment, will be clearly identified so students can see the opportunities that await them following completion of the program of study and graduation from high school.
Career and technical student organizations are an integral part of all program areas. These organizations provide students with the opportunity to reinforce the skills, knowledge, and attitudes taught in the classroom as well as leadership skills and opportunities. This can be an effective way to integrate academic and technology programs that enhance students' ability to focus on tools needed to graduate from high school.
As briefly discussed above, the state has adopted a career action planning (CAP) model that involves parents. In the CAP model, advisors help students and their parents identify the students' strengths and weaknesses and plan their academic and CTE coursework during high school. The state has invested in providing the Kuder career assessment system for every Arkansas student at both the secondary and postsecondary level. The Kuder system allows students to assess their career interests and explore the types of jobs available within each career. Information on typical wages, educational preparation, etc., is available within the Kuder system. Links to every postsecondary institution in the state are included so students may explore their opportunities. Since the Kuder system is Web-based, it may be accessed from any Internet-connected computer; therefore parents also have access to this information. Students may create a portfolio and a resume online. As long as they access their information annually, their account will remain active after graduation.
In most districts, Kuder is introduced to students in the eighth grade during a career orientation course, which is designed to be an introduction to all career clusters and provide information on the CTE programs of study available at each local high school. The majority of eighth graders in the state are enrolled in the career orientation course.
Having information readily available to students and parents is only one part of preparing students and making them aware of opportunities. Equally important is the quality of the programs of study at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Recipients of Perkins funds must address how their approved programs will meet the following criteria:
* Provide students with strong experience in and understanding of all aspects of an industry, including work-based learning opportunities;
* Align courses at the secondary and postsecondary levels;
* Provide professional development for teachers, administrators, and counselors;
* Include business and industry representatives and representatives of special populations in the evaluation and development of programs; and
* Identify and adopt strategies to overcome barriers for success of special populations in the CTE programs.
It is the state's goal that by the end year of Perkins IV, approximately 60 percent of all funds will be spent to improve programs of study that are designated as high skill, high wage, and high demand. This goal assumes that most recipients will be successful in meeting the local-adjusted levels of performance on the indicators and, therefore, will be able to invest funds into the programs of study meeting all three of these designations. However, any recipient not meeting the performance indicators will be held accountable for improving performance first before investing in a specific program of study at the expense of improving attainment of all CTE students.
Current programs of study at the secondary level are aligned with academic content standards and achievement standards as the frameworks are revised. New programs of study will be aligned during the development of the frameworks. The academic foundation for all programs of study is the state's Smart Core (discussed above). Local recipients will be encouraged to pool their funds with other recipients to develop new programs of study in pathways that are high skill, high wage, and high demand. At the secondary level, the state will implemented a reserve fund for the development of high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand programs of study. In subsequent years, use of the reserve option may be expanded to provide incentives for performance or other purposes that help move the state CTE system toward meeting the purposes of the Act.
In addition to using the reserve option at the secondary level, state leadership funds also may be used to help local recipients align the secondary and postsecondary components in new programs of study during the development and implementation process.
At the postsecondary level, approval for development or delivery of new courses will be limited to those in CIP codes that have been designated as high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand programs of study, emerging industries, or programs designated as nontraditional. Approval also may be given for courses that are needed in order to complete or enhance an existing career pathway that includes secondary, associate, and baccalaureate and above program elements.
Not applicable - Arkansas will consolidate all of the tech prep program funds available under Title II into the basic grant.
One method for linking academic and CTE that is being discussed by local administrators is to employ academic coaches to work with CTE teachers to ensure they are given the tools and knowledge to link to academic education and to assist them in the process. This resource has been available for academic teachers and will now be expanded to include the CTE teachers.
Helping CTE teachers identify academic concepts in their curriculum that are tested on the state's assessments used for NCLB is another method to increase student academic attainment. Through a model that uses the released items each year from the academic assessments, teachers are guided through exercises that assist them in using actual test questions that can be related to the CTE content as it is taught in the classroom and lab.
At the state level, development and continuous updating of the CTE curriculum frameworks helps ensure that both the academic and technical standards are current. As frameworks are updated, the connection to postsecondary opportunities and industry certification will be emphasized more than in the past to help teachers make students aware of the transitions that are available to them after high school.
At the postsecondary level, state leadership funds may be used to fund projects that encourage development of a variety of integration models, including creation of interdisciplinary courses that combine both CTE and academic elements, applied academic courses, cross-curricular incorporation of academic skills in CTE programs, incorporating academic modules in CTE courses, learning communities, professional development for academic faculty, and other appropriate approaches.
At the secondary level, the evaluation of integration of content hinges upon the state's ability to effectively identify the population of students that CTE must be held accountable for assisting - those students enrolled in CTE programs or sequences. While almost every student takes one or two CTE course in grades 9-12, about 25-30 percent of the students actually focus or concentrate their course taking within a program of study. These students who are concentrating in a sequence are the students that CTE must take responsibility for to ensure improvement of their academic and technical skill attainment.
Because the state's literacy assessment is given at the end of the 11th grade, early identification and intervention is imperative. The NCLB math assessment is currently based on algebra and geometry - of which geometry is the last statewide math assessment. Many students take geometry in the 10th grade and a majority of students have completed it by the end of the 11th grade. Again, early identification and intervention is important. Recipients will be encouraged to ensure integration of academic standards into CTE courses taken primarily in the ninth and 10th grade and then begin working on the 11th- and 12th-grade courses.
The effectiveness of the integration will be assessed through the academic and technical skill attainment performance measures.
At the postsecondary level, the effectiveness of integration activities will be assessed through technical skills attainment and completion performance measures. Local recipients also will be required to provide an evaluation of integration activities in the annual end-of-year program report.
Secondary
As local recipients addressed their plans for expenditures in 2007-08, DWE staff reviewers emphasized the need for a three-year plan of professional development for every CTE teacher. Under Perkins III, the recipients were more accustomed to thinking of activities that could be accomplished in one year increments. With the implementation of Perkins IV, DWE is encouraging projects that span multiple years that are broader in scope and that will result in improvement of an entire program of study - including curriculum, teacher development, certification for the program/students, parent and business/industry involvement, postsecondary connections, equipment, etc.
DWE is a member of the statewide Professional Development Cabinet. The Cabinet is in the process of redefining professional development for teachers and developing an Arkansas Tool Kit for Quality Professional Development. The professional development for both academic education and CTE will be included in the development by the Cabinet. The Cabinet has partnered with the National Staff Development Council to develop materials for the Tool Kit. The Tool Kit will address seven major areas related to planning, implementing, and evaluating high quality professional development: Focusing on Student Achievement; Planning Results-Driven Professional Development; Effective Professional Development; Scheduling Time for Effective Professional Development; The Role of the Principal and Central Office Staff; Evaluation of Professional Development; and Shaping School Culture.
Arkansas has a strong history of continuing professional development for teacher licensure - in fact, sixty hours are required each year for teachers and administrators to maintain their licensure. These sixty hours must meet the professional development guidelines set forth by the Legislature and the State Board of Education. All professional development activities must related to the following focus areas: K-12 content; instructional strategies; assessment; advocacy/leadership; systemic change process; standards, frameworks, and curriculum alignment; supervision; mentoring/coaching; education technology; principles of learning/developmental stages; cognitive research; parent involvement; and building a collaborative learning community. All professional development opportunities provided by DWE for secondary educators have the focus areas identified along with the number of hours. The Department maintains a web page that lists all inservice opportunities.
DWE program staff met with the literacy and math specialist leader in the Department of Education (general education) to discuss initiatives in literacy and mathematics that Perkins recipients have proposed to use to improve performance on the academic attainment indicator. This meeting was very helpful to understanding the research and initiatives already in place in the state and how they can be related to CTE and adapted as needed. It also helped to clarify for the Department of Education the gap in professional development opportunities that exists in some districts for the academic teachers as compared to CTE teachers. Some administrators are not fully aware of the need to involve CTE teachers in professional development for literacy and math teaching strategies.
One tool DWE is making available to CTE teachers is the Max Teaching with Reading and Writing strategies. Several districts have implemented these teaching strategies in all classes, including CTE. One district co-hosted with DWE a workshop with over 100 participants from across the state during the fall of 2008. At least three more workshops (one in each congressional district) are being planned.
Using state leadership funds set aside to address nontraditional education and training, DWE hosted a conference entitled "Manufacturing: A New Vision - Women Mentors can Change the Future." This conference was designed to help school administrators, guidance counselors, and middle school career orientation teachers to understand the manufacturing career cluster. Several industry leaders provided sessions on modern manufacturing and the multitude of careers available.
DWE is a co-sponsor of the annual conference for the Arkansas Association for Career and Technical Education with Arkansas ACTE. The 2008 summer conference was focused on meeting Perkins performance indicators - with a strand on assisting special population students.
Although the agency has always focused a great deal of attention on professional development and inservice opportunities for administrators and teachers, the implementation of Perkins IV highlighted the need for greater opportunities for the CTE state staff to participate in such training. The state staff members are primarily former teachers and administrators - some have been out of the classroom for several years. The DWE leadership team has made a concentrated effort to locate professional development opportunities for the staff responsible for working directly with schools and teachers.
In addition to participating in all of the professional development mentioned above, six DWE program staff members attended a train-the-trainer session on MAX Teaching in Oklahoma City to assist in providing resources to the districts. The program staff also participated in a work session by Susan Katzman on integration. Work sessions with various members of the Department of Education staff have included topics such as serving special education students, assessment regulations with respect to students with Individual Education Plans, transition opportunities and services, teacher licensure regulations, etc.
Postsecondary
Postsecondary institutions have strong programs of professional development for faculty and staff. Annual in-service programs are provided that address issues related to student learning, student retention and degree attainment. Opportunities are provided for CTE faculty to stay abreast of industry changes and to obtain certification in their fields in order to better prepare students for the workplace. Additionally, each institution evaluates faculty performance annually which often results in individual professional development plans for faculty. To compliment these institutionally funded activities, Perkins basic grants are used to fund professional development required to achieve performance targets. Several institutions have opened local professional development events to other postsecondary institutions and the Perkins postsecondary consortia use professional development to meet the mutually beneficial requirement for expenditure of funds.
ADHE and postsecondary institutions in Arkansas are participants in a number of special programs that include professional development components. ADHE will seek to coordinate the professional development efforts of these various initiatives to effectively leverage all resources to improve statewide academic success results. Specifically, the Achieve the Dream initiative includes a requirement for statewide professional development. Postsecondary Perkins will collaborate in these activities and coordinate with the Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative in the delivery of professional development.
State leadership funds will be used to provide professional development that target postsecondary core indicators for technical skill attainment, retention and completion. Because almost half of all postsecondary Perkins concentrators receive Pell assistance or are designated as economically disadvantaged, professional development activities will address students coming from poverty. In collaboration with the Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative, workshops will be held to help faculty and staff better understand and address the special needs of lower income students and other special population categories. State leadership funds will be used to develop a statewide strategy for nontraditional students, including professional development needs. Professional development will be offered on career readiness, KeyTrain instruction and WorkKeys certification.
State leadership funds will be used to provide training for Perkins state staff in the areas of career and technical education, issues related to higher education, and in targeted areas such as workforce development.
The Department of Education hosts recruiting fairs for teachers, including recruiting persons from business/industry into teaching through the alternative licensure program. Teachers and counselors for CTE programs are included as are all other teaching areas. DWE has not had a separate recruitment initiative to distract from this statewide effort to bring in potential teachers. DWE staff does provide new teacher professional development for all new teachers in CTE - whether the teachers are from regular colleges of education or are coming in through alternative licensure. For teachers in the technical fields where prior industry experience is the usual path to teaching (such as construction, welding, automotive technology, etc), additional professional development opportunities are planned and conducted by DWE staff. In addition, the DWE staff assists these teachers in taking the NOCTI test which is required for licensure.
One of the strongest potential recruiting tools that has been in development for the past couple of years is the program of study in the Education and Training career cluster. Several districts have already implemented this program and many more have expressed an interest. Further development of the program, through the reserve fund grants and through the development of an associate of arts in teaching with postsecondary institutions, should impact the recruitment in CTE areas. Further development of the program, through the secondary reserve fund grants and through increased linkages from secondary to the associate of arts in teaching should impact the recruitment in CTE areas.
Business and industry professionals with practical experience in their fields are widely used as adjunct teaching faculty at postsecondary institutions. They are recruited through a variety of means: from service on industry advisory councils, traditional advertising, information campaigns directed to targeted business and industry, online methods, recruitment fairs, and efforts directed to a specialized field such as allied health. Some institutions pay travel costs for interviews,
Once hired, support is provided to equip new faculty members with skills needed for effective teaching and to contribute to retention of the new instructor. New instructors are assigned to work with experienced faculty partners who mentor new faculty members in areas such as course development, delivery techniques, assessment methodology and other related areas. Tuition waivers are provided for new faculty to take college level work that will prepare them for classroom instruction, and paraprofessionals may be provided to assist the new instructor as they begin classroom instruction.
The Arkansas Course Transfer System (ACTS) is a postsecondary education resource that provides comparable course information to facilitate student transfer within Arkansas public colleges and universities. The system helps high school students as well as associate degree holders plan a course of study that includes baccalaureate level work. Efforts are currently underway to add CTE coursework to the system.
New programs of study have been approved to enhance the transferability of associate level career and technical degrees toward a baccalaureate degree. The Bachelor of Professional Studies, the Bachelor of Applied Technology, the Bachelor of Applied Science, and the Associate of Arts in Teaching have been established to serve students who have completed a technical career focus and provide them with a path to upper-level electives that can be career specific. These degree programs allow students to transfer credits earned at the two-year level toward a baccalaureate degree.
University centers on the campuses of two-year colleges offer the first two years of full traditional college education that is transferable to a four-year university. Many baccalaureate programs are offered by four-year institutions on two-year campuses.
Business/industry advisory councils are required for all programs of study. Programs without an active advisory council (proof of a minimum of two meetings per year) are placed on conditional approval and are disapproved after the second year. During the on-site state monitoring visit, the minutes of the meetings are reviewed to ensure that the councils are actively involved in the programs.
As the frameworks for the programs of study are reviewed (a minimum of 20% annually), business/industry representatives validate the framework and the assessment questions.
Through the High School That Work sites, student and teacher evaluations of the programs are made available to the state. The input from these evaluations is used to help guide the improvement and development efforts for new and existing programs of study.
As local recipients use the Perkins funds to improve a program of study, they must identify how each of the groups (teachers, administrators, counselors, parents, students, and business/industry) will be involved and made aware of the program. Specific questions were added to the local annual application to ensure that recipients considered this particular requirement.
Postsecondary institutions involve stakeholders in the development and evaluation of CTE programs in a variety of ways. Common to most campuses are business and industry advisory councils that provide input on program development which insures that occupational skills necessary for success in the workplace are present. Additionally, programs are evaluated annually by students, faculty, academic deans and program directors with recommendations implemented when possible.
The Smart Core curriculum (described in section 2 above) was introduced by the State Board of Education in Arkansas a few years ago - with full support of DWE. All CTE programs of study are developed with the Smart Core curriculum as the academic base.
A major shift in funding occurred during 2007-08 at the local level to support projects that address literacy attainment for CTE concentrators. A significant amount of local funding was also focused on math. Only projects that ensured integration of literacy and math into CTE programs were approved. Potential behavioral change in the CTE teachers was evaluated.
DWE has used state leadership funds to investigate and promote strategies for improving academic attainment through CTE courses. One example is the MAX Teaching conferences held in each of the four congressional districts during the 2007-08 school year.
As new programs are developed and as programs are improved with Perkins funds, recipients must address how students will be provided with experiences that expose them to all aspects of an industry. Work-based learning opportunities such as job shadowing and internship are encouraged. Arkansas also has state funding for youth apprenticeship programs as well as state legislation that allows a tax break for employers of students in the youth apprenticeship programs.
At the postsecondary level, communications and mathematics academic courses are required for all technical certificates and above. Associate of applied science degrees require 15 hours of general education in additional to the required technical core. CTE students are held to the same academic standard for course completion as are non-CTE students.
At the postsecondary level, technical assistance will be provided during annual on-site visits to local recipients. Two multi-day workshops will be held annually to provide technical assistance for postsecondary coordinators and administrators. New coordinator training will be provided annually to all coordinators with less than three years' experience with the Perkins program. The postsecondary Perkins Web site will provide an array of resources for program development, performance measurement, and professional development opportunities. A coordinator handbook was published in 2006 and will continue to be provided to all coordinators in hard copy. The handbook also is available online.
At the secondary level, technical assistance is provided in a variety of ways - depending upon the recipient's need. Program supervisors conduct an on-site visit to every school starting up a new program of study during the first year of operation. All new CTE teachers are provided with a new teacher orientation professional development that includes technical assistance as needed. The state also provides a grant from state funds for a CTE coordinator that is located at each of the state's 15 educational cooperatives. This regional coordinator is a resource for technical assistance to teachers and administrators - particularly at those districts that do not have a full-time CTE administrator on staff.
On-site technical assistance is given 20 percent of all public school districts annually - particularly with regard to state policies and procedures for approved programs. With the implementation of Perkins IV, additional emphasis will be given to monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of activities conducted with the funding. The state staff members who review and approve the local applications are also on the on-site technical assistance teams. Staff will compare what the recipient stated the activity would include and accomplish against the actual results. Beginning with the 2008-09 fiscal year, DWE intends to include a representative from the Arkansas Rehabilitation Services agency on the technical assistance teams to assist with the transition plans for special populations students as they leave secondary school.
A risk management plan will be implemented with regard to Perkins fiscal accountability by local recipients to supplement the cyclical technical assistance plan. The department is developing the risk management plan during the 2007-08 fiscal year that will cover both secondary and postsecondary recipients with regard to Perkins funds. The plan will include both program and financial risk indicators for Perkins.
Several factors have been discussed for inclusion in the risk management plan as factors that will place a recipient in a higher risk category. These include, but are not limited to, the following: the size of the recipient's grant - larger grants carry a higher risk; use of funds for salary - the lack of personnel activity reports to document expenditures is often cited in federal monitoring of various programs; tardiness in filing applications and reports; turnover of staff responsible for Perkins administration; failure to meet performance targets; and, for secondary recipients, identification as in academic or financial distress by other state agencies or other federal grant programs.
Another factor on the financial risk management will be inappropriate cash management. Any recipient that has not requested reimbursement by December 31 of each fiscal year will be contacted and its program will be assessed to ensure timely implementation of all approved projects and activities. Any recipient that has not requested reimbursement of expenditures by March 31 will be cited as a higher risk. Any recipient that holds all expenditures and requests reimbursement at the end of the fiscal year will be automatically placed on the monitoring list for the following year.
Before a new CTE program can be implemented, either with federal or local funds, the school must submit justification for the need - through employment data, employer surveys, community support, etc. The Perkins funds, as described earlier, are strongly tied to state and regional employment opportunities - through the link to demand data provided by the state's labor market information agency. In addition to existing demand, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission is consulted on a regular basis regarding emerging occupations and employment needs.
One of the strategies for local recipients at the secondary level for joint planning and coordinators (regardless of funding) is through the ACSIP plan - Arkansas Consolidated School Improvement Process. Each district is required to have a current ACSIP plan on file with the Department of Education each year. This plan outlines all school improvement strategies/activities along with the resources to accomplish the activities. At the state level, senior managers from the Department of Education and Department of Workforce Education meet and share information regularly. In addition, a joint meeting of the boards of Education, Workforce Education, and Higher Education meet annually on issues that span the K-16 system.
Both the directors of the Department of Workforce Education and the Department of Higher Education are members of the state's Workforce Investment Board. This membership ensures that the staff members of all three entities are aware of all activities being conducted for postsecondary students and school dropouts with regard to CTE.
Equal access to vocational and technical education programs may be demonstrated in a number of ways:
* Program enrollment has approximately the same makeup as enrollment of the total student body.
* Entry requirements do not adversely affect access for members of special populations to the programs.
* Special population students are enrolled in all types of education programs, including occupational-specific courses, cooperative education, internships, and apprenticeships.
All students and their parents are provided with information about the opportunities in career and technical education prior to entry in the ninth grade. Approximately 55 percent of the students enrolled in one or more CTE courses each year are reported as a member of a special population category.
Equal access is a high priority at postsecondary institutions with 60 percent of Perkins concentrators having been designated as a member of one or more special population classifications. Special population participation ranges from 71 percent in the marketing career cluster to 8 percent in the transportation cluster. Ten clusters have special population participation above 50 percent and all but one exceeds 25 percent participation. Using Perkins and institutional funds, several colleges have funded first year experience and other special activities designed to increase recruitment, retention, and completion of special populations.
Postsecondary and secondary recipients comply with all state and federal nondiscrimination laws to ensure that special populations are afforded the same opportunities as other students. To assist with this, technical assistance and professional development activities will be provided by state staff and through leadership development activities in the area of nondiscrimination. Assurance of nondiscrimination will be required as part of the annual postsecondary application approval process and the secondary Office of Civil Rights visit.
Students who are members of special populations must have access to and successfully participate in the state's CTE programs. To assure that such students have the opportunity to meet or exceed the state-adjusted levels of performance, it is critical that strategies and services are in place to achieve success.
Special populations are defined by the Act as
* Individuals with disabilities;
* Individuals from economically disadvantaged families, including foster children;
* Individuals preparing for nontraditional fields;
* Single parents, including single pregnant women;
* Displaced homemakers; and
* Individuals with limited English proficiency.
Strategies for assuring access to and success in career and technical education programs for special population students include the following:
* Promoting outreach and recruitment information regarding career opportunities with an emphasis on nontraditional opportunities;
* Identifying special population students;
* Utilizing assessment tools/individualized education plans for special population students enrolled in vocational and technical programs to determine their special needs;
* Planning and coordinating supplemental services for special population students enrolled in vocational and technical education programs;
* Facilitating the identification of appropriate adaptive equipment, assistive devices, and new technology for students with disabilities, as funding is available;
* Providing inservice activities for vocational and technical teachers, counselors, and administrators; and
* Identifying and/or developing special instructional materials or adapting existing instructional materials for vocational and technical programs.
Local plan guidelines require that eligible recipients specify the strategies and services available to meet the needs of the special populations in vocational and technical education programs. Eligible recipients will ensure that strategies and services for members of special populations in vocational and technical education programs are appropriate.
In addition to the strategies already identified above for all special population students, strategies to enable these particular students to prepare for further learning and for high-skill, high-wage careers may include the following:
* Exploration of career areas that focus on expanding career options, educational planning, and vocational training that is free of gender bias;
* Comprehensive career counseling and guidance, including labor market information, a broad range of occupations and alternative career paths, career testing, placement services for part-time and summer employment, internships, and cooperative programs;
* Access to options for specialization in a variety of areas with access to work-based learning opportunities;
* Career development activities that lead to mastery of career development competencies;
* High quality, paid work-based learning experiences to provide career exploration, enhancement of personal and interpersonal skills, and development of occupational skills;
* Access to programs that encourage learning all aspects of the industry, including planning, management, finances, technical production, and underlying principles of technology; and
* Provision of information on nontraditional jobs that offer higher pay and opportunities for advancement and benefits.
At the secondary level, these services may include supplementary services, guidance and counseling, and the vocational component of the transition plan for the special population students in vocational and technical education programs.
Two secondary courses have been developed specifically for special population students. Both courses focus on assisting students with barriers to graduate from high school. The Jobs for Arkansas' Graduates (JAG) course is a school-to-career program designed to keep young people in school through graduation and provide work-based learning experiences that will lead to career advancement opportunities or to the enrollment in a postsecondary institution that leads to a rewarding career.
The Students and Teachers Responsibly Integrating Vocational Education (STRIVE) course provides a versatile spectrum of instruction with the intent of integrating vocational and academic skills. This class offers a hands-on approach and utilizes various teaching strategies to address the students' variety of learning styles. Both courses emphasize individualized learning and competency attainment.
To ensure that all CTE teachers are equipped to work with special population students, a model pre-service training program was developed by one of the regional educational cooperatives. Information regarding this model will be provided to all districts. This pre-service training in effective teaching skills and practices is designed for all new CTE teachers. The program addresses the following issues: identifying special populations students; writing an Individualized Education Plan and legalities; teaching strategies to ensure success for special populations students; making modifications in the areas of curriculum, equipment, class environment, and instructional aids; effective practices in improving parental and community involvement (career action plans, advisory councils, and program marketing strategies). This pre-service training will be offered in each CTE content area as well as to attendees at the Arkansas Association of Career Technical Education Summer Conference.
Given that local Perkins recipients have varying needs, they will be encouraged to form consortia to address like special populations concerns.
At the postsecondary level, the Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative (CPI) is a new program offered by all Arkansas two-year colleges. The program provides free career training and college classes to students who qualify based on income and presence of children in the home. Services such as child care, transportation, career counseling, and job search assistance are provided. The goal is to prepare students for employment, including high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand occupations and for continued education that will increase opportunities for employment in these sectors. Materials describing eligibility and benefits are provided to all postsecondary career counselors and faculty advisors to increase the number of special population students enrolled in higher education.
A comparison of CPI students and Perkins concentrators shows that 45 percent of CPI students are Perkins postsecondary concentrators. Because an analysis of CPI students also shows a high presence of the Perkins-defined special populations, Perkins state staff is collaborating with CPI to deliver services that address the needs of this group. For example, state staff participated in the development of a first year experience for students enrolled in the CPI program and is teaming with CPI to train local Perkins coordinators and other institutional staff on effective interventions for students from extreme poverty. State leadership funds will fund programs that analyze gaps in performance between special populations and all students and programs that encourage additional approaches and support programs for special and nontraditional populations.
The development of the high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand list of pathways is described in the previous section. The development of the non-traditional list of pathways also was developed with involvement of the core team. National data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (found in the crosswalks on the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity Web site) that identified occupations with fewer than 25 percent of either gender employed was used in addition to data from the state's Labor Market Information office. If a pathway was identified in either of the crosswalks as nontraditional, then that pathway will be considered as nontraditional for Perkins IV. Below is a listing of the pathways:
Nontraditional for Female
Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
Agribusiness Systems
Animal Systems
Environmental Service Systems
Food Products and Processing Systems
Natural Resources
Plant Systems
Power, Structural and Technical Systems
Architecture and Construction
Construction
Design/Pre-Construction
Maintenance and Operations
Arts, A/V Technology and Communications
Journalism and Broadcasting
Printing Technology
Telecommunications
Business, Management and Administration Services
Management
Hospitality and Tourism
Restaurant & Food and Beverage Services
Information Technology
Information Support and Services
Network Systems
Programming/Software Engineering
Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security
Law Enforcement Services
Manufacturing
Maintenance, Installation & Repair
Manufacturing Production Process Development
Production
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Engineering and Technology
Science and Mathematics
Transportation, Distribution and Logistics
Facility and Mobile Equipment
Transportation Operations
Nontraditional for Male
Business, Management and Administration Services
Administration & Information Support
Business Financial Management and Accounting
Education and Training
Teaching & Training
Health Science
Health Informatics
Support Services
Therapeutic Services
Human Services
Early Childhood Development & Services
Personal Care Services
Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security
Legal Services
State leadership funds in an amount of $60,000 will be reserved and used to support teacher inservice training, recruitment efforts, curriculum development, and other services deemed effective in promoting participation in nontraditional training and employment. The department will develop a "tool kit" of resources, including information on high-skill, high-wage occupations, nontraditional careers, and classroom resources.
Several of the activities that were designed to introduce students at the junior high school level to nontraditional careers will continue. Project Learning Tree (PLT), designed to help junior high students in career orientation classes learn about forestry, strives to help young people achieve lives that are respectful of all living things including the environment. PLT creates opportunities for students to develop self-awareness. Using a problem-posing and problem-solving approach to instruction, PLT takes students beyond the fear of diversity and difference. Within this process, they are encouraged to examine issues, identify what they believe to be bad choices, and share ideas about how these choices can be changed. PLT also incorporates hands-on activities that dispel stereotypical images of forestry as a male-dominated profession in which success is dependent upon the physical strength and the ability to brave storms, fires, and other natural disasters. PLT curriculum and applied activities clearly confirm that the job duties and responsibilities of a forester can be easily performed by either gender.
The Real Game, an activity designed to work across the curriculum, adds relevance to and incorporates such subject and skill areas as math, language arts, family life studies, social studies, decision making, communication, group work, analysis, self-awareness, and critical thinking. By using play-acting, written exercises, research projects, structured game activities, and interaction with classmates, teachers, parents, and community members, The Real Game provides a positive and supportive venue for young people to explore the emerging world of work. By learning how to cope with change while exploring the future in a realistic but non-threatening way, students who participate in The Real Game develop a positive attitude about their roles within the new dynamic of the world of work. Through random student/occupation match-ups, the game allows students to investigate the nature of careers they might otherwise never consider. These random match-ups also teach the value of all work and that any occupation is appropriate if it suits personal goals and individual personalities. This is particularly important for students since it can expose them to nontraditional career possibilities. The Real Game is another activity used primarily in the junior high course of career orientation.
At the postsecondary level, state leadership funds will be used to support pilot projects related to nontraditional student participation and success. Funds also will be used to provide appropriate professional development opportunities for postsecondary faculty and support staff. Nontraditional issues will be included in technical assistance meetings, and reference material on the Web site will be increased to include best practices and additional resources. A preference for nontraditional support activities will be given during the basic grant application process when nontraditional performance measures are deficient.
Most students in alternative education environments are enrolled in regular CTE programs. Therefore, the needs of these students do not need to be addressed separately.
The state will reserve up to 1 percent of the basic state grant under Section 122(a)(2)(A) from state leadership funds to serve individuals in state correctional institutions or in state institutions that serve people with disabilities. Eligible institutions must submit an application for funding, outlined below, no later than July 15 each year. Application approval and the level of funding will be determined upon review to ensure that the activities described in the application are of size, scope, and quality to be effective and are eligible activities for Perkins funding.
The application for funding is in the same format as the Local Application for Secondary Perkins Recipients (found in Attachment 1).
The five-year local plan that must be completed by all eligible recipients requires a description of how students who are members of special populations will be served and will be afforded equitable access to and participation in CTE programs. This description must include how the eligible recipient will assure that special population students will be assisted to achieve the same academic and CTE standards as all other students.
Eligible recipients must also certify that their programs and professional development programs provided with Perkins funds are available upon written request to students and teachers from private schools.
Student Definitions
Secondary Level
Parti cipants - Students who enroll in one unit of credit in CTE.
Concentrators - Students who enroll in a minimum of three units of credit, including the core required courses, in a CTE program of study.
Postsecondary/Adult Level
Participants - Students who have declared intent, enrolled in a CTE program area, and earned a minimum of 3 semester credit hours.
Concentrators - Students who have declared intent, enrolled in a CTE program of study, and have completed the following thresholds: 6 semester credit hours for a certificate of proficiency; 12 semester credit hours for a technical certificate; 30 semester credit hours for an associate level degree; and the equivalent of 25 semester credit hours for students enrolled in a technical institute. The semester credit hours can include both academic and technical coursework required by the program.
Both agencies responsible for oversight of the Perkins funds have worked with the local coordinators on the measurement definitions and methods of determining performance.
At the secondary level, the Department of Workforce Education had a series of meetings with a core team of consortia and single LEA representatives along with staff members. The discussions at the meetings included at least one, and usually several, of the indicators and the measurement of performance. After the first few meetings, the staff took the recommendations and began running the data available, using the parameters and definitions to determine the impact of the recommendations on performance levels. For most of the indicators, prior year data could be adjusted to provide estimates of performance. This feedback was provided to the core team members and was shared with all recipients. Through this collaborative effort, the measurement definitions and approaches were agreed upon.
At the postsecondary level, meetings have been held with chief academic officers, local coordinators, and other institutional staff who have an interest in Perkins programs. These discussions were supported by analysis of the past three years' performance results (at the state and local levels) to determine reasonable indicators and benchmarks.
Institutions have expressed support for use of the higher education accountability system to replace separate reporting for Perkins. As a result, all postsecondary performance measures will be reported with information from the state's data system instead of relying on annual reports from institutions.
Secondary - The core team has discussed the academic and graduation indicators at length at multiple meetings prior to submitting the transition plan; however, the state-adjusted level of performance for these indicators will be the same as are used for NCLB.
Preliminary discussion of the performance levels for the remaining indicators began with the core team in the fall of 2006. Since the definitions of the student populations to be measured are very comparable to those under Perkins III, the state has several years of performance data that was used by the core team to assist in determining the state-adjusted level of performance for the remaining indicators. These proposed numerators and denominators and the methodology were presented during the review of the state plan.
Postsecondary - Performance levels have been discussed with coordinators, chief academic officers, and institutional research staff of recipient institutions. Baseline data will be established using an average of the three most recent program years and used to determine postsecondary performance targets.
Secondary
Academic Attainment - Literacy
Approach: The NCLB assessment and NCLB annual measurable objective
Numerator: CTE concentrators leaving the secondary system in the reporting year who score proficient or advanced on the literacy assessment
Denominator: All CTE concentrators leaving the secondary system in the reporting year with an assessment score
Academic Attainment - Math
Approach: The NCLB assessment and NCLB annual measurable objective
Numerator: CTE concentrators leaving the secondary system in the reporting year who score proficient or advanced on the geometry assessment
Denominator: All CTE concentrators leaving the secondary system in the reporting year with an assessment score
Graduation
Approach: The graduation of students according to the NCLB workbook
Numerator: CTE concentrators leaving the secondary system in the reporting year who are reported as graduated for NCLB
Denominator: All CTE concentrators leaving the secondary system in the reporting year
Completion
Approach: Graduation plus CTE concentrators who receive a GED diploma.
Numerator: CTE concentrators leaving the secondary system during the reporting year who are reported as graduated or who receive a GED diploma
Denominator: All CTE concentrators leaving the secondary system in the reporting year
CTE Skill
Approach: End-of-course state-developed, industry-validated assessments based on state-approved frameworks
Numerator: CTE concentrators leaving the secondary system during the reporting year who have an average score of proficient on all skill assessments taken in grades 9-12
Denominator: All CTE concentrators leaving the secondary system during the reporting year who have a score on a skill assessment in grades 9-12
Placement
Approach: State-developed, locally-administered survey conducted six months after graduation
Numerator: CTE concentrators who complete a program of study and graduate during the reporting year and who are employed, in the military, or in further education six months after graduation
Denominator: All CTE concentrators who complete a program of study and graduate during the reporting year and who are found during the survey period
Nontraditional Participation
Approach: State administrative records of enrollment in at least one unit in programs determined to be nontraditional for either gender
Numerator: Students enrolled in a minimum of one unit in a program of study determined to be nontraditional for their gender
Denominator: All students enrolled in a minimum of one unit in a program of study determined to be nontraditional for either gender
Nontraditional Completion
Approach: State administrative graduation records of CTE concentrators who complete all requirements for a program determined to be nontraditional
Numerator: CTE concentrators who graduate and who complete the requirements for a program of study that is nontraditional for their gender
Denominator: All CTE concentrators who graduate and who complete the requirements for a program of study that is nontraditional for either gender
Postsecondary - Performance levels have been discussed with coordinators, chief academic officers, and institutional research staff of recipient institutions. Baseline data will be averaged from the three most recent program years and used to determine postsecondary performance targets.
The secondary indicators for academic and graduation will be aligned to the extent possible with the assessments and methodology used for determining AYP for NCLB. The same academic assessments will be used. However, due to the requirement to report on CTE students at the time they leave the secondary system, the timing of the measurement will not be aligned to the state's NCLB goals on a year-to-year basis. AYP is measured each year for the students assessed that year. For example, the state's literacy assessment, given to all 11th graders during the spring of 2007, will be used to determine the schools' 2007 AYP score. However, CTE will not report those scores until the 11th graders who are CTE concentrators leave the system - in the spring of 2008. Therefore, the Perkins literacy goal for 2007-08 will actually be the state's NCLB goal for 2006-07.
Postsecondary information will be compiled using data submitted to AHESIS, which was designed for use across multiple state and federal programs.
Secondary - The department has implemented a Web program for negotiating local-adjusted levels of performance with all eligible recipients. The negotiation model adopted requires the state to determine the anticipated performance goals for 2012-13 - the final year of the Perkins IV authorization. If a recipient is already performing above the state goal, acceptance of the state goal is not sufficient. Continuous improvement dictates that even high-performing recipients must continue to improve.
For recipients performing below the state goal, the negotiation model requires each recipient to request a level of improvement that will allow it to reach the state goal by the year 2012-13. It is expected that all recipients will meet or exceed the state's performance goals by 2012-13 - the sixth year of the Act.
The local-adjusted levels of performance will be renegotiated each two years during the life of the Perkins Act, and future negotiations of increases required will be based on actual performance in the three previous years available. However, regardless of actual performance of any recipient, the state's expectation is that all recipients will meet or exceed the state's performance goals by the sixth year of Perkins IV.
Postsecondary - The approach for postsecondary mirrors that of secondary.
For both secondary and postsecondary recipients, the criteria to allow a recipient to request a revision include the consolidation of districts or merger of institutions; a documented shortfall in revenue to support ongoing career and technical education programs; a disaster such as fire or tornado that destroys a portion of the campus, thereby closing CTE programs; or the opening or closing of CTE programs that negatively impact the students' performance on the indicators. It is the recipient's responsibility to provide the data to show that the event actually caused a drop in performance that requires a revision. A recipient may request a revision of the local-adjusted level of performance during the open period of the annual Perkins application each spring. This time period is generally early May through June 30. No adjustments will be made after June 30 for the following year. DWE's CTE deputy director is the final appeal regarding a revision for secondary recipients. The final appeal for postsecondary recipients is ADHE's deputy director.
In addition to the above criteria for allowing a revision due to unexpected circumstances for single recipients, a consortium also may request a revision if a recipient not previously in a consortium receives a grant of less than $15,000 for secondary or $50,000 for postsecondary and is required to become a member of the consortium. If the new member's performance levels negatively impact the consortium's negotiated levels, a revision may be allowed.
After the 2008-09 fiscal year, consortium membership will remain unchanged throughout the lifecycle of Perkins IV with the following exceptions:
As required by the Act, local recipients must report performance results to the public in a variety of methods including electronically. However, all reports of performance should follow guidelines that protect individual student identity.
Secondary
Student data at the secondary level is taken primarily from state administrative records. All public schools participate in a statewide computer network (APSCN) that includes unique student identifiers linked to enrollment in courses and demographic information. This student data also is used by the Department of Education (general K-12 education) for determining district funding. Therefore, the accuracy is very high. Since all districts use the system and must use the standard course codes that are programmed into the system, DWE can determine the CTE course enrollments and subsequently the CTE investors. Records from APSCN also are used to determine graduation rates and nontraditional participation. The academic assessment scores are drawn directly from the public school data warehouse.
The APSCN system allows the department to capture all the special population categories for students. This will be used for disaggregation into all the required categories in the Act. Since the department is able to use state administrative records for a majority of the performance data, the data will be reported back to local recipients in order for them to meet the requirement of sharing performance data with the public.
The CTE skill assessment scores are taken directly from the web-based testing system operated by the department. The CTE skill assessments are being monitored for reliability using Cronbach's Alpha system. This is a measure of the consistency of the results across all the questions within an assessment. One identified weakness in the secondary CTE skill assessment is the testing security - local districts may allow their CTE teachers to administer the end-of-course assessments to their own classes of students. Although administrators and teachers are provided with test administration instructions, isolated incidents of testing irregularities have been reported. To improve the CTE skill assessment experience for students and to ensure that all students are provided with the appropriate and equal administration of the tests, DWE staff began on-site random interviewing of students and teachers at local high schools in the fall of 2007.
The only performance information each local recipient must report is the students who successfully complete a program of study with the required knowledge and skills and their placement status six months after graduation. The placement data reported by each recipient has been tested for accuracy. The department has done data studies with the Department of Higher Education that verify that the information the local recipients report on the students entering postsecondary education is accurate. And the number of students reported as unemployed tracks very closely with the state's unemployment rate each year.
Postsecondary
The Department of Higher Education has a commitment to quality data and has developed the Arkansas Higher Education Student Information System to provide a strong accountability system. AHESIS is managed by the ADHE Office of Accountability, which collects and analyzes information required to meet state or federal requirements. AHESIS is one of the largest databases in the state and includes enrollment, retention and graduation rates, and demographic information on every student enrolled in public postsecondary institutions. The student data for Perkins postsecondary reporting is taken from AHESIS administrative records and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services (DWS). Postsecondary concentrators,
technical skill attainment, credential attainment, student retention, and nontraditional participation and completion will be reported using data from this system. Placement performance will be reported from DWS.
The fiscal agent for each secondary and postsecondary consortium will be responsible for negotiating the local levels of performance for the consortium. The data for each district within the consortium will be aggregated, and the consortium will be treated as a single recipient. If the consortium fails to meet the adjusted performance level on an indicator, all districts within the consortium are considered to have failed. The method for reaching agreement on local levels of performance with consortia is the same as with single recipients.
At the secondary level, the evaluation of the career and technical education system in the state is much more inclusive than the performance factors specified by the Perkins Act. Other factors include operation of an active career and technical student organization, teacher attendance at various professional development sessions, course sequencing, and instructional equipment. With more than 2,500 teachers in 522 high schools and junior high and middle schools, the department relies on a variety of methods for evaluating programs.
Each year, every secondary CTE teacher must submit a teaching schedule and contact information so the staff can determine if an approved program of study or sequence of courses is being offered. The department also contracts with the 15 educational cooperatives across the state to provide a career and technical education coordinator who assists teachers and administrators on a regional basis. This coordinator is especially helpful to the many small districts that cannot afford a local CTE director.
For Perkins funding, however, the effectiveness of the CTE programs also must be evaluated based on the performance indicators. Failure on the performance indicators leads into the process of improvement plans and sanctions that will be used by the state.
Factors that will be considered before recommending sanctions include, but are not limited to, the following:
* Was any progress made toward meeting the target, even if the 90 percent level was not attained?
* Is the recipient failing on multiple indicators?
* Did the recipient obtain technical assistance on the indicator(s) in question from recognized credible sources?
* If the recipient is a consortium, were efforts of improvement directed toward the member(s) that caused the failure?
* Were Perkins funds directed toward improvement on the failing indicator(s)?
Secondary Improvement Plans
Below is the description of how the state intends to use improvement plans and sanctions for improving and evaluating the effectiveness of Perkins funds.
After a recipient is identified as failing to meet an adjusted level of performance, the recipient must file an improvement plan that addresses each indicator in which 90 percent of the target was not achieved. The Act requires that the state monitor and provide technical assistance regarding performance and further specifies that the state may redirect all or a portion of a local recipient's funds to provide services to students through alternative arrangements if the recipient fails to implement an improvement plan or fails for three consecutive years on the same indicator. SBWECO will be notified of all districts and postsecondary institutions entering into an improvement plan each year.
First year of improvement plan: State staff will monitor implementation of the plan and provide technical assistance as requested.
Second year of improvement plan: State staff will monitor on-site to determine if the improvement plan has been fully implemented. Failure to implement the improvement plan may result in the staff's recommendation to the State Board to redirect all or a portion of the recipient's funds to provide services through an educational cooperative, through another recipient who is successfully meeting its performance targets, or through an alternate appropriate provider with expertise in the area in which the recipient is failing.
Third year of improvement plan: During the third year of an improvement plan, the state will continue to provide technical assistance and monitor the recipient for improvements. If the recipient has implemented its improvement plan but still fails to meet 90 percent of the adjusted performance level for the same indicator after the third year, the State Board may redirect a portion or all of the recipient's funds and provide services to the recipient's CTE students and programs through alternative arrangements. These alternative providers include a postsecondary institution, a school district, an educational cooperative, a state agency, or another alternative provider with expertise in the area in which the recipient is failing.
Due to the timing of availability of data, January of the year following the actual performance is the earliest date recipients will be notified of failure on any indicator.
Postsecondary Improvement Plans
The following guidelines for improvement plans will be used to develop an improvement plan for each indicator with deficient results. In summary,
IP Year 1: State staff will monitor implementation of the plan and provide technical assistance as requested.
IP Year 2: State staff will continue to monitor and provide technical assistance and may also prescribe uses of funds.
IP Year 3: State staff will continue to provide technical assistance and monitor the recipient for improvements. Staff may recommend that a portion or all of the recipient's funds be directed to an alternate provider.
Recommendations for sanctions will be made by state staff to the ADHE deputy director who will inform the chief academic officer of the affected institution.
Program Year 1:
Institution fails to achieve 90 percent of an indicator and is notified by the state that an improvement plan must be implemented during Program Year 2 (2009-10).
Program Year 2/Improvement Plan Year 1:
State staff will work with local coordinators to have an improvement plan approved for implementation during the following program year. State staff will monitor progress and provide technical assistance as needed.
Program Year 3/Improvement Plan Year 2:
State staff will review performance results from Improvement Plan Year 1 to determine level of improvement. If performance has not improved over Program Year 2 results, staff may prescribe how local funds must be used.
Program Year 4/Improvement Plan Year 3:
If results from Program Year 3 show no positive improvement, state staff may recommend that some or all of the basic grant funds be redirected to an alternate provider with the capacity and expertise to provide services to the failing institution's CTE students.
Secondary
During the 2006-07 school year, approximately 75% of all CTE concentrators were represented in the technical skill performance indicator with at least one assessment score. Since technical skill attainment is based on end-of-course assessments, each concentrator will have multiple assessment scores throughout their program of study. An average of all scores is used for the technical skill performance indicator. At the current time, there are 146 core courses within all programs of study. The core courses are those that all students who are concentrators must take. During 2006-07, 30 of the core courses were tested (20%). The state plans to develop additional assessments so that by 2009, 25% of the core courses will be assessed; by 2010, 50%; by 2011, 75%; and by 2012, 100%. As the assessments are developed, the core courses that the most students take will be considered first - therefore, the percentage of concentrators with assessments will always be much higher than the percentage of core courses assessed. As noted, even though only 20% of the core courses were assessed in 2007, almost 75% of the concentrators were represented in those course assessments.
Postsecondary
There are 164 different programs of study in 42 different pathways offered at the postsecondary level and there is no statewide assessment for CTE programs at this time. Currently the technical skill attainment of postsecondary CTE students is based upon GPA attained in CTE coursework. In addition to GPA, some programs administer certification or licensure tests but there is great variance in this approach. This variance occurs because not all programs have such testing, testing is voluntary and paid for by the student, or the student takes the test after having exited the college with performance results unknown to the institution.
At the direction of the Governor, Arkansas has adopted the WorkKeys assessment as its measure for workforce readiness and is implementing several initiatives related to the use of this system. For example, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services have begun issuing workforce readiness certificates at the bronze, silver and gold levels based upon WorkKeys assessment results. Importantly, the state is also currently determining whether a combination of KeyTrain instruction and WorkKeys assessment is more effective at reducing college remediation rates than traditional developmental education. Because of the desire for an integrated approach, ADHE will use the WorkKeys assessment as its measure for technical skill attainment beginning with program year 2011-2012. In the interim, overall GPA will be used to measure technical skill attainment.
The state will continue to consolidate all of the Tech Prep funds into the basic grant.
Arkansas has chosen to consolidate the entire tech prep grant into the basic grant.
The split of the local funds between secondary and postsecondary has historically been based on student enrollment in programs. From 1991 until about 1994, the split fluctuated according to actual student count each year. In 1994-95, the State Board set the split at 75 percent secondary and 25 percent postsecondary to allow for a more stable funding stream for both groups. This rationale will continue through Perkins IV.
The secondary allocation formula uses the student membership data collected by the National Center for Education Statistics through the Common Core of Data survey system for distributing 30 percent of the funds. The remaining 70 percent of the funds are distributed on the number of individuals ages 5-17 who reside in the district and are from families below the poverty level.
The postsecondary allocation formula uses the number of Perkins concentrators who are Pell grant recipients or recipients of assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Up to 10 percent of the local secondary funds may be reserved each year. Recipients with high percentages of CTE students will be eligible to respond to a RFP. A high percentage of CTE students will be defined as enrollment in one or more CTE course by 50 percent or more of the students in grades nine through12 within the district each year; however, a district within 3 points of this definition may request individual state review due to extenuating circumstances. The RFP review committee for any of the various grants may include the Arkansas Department of Economic Development, the Department of Workforce Services, the Department of Higher Education, and DWE.
In 2007-08, these funds were used for grants to eligible recipients for the purpose of developing and implementing new programs of study in high-wage, high-demand, and high-skill pathways in which there are no existing programs at the secondary level or for existing programs in these pathways. These grants were awarded on a competitive basis through response to a Request for Proposal (RFP). The priority for grants was for the development of programs of study in high-skill, high-wage, high-demand pathways that currently have no approved programs in the state. Priority was given to those respondents that identified a postsecondary partner in the development process.
The secondary reserve funds may also be used as incentive grants in connection with performance on one or more indicators, for math or literacy initiatives in CTE, aligning CTE frameworks with academic standards, automotive technology programs, a summer bridge program, or other initiatives that enhance the state's priorities.
Postsecondary did not reserve funds during the transition year but may elect to do so in the future. If used, reserve funds will fund model projects that support statewide Perkins goals and will be awarded through a competitive RFP process. Program areas such as secondary-to-postsecondary curriculum alignment or statewide will be identified. RFPs will be solicited and funds awarded for projects to be implemented during the current program year. Program evaluation, recommendations for replication, and willingness to provide technical assistance to institutions choosing to replicate the project will be required of recipients.
All secondary local funds are distributed only to public school districts (local educational agencies). Area career and technical education schools (secondary centers) in the state may participate in Perkins projects and activities through the public school districts that send students to their programs. Students generally attend secondary centers for two to three hours each day to participate in CTE classes. Core academic courses are not offered at the secondary centers. Educational service agencies do not operate schools - but 14 of the 15 agencies do operate as the fiscal agent of a Perkins consortium. However, the only funds allocated to the agencies are the basic grant funds assigned to them by the consortium members.
Postsecondary funds are distributed to state-supported institutions of higher education.
Funds allocated to any member of a consortium will be allocated to the consortium's fiscal agent by the Department of Workforce Education. Each consortium operates under the guidance of the consortium board, which is composed of a representative of each of the member schools or institutions. The consortium board operates projects for the benefit of all consortium members. The consortium fiscal agent does not assign back the funds allocated to each member by the distribution formula. A copy of the allocation of funds for 2008-09 is attached.
At the current time, no charter schools are receiving Perkins funds, and no secondary schools in the state are funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The charter schools are primarily elementary or middle school level, and the few that operate high school courses are focused on academic courses and do not offer CTE programs of study. If any charter school requests funding, the same methodology as is used to determine funding by the Arkansas Department of Education for other federal funds will be used for Perkins funding allocation.
School district boundaries have changed a great deal in the past four years. The state has gone from 309 public school districts to 245 due to legislation requiring consolidation for small districts. As districts were annexed or consolidated, the data used for funding allocations also was consolidated for a single grant to the new or consolidated district.
No alternatives allocation formulas are requested.
Requests must be made in writing to the finance director of DWE and must include the following:
The local education agency must document that it is
The waiver request must be submitted prior to the beginning of the fiscal year under consideration. DWE will respond within 10 working days of the receipt of the request.
No postsecondary institutions are located outside one of the urban areas or clusters.
PERKINS IV BUDGET TABLE - PROGRAM YEAR 2 (For Federal Funds to Become Available Beginning on July 1, 2008)
TITLE I: CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION ASSISTANCE TO STATE | |
A. Total Title I allocation to the State | $12,068,187 |
B. Amount of Title II Tech Prep funds to be consolidated with Title I funds | $ 1,186,046 |
C. Total amount of combined Title I and Title II funds to be distributed under Section 122 | $13,254,233 |
D. Local formula distribution (85%) | $11,266,098 |
1. Reserve | |
a. Secondary Programs | $ 600,000 |
b. Postsecondary Programs | N/A |
2. Available for formula allocations | |
a. Secondary | $ 7,849,573 |
b. Postsecondary | $ 2,816,525 |
E. State leadership (10%) | $ 1,325,423 |
1. Nontraditional Training and Employment | 60,000 |
2. Institutions or Corrections | 132,542 |
F. State Administration (5%) | $ 662,712 |
G. State Match (from non-federal funds) | ($1,000,000) |
TITLE II: TECH PREP PROGRAMS | |
A. Total Title II allocation to the State | $ 1,186,046 |
B. Amount of Title II Tech Prep funds to be consolidated with Title I funds | $ 1,186,046 |
C. Amount of Title II funds to be made available for Tech Prep | N/A |
D. Tech-Prep funds earmarked for consortia | N/A |
1. Percent for consortia 2. Number of consortia | N/A N/A |
3. Method of distribution: | N/A |
____ Formula | |
____ Competitive | |
E. Tech Prep administration | N/A |
1. Percent for Administration (0%) | N/A |
In accordance with 34 CFR 76.104 of the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), the State Board of Workforce Education and Career Opportunities through the Arkansas Department of Workforce Education assures that:
CONTENTS OF THE LOCAL FIVE-YEAR PLAN (not format)
* Describe how the career and technical education programs required under section 135(b) will be carried out with funds received under this title;
* Describe how the career and technical education activities will be carried out with respect to meeting State and local adjusted levels of performance for the following indicators:
* Academic attainment - Literacy and Math
* Graduation
* CTE skill attainment
* Placement
* Parti cipation in nontraditional programs
* Completion of nontraditional programs
* Describe how the eligible recipient will--
* offer the appropriate courses of not less than 1 of the career and technical programs of study described in section 122(c)(1)(A);
* improve the academic and technical skills of students participating in career and technical education programs by strengthening the academic and career and technical education components of such programs through the integration of coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant career and technical education programs to ensure learning in--
* the core academic subjects (as defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965); and
* career and technical education subjects;
* provide students with strong experience in, and understanding of, all aspects of an industry;
* ensure that students who participate in such career and technical education programs are taught to the same coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards as are taught to all other students; and
* encourage career and technical education students at the secondary level to enroll in rigorous and challenging courses in core academic subjects (as defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965);
* Describe how individuals who are members of special populations will not be discriminated against on the basis of their status as members of the special populations;
* Describe how performance data (disaggregated by the categories required in the Act) will be made available to the public through a variety of formats, including electronically through the Internet.
* Provide assurances that the eligible recipient will provide a career and technical education program that is of such size, scope, and quality to bring about improvement in the quality of career and technical education programs;
* Describe how career guidance and academic counseling will be provided to career and technical education students, including linkages to future education and training opportunities;
* Describe how comprehensive professional development (including initial teacher preparation) for career and technical education, academic, guidance, and administrative personnel will be provided that promotes the integration of coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant career and technical education (including curriculum development);
* Describe how parents, students, academic and career and technical education teachers, faculty, administrators, career guidance and academic counselors, representatives of tech prep consortia (if applicable), representatives of the entities participating in activities described in section 117 of Public Law 105-220 (if applicable), representatives of business (including small business) and industry, labor organizations, representatives of special populations, and other interested individuals are involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of career and technical education programs assisted under this title, and how such individuals and entities are effectively informed about, and assisted in understanding, the requirements of this title, including career and technical programs of study;
* Describe the process that will be used to evaluate and continuously improve the performance of the eligible recipient;
* Describe how the eligible recipient will--
* review career and technical education programs, and identify and adopt strategies to overcome barriers that result in lowering rates of access to or lowering success in the programs, for special populations;
* provide programs that are designed to enable the special populations to meet the local adjusted levels of performance; and
* provide activities to prepare special populations, including single parents and displaced homemakers, for high skill, high wage, or high demand occupations that will lead to self-sufficiency;
* Describe how funds will be used to promote preparation for non-traditional fields;
* Describe efforts to improve--
* the recruitment and retention of career and technical education teachers, faculty, and career guidance and academic counselors, including individuals in groups underrepresented in the teaching profession; and
* the transition to teaching from business and industry.
* SECONDARY RECIPIENTS ONLY - Describe how students attending secondary career and technical centers as well as the CTE programs attended at the centers will be supported.
COVER PAGE
* Name of District/Consortium
* Administrator Name
* Address
* Perkins Coordinator
* Phone
BUDGET SUMMARY FORM (MUST DESCRIBE USE OF ANY ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDS)
ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT FOR PREVIOUS YEAR
* Name of Project
* Description
* Measurement
* Did you meet your measurement objective? What were the outcomes?
IMPROVEMENT PLAN
If your district/consortium did not meet or exceed the local adjusted levels of performance on the most recent status report available, you must specifically state what strategies will be undertaken to ensure improvement.
ACROSS-ALL-PROGRAMS PROJECT
* Name of Project:
* Description - what are you going to do.
* How are you going to do this - describe the major activities to be conducted during the current program year.
* On which performance indicator will this project have the major impact (check only one that is the primary focus of this activity/project):
* Academic attainment
* CTE skill attainment or completion of program of study
* Graduation from high school or attainment of GED
* Placement in postsecondary, the military, or employment
* Parti cipation or completion of nontraditional programs
* Identify which of the required uses or permissive uses of funds this project meets.
* How will the success of this project be measured? What data will you review to determine achievement on the performance indicator selected to improve? What set of students will you measure?
* School(s) in which this project will be conducted:
* Approximate number of teachers/counselors/administrators who will be involved:
* Is this the first time this project has been conducted under Perkins IV: [] Yes [] No
* Please describe the outcomes (positive or negative) from previous year that affected your decision to continue or repeat this activity as well as any modifications being made to ensure success:
* Describe the financial costs for this project that will be paid from the Perkins funds during the current year.
* Salary/benefits/stipends
* Professional development expenses (including travel)
* Consultant costs
* Instructional materials/supplies
* Software
* Other
* Equipment and other non-consumable items that cost more than $200: (list item, school, and teacher)
Approximate cost of project during current year (from Perkins funds only)
IMPROVEMENT FOR SPECIFIC PROGRAM OF STUDY PROJECT
* What program of study are you going to improve -
* Cluster:
* Pathway
* Program of Study:
* School name:
* Teacher name(s):
* Is this the first year of improvement for this program of study: [] Yes [] No
* Is this program of study high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand pathways according to the state's list. If the program of study does not meet all three of the above designations, regional data must be provided to document that the program is high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand.
* Identify which of the required uses or permissive uses of funds this project meets.
* How will the success of this project be measured? What data will you review to determine achievement on the performance indicator selected to improve? What set of students will you measure?
* Describe the types of industry certification are available and how instruction and funding will be provided for these:
* Certifications for the program
* Certifications for the teacher(s)
* Certifications for the students
* Describe what professional development will be needed to achieve this improvement and how you will coordinate with NCLB professional development activities.
* For the CTE teacher
* Integration
* Applied learning
* Curriculum planning
* Knowledge and understanding of industry standards
* Knowledge and skills to work with special populations
* Knowledge to know how to access and utilize data
* For academic teachers:
* Integration
* Applied learning
* Curriculum planning
* For administrators and counselors:
* All aspects of industry
* Academic requirements
* Program of study information
* Describe the new software or curriculum that will be required
* Describe the equipment will be needed to achieve this improvement
* Describe the related academic courses and identify any additional academic courses above the smart core that are required for this program of study
* Are the CTE frameworks adequate to provide the necessary technical skills students will need and, if not, describe the modifications that will be made on the frameworks
* Describe the resources that will be available to assure that sub-population students are successful
* How will work-based learning opportunities be made available (apprenticeship, internship, job shadowing, etc)
EXPLANATION OF CURRENT YEAR ACTIVITIES/PURCHASES FOR THIS PROJECT
Describe the financial costs for this project that will be paid from the Perkins funds during the current year.
* Salary/benefits/stipends
* Professional development expenses (including travel)
* Consultant costs
* Instructional materials/supplies/curriculum
* Software
* Other
* Equipment and other non-consumable items that cost more than $200: Approximate cost of project during current year (from Perkins funds only)
* Name and Address of Institution/Consortium
* If consortium, list all member institutions
* Local Coordinator Name and Contact Information
* Basic Grant Amount
* Signature of President, Chief Academic Officer, and Chief Financial Officer
* Statement of Assurances and Certifications
* How will administrative funds be used?
* Amount of basic grant allocated to administrative uses (not to exceed 5% of total grant)
* Current year local target
* Local and state historical performance results
* Was actual performance result within 90% of core indicator target
* CIP codes of programs of study targeted for technical skills improvement
* Description of data used to determine core indicator need and to select activities that address the need
* Description of status of improvement plan required for the indicator, if appropriate.
Activity Description (for each activity in support of the indicator)
* Activity number/name
* Number of years previously funded by Perkins
* If previously funded, summary of previous years' results
* Activity description
* How performance will be measured and the expected measurable outcome
* CIP code(s) of programs of study targeted by this activity
* Number of Perkins concentrators affected by this activity
Activity Budget
* Activity cost by budget category and function category (projected, amended, and actual)
* Required or permissive use of funds
Amendments
* Description of approved amendments
* Staff approval
Compliance
* Annual compliance review or technical assistance observations
Performance
* Actual measurable outcome
Project Description (for project)
* Activity number/name
* Number of years previously funded by Perkins
* If previously funded, summary of previous years' results
* Project description
* Summary of project
* Indicate which performance indicator this project will most impact (only one)
* Estimate of number of students, faculty, support staff, or administrators affected by this project
* List all core indicators that will be improved as a result of this project
* Description of data used to determine project need and to select activities that address the need
* How performance will be measured and the expected measurable outcome
Activity Budget
* Activity cost by budget category and function category (projected, amended, and actual)
* Required or permissive use of funds
Amendments
* Description of approved amendments
* Staff approval
Compliance
* Annual compliance review or technical assistance observations
Performance
* Actual measurable outcome
* Career cluster
* Career pathway
* Program of study CIP
* Does this program of study meet high skill, high wage, and high demand designations or support emerging industries?
* If the program does not meet the required designations, regional data must be provided to document that the program meets the designations locally (exceptions will be rare).
Project Description (for each program of study)
* Activity number/name
* Number of years previously funded by Perkins
* If previously funded, summary of previous years' results
* Project description
* Summary of project
* Describe how academic and technical coursework will be integrated
* Describe equipment/supplies to be purchased
* Describe professional development required (CTE and academic faculty/administrators/staff)
* Describe how special populations, include nontraditional students, will be affected
* Describe how work-based learning will be integrated into the project
* Number of Perkins concentrators affected by this activity
* List all core indicators that will be improved as a result of this project
* Description of data used to determine project need and to select activities that address the need
* How performance will be measured and the expected measurable outcome
Activity Budget
* Activity cost by budget category and function category (projected, amended, and actual)
* Required or permissive use of funds
Amendments
* Description of approved amendments
* Staff approval
Compliance
* Annual compliance review or technical assistance observations
Performance
* Actual measurable outcome
* Summary of all activities by budget category (original and amended)
* Reimbursement ledger
* Total basic grant allocation
* 5% maximum administration funds
* 25% first quarter maximum
* Activity number
* Budget category
* Transaction date
* Payee
* Purchase order
* Invoice/tracking document
* Inventory # assigned
* Amount
Secondary (includes $524,816 of carryover funds)
1701 | Alma School District | $44,317 |
0501 | Alpena School District | $9,402 |
1002 | Arkadelphia School District | $39,170 |
4701 | Armorel School District | $3,321 |
4101 | Ashdown School District | $26,576 |
5801 | Atkins School District | $20,782 |
7401 | Augusta School District | $22,276 |
7301 | Bald Knob School District | $26,129 |
5401 | Barton-Lexa School District | $16,570 |
3201 | Batesville School District | $42,505 |
6301 | Bauxite School District | $13,752 |
1601 | Bay School District | $9,179 |
5201 | Bearden School District | $12,192 |
7302 | Beebe School District | $41,114 |
6302 | Benton School District | $55,652 |
0401 | Bentonville School District | $100,944 |
0502 | Bergman School District | $13,916 |
0801 | Berryville School District | $34,874 |
3001 | Bismarck School District | $16,686 |
2901 | Blevins School District | $13,202 |
4702 | Blytheville School District | $101,748 |
4201 | Booneville School District | $29,709 |
7303 | Bradford School District | $11,282 |
3701 | Bradley School District | $10,203 |
4801 | Brinkley School District | $21,988 |
1603 | Brookland School District | $19,714 |
6303 | Bryant School District | $77,783 |
1605 | Buffalo Is. Central School District | $12,829 |
4304 | Cabot School District | $94,537 |
4901 | Caddo Hills School District | $16,056 |
3301 | Calico Rock School District | $11,625 |
5204 | Camden Fairview School District | $61,948 |
4303 | Carlisle School District | $13,629 |
6802 | Cave City School District | $23,629 |
3212 | Cedar Ridge School District | $15,391 |
1702 | Cedarville School District | $16,752 |
5502 | Centerpoint School District | $18,916 |
2402 | Charleston School District | $12,017 |
4802 | Clarendon School District | $17,926 |
3601 | Clarksville School District | $41,926 |
1305 | Cleveland County School District | $18,628 |
7102 | Clinton School District | $29,628 |
1201 | Concord School District | $11,890 |
2301 | Conway School District | $121,570 |
1101 | Corning School District | $27,968 |
0302 | Cotter School District | $13,830 |
2403 | County Line School District | $11,152 |
1901 | Cross County School District | $14,570 |
0201 | Crossett School District | $45,638 |
3203 | Cushman School District | $4,183 |
2601 | Cutter-Morning Star School District | $10,833 |
7503 | Danville School District | $11,237 |
7504 | Dardanelle School District | $26,548 |
0402 | Decatur School District | $8,551 |
5106 | Deer/Mount Judea School District | $9,958 |
5501 | Delight School District | $5,695 |
6701 | DeQueen School District | $51,055 |
0901 | Dermott School District | $20,124 |
5901 | Des Arc School District | $11,421 |
0101 | DeWitt School District | $25,762 |
3102 | Dierks School District | $9,323 |
3502 | Dollarway School District | $54,230 |
5802 | Dover School District | $20,046 |
2202 | Drew Central School District | $19,268 |
2104 | Dumas School District | $46,438 |
1802 | Earle School District | $28,351 |
5301 | East End School District | $12,137 |
5608 | East Poinsett Co. School District | $16,884 |
7001 | El Dorado School District | $94,390 |
7201 | Elkins School District | $13,131 |
1408 | Emerson-Taylor School District | $10,695 |
4302 | England School District | $14,910 |
0802 | Eureka Springs School District | $16,699 |
7202 | Farmington School District | $21,343 |
7203 | Fayetteville School District | $135,741 |
4501 | Flippin School District | $21,676 |
2002 | Fordyce School District | $20,604 |
4102 | Foreman School District | $9,514 |
6201 | Forrest City School District | $110,819 |
6601 | Fort Smith School District | $270,362 |
4603 | Fouke School District | $14,361 |
2602 | Fountain Lake School District | $24,086 |
4602 | Genoa Central School District | $16,001 |
0403 | Gentry School District | $17,047 |
3002 | Glen Rose School District | $16,251 |
4708 | Gosnell School District | $22,705 |
0404 | Gravette School District | $24,016 |
0803 | Green Forest School District | $20,613 |
2303 | Greenbrier School District | $31,440 |
2807 | Greene Co. Tech School District | $53,311 |
7204 | Greenland School District | $17,043 |
6602 | Greenwood School District | $35,639 |
1003 | Gurdon School District | $14,710 |
2304 | Guy-Perkins School District | $6,606 |
6603 | Hackett School District | $8,298 |
0203 | Hamburg School District | $39,612 |
0701 | Hampton School District | $11,913 |
5205 | Harmony Grove School District (Ouachita Co) | $15,221 |
6304 | Harmony Grove School District (Saline Co) | $11,113 |
5602 | Harrisburg School District | $22,264 |
0503 | Harrison School District | $47,447 |
6604 | Hartford School District | $9,847 |
5903 | Hazen School District | $13,995 |
1202 | Heber Springs School District | $27,917 |
5803 | Hector School District | $14,166 |
5403 | Helena/W.Helena School District | $101,442 |
0601 | Hermitage School District | $12,220 |
6804 | Highland School District | $36,120 |
3809 | Hillcrest School District | $8,394 |
2903 | Hope School District | $65,933 |
6703 | Horatio School District | $16,026 |
2603 | Hot Springs School District | $102,949 |
3804 | Hoxie School District | $18,319 |
6202 | Hughes School District | $21,549 |
4401 | Huntsville School District | $44,427 |
3306 | Izard Co. Cons. School District | $12,902 |
3405 | Jackson Co. School District | $15,219 |
5102 | Jasper School District | $21,413 |
2604 | Jessieville School District | $11,668 |
1608 | Jonesboro School District | $107,050 |
7003 | Junction City School District | $8,628 |
5503 | Kirby School District | $9,577 |
3704 | Lafayette County School District | $24,135 |
2605 | Lake Hamilton School District | $56,881 |
0903 | Lakeside School District (Chicot Co) | $52,758 |
2606 | Lakeside School District (Garland) | $35,400 |
3604 | Lamar School District | $18,299 |
6605 | Lavaca School District | $11,585 |
3810 | Lawrence County School District | $22,618 |
0506 | Lead Hill School District | $7,448 |
3904 | Lee County School District | $56,731 |
7205 | Lincoln School District | $23,739 |
6001 | Little Rock School District | $501,576 |
4301 | Lonoke School District | $29,039 |
4202 | Magazine School District | $10,515 |
3003 | Magnet Cove School District | $11,135 |
1402 | Magnolia School District | $64,156 |
3004 | Malvern School District | $45,819 |
2501 | Mammoth Spring School District | $8,509 |
4712 | Manila School District | $14,823 |
6606 | Mansfield School District | $19,318 |
1804 | Marion School District | $60,648 |
5604 | Marked Tree School District | $18,327 |
2803 | Marmaduke School District | $17,462 |
5404 | Marvell School District | $35,576 |
2305 | Mayflower School District | $11,190 |
6102 | Maynard School District | $9,503 |
7403 | McCrory School District | $10,765 |
2105 | McGehee School District | $36,022 |
3302 | Melbourne School District | $14,246 |
5703 | Mena School District | $44,768 |
3211 | Midland School District | $10,169 |
3104 | Mineral Springs School District | $14,754 |
2203 | Monticello School District | $39,900 |
4902 | Mount Ida School District | $9,927 |
0303 | Mountain Home School District | $65,855 |
2607 | Mountain Pine School District | $11,870 |
6901 | Mountain View School District | $40,206 |
1703 | Mountainburg School District | $14,157 |
2306 | Mt. Vernon/Enola School District | $5,993 |
1704 | Mulberry/Pleasant View School District | $12,131 |
5504 | Murfreesboro School District | $7,175 |
3105 | Nashville School District | $31,521 |
1503 | Nemo Vista School District | $7,434 |
1611 | Nettleton School District | $47,133 |
5008 | Nevada School District | $8,599 |
3403 | Newport School District | $42,101 |
0304 | Norfork School District | $8,720 |
7006 | Norphlet School District | $7,447 |
6002 | North Little Rock School District | $211,532 |
0504 | Omaha School District | $9,761 |
4713 | Osceola School District | $49,273 |
5706 | Ouachita River School District | $12,608 |
3005 | Ouachita School District | $5,733 |
6505 | Ozark Mountain School District | $21,139 |
2404 | Ozark School District | $34,169 |
6205 | Palestine/Wheatley School District | $9,761 |
7309 | Pangburn School District | $12,267 |
2808 | Paragould School District | $53,769 |
4203 | Paris School District | $24,548 |
7007 | Parkers Chapel School District | $8,287 |
0407 | Pea Ridge School District | $16,342 |
5303 | Perryville School District | $14,618 |
1104 | Piggott School District | $14,801 |
3505 | Pine Bluff School District | $144,435 |
6103 | Pocahontas School District | $34,846 |
5804 | Pottsville School District | $22,255 |
2703 | Poyen School District | $4,962 |
7206 | Prairie Grove School District | $20,926 |
5006 | Prescott School District | $20,051 |
6003 | Pulaski County School District | $302,595 |
1203 | Quitman School District | $10,197 |
1106 | Rector School District | $10,826 |
1613 | Riverside School District | $17,158 |
7307 | Riverview School District | $28,213 |
0405 | Rogers School District | $176,290 |
7310 | Rose Bud School District | $15,982 |
5805 | Russellville School District | $80,881 |
2502 | Salem School District | $14,194 |
4204 | Scranton School District | $4,211 |
6502 | Searcy County School District | $23,105 |
7311 | Searcy School District | $58,587 |
2705 | Sheridan School District | $54,667 |
7104 | Shirley School District | $11,021 |
0406 | Siloam Springs School District | $44,342 |
3806 | Sloan-Hendrix School District | $13,589 |
7008 | Smackover School District | $11,706 |
1507 | So. Conway Co. School District | $44,539 |
4706 | So. Miss. County School District | $29,738 |
7105 | South Side School District (Bee Branch) | $8,275 |
3209 | Southside School District (Batesville) | $22,071 |
2906 | Spring Hill School District | $5,672 |
7207 | Springdale School District | $203,240 |
4003 | Star City School District | $36,369 |
5206 | Stephens School District | $17,331 |
7009 | Strong-Huttig School District | $12,946 |
0104 | Stuttgart School District | $37,319 |
4605 | Texarkana School District | $122,014 |
5605 | Trumann School District | $40,785 |
1805 | Turrell School District | $9,986 |
6806 | Twin Rivers School District | $11,634 |
7510 | Two Rivers School District | $25,518 |
0505 | Valley Springs School District | $15,502 |
1612 | Valley View School District | $16,351 |
1705 | Van Buren School District | $99,175 |
5704 | Van Cove School District | $8,792 |
2307 | Vilonia School District | $28,703 |
2503 | Viola School District | $8,064 |
6401 | Waldron School District | $35,634 |
0602 | Warren School District | $32,038 |
3509 | Watson Chapel School District | $58,348 |
5607 | Weiner School District | $4,952 |
7208 | West Fork School District | $16,690 |
1803 | West Memphis School District | $155,751 |
1204 | West Side School District (Cleburne Co) | $10,085 |
7509 | Western Yell Co. School District | $9,819 |
1602 | Westside Cons. School District (Craighead Co) | $22,744 |
3606 | Westside School District (Johnson Co) | $14,778 |
7304 | White Co. Central School District | $10,683 |
3510 | White Hall School District | $39,967 |
5705 | Wickes School District | $15,872 |
1505 | Wonderview School District | $8,237 |
1304 | Woodlawn School District | $5,899 |
1905 | Wynne School District | $56,239 |
4502 | Yellville-Summit School District | $22,472 |
Postsecondary (includes $177,543 of carryover funds)
Institution | Grant |
Arikansas Northeastern | $101,850 |
ASU Beebe | $175,550 |
ASU Jonesboro | $38,385 |
ASU IVIountain Home | $64,488 |
ASU Newport | $132,046 |
Arikansas Tech | $102,361 |
Blacik River Tech College | $186,809 |
Cossatot CC of UA | $53,740 |
East Arkansas CC | $53,740 |
Mid-South CC | $47,086 |
North Arkansas College | $199,605 |
National Park CC | $154,566 |
Northwest Arkansas CC | $70,629 |
Ouachita Tech College | $78,306 |
Ozarka College | $85,984 |
Phillips CC of UA | $142,282 |
Pulaski Tech | $362,871 |
Rich Mountain | $29,173 |
South Arkansas | $105,432 |
SAU Magnolia | $15,354 |
SAU Tech | $38,385 |
Southeast Arkansas College | $189,880 |
UACC Batesville | $111,062 |
UACC Hope | $99,802 |
UACC Morrilton | $79,842 |
UA Fort Smith | $166,337 |
UA Little Rock | $19,449 |
UA Monticello | $89,054 |
CERTIFICATION REGARDING LOBBYING
Applicants must review the requirements for certification regarding lobbying included in the regulations cited below before completing this form. Applicants must sign this form to comply with the certification requirements under 34 CFR Part 82, "New Restrictions on Lobbying." This certification is a material representation of fact upon which the Department of Education relies when it makes a grant or enters into a cooperative agreement.
As required by Section 1352, Title 31 of the U.S. Code, and implemented at 34 CFR Part 82, for persons entering into a Federal contract, grant or cooperative agreement over $100,000, as defined at 34 CFR Part 82, Sections 82.105 and 82.110, the applicant certifies that:
As the duly authorized representative of the applicant, I hereby certify that the applicant will comply with the above certification.
ASSURANCES - NON-CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0348-0040), Washington, DC 20503
PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR COMPLETED FORM TO THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET. SEND IT TO THE ADDRESS PROVIDED BY THE SPONSORING AGENCY.
Note: Certain of these assurances may not be applicable to your project or program. If you have questions, please contact the awarding agency. Further, certain Federal awarding agencies may require applicants to certify to additional assurances. If such is the case, you will be notified.
As the duly authorized representative of the applicant I certify that the applicant:
SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED CERTIFYING OFFICIAL | TITLE Director | |
APPLICANT ORGANIZATION Arkansas Department of Workforce Education | DATE SUBMITTED | |
Disclosure of Lobbying Activities
Complete this form to disclose lobbying activities pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1352
(See reverse for public burden disclosure)
SECONDARY LEVEL
1S1 Academic Attainment - Reading/Language Arts 113(b)(2)(A)(i) | Numerator: Number of CTE concentrators who have met the proficient or advanced level on the Statewide high school reading/language arts assessment administered by the State under Section 1111(b)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act based on the scores that were included in the State's computation of adequate yearly progress (AYP) and who, in the reporting year, left secondary education. Denominator: Number of CTE concentrators who took the ESEA assessment in reading/language arts whose scores were included in the State's computation of AYP and who, in the reporting year, left secondary education. | State Administrative Records | B: 39.08% (2005-06) | L: 43.56% (AMO for NCLB) A: | L: 51.63% (AMO for NCLB) A: |
1S2 Academic Attainment - Mathematics 113(b)(2)(A)(i) | Numerator: Number of CTE concentrators who have met the proficient or advanced level on the Statewide high school mathematics assessment administered by the State under Section 1111(b)(3) of the (ESEA) as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act based on the scores that were included in the State's computation of adequate yearly progress (AYP) and who, in the reporting year, left secondary education. Denominator: Number of CTE concentrators who took the ESEA assessment in mathematics whose scores were included in the State's computation of AYP and who, in the reporting year, have left secondary education. | State Administrative Records | B: 41.33% (2005-06) | L: 29.20% (AMO for NCLB) A: | L: 38.05% (AMO for NCLB) A: |
2S1 Technical Skill Attainment 113(b)(2)(A)(ii) | Numerator: Number of CTE concentrators who were proficient on assessments taken within the program of study and who left the secondary system during the reporting year Denominator: Number of all CTE concentrators that were tested and left the secondary system during the reporting year | State Administrative Records | B: 55.97% (2006-07) | L: 57% A: | |
3S1 Secondary School Completion 113(b)(2)(A)(iii)(I-III) | Numerator: Number of CTE concentrators that graduate plus the number of CTE concentrators that receive a GED during the reporting year Denominator: Number of CTE concentrators that left the secondary system during the reporting year | State Administrative Records | B: 92% (2006-07) | L: 92.1% A: | |
4S1 Student Graduation Rates 113(b)(2)(A)(iv) | Numerator: Number of CTE concentrators who, in the reporting year, were included as graduated in the State's computation of its graduation rate as described in Section 1111(b)(2)(C)(vi) of the ESEA. Denominator: Number of CTE concentrators who, in the reporting year, were included in the State's computation of its graduation rate as defined in the State's Consolidated Accountability Plan pursuant to Section 1111(b)(2)(C)(vi) of the ESEA. | State Administrative Records | B: 86% for all students in 2005-06 NCLB | L: 86.0% A: | L: 86.5% A: |
5S1 Secondary Placement 113(b)(2)(A)(v) | Numerator: Number of CTE concentrators who successfully completed the program of study and graduated from high school and who were employed, enrolled in postsecondary, or in the military six months following graduation Denominator: Number of CTE concentrators who successfully completed the program of study and graduated from high school during the reporting year and were found six months following graduation | Local Survey | B: 94.66% (2006-07) | L: 94.76% A: | |
6S1 Nontraditional Participation 113(b)(2)(A)(vi) | Numerator: Number of nontraditional gender students enrolled in one or more units within a program of study that is nontraditional for their gender during the reporting year Denominator: Number of all students enrolled in the nontraditional programs of study during the reporting year | State Administrative Records | B: 24.86% (2006-07) | L: 24.91% A: | |
6S2 Nontraditional Completion 113(b)(2)(A)(vi) | Numerator: Number of nontraditional gender concentrators who successfully complete programs of study designated nontraditional and graduate from high school during the reporting year Denominator: Number of all concentrators who successfully complete nontraditional programs during the reporting year | State Administrative Records | B: 19.74% (2006-07) | L: 19.84% A: | |
1P1 Technical Skill Attainment 113(b)(2)(B)(i) | Numerator: The number of CTE concentrators who passed technical skill assessments Denominator: The number of CTE concentrators who took technical skill assessments during the reporting year | Academic & CTE coursework GPA | B: 49.96% (2005-07) | L: A: | L: 50.96% A: |
2P1 Credential, Certificate, or Degree 113(b)(2)(B)(ii) | Numerator: The number of CTE concentrators who received an industry-recognized credential, certificate or degree during the reporting year Denominator: The number of CTE concentrators who left postsecondary education during the reporting year | AHESIS administrative records to compare student enrollment in previous and current academic years | B: 68.16% (2004-06) | L: A: | L: 68.41% A: |
3P1 Student Retention or Transfer 113(b)(2)(B)(iii) | Numerator: The number of CTE concentrators who remained enrolled in their original postsecondary institution or transferred to another 2- or 4-year postsecondary institution during the reporting year and who were enrolled in postsecondary education in the fall of the previous reporting year Denominator: The number of CTE concentrators who were enrolled in postsecondary education in the fall of the previous reporting year and who did not earn a credential, certificate or degree in the previous reporting year | AHESIS administrative records to compare student enrollment in previous and current academic years | B: 37.85% (2004-06) | L: A: | L: 38.10% A: |
4P1 Student Placement 113(b)(2)(B)(iv) | Numerator: The number of CTE concentrators who were placed or retained in employment, or placed in military service or apprenticeship programs in the 2nd quarter following the program year in which they left postsecondary education Denominator: The number of CTE concentrators who left postsecondary education during the reporting year | AHESIS administrative records used to determine students that left the postsecondary system and state wage records used to determine placement in employment. | B: 8.60% (2004-06) | L: A: | L: 9.60% A: |
5P1 Nontraditional Participation 113(b)(2)(B)(v) | Numerator: The number of CTE participants from underrepresented gender groups who participated in a program that leads to employment in nontraditional fields during the reporting year Denominator: The number of CTE participants who participated in a program that leads to employment in nontraditional fields during the reporting year | AHESIS records used to determined participation of CTE participants in CTE designated CIPs | B: 23.73% (2005-07) | L: A: | L: 23.83% A: |
5P2 Nontraditional Completion 113(b)(2)(B)(v) | Numerator: The number of CTE concentrators from underrepresented gender groups who completed a program that leads to employment in nontraditional fields during the reporting year Denominator: The number of CTE concentrators who completed a program that leads to employment in nontraditional fields during the reporting year | AHESIS records used to determined completion of CTE concentrators in CTE designated CIPs | B: 14.43% (2004-06) | L: A: | L: 14.53% A: |
172.00.08 Ark. Code R. 001