[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 102 (Thursday, May 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29732-29739]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-12802]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Career and Technical Education Program--Promoting Rigorous Career
and Technical Education Programs of Study
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.051C.
AGENCY: Office of Vocational and Adult Education, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities, requirements, and selection
criteria.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education
proposes priorities, requirements, and selection criteria for a program
promoting rigorous career and technical education programs of study
(POSs) through the use of ten key components based on the ``Program of
Study Design Framework'' (Framework). We take this action to promote
and improve State and local development and implementation of career
and technical education (CTE) POSs that link secondary and
postsecondary education, combine academic and career and technical
education in a structured sequence of courses that progress from broad
foundation skills to more occupationally specific courses (e.g., the
States' Career Clusters, initially funded and launched by the
Department (see http://www.careerclusters.org/index.php), and offer
students the opportunities to earn postsecondary credits for courses
taken in high school that lead to a postsecondary credential,
certificate, or degree.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before June 28, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit all comments about this notice to Laura Messenger,
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 11028,
Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-7241.
If you prefer to send your comments by e-mail, use the following
address: [email protected]. You must include the term ``POS
Notice'' in the subject line of your electronic message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Messenger. Telephone: 202-245-
7840 or by e-mail: [email protected].
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
[[Page 29733]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation to Comment: We invite you to submit comments regarding
this notice. To ensure that your comments have maximum effect in
developing the notice of final priorities, requirements, and selection
criteria, we urge you to identify clearly the specific proposed
priority, requirement, or selection criterion that each comment
addresses.
The Assistant Secretary is also particularly interested in
receiving comments on the Program of Study (POS) Design Framework set
forth in this notice. The Framework is available on the Department's
Perkins Collaborative Resource Network (PCRN) Web site at: http://cte.ed.gov/nationalinitiatives/rposdesignframework.cfm. The Assistant
Secretary also seeks comment on the status of a State's capacity and
plan to collect employment data as part of a longitudinal data system
linked to a State's educational data system.
We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific
requirements of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of
reducing regulatory burden that might result from these proposed
priorities, requirements, and selection criteria. Please let us know of
any further ways we could reduce potential costs or increase potential
benefits while preserving the effective and efficient administration of
the program.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments about this notice in room 11028, 550 12th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, Monday through Friday of each week except Federal
holidays.
Assistance to Individuals with Disabilities in Reviewing the
Rulemaking Record: On request, we will provide an appropriate
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability who
needs assistance to review the comments or other documents in the
public rulemaking record for this notice. If you want to schedule an
appointment for this type of accommodation or auxiliary aid, please
contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Purpose of Program: The Promoting Rigorous Career and Technical
Education Programs of Study program is authorized under section
114(c)(1) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of
2006 (Act). Under this section, the Secretary is authorized to carry
out research, development, dissemination, evaluation and assessment,
capacity building, and technical assistance with regard to CTE programs
under the Act. Through this program, we intend to promote and improve
State and local development and implementation of CTE POSs that link
secondary and postsecondary education, combine academic and career and
technical education in a structured sequence of courses that progress
from broad foundation skills to more occupationally specific courses,
offer students the opportunities to earn postsecondary credits for
courses taken in high school, and lead to a postsecondary credential,
certificate, or degree.
General Background:
To help States and local agencies meet the requirements of section
122(c)(1)(A) of the Act to provide career and technical programs of
study, we held the first competition, entitled ``Promoting Rigorous
Career and Technical Education Programs of Study through Statewide or
Multi-State Articulation Agreements'' for this program in 2008. The
proposals in this notice are informed by our experience with that
competition and administering the six grants that were funded through
that competition.
Subsequent to the 2008 competition, in early 2009 and in response
to requests for assistance in developing and implementing POSs from
State and local program administrators and national technical
assistance providers, OVAE reviewed extant literature and case study
research and developed a draft POS Design Framework. The draft
Framework identified 10 components that, taken together, would support
the development and implementation of rigorous and effective POSs. On
June 11, 2009, the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE)
convened a meeting of leading POS experts to gather feedback and input
on the draft Framework. The experts included representatives from
organizations such as the Association for Career and Technical
Education, the National Association of State Directors of Career and
Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc), the National Governors
Association, the National Research Center for Career and Technical
Education (NRCCTE), the Academy for Educational Development (AED), the
National Career Pathways Network, the League for Innovation in the
Community College, and MPR Associates, Inc.
At the meeting, participants agreed to work collaboratively with
OVAE to complete a final version of the Framework and disseminate it
for use by their organizations and by others engaged in POS development
and implementation. In collaboration with major national associations
and organizations, OVAE completed the Framework in January 2010.
NASDCTEc, NRCCTE, AED, and MPR Associates, Inc. are currently using it
to provide technical assistance to their POS projects with States and
localities. Most of the proposed priorities, requirements, and
selection criteria in this notice are based on the Framework.
Some of the proposals in this notice are consistent with three of
the four areas the Secretary has identified as key for educational
reform. The proposed requirement that States and localities adopt
rigorous college and career readiness standards that define what
students are expected to know and be able to do to enter and advance in
college, their careers, or both, is consistent with the Secretary's
goals in the area of standards and assessments. The proposed
requirement for innovative and creative instructional approaches that
enable teachers to integrate academic and technical instruction is
consistent with the Secretary's goals for teacher effectiveness, as is
the proposed requirement that projects provide sustained, intensive,
and focused professional development opportunities so as to ensure that
teachers have the necessary content knowledge to align and integrate
curriculum and instruction. The proposed requirement that States and
localities use well-designed State longitudinal data systems that yield
valid and reliable data on a variety of secondary, postsecondary, and
employment outcomes for individual students is consistent with the
Secretary's goals for improving the capacity of Statewide longitudinal
data systems.
The Assistant Secretary plans to make awards under the next POS
competition for a 4-year project period.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 2324(c)(1).
Proposed Priorities:
Types of Priorities:
When inviting applications for a competition using one or more
priorities, we designate the type of each priority as absolute,
competitive preference, or invitational through a notice in the Federal
Register. The effect of each type of priority follows:
Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority, we consider only
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference
priority, we give competitive preference to an application by (1)
awarding additional points, depending on the extent to which the
application meets the priority
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(34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting an application that meets
the priority over an application of comparable merit that does not meet
the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority, we are
particularly interested in applications that meet the priority.
However, we do not give an application that meets the priority
preference over other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
This notice contains one proposed priority.
Proposed Competitive Preference Priority--Commitment to the Project
Background:
Section 122(c)(1) of the Act requires States to offer CTE POSs,
which may be adopted by local educational agencies (LEAs) and
postsecondary institutions as an option to students (and their parents,
as appropriate), when planning for and completing coursework for career
and technical content areas. Under section 134(b)(3)(A) of the Act,
each local recipient of funds must offer the appropriate courses of not
less than one career and technical program of study described in
section 122(c)(1)(A). To align project activities with a State's
ongoing POS efforts and to demonstrate a State's commitment of staff
and other resources to fully executing the goals of the proposed
project, the Assistant Secretary is proposing a priority for
applications that propose to contribute funds from other sources of
funds to the total cost of the project.
Proposed Competitive Preference Priority:
To meet this priority, the applicant must propose a budget that
describes how the State will contribute 30 percent of the total cost of
the project. For these purposes, the applicant may use--
(a) State leadership funds awarded under section 111 of the Act and
as specified in section 112(a)(1) of the Act;
(b) Non-Federal contributions including in-kind contributions such
as use of facilities, equipment, supplies, services, and other
resources; or
(c) A combination of State leadership funds and non-Federal
contributions.
Proposed Requirements:
Background:
Selected Program of Study. Since the Act was reauthorized in 2006,
States and local recipients have worked to meet the POS requirements of
section 122(c)(1) of the Act. We believe that the development of the
Framework will provide significant support for those efforts. The
Framework reflects the collective thinking of the Department and the
primary organizations and associations engaged in POS development over
the past several years, and identifies 10 components that support the
development and implementation of rigorous and effective POSs. To date,
POSs have differed widely from State to State. POSs may also differ
widely from school district to school district within a State, as well
as from school to school within a district. To ensure the rigor of
funded POSs and consistency in their design and implementation, we
propose to require States receiving grant awards under this program to
implement a POS that is built and sustained with the 10 specific
components in the Framework.
We note that in the 2008 competition, we provided funding to help
States use statewide articulation agreements between secondary
education and postsecondary institutions as a primary strategy for
implementing POSs. In the proposed Selected Program of Study
requirement, we refer to the statewide articulation agreements as
``Credit Transfer Agreements'' and the use of such agreements is one of
the 10 components in the Framework. As proposed, credit transfer
agreements would support the proper alignment of standards, curriculum,
and instruction across educational levels and promote, to the extent
possible, the awarding of postsecondary credit for courses taken during
high school.
The 2008 competition also emphasized the creation of partnerships
to ensure the rigor and quality of POSs. Through the experience gained
from the work of the six projects funded under the 2008 competition,
the POS efforts underway in other States, and the experience of leading
POS experts, we have gained a better understanding of the level and
complexity of the work required for effective POS implementation and of
the program components that are necessary for the development and
implementation of rigorous POSs. Accordingly, the Framework includes,
and we are proposing in this requirement that States create,
partnerships with education, business, and other key stakeholders.
Existing Technical Skills Assessments. States currently report on
the technical skill attainment of CTE students at the secondary and
postsecondary levels. In some cases, States are using third-party
industry-recognized assessments to determine technical skill
attainment. Where such assessments are not available, particularly at
the secondary level, States have sought to develop their own
assessments. When the assessments are based on industry standards, they
may result in the granting of high school credit. When the assessments
are based on industry standards and developed through collaboration
between secondary and postsecondary institutions, they may result in
the granting of postsecondary credit for high school students.
The Department recognizes that assessment development can be both
costly and time-consuming.\1\ As a result, given the limited funding
available under this program and our intent to evaluate the progress of
students enrolled in a POS, we propose to require States receiving
grant awards under this program to implement a POS for which valid and
reliable technical skills assessments (either industry-recognized
assessments or State-developed or State-approved assessments based on
industry standards that grant high school or postsecondary credit, or
both) have been developed.
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\1\ For example, the Department recently announced, as part of
its Race to the Top Assessment program, a High School Course
Assessment program that will support consortia of States in the
development of new or adapted assessments for high school courses.
The competition includes a competitive preference priority for
applications that include a high quality plan to develop, with
relevant business community participation and support, assessments
for high school courses that comprise a rigorous course of study in
career and technical education that is designed to prepare high
school students for success on technical certification examinations
or for postsecondary education or employment.
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Local Implementation. We also propose to require funded States to
implement the selected POS in at least three LEAs that contain high
schools, in concert with their postsecondary partners, beginning no
later than the start of the academic year corresponding to year 2 of
the grant. The applicant must include a letter of commitment from each
LEA, expressing its interest in participating in the project and its
commitment to implement the selected POS as prescribed by the State in
years 2 through 4 of the grant. If an LEA contains more than one high
school, it would be required to implement the selected POS in at least
one of its high schools. To the extent feasible, the LEAs must
implement the POS in at least one urban, one suburban, and one rural
community. If an LEA currently does not have all 10 components in
place, the State applicant must provide an assurance that each
participating LEA will have all 10 components in place to support the
selected POS when it is implemented in year 2. To achieve this end, we
are proposing to require that CTE staff from the funded States provide
technical assistance to the participating LEAs during the first year of
the project in order to strengthen weak components or incorporate
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missing components. We also would require CTE staff from the funded
States to continue to work closely with the participating LEAs
throughout the project period, and provide technical assistance and
support to ensure constancy in the implementation of the selected POS
in the participating LEAs.
Evaluation. We propose to require each State receiving a grant
award under this program to conduct an annual evaluation of its project
by evaluating local implementation of the selected POS and using
student outcome data on the performance measures listed elsewhere in
this notice to assess the progress of students enrolled in the selected
POS. To ensure consistency across the funded States in the use of
student outcome data, we propose to require funded States to attend a
Project Evaluation Design meeting in Washington, DC, following receipt
of their grant awards, to discuss and possibly refine the grantee self-
assessment tools related to the 10 Framework components that are
developed by the grantees, and to work with OVAE and with each other to
develop a plan for the States' use of student outcome data to assess
the progress of students enrolled in the selected POS.
Capacity of Statewide Longitudinal Data System. Because we expect
that the primary focus of this program will be to evaluate the progress
of students enrolled in a POS, we propose to limit eligibility for
awards to States whose longitudinal data systems have the capacity to
link and share data among systems housing different types of data. The
Department recognizes that States are at different stages in developing
their capacities to link and share necessary information among systems.
Nevertheless, we propose to fund only States that have the capability
of collecting longitudinal data on a variety of secondary,
postsecondary, and employment outcomes for individual students so that
we may assess the long term outcomes of their participation in a POS.
Dissemination. The Act requires all States to offer POSs, which may
be adopted by LEAs and postsecondary institutions as an option to
students (and their parents, as appropriate) when they plan for and
complete coursework in career and technical content areas. Each local
recipient of funds under the Act must offer at least one career and
technical POS. To assist all States and local recipients in their
efforts to develop and implement rigorous POSs, we propose to require
States receiving grant awards under this program to conduct specific
dissemination activities during the grant period, such as sharing
project materials via each State's Web site and participating in OVAE-
sponsored POS meetings and presentations.
Cooperative Agreement. We also plan to make awards under the next
POS competition under the terms of a cooperative agreement. In order to
ensure consistency in POS implementation and evaluation across the
funded States, we believe it is necessary for the Department to
maintain substantial involvement in the implementation of POS projects
funded under the next POS program competition and to provide close
Department oversight of POS project activities. We believe that making
these awards through cooperative agreements will facilitate that
involvement and oversight.
Proposed Requirements:
The Assistant Secretary proposes the following requirements for
this program. We may apply one or more of these requirements in any
year in which this program is in effect.
Selected Program of Study: Applicants must propose a project to
implement a State-developed or State-approved POS that is built and
sustained with the following 10 Framework components:
(a) Legislation, Resources, and Policies: State and local
legislation, resources, or administrative policies that promote POS
development and implementation;
(b) Partnerships: Ongoing relationships among education, business,
and other community stakeholders that support POS design,
implementation, and maintenance;
(c) Professional Development: Sustained, intensive, and focused
professional development opportunities for administrators, teachers,
and faculty that foster POS design, implementation, and maintenance;
(d) Accountability and Evaluation Systems: Accountability and
evaluation systems and strategies that gather quantitative and
qualitative data on both POS components and student outcomes in order
to inform ongoing efforts to develop and implement POSs and to
determine their effectiveness;
(e) College and Career Readiness Standards: POS content standards
that define what students are expected to know and be able to do to
enter and advance in college, their careers, or both, and that include
aligned academic and technical content;
(f) Course Sequences of Secondary and Postsecondary Courses: Course
sequences within a POS that help students transition to postsecondary
education without needing to duplicate classes or enroll in remedial
courses.
(g) Credit Transfer Agreements: Formal credit transfer agreements
among secondary schools and postsecondary institutions;
(h) Comprehensive Guidance Counseling and Academic Advisory
Systems: Systems that provide career counseling and academic advisory
services to help students make informed decisions about which POS to
pursue;
(i) Teaching and Learning Strategies: Innovative and creative
instructional approaches that enable teachers to integrate academic and
technical instruction and also enable students to apply academic and
technical learning in their POS coursework; and
(j) Technical Skills Assessments: Existing valid and reliable
technical skills assessments that provide ongoing information on the
extent to which students are attaining the necessary knowledge and
skills for entry into and advancement in postsecondary education and
careers in their chosen POS.
Each of these 10 components of the Framework has unique sub-
components. The sub-components for each of the 10 components are in the
Proposed Selection Criteria in this notice, under proposed paragraph
(a)(3), State capacity to implement a rigorous program of study. Each
State and its participating LEAs must use all the sub-components of the
10 Framework components that the State deems relevant to the selected
POS and must explain how it plans to support the selected POS utilizing
the relevant subcomponents.
Existing Technical Skills Assessments: Applicants must propose a
project to implement a State-developed or State-approved POS for which
valid and reliable technical skills assessments (either third-party
industry-recognized assessments, or State-developed or State-approved
technical skills assessments based on industry standards that grant
high school or postsecondary credit, or both) have been developed.
Local Implementation: Applicants must propose a project to
implement the selected POS in at least three LEAs that contain high
schools, in concert with each LEA's postsecondary partners. If a
participating LEA contains more than one high school, the LEA must
implement the selected POS in at least one of its high schools. To the
extent feasible, participating LEAs must implement the POS in at least
one urban, one suburban, and one rural community. To be eligible for
funding an applicant will be required to
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demonstrate that the LEAs chosen for participation in the POS project
have the capacity to have all 10 Framework components in place by the
beginning of year 2 of the project. The applicant must include a letter
of commitment from each LEA, expressing its interest in participating
in the project and its commitment to implement the selected POS as
prescribed by the State in years 2 through 4 of the grant and to
maintain constancy in the implementation of the selected POS. During
year 1 of the grant, CTE staff from the funded States must provide
technical assistance to their participating LEAs in order to strengthen
weak components or incorporate missing components, so that all 10
components are in place to support the POS when it is implemented at
the LEA level. The participating LEAs must implement the selected POS
during years 2 through 4 of the grant, beginning at the start of the
academic year corresponding to year 2 of the grant. The applicant must
include a plan that describes how CTE State staff will continue to work
closely with the LEAs throughout the project period, and provide
technical assistance and support to ensure constancy in the
implementation of the selected POS in the participating LEAs.
Evaluation: Applicants must propose to conduct an annual evaluation
of the project to assess the constancy of the implementation of the
selected POS in the participating LEAs and the effectiveness of each of
the 10 components. To ensure consistency of implementation across the
selected LEAs, CTE staff from the funded States must use a self-
assessment instrument based on the 10 components as part of its project
evaluation.
Applicants must also use student outcome data to assess the
progress of students enrolled in the selected POS. To ensure
consistency across the funded States, State staff must attend a POS
Evaluation Design meeting in Washington, DC, following the receipt of
the grant award, to discuss and possibly refine the grantee self-
assessment tools related to the 10 Framework components that are
developed by the grantees, and to work with OVAE and with each other to
develop a plan for the States' use of student outcome data to assess
the progress of students enrolled in the selected POS. This meeting
will address evaluation and data collection issues, such as student
definitions, the number and method of selection of students to be
followed, strategies for comparing outcomes for students who
participate in the POS to other students who do not, the identification
of potential comparison groups through the States' longitudinal data
systems, and timing of reporting. After the meeting, we will include
the agreed-upon plan for the States' use of the student outcome data as
an addendum to each grantee's cooperative agreement.
The State must also collect and report data annually on the
following performance measures, which are based on the indicators of
performance required under section 113(b) (State Performance Measures)
and section 203(e) (Tech Prep Indicators of Performance and
Accountability) of the Act:
(a) Secondary school completion. The percentage of secondary
students participating in the POS supported by the grant award who earn
a high school diploma.
(b) Technical skills attainment. The percentage of secondary
students participating in the POS supported by the grant award who
attain technical skills.
(c) Earned postsecondary credit during high school. The percentage
of secondary students participating in the POS supported by the grant
award who earn postsecondary credit.
(d) Enrollment in postsecondary education. The percentage of
secondary students participating in the POS supported by the grant
award who enroll in postsecondary education by the fall following high
school graduation.
(e) Enrollment in postsecondary education in a field or major
related to the secondary POS. The percentage of secondary students
participating in the POS supported by the grant award who enroll in a
postsecondary education program in a field or major related to the
participant's secondary POS.
(f) Need for developmental course work in postsecondary education.
The percentage of secondary students participating in the POS supported
by the grant award who enroll in one or more postsecondary education
developmental courses.
(g) Postsecondary credential, certificate, or diploma attainment.
The percentage of secondary students participating in the POS supported
by the grant award who attain an industry-recognized credential,
certificate, or associate's degree, within two years following
enrollment in postsecondary education.
Capacity of Statewide Longitudinal Data System: Applicants must
propose the use of a longitudinal data system that has the capacity to
link and share data among systems housing different types of data. The
longitudinal data system must contain, at a minimum, the elements
listed below. These elements are consistent with section 6401(e)(2)(D)
of the America Competes Act (Pub. L. 110-69):
(a) Statewide unique student identifiers;
(b) Student-level enrollment data;
(c) Student-level course completion (transcript) data;
(d) The ability to match student-level secondary and postsecondary
data;
(e) The ability to link student-level data to employment outcome
data, such as Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage records; and
(f) A State data audit plan to verify that the education data are
valid and reliable.
Applicants also must ensure (and include an assurance in their
applications) that their use of data will be consistent with the
requirements and protections contained in the Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Dissemination: Applicants must propose to implement a dissemination
plan for the project. The plan must include the development and
maintenance of a project Web page for posting project materials, such
as: Materials describing the State's process for approving POSs
submitted by local recipients of funds; curricula developed for the
selected POS; technical assistance materials provided to the
participating LEAs and to other local recipients of funds, if
applicable; professional development materials; materials describing
evaluation results, including performance data on the required
performance measures based on the indicators of performance; and other
materials containing practical information that would be useful to
other States in their efforts to implement and evaluate POSs.
Applicants must also participate in POS activities sponsored by the
Department, such as annual POS grantee meetings in which grantees
describe the progress of their projects and discuss common issues,
strategies, and models of best practices; OVAE/POS grantee
presentations at the States' Annual National Career Clusters
Institutes; OVAE/POS grantee presentations at annual NASDCTEc meetings;
and presentations at OVAE-sponsored data quality meetings.
Cooperative Agreement: We plan to make each award to grantees under
this program under the terms of a cooperative agreement. We expect to
work closely with the funded States to maintain substantial involvement
in project implementation, and to provide oversight on project
activities by working collaboratively to develop a
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plan for the use of student outcome data, reviewing and approving
project activities, reviewing and approving one stage of work before
the grantee can begin a subsequent stage during the project period, and
halting an activity if it is not consistent with the program
requirements.
Proposed Selection Criteria:
Background:
The first competition under the POS program was held in 2008. Since
then, we have gained a better understanding of the level and complexity
of the work required for effective POS implementation and of the
program components that are necessary to implement rigorous POSs. The
selection criteria proposed in this notice emphasize the implementation
of POSs that are built and sustained with the 10 specific Framework
components and the collection of valid and reliable longitudinal data,
to ensure consistency across funded projects in the implementation and
evaluation of POSs.
Proposed Selection Criteria:
The Assistant Secretary proposes the following selection criteria
for evaluating an application under a POS competition. We may apply one
or more of these criteria in any year in which we hold a competition
under this program. In a notice inviting applications, in the
application package, or in both, we will announce the maximum possible
points assigned to each criterion.
(a) State capacity to implement a rigorous program of study: In
determining the applicant's capacity to implement a rigorous POS, we
review each application to determine the extent to which:
(1) The applicant proposes to build on existing State initiatives
and partnerships in implementing the proposed project.
(2) The applicant selects a POS that will provide training leading
to high-growth, high-demand, or high-wage occupations as determined
through analysis of the national, State, or local labor market.
(3) The applicant provides evidence that it has selected a State-
developed or State-approved POS that is built and sustained with the
following 10 Framework components; that it has identified which of the
sub-components from among those listed under each component are
relevant to the selected POS; and that it plans to use those relevant
sub-components in its POS and explains how it proposes to do so.
(i) State and local legislation, resources, or administrative
policies that promote POS development and implementation, such as--
(A) The allocation of State or local funding (and other non-Federal
resources) designed to promote POS development and long-term
sustainability;
(B) The use of established, formal procedures for the design,
implementation, and continuous improvement of POSs;
(C) Adherence to policies that ensure opportunities for any
interested secondary student to participate in a POS; and
(D) The use of individual graduation or career plans for
participating students.
(ii) Ongoing relationships among education, business, and other
community stakeholders that support POS design, implementation, and
maintenance, such as by--
(A) Using written memoranda that specify the roles and
responsibilities of partnership members;
(B) Conducting ongoing analyses of economic and workforce trends to
identify POSs that should be created, expanded, or, if appropriate,
discontinued;
(C) Linking POS development to existing initiatives that promote
workforce and economic development; and
(D) Identifying, validating, and updating technical and workforce
readiness skills to be taught within POSs.
(iii) Sustained, intensive, and focused professional development
opportunities for administrators, teachers, and faculty that foster POS
design, implementation, and maintenance, and that--
(A) Support the alignment of academic and technical curriculum
within the POS from grade to grade (within grades 9 through 12) and
from secondary to postsecondary education;
(B) Support the development of integrated academic and CTE
curriculum and instruction within the POS;
(C) Ensure that teachers and faculty have the necessary content
knowledge to align and integrate curriculum and instruction within the
POS; and
(D) Foster innovative teaching and learning strategies within the
POS.
(iv) Accountability and evaluation systems and strategies that
gather quantitative and qualitative data on both POS components and
student outcomes to inform ongoing efforts to develop and implement
POSs and to determine their effectiveness, and that--
(A) Yield valid and reliable data on key student outcomes
(indicators of performance) referenced in the Act and other relevant
Federal and State legislation; and
(B) Provide timely data to inform ongoing efforts to develop,
implement, evaluate, and improve the effectiveness of POSs.
(v) POS content standards that define what students are expected to
know and be able to do to enter and advance in college, their careers,
or both, and that include aligned academic and technical content, and
that--
(A) Are developed and continually validated in collaboration with
secondary, postsecondary, and industry partners;
(B) Incorporate essential knowledge and skills that students must
master regardless of their chosen career area or POS;
(C) Provide the same rigorous knowledge and skills in English-
language arts and mathematics that employers and colleges expect of
high school graduates; and
(D) To the extent practicable, are internationally benchmarked so
that students are prepared to succeed in a global economy.
(vi) Course sequences within a POS that help ensure students'
transition to postsecondary education without needing to duplicate
classes or enroll in remedial courses, as evidenced by--
(A) Course sequence plans that map out recommended academic and
career and technical courses for the POS;
(B) Course sequence plans that begin with introductory courses at
the secondary level by teaching broad foundational knowledge and skills
common across all POSs and then progress to more occupationally
specific courses at the postsecondary level that provide the knowledge
and skills required for entry into and advancement in the selected POS;
and
(C) Opportunities for students to earn postsecondary credit for
coursework taken during high school.
(vii) Formal credit transfer agreements among secondary schools and
postsecondary institutions that--
(A) Provide a systematic, seamless process for students to earn
college credit for postsecondary courses taken in high school, transfer
high school credit to any two- or four-year institution in the State
that offers the POS, and transfer credit earned at a two-year college
to any other two- or four-year institution in the State that offers the
POS;
(B) Record college credit earned by high school students on their
high school transcripts at the time the credit is earned so that they
can transfer seamlessly into the college portion of the POS without the
need for additional paperwork or petitioning for credit; and
[[Page 29738]]
(C) Describe the expectations and requirements for teacher and
faculty qualifications, course prerequisites, postsecondary entry
requirements, location of courses, tuition reimbursement, and the
credit transfer process.
(viii) Comprehensive guidance counseling and academic advisory
systems that provide career counseling and academic advisory services
to help students make informed decisions about which POS to pursue and
that--
(A) Are based on State or local guidance and counseling standards,
such as the National Career Development Guidelines;
(B) Ensure that guidance counselors and academic advisors have
access to up-to-date information about POS offerings to aid students in
their decision-making;
(C) Offer information and tools to help students learn about
postsecondary education and career options, including about the
prerequisites for particular POSs;
(D) Provide resources for students to identify career interests and
aptitudes and to select an appropriate POS;
(E) Provide information and resources for parents, including
workshops on college and financial aid applications, on helping their
children prepare for college and careers; and
(F) Provide Web-based resources and tools for obtaining student
financial assistance.
(ix) Innovative and creative instructional approaches that enable
teachers to integrate academic and technical instruction and students
to apply academic and technical learning in their POS coursework, as
evidenced by--
(A) Interdisciplinary teaching teams of academic and career and
technical secondary teachers or postsecondary faculty;
(B) The use of contextualized work-based, project-based, and
problem-based learning approaches; and
(C) The use of teaching strategies that foster team-building,
critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.
(x) Existing Valid and reliable technical skills assessments that
provide ongoing information on the extent to which students are
attaining the necessary knowledge and skills for entry into and
advancement in postsecondary education and careers in their chosen POS
and that--
(A) Are either third-party assessments recognized by industry or
are technical skills assessments developed or approved by the State
that are based on industry standards;
(B) Measure student attainment of technical skill proficiencies at
multiple points during a POS;
(C) Incorporate, to the greatest extent possible, performance-based
assessment items through which students must demonstrate the
application of their knowledge and skills; and
(D) Result in the awarding of secondary credit, postsecondary
credit, or special designation on a student's high school diploma.
(b) Capacity of the State's longitudinal data system: In
determining the State's capacity to collect longitudinal data on a
variety of secondary, postsecondary, and employment outcomes for
individual students in order to assess the progress of students
enrolled in the selected POS, we review each application to determine
the extent to which:
(1) The State's longitudinal data system contains, at a minimum,
the following elements--
(i) Statewide unique student identifiers;
(ii) Student-level enrollment data;
(iii) Student-level course completion (transcript) data;
(iv) The ability to match student-level secondary and postsecondary
data;
(v) The ability to link student-level data with employment outcome
data, such as Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage records; and
(vi) A State data audit plan to verify that the education data are
valid and reliable.
(2) The applicant provides evidence that project staff from the
funded States will be able to work cooperatively with State data
specialists and to access the student outcome data needed to meet
annual evaluation and reporting requirements for the POS project.
(c) Local implementation plan:
In determining the quality of the plan for local implementation of
the selected POS, we review each application to determine the extent to
which--
(1) The applicant identifies each of the LEAs it has selected for
local implementation of the POS and provides evidence of each LEA's
capacity to implement the selected POS and the 10 components, as well
as the estimated number of students who would participate in the POS in
years 2 through 4 of the grant, by grade level.
(2) The participating LEAs represent urban, suburban, and rural
communities; and
(3) The applicant includes a letter of commitment from each LEA,
expressing its interest in participating in the project and its
commitment to implementing the selected POS as prescribed by the State
in years 2 through 4 of the grant and to maintain constancy in the
implementation of the selected POS.
(4) In the case of LEAs that do not have all 10 components in place
at the start of the project, the applicant outlines the specific
actions it will take to ensure that weak or missing components are
strengthened or created so that all 10 components are in place and the
LEA is ready to implement the POS by the beginning of the academic year
corresponding to year 2 of the grant.
(5) The applicant outlines a plan to provide ongoing oversight and
technical assistance to the participating LEAs throughout the project
period, to ensure constancy in the implementation of the selected POS
across the participating LEAs.
(d) Project management. In determining the quality of the
management plan for the proposed project, we review each application to
determine the extent to which--
(1) The management plan incorporates, at a minimum, each of the
proposed requirements included in this notice, and identifies specific
and measurable objectives and tasks to be undertaken to accomplish each
project activity;
(2) The management plan assigns responsibility for the
accomplishment of project tasks to specific partners or project
personnel and provides timelines that will result in the timely
completion of all required project activities within each phase of the
project;
(3) The Project Director and other key personnel clearly have the
professional qualifications and experience necessary to implement their
assigned project tasks; and
(4) The time commitments of the Project Director, key personnel,
and partners are appropriate to the tasks assigned.
(e) Adequacy of resources. In determining the adequacy of resources
for the proposed project, we consider the following factors:
(1) The adequacy of support to be provided (i.e., facilities,
equipment, supplies, or other resources) by participating agencies and
institutions at the State and local levels.
(2) Whether the budget is appropriate and the costs are reasonable
in relation to the objectives and design of the proposed project.
(f) Evaluation: In determining the quality of the proposed project
evaluation, we review each application to determine the extent to
which--
(1) The proposed project evaluation is feasible and appropriate for
evaluating the constancy of the implementation of
[[Page 29739]]
the selected POS by the participating LEAs in years 2 through 4 of the
grant.
(2) The proposed evaluation is feasible and appropriate for
evaluating the effectiveness of each of the 10 components in each LEA.
(3) The proposed evaluation will be conducted by individuals or
entities that possess the necessary background and expertise in project
evaluation.
(4) The applicant expresses its commitment to participate in the
Department's Evaluation Design Meeting and has included suggestions
regarding the use of student outcome data that it could access through
the State's longitudinal data system to assess the progress of students
enrolled in the POS.
We will announce the final priorities, requirements, and selection
criteria in a notice in the Federal Register. We will determine the
final priorities, requirements, and selection criteria after
considering responses to this notice and other information available to
the Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing
additional priorities, requirements, definitions, or selection
criteria, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which we choose to use one or more of these priorities,
requirements, and selection criteria, we invite applications through
a notice in the Federal Register.
Executive Order 12866: This notice has been reviewed in accordance
with Executive Order 12866. Under the terms of the order, we have
assessed the potential costs and benefits of this proposed regulatory
action.
The potential costs associated with this proposed regulatory action
are those resulting from statutory requirements and those we have
determined as necessary for administering this program effectively and
efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative
and qualitative--of this proposed regulatory action, we have determined
that the benefits of the proposed priorities, requirements, and
selection criteria justify the costs. This action would provide
additional resources to States to help them implement an existing
statutory requirement under the Act, the implementation of programs of
study at the State and local levels.
We have determined, also, that this proposed regulatory action does
not unduly interfere with State, local, and tribal governments in the
exercise of their governmental functions.
Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the
objectives of the Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental
partnership and a strengthened federalism. The Executive order relies
on processes developed by State and local governments for coordination
and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.
This document provides early notification of our specific plans and
actions for this program.
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document in an accessible format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the program contact
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister. To
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
this site.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
Brenda Dann-Messier,
Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education.
[FR Doc. 2010-12802 Filed 5-26-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P