Background The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV) calls for states to offer programs of study (POS), which local educational agencies and institutions may adopt as an option for students participating in career and technical education (CTE). Each local recipient of Perkins IV funds must offer at least one POS that, at a minimum: Incorporates and aligns secondary and postsecondary education elements; Includes academic and CTE content in a coordinated, non-duplicative of courses; Offers the opportunity, where appropriate, for secondary students to postsecondary credits; and Leads to an industry-recognized credential or certificate at the level, or an associate or baccalaureate degree. Many states often use some level of local CTE program recognition or approval to local educational agency (LEA) eligibility for access and use of the Perkins funding for CTE program improvement. State CTE approval processes evolve over time and may have roots in earlier authorizations of the federal Perkins funding that did not include provisions for a defined program of study. The legislatively specified POS may not currently be incorporated into existing program approval processes used by states, in part because the elements are broadly defined and open to state and local interpretation. Perkins IV also provides states with the flexibility to establish their own criteria for approving CTE programs that qualify for federal Perkins funding As a result, programs of study offered within and among states may differ in because of a lack of uniform criteria used to establish and implement a program of study. Although POS are intended as a singular program construct spanning secondary and postsecondary CTE studies, states typically have created separate approval processes for secondary providers and postsecondary providers. Often these stand alone; separate approval processes contain few requirements for explicit program alignment and between secondary and postsecondary educational levels. Some CTE approval processes have focused on sequencing the technical coursework that comprises a POS, with less rigorous attention given to the associated CTE content.
Background The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV) calls for states to offer programs of study (POS), which local educational agencies and institutions may adopt as an option for students participating in career and technical education (CTE). Each local recipient of Perkins IV funds must offer at least one POS that, at a minimum: Incorporates and aligns secondary and postsecondary education elements; Includes academic and CTE content in a coordinated, non-duplicative of courses; Offers the opportunity, where appropriate, for secondary students to postsecondary credits; and Leads to an industry-recognized credential or certificate at the level, or an associate or baccalaureate degree. Many states often use some level of local CTE program recognition or approval to local educational agency (LEA) eligibility for access and use of the Perkins funding for CTE program improvement. State CTE approval processes evolve over time and may have roots in earlier authorizations of the federal Perkins funding that did not include provisions for a defined program of study. The legislatively specified POS may not currently be incorporated into existing program approval processes used by states, in part because the elements are broadly defined and open to state and local interpretation. Perkins IV also provides states with the flexibility to establish their own criteria for approving CTE programs that qualify for federal Perkins funding As a result, programs of study offered within and among states may differ in because of a lack of uniform criteria used to establish and implement a program of study. Although POS are intended as a singular program construct spanning secondary and postsecondary CTE studies, states typically have created separate approval processes for secondary providers and postsecondary providers. Often these stand alone; separate approval processes contain few requirements for explicit program alignment and between secondary and postsecondary educational levels. Some CTE approval processes have focused on sequencing the technical coursework that comprises a POS, with less rigorous attention given to the associated CTE content.
POS_Local_Readiness_Intro.docx