CTE Local Plan for Program Improvement – Postsecondary Recipients
February 27, 2015
Local CTE Plan for
Program Improvement
Postsecondary
FY16
Overview &
Instructions
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CTE Local Plan for Program Improvement – Postsecondary Recipients
February 27, 2015
INTRODUCTION
The Division of Career Technology and Adult Learning has developed these guidelines to assist
local recipients in the preparation of the Five-Year CTE Plan for Program Improvement, while writing a
detailed improvement plan for FY 2015.
The framework for this guide is based on the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education
Improvement Act of 2006, the Maryland State Plan for Career and Technology Education 2008-2012
and a renewed vision for Maryland’s Career and Technology Education (CTE) built on the development
and implementation of the Policies and Procedures for the Development and Continuous Improvement
of Career and Technology Education Programs and guidelines provided by the Maryland Higher
Education Commission (MHEC) for the development of postsecondary programs.
The Act’s intent is for CTE students to achieve challenging academic and technical standards
and be prepared for high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand occupations in current or emerging
professions. The Act provides an increased focus on the academic achievement of CTE students,
strengthens state and local accountability, and reinforces the connection between secondary to
community college and/or community college to baccalaureate degree through CTE Programs of Study.
The Maryland Career and Technology Education State Plan for 2008 - 2012 emphasizes program
improvement through Career Clusters and CTE Programs of Study; a systemic career development
framework; integrated academic and technical proficiencies; industry recognized credentials; and
secondary to community college and/or community college to baccalaureate degree articulation. The
development of the State Plan has been guided by the need to address the CTE challenges of
accelerating student achievement, eliminating achievement gaps, developing and improving CTE
programs leading to high skill, high wage, or high demand occupations in current or emerging
professions and creating value for all system stakeholders.
The State Plan identifies the established Core Indicators of Performance at the State level and
connects them to the local level. The Local CTE Plan for Program Improvement should be integrated
with other education reform efforts currently underway in the local school system or postsecondary
institution.
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CTE Local Plan for Program Improvement – Postsecondary Recipients
February 27, 2015
OVERVIEW OF PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT PLANNING
The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 contain a number of major
themes that need to be kept in mind as the local plan is developed. These include:
 Emphasizing the improvement of student performance using Perkins funds for the development,
implementation and improvement of programs and services, not maintaining current programs and
services.
 Promoting the development of services and activities that integrate rigorous and challenging academic,
career and technical instruction; and that link secondary to community college and/or community college to
baccalaureate degree.
 Preparing CTE students for high skill, high wage, or high demand occupations in current and emerging
professions.
 Providing opportunities for students to obtain industry certification, articulated and transcripted credit,
apprenticeship and work-based learning opportunities wherever possible.
 Implementing programs and supports to enable special populations to meet or exceed State adjusted levels
of performance and be prepared for further learning and high skill, high wage or high demand occupations
in current or emerging professions and creating value for all system stakeholders.
 Providing comprehensive professional development (including pre-service teacher preparation) that
promotes the integration of coherent and rigorous content aligned with academic standards and CTE
including curriculum development.
 Describing efforts to improve recruitment and retention of CTE teachers, faculty and guidance counselors,
and the transition to teaching from business.
 Increasing the accountability of local recipients. The local recipient must meet at least 90 percent of an
agreed upon local adjusted level performance for any of the core indicators of performance. If this is not
met the eligible recipient shall develop and implement a program improvement plan, with special
considerations to performance gaps identified. Section 113 (b)(4)(C)(ii)(II). This requirement became
effective for the FY 09 Perkins Application.
 Focusing on activities that are sustainable and integrated throughout a student’s educational experience; i.e.
career development, academic and technical education, and seamless transition between education levels.
 Considering CTE programs as part of career clusters. The Maryland State Department of
Education/Division of Career Technology and Adult Learning adopted the Cluster Framework to increase
academic and technical achievement in CTE programs.
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CTE Local Plan for Program Improvement – Postsecondary Recipients
February 27, 2015
Resources needed to develop the CTE Local Plan:
 Local Perkins Accountability Report (LPAR), based on local data submission, provided by MSDE
 Program Quality Index (PQI) 2014
 Completed self-assessment document
 Disaggregated data by race, gender and special populations
 Bench Marking data including state performance
 MHEC Data
 Other local data
 Key stakeholder input on strategies to improve local performance
 Maryland Career Clusters: Restructuring Learning for Student Achievement in a Technologically
Advanced, Global Society
 List A
 Maryland Career Development Framework
 “User and Specifications Manual for CTE Enrollment and Outcome Systems”, School Year 2013 –
2014. The manual includes an explanation for each of the core indicators of performance and the list of
Nontraditional CTE Programs
 Glossary of Definitions
 “Quick Links” in the web-based plan will access resources, such as the Perkins Plan Examples
document
 MSDE website:
http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/careertech/career_technology/funding_reporting/perkins_IV_postsecondary.ht
m
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CTE Local Plan for Program Improvement – Postsecondary Recipients
February 27, 2015
INSTRUCTIONS
Postsecondary Recipients
Perkins IV FY 2016 Local CTE Plan for Program Improvement
The following items are the components of your plan; some are web-based, some require downloading or appear in
Word/Excel formats. Some of the documents will need to be uploaded to the web-based plan for submission, such as
Local Advisory Committee lists, the Technical Skills Chart and appendices. Documents needing an original signature
may be uploaded to the web-based plan providing they are signed in blue ink and passed through a color scanner.
Otherwise they must be mailed.
Self-Assessment
The Career and Technology Education (CTE) Self-Assessment has been developed to serve both as a
planning and monitoring tool for the continuous improvement of CTE programs. As a planning tool, it
assists in the development of the Local CTE Plan for Program Improvement by helping to identify programs
and areas for improvement. It is recommended that college staff complete it every year and review it with
the MSDE Regional Coordinator as needed. The self-assessment is submitted only in the year a local
recipient is scheduled for a monitoring visit.
Cover Page (Sign in blue ink; upload to plan)
Assurances Page (Sign in blue ink; upload to plan)
The Superintendent of Schools or Head of Grantee Agency (Community College President) must sign the
Assurances Page. All electronic signatures must be scanned in blue ink and uploaded to the web-based
plan, or they may be mailed.
Certificate of Compliance (Sign in blue ink, upload to plan)
The College President or Head must sign the Certificate of Compliance. Endorsing this Certificate of
Compliance satisfies Required Plan Elements 1, 6 and 9 of the Perkins Act of 2006. The remaining
Required Plan Elements will be satisfied by completing various portions of the Local CTE Plan for Program
Improvement. Please see signature directions above.
Certificate of Participation (Web-based; update from FY 2015 plan)
The Perkins Act of 2006 requires participation of key stakeholders including parents, students, academic
and career and technical education teachers, faculty, administrators, career guidance and academic
counselors, representatives of business and industry, labor organizations, representatives of special
populations, and other interested individuals. This should be updated on an annual basis. Completing the
Certificate of Participation satisfies Required Plan Element 5.
Upload the college’s current Local Advisory Council (LAC) to the plan.
Vision, Mission, and Accountability Statements (Web-based; update from FY 2015
plan)
Describe the vision, mission, and accountability priorities for Career and Technology Education programs
within the postsecondary institution. This should be updated annually as appropriate.
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CTE Local Plan for Program Improvement – Postsecondary Recipients
February 27, 2015
Local Perspective and Data Analysis (Web-based)
The purpose of this section is to provide the reader with an overview of CTE as it exists in the community
college. This is where any unique opportunities and challenges faced while working toward the
improvement of CTE programs and student achievement should be addressed. This section also includes
questions designed to assist with data analysis and informed decision-making about program improvement
and determining priorities for the plan.
Five-year Planned Program Improvement Chart (Word document; upload to plan)
This chart is to be updated with a five-year plan in mind for improving CTE programs of study. Many items
listed on this chart should translate into activities on the Strategies Worksheets.
Postsecondary Technical Skills Chart – 1P1 (Word document; upload to plan)
This chart contains a place to list all programs with assessments for technical certificates and licenses as
well as the pass rate for students.
Strategy Worksheets
Strategy Worksheets describe program improvement activities.
There are two categories of worksheets - A and B. Strategy worksheets are for one fiscal year.
 Worksheet A addresses strategies for specific program improvement listed by cluster, department or
school, and individual programs of study. Strategy worksheets are for one fiscal year or span a
period of time. Rationales should summarize the program and list 2-3 data points.
 Improvement strategies that cross more than one program area, such as: Transition among Learning
Levels, Professional Development, Career Development and Services for Special Populations and
other activities are listed on Worksheet B.
All CTE programs designated for improvement from the Five-Year Planned Program Improvement Chart,
data analysis, and/or the self-assessment for FY16 should appear on the strategy worksheets.
Summary of Required Plan Elements
All Required Plan Elements must be covered within the Local CTE Plan for Program Improvement.
Required Plan Elements Narrative (Word document; upload to plan, if needed)
This section of the Required Plan Elements is only used for those Required Plan Elements that have not
been included in other sections of the Plan.
Financial Compliance Worksheet
This worksheet provides a format to ensure that the federal financial requirements in the Perkins Act of
2006 are met.
 Any recipient of Perkins Formula funds must maintain its fiscal effort from non-federal sources on a
per student or aggregate basis equal to or exceeding the fiscal effort for the previous fiscal year for
career and technology education programs. [COMAR 13A.04.02.03]
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CTE Local Plan for Program Improvement – Postsecondary Recipients
February 27, 2015
 Maintenance of Effort for the current fiscal year must equal the amount reported on the Final
Financial Report for Maintenance of Effort for the previous year. (Confirm this amount with your
finance officer).
Budget
For FY16 signed (in blue ink) budgets should be uploaded to the Web-based plan or mailed. A budget
form is available at:
http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/careertech/career_technology/funding_reporting/perki
ns_IV_postsecondary.html
REQUIRED PLAN ELEMENTS
Section 134(b) Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006
[Maryland's terminology is bracketed]
The eligible agency (State) shall determine requirements for local plans, except that each local plan shall:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Describe how the career and technical education [career and technology education, CTE] programs required under
section 135 (b) will be carried out with funds received under this title.
Describe how the career and technical education [CTE] activities will be carried out with respect to meeting State
adjusted levels of performance established under section 113.
Describe how the eligible recipient, the local school system (LSS) will:
A. offer the appropriate courses of not less than 1 of the career and technical programs of study described in section
122 (c)(1)(A);
B. improve the academic and technical skills of students participating in career and
technical education [CTE] programs by strengthening the academic, and career and technical [career and
technology], components of such programs through the integration of academics with career and technical
education [CTE] programs through a coherent sequence of courses to ensure learning in the core academic, and
career and technical education [CTE], subjects;
C. provide students with strong experience in and an understanding of all aspects of an industry;
D. ensure that students who participate in such career and technical education [CTE] programs are taught to the same
coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards as are taught for all other students;
and
E. 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 comprehensive professional development (including teacher initial 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 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 industry, labor organizations, representatives of special
populations, and other interested individuals are involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of
career and technical education [CTE] 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.
Provide assurances that the eligible recipient will provide a career and technical education [CTE] program that is of
such size, scope, and quality to bring about improvement in the quality of career and technical education [CTE]
programs.
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CTE Local Plan for Program Improvement – Postsecondary Recipients
February 27, 2015
7. Describe the process that will be used to independently evaluate and continuously improve the performance of the
eligible recipient.
8. Describe how the eligible recipient will:
A. review career and technical education [CTE] 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;
B. provide programs that are designed to enable the special populations to meet the
State-adjusted levels of performance
C. 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;
9. Describe how individuals who are members of special populations will not be discriminated against on the basis of
their status as members of special populations.
10. Describe how funds will be used to promote preparation for non-traditional training and employment.
11. Describe how career guidance and academic counseling will be provided to career and technical education students,
including linkages to future education and training opportunities
12. Describe efforts to improve:
A. 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
B. The transition to teaching from business and industry.
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