Perkins Career and Technical Education Program

1. State’s Vision for Education and Workforce Development

1. a. Provide a summary of State-supported workforce development activities (including education and training) in the State, including the degree to which the State's career and technical education programs and programs of study are aligned with and address the education and skill needs of the employers in the State identified by the State workforce development board.  (Section 122(d)(1) of Perkins V)

 Governor Ivey will submit a 2020 four-year Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act state combined plan in February 2020. The combined plan will meet the requirements of section 122 of Perkins V section 103 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3113). By braiding federal and state workforce and education funding streams to produce an education-to-workforce pipeline that begins with literacy and numeracy, career exploration and discovery among all 16 clusters, seamless transition from secondary to postsecondary education, multiple entry and exits points for special and disconnected populations, alignment between secondary and postsecondary CTE, and co-enrollment between adult education and postsecondary CTE, Alabama’s workforce development system permits entry into an in-demand career pathway for Alabamians in all seasons of life.

The combined state plan takes advantage of aligned definitions in WIOA and CTE, including “career pathways,” “sector strategies,” and “programs of study” to develop articulated career pathways in all 16 career clusters that begin with career exploration, transition to pre-apprenticeship, which then culminate in a registered or industry-recognized apprenticeship. These fully-articulated career pathways allow secondary CTE concentrators to earn a high school diploma, an associate degree mapped to industry-recognized credentials, and work-based learning experience in an aligned occupation at the time of high school graduation. Adults who are disconnected, from the workforce or those who are underemployed may upskill or become essential skills proficient through multiple on and off ramps from workforce training and employment through stackable credentials mapped to a traditional associate degree. Shortened career pathways for in-school youth will hasten their ability to enter the workforce and lengthened career pathways, with multiple points of entry and exit, for adults will allow for a flexible progression and persistence through a competency model and career pathway.

b. Describe the State's strategic vision and set of goals for preparing an educated and skilled workforce (including special populations) and for meeting the skilled workforce needs of employers, including in existing and emerging in-demand industry sectors and occupations as identified by the State, and how the State's career and technical education programs will help to meet these goals. (Section 122(d)(2) of Perkins V)

            Goals:

• Provide work-based learning activities during the following continuum:
  • Career awareness in elementary grades:  learning about work
  • Career exploration in middle grades:  learning about work
  • Career preparation in high school:  learning through work
  • Career training in high school and beyond:  learning for work
• Matriculate into a rigorous college or career pathway
• Recruit and retain highly qualified career/technical teachers and administrators
• Provide relevant and focused professional development
• Develop and utilize rigorous, progressive and evidence-based, career/technical education curricula
• Increase core academic skills for career/technical students
• Ensure programs continuously improve through quality monitoring
• Expand Equity and Access to Special Populations
• Close Technical and Academic Gaps

The touchstone of Governor Ivey’s workforce development strategic plan is the Success Plus postsecondary education attainment goal of adding 500,000 credentialed workers to the workforce by 2025. To make progress against Alabama’s postsecondary education attainment goal of adding 500,000 credential holders to the workforce by 2025, Alabama established a committee of the Alabama Workforce Council (Alabama’s blue-ribbon business investment council) called the Alabama Committee on Credentialing and Career Pathways (ACCCP). The ACCCP, and its series of technical advisory committees, composed of business and industry members, representing each sector, responsible for evaluating credentials and determining if they should be placed on the Alabama Compendium of Valuable Credentials—Alabama’s list of credentials of value.

Industry-recognized credentialing organizations will be a required partner for vetting credentials of value added to the Alabama compendium of valuable credentials. State-level credential organizations, based on industry sector and working through the relevant technical advisory committee (TAC), will be consulted when national, sector-level credentialing organizations are not available for participation. The P-20W Council, consisting of each of the agency heads who are a partner to the ATLAS on Career Pathways, Alabama’s inter-agency data-sharing system will work with all agencies involved with secondary and postsecondary education and workforce training in Alabama to institute best practices for sharing verifiable student learning records and data on non-degree credentials, in accordance with best practices established by the National Student Clearinghouse, the Quality Assurance Commons for Higher and Postsecondary Education, the Comprehensive Digital Learner Record standard, and the Competency Calibrator. Each industry sector will be represented by a TAC, and the TAC will develop an industry-endorsed technical and academic competency model for each occupation code within the industry. Each competency model will include an approved, stackable sequence of industry-recognized credentials. Requiring employer participation in the identification of valuable credentials for inclusion on the Alabama compendium of valuable credentials will generate more interest among employers in hiring credentialed employees possessing the competencies reflected in stackable credential sequences vetted by the ACCCP. Alabama is committed to aligning its CTE and WIOA funds to the in-demand career pathways and credentials of value identified by the ACCCP.  The competency models developed by each TAC will establish credential attainment as the “common denominator” between progression from secondary to postsecondary education and training programs. Alabama will reach the “tipping point” goal of publishing over half of the credentials in the state to the ATLAS on Career Pathways by 2022.  ALSDE is committed to the attainment goal and credentials of value list and will continue to modify the K-12 list of credentials to ensure the goal is met.  As a result, recognized credential attainment will be chosen as the state determined indicator of program quality for Alabama’s Perkins V State Plan and to ensure that ESSA (College and Career Indicators) goals are met.

 With Alabama’s labor market conditions nearing full employment, meeting the Success Plus postsecondary education attainment goal will require mitigating the factors that result in individuals not entering the labor market. The labor force participation rate includes all persons between 16 and 64 who are employed or who are seeking employment. Furthermore, Governor Ivey’s workforce development strategic plan includes an equity-based imperative to close attainment gaps among the special populations Governor Ivey has identified in the 2020 WIOA state combined plan, including veterans, justice-involved individuals, people recovering from substance abuse and addiction, single parents with dependent children, individuals with a disability, the long-term unemployed, individuals who are basic skills deficient, and individuals with significant cultural barriers. Many of the 41.2 percent of Alabamians who are not in the labor force belong to one or more of the aforementioned special populations. Based on stakeholder feedback from Alabamians during the 14 public WIOA state planning engagement meetings that were held between July and October 2019, Governor Ivey has identified the greatest barriers to education and workforce training for members of special populations in each of Alabama’s seven workforce regions. The most significant barriers include transportation, child care, basic skills deficiencies, and benefits cliffs. Competency-based career pathways and credentials of value provide the basis for multiple points of entry and exit into and out of the workforce and education and workforce training to permit an individual to earn progressive wage increases by signaling the mastery of new skills to employers through earning stackable credentials linked to traditional academic coursework while on the pathway to earning a degree or terminal credential. Furthermore, individuals who are reticent to enter the workforce will recognize a positive incentive to enter the workforce through the security of a competency-based career pathway linked to credentials of value that provides portability and transferability between and within firms and industries. To achieve Governor Ivey’s human capital development strategy of ensuring that all Alabamians are self-sufficient, the work to develop competency-based career pathways must be coupled with a continuum of services approach to provide wrap-around services that generate a negative marginal tax rate for Alabamians who are struggling to overcome benefits cliffs and to persist in a career pathway.

 Across all titles, WIOA and Perkins V focus on serving (individuals with barriers to employment), defined in WIOA section 3(24) and seek to ensure access to quality services for these populations. Each special population category listed in Perkins V and WIOA overlap except two, which will be included by the Governor. Governor Ivey has determined a common set of special populations for the 2020 WIOA combined state plan. The populations included in the (individuals with barriers to employment) in WIOA sec. 3(24) include:

1. Displaced homemakers (as defined in WIOA sec. 3(16));
2. Low-income individuals (as defined in WIOA sec. 3(36)) also in Perkins;
3. Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians (as defined in WIOA sec.

      166(b));

4. Individuals with disabilities, including youth who are individuals with

disabilities (as defined in WIOA sec. 3(25) (includes individuals who are in receipt of Social Security Disability Insurance) also in Perkins;

5. Older individuals (age 55 and older) (as defined in WIOA sec. 3(39));
6. Ex-offenders (“offender” as defined in WIOA sec. 3(38));
7. Homeless individuals or homeless children and youths (also in Perkins);
8. Youth who are in or have aged out of the foster care system (also in Perkins);

(i) Individuals who are:

(1)  English language learners (WIOA sec. 203(7)) also in Perkins,

(2)  Individuals who have low levels of literacy (an individual is unable to

compute or solve programs, or read, write, or speak English at a level necessary to function on the job, or in the individual’s family, or in society); and

(3)  Individuals facing substantial cultural barriers;

(j)  Eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers (as defined in WIOA sec. 167(i)(1- 

      3);
(k) Individuals within two years of exhausting lifetime TANF eligibility;
(l) Single parents, including single pregnant women (also in Perkins);
(m) Long-term unemployed individuals (unemployed for 27 or more consecutive

       weeks) also in Perkins V; and
(n) Such other groups the Governor determines to have barriers to employment.

Perkins V Specific:

(1) individuals preparing for non-traditional fields;

            (2)  youth with parents on active duty in the armed forces.

c. Describe the State’s strategy for any joint planning, alignment, coordination, and leveraging of funds between the State's career and technical education programs and programs of study with the State's workforce development system, to achieve the strategic vision and goals described in section 122(d)(2) of Perkins V, including the core programs defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102) and the elements related to system alignment under section 102(b)(2)(B) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 3112(b)(2)(B)); and for programs carried out under this title with other Federal programs, which may include programs funded under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the Higher Education Act of 1965.  (Section 122(d)(3) of Perkins V)

The Governor’s Office of Education and Workforce Transformation (GOEWT) was established to implement Governor Ivey’s workforce development strategic plan by coordinating workforce development and education for the State of Alabama. GOEWT is housed within the Office of the Governor, is led by the Coordinator of GOEWT, and is charged with three goals: to increase the labor force participation rate; to surpass the Alabama post-secondary attainment goal; and to create career pathways in all 16 career clusters for in-school youth, out-of-school youth, adults, at-risk populations, and disconnected populations. GOEWT has been assigned three objectives to achieve the three goals: braid Alabama’s federal education and workforce development funding streams to support an education-to-workforce pipeline; create and manage the Alabama Terminal for Linking and Analyzing Statistics (ATLAS) on Career Pathways (a state inter-agency data-sharing system); and identify valuable credentials and career pathways aligned to secondary, post-secondary, and adult education programs of study.

 The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) will provide for state leadership activities to align secondary, postsecondary, and adult workforce development programs to career in-demand pathways. The Perkins CTE provides for a 10-percent state leadership set-aside and a 5-percent administration set-aside, which do not require a state match. WIOA Title I (the adult, youth, and dislocated worker programs) provides for a 15-percent Governor’s leadership set-aside fund for statewide workforce activities, which does not require a state match. Five percent of the Governor’s set-aside may be used for administration and 10 percent may be used for statewide leadership activities. WIOA Title II (programs funded under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act) provides for a 12.5-percent state leadership set-aside, which requires a 12.5-percent state match (the state match may be cash or in-kind). The required and permissible use of state leadership and administrative funds under Perkins V and WIOA Title I and II are directly aligned to the goals, objectives, and strategies identified by GOEWT. The WIOA Title I Governor’s 15-percent set-aside has seven required uses: dissemination of the state list of eligible providers of training services; evaluations of state workforce investment programs; assistance to local areas for local and regional planning; technical assistance to local areas not meeting required performance accountability measures; assistance to local areas in establishing One-Stop delivery systems; assistance to local areas with high concentrations of eligible youth; and operation of a fiscal and management accountability system in order to report on and monitor the use of WIOA funds. Allowable uses for the Governor’s 15-percent set-aside include: administration of state activities; provision of incentive grants to local areas for performance; research and demonstration projects; supporting financial literacy; implementation of innovative training programs, such as layoff aversion strategies and sector and industry partnerships; and technical assistance to local areas implementing pay-for-performance strategies. WIOA Title II permits the use of state leadership funds to align adult education programs to other core and partner WIOA programs, to provide technical assistance to adult education providers, and to align adult education programs to career pathways.

a. Describe how the eligible agency will use State leadership funds made available under section 112(a)(2) of Perkins V for each of the purposes under section 124(a) of the Act. See Text Box 2 for the required uses of State leadership funds under section 124(a) of Perkins V.  (Section 122(d)(7) of Perkins V)

Under Perkins V, the 10-percent state leadership set aside must be used for five required activities: support for programs for special populations, and other activities that expose students, including special populations, to high-skill, high-wage and in-demand occupations; individuals in state institutions; recruiting, preparing, or retaining of CTE teachers; providing technical assistance to eligible recipients; and reporting on the effectiveness of this funding stream in achieving the state’s strategic vision. Perkins V also includes 25 permissible uses for the 10-percent leadership set-aside funds, including developing statewide programs of study; establishing statewide articulation agreements; establishing statewide sector or industry partnerships; awarding incentive grants to eligible recipients; supporting the adoption and integration of recognized postsecondary credentials and work-based learning into programs of study; and increasing data collection associated recognized postsecondary credentials and employment outcomes or consultation with other state agencies on licenses or certifications. The Governor’s Office entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Alabama Department of Commerce (the fiscal agent for WIOA Title I), the Alabama Community College System (the fiscal agent for WIOA Title II), and the Alabama State Department of Education (the fiscal agent for Perkins V CTE) to transfer state leadership and administration funds to GOEWT for the purposes of implementing the required and permissible activities for state leadership activities under WIOA Title I, WIOA Title II, and Perkins CTE. Due to the close alignment between the required and permissible activities under WIOA and Perkins and the goals and objectives of GOEWT, implementing the required and permitted activities for statewide leadership under Perkins and WIOA will permit GOEWT to achieve its goals and objectives. 

Required Uses of State Leadership Funds

The use of state leadership funds will be used to support professional learning activities and provide targeted technical assistance.  Alabama is committed to strengthening the professional growth and development of teachers, school counselors, and school/district leaders. With support from the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity Education (NAPE) , the Alabama State Department of Education intends to provide professional development and technical assistance and research-based toolkits designed to build educators’ capacity to implement effective solutions for increasing student access, educational equity, and workforce diversity.  The toolkits include the following:

• Exploring Non-traditional Careers
• Exploring STEM
• Inspiring Courage to Excel through Self-Efficacy
• Ensuring Equity in Problem-based Learning
• Realizing Potential with Mindset              NAPE offers a three-phased solution to improve the recruitment, participation and retention of underrepresented individuals in CTE and nontraditional careers. Alabama       

has adopted the 16 National Career Clusters and the Alabama Department of Labor has identified the top 40 high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations and will be used for the development of all secondary Alabama CTE Courses of Study.  Sub-recipients of Perkins V funds will submit a plan for promoting high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations to non-traditional participants. The high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand list of pathways that will be supported with state and federal funding and technical assistance that will be provided are based on research between the Alabama Department of Labor (Alabama’s Labor Market Information Agency) and the Alabama State Department of Education.  A Labor Market Information tutorial is located on the Alabama Department of Labor’s website for public use. High-skill jobs are defined as needed nationally recognized business industry credentials, certificates at the secondary level, and/or degrees and education beyond the high school experience apprenticeship, postsecondary, and higher education. 

Programs at the Department of Youth Services will use a needs assessment to determine the activities for students who are enrolled in programs at these special campuses.  Funds are used to assist in providing services that will allow these students to enter the programs in the local school systems from which they are sent to these alternative education programs. 

Post-secondary will provide career and technical education training to correctional institutions of varying levels of security, and the instruction is delivered through six colleges. Perkins V funds will be used to provide postsecondary correctional CTE program activities based on needs prioritized by college Strategic Analysis Teams (SATs), which include community stakeholders.  Among the areas assessed by SATs are appropriateness of technology and access to technology.  SAT activities will be supported with Postsecondary Perkins V funds. 

Postsecondary Perkins V funds will also be used to purchase equipment and other technology needed to ensure that program concentrators possess current industry skills.

Professional development will be provided to pending career and technical education baccalaureate degree teacher education recipients.  Alabama will contract with the Southern Region Education Board to utilize “Teach to Lead” during “New Teacher Institute” four times a year.  “New Teacher Institute” will be mandated for teachers who enter Career and Technical Education through an alternative certification route.  Classes will be offered to allow teachers, counselors, and administrators to grow in their profession through regional, state, and national conferences.

Technical assistance is available for all eligible recipients.  Summer Conference is an annual state conference for both tachers and directors.  Program conferences are held annually at the region, state, and national levels.  The Alabama State Department of Education will conduct a New Administrators Academy annually, a directors’ meeting annually, and an electronic grant application work day annually. 

Jobs for Alabama’s Graduates (JAG) programs will provide eligible students with the support necessary to remain in school, to obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in today’s workforce, and to transition to postsecondary education.  Career coaches, Success Coaches, and Vocational Rehabilitation counselors/specialists will be available to students to ensure levels of preparedness are achieved by all subgroups. 

Compliance Monitoring- All LEAs, including those with schools receiving Perkins V funds, receive formal Compliance Monitoring reviews on a five-year cycle, with some LEAs being monitored more frequently based on a risk-based rubric. As part of the monitoring review, LEAs must provide evidence in their LEA Career and Technical Perkins V electronic grant application special population students have equity in access to all CTE programs. If the monitoring team finds evidence of inequities, the LEA will include in their corrective action plan steps to address the gaps, with specific goals and a timeline by which the inequities will be addressed.  All CTE compliance monitoring will be coordinated through the Standards and Accountability Section.

2. Implementing Career and Technical Education Programs and Programs of Study

a. Describe the career and technical education programs or programs of study that will be supported, developed, or improved at the State level, including descriptions of the programs of study to be developed at the State level and made available for adoption by eligible recipients.  (Section 122(d)(4)(A) of Perkins V) Alabama will continue to offer programs in the 16 nationally recognized career clusters. These programs and programs of study are well-established and utilize course sequencing and Alabama Courses of Study to lay out the progression from general awareness through more specific job-skill preparation.

The coursework and experiences comprising each program of study will increase in specificity as students progress. Work-based learning, youth apprenticeships, post-secondary credentials of value, and credit-bearing college dual enrollment can be utilized to create meaningful experiential learning for students and will be the desired capstone activities for each program of study. Dual enrollment is when students enroll in postsecondary coursework while also enrolled in high school and earn college credits while enrolled in separate courses that are not part of their high school curriculum. Embedding portable and stackable credentials in the programs of study will permit students to enjoy multiple entry and exit points and will ensure that students do not lose credit for credentials previously earned if they do not finish a program before reentering the workforce. Developing specific courses and academic alignment will be part of Alabama's Courses of Study development process, which defines a systematic method for maintaining timely and relevant coursework.  Local Education Agencies (LEAs) who are eligible recipients will be provided the opportunity to choose programs and programs of study which most closely align with their local workforce needs, student and parent career interests, and local business and industry vision for their students. Under the Perkins V Plan, LEAs will administer a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA) to drive program selection.

1. b. Describe the process and criteria to be used for approving locally developed programs of study or career pathways (see Text Box 3 for the statutory definition of career pathways under section 3(8) of Perkins V), including how such programs address State workforce development and education needs and the criteria to assess the extent to which the local application under section 132 will—i. promote continuous improvement in academic achievement and technical skill attainment;

Labor market data will continue to drive program decisions within the seven Workforce Development Regions in Alabama.  This data will allow stakeholders in the seven regions to evaluate the size, scope, and quality of each program. Credential attainment and academic proficiency will couple with Labor market data to further ensure the quality of the career and technical program.

Each of Alabama’s community colleges will have at least one individual who will be responsible for ensuring appropriate educational services are made available to students (including those who are incarcerated) known to have special needs.  Programs that lead to high-wage, high-skill, and/or in-demand employment will be made available to all Alabama community college students. The postsecondary programs that support pathway creation will be based on local labor market data that provides a glimpse of occupation needs and industry partnerships.   The local market data for postsecondary institutions is based on the seven Workforce Development Regions of Alabama but will be even more localized by a defined around the postsecondary institutions of a sixty-mile radius and an understanding of the commuting patterns of the population residents. Modifications to the programs will be made in various ways in order to fulfil the needs of special population groups by aligning programs of study with local industry need to include articulation between non-credit programs to credit bearing programs of study.  In order to provide individual plans for all student populations, postsecondary institutions will partner with local non-profits, community service providers, career one-stop centers, religious organizations, etc. to ensure mentoring occurs and needs are met for program completion and success.

ii. expand access to career and technical education for special populations; and

Alabama is committed to the provisions to expand access to career and technical education for special populations. Professional learning provided by organizations such as the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) can only enhance efforts that support high-quality CTE programs characterized by academic integration to increase student-readiness, attainment of postsecondary credentials, career advancement and economic stability for all genders, races, socioeconomic backgrounds and levels of ability. The Alabama Department of Education will work with LEAs to provide training on how to properly recruit and to retain students in special populations. Initial training will begin with all LEAs performing an equity gap analysis based on the special populations’ data elements. Data revealing gaps, by program, will be supported by identification of root causes and appropriate interventions. Additionally, data will be collected and disaggregated by each special population subgroup to ensure that students have equitable access to high-quality career and technical education programs. Baseline data, captured on the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment will be collected from each LEA in 2020, by each special population subgroup. This data, coupled with the LEAs implementation of appropriate interventions, will be revisited every two years to ensure progress toward closing gaps in participation or performance in particular programs or subgroups. Consistent with Alabama’s ESSA plan, this plan will utilize the minimum N-size with regard to special populations aggregate data reporting. The minimum N count of 20 for accountability reporting provides both statistical reliability across accountability measures and protects the privacy of those subgroups that are too small to report without disclosing personally identifiable information. Each LEA that receives Perkins V funding will provide a description of how students in special populations enrolled in schools assisted under Perkins V are currently served by CTE programs using data collections facilitated by the student management system and the local program application.

Support services (tutoring, career coaching, etc.) will be made available to students, so that as their core academic and technical education needs are being met, support is available to address other areas of concern.  Additionally, the inclusion of increased work-based learning opportunities, such as apprenticeships and paid internships, for students help to facilitate student persistence.

iii. support the inclusion of employability skills in programs of study and career pathways.  (Section 122(d)(4)(B) of Perkins V)

c. Describe how the eligible agency will—

​​​​​​​i. make information on approved programs of study and career pathways (including career exploration, work-based learning opportunities, early college high schools, and dual or concurrent enrollment program opportunities) and guidance and advisement resources, available to students (and parents, as appropriate), representatives of secondary and postsecondary education, and special populations, and to the extent practicable, provide that information and those resources in a language students, parents, and educators can understand;

www.alsde.edu. Additionally, included in a broader CTE marketing plan, will be additional web resources, printed materials, etc. geared toward the following target audiences:  students (including special populations), parents, and educators utilizing various media. This will also include resources that support career exploration, work-based learning, and dual enrollment program opportunities. These resources will be made available to English Learners’, whose native language may not be English or adapted to meet other needs of the reader. 

Each Alabama Community College will provide hard-copy and web-based course catalogs and informational brochures, outlining requirements and points of contact for additional information.  Information regarding work-based learning and dual enrollment opportunities will be provided as well.  Each community college will have at least one work-based learning component included in each program of study no later than the Fall semester of 2020.This work-based learning component will exist as an internship, pre-apprenticeship, or apprenticeship opportunity.  The community college system will also align with the state’s longitudinal data base in web format advertising opportunity for enrollment in many of the pathways toward job obtainment.  A student or parents of students will have access to this database as it will show career pathways aligned with O*NET occupation codes that lead to careers that are in-demand, high-skill, and/or high-skill, and the educational requirements will be embedded within each program for credential obtainment and program completion from each community college.

Career pathways will be provided for career and technical education students enrolled at Alabama Community College System (ACCS) institutions.  The career pathways model employed by ACCS  will provide career pathways (that include available industry certifications) for each of the  sixteen (16) career clusters:  Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources; Architecture & Construction; Arts, A/V Technology & Communication; Business Management & Administration; Education & Training; Finance; Government & Pubic Administration; Health Science; Hospitality & Tourism; Human Services; Information Technology; Law, Public Safety, & Security; Manufacturing; Marketing; Science Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM); and Transportation, Distribution & Logistics.  The colleges’ career coaches, advising staff, and faculty will work to ensure information regarding career options is disseminated at presentations made to prospective and current students (and their parents, when appropriate), when working with technical advisory councils, at regional workforce council meetings, comprehensive local needs assessment meetings, and on the Alabama Community College System website.

This includes partnerships between secondary and postsecondary institutions as pathways are presented to students of all ages.  It is the intent of Alabama’s education leadership to engage population groups in a manner that is appropriate for each individual depending on where they are in life. The manner of pathway presentation should hold applicable the level of academic and skill level of each learner and will include pathway progression and credential obtainment that is aligned from an entry level job toward a relative credential obtainment in the highest form possible within each career cluster as well as each occupation.  Credential obtainment that leads to a career that is of high-wage, high-skill, and/or in-demand, as well as the work-based learning element that compliments the specific credential, will be the ultimate goal for all learners.

​​​​​​​ii. facilitate collaboration among eligible recipients in the development and coordination of career and technical education programs and programs of study and career pathways that include multiple entry and exit points;

The development and implementation of programs of study are not accomplished in isolation. They necessitate a partnership between secondary and postsecondary entities. Collaboration among stakeholders at various levels of a program of study is critical to successful career pathways. ALSDE will facilitate collaboration among secondary, postsecondary, business and industry partners, and other stakeholders in a variety of ways, such as conferences presentations, workshops, webinars, and various types of technical assistance. Agencies will evaluate the program of study to ensure that it provides opportunities for students to participate in a CTSO (DECA, FCCLA, FBLA, FFA, HOSA, SkillsUSA, and TSA or in program-related work-based learning experiences. Documentation will be submitted outlining the collaboration processes between the secondary, postsecondary, and business and industry representatives (often from a local advisory board or local workforce development board). ALSDE will encourage eligible recipients to develop all CTE programs into programs of study, using the state template. ALSDE will ensure that LEAs utilize advisory committee for each program of study, if feasible, or at least one advisory group by cluster or for the entire LEA.

​​​​​​​iii. use State, regional, or local labor market data to determine alignment of eligible recipients' programs of study to the needs of the State, regional, or local economy, including in-demand industry sectors and occupations identified by the State board, and to align career and technical education with such needs, as appropriate;

The labor market data will be the driving force in determining how schools in different regions instruct and which programs and credentials are sought after by local industry. The Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA) will help quantify the data and drive decisions by each Local Education Agency (LEA). The CLNA, the Career and Technical Education (CTE) advisory committee, and regional workforce councils will join in decision making for programs and associated credentials at the local level.

​​​​​​​iv. ensure equal access to approved career and technical education programs of study and activities assisted under this Act for special populations;

Alabama is committed to ensuring equal access to approved career and technical education programs of study and activities assisted under this Act for special populations. Data revealing gaps by program will be supported by identification of root causes and appropriate interventions. Additionally, data will be collected and disaggregated by each special population subgroup to ensure that students have equitable access to high-quality career and technical education programs. Baseline data, captured on the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment will be collected from each LEA in 2020 by each special population subgroup. This data coupled with the LEAs implementation of appropriate interventions will be revisited every two years to ensure progress toward closing gaps in participation or performance in particular programs or subgroups.

The Alabama Community College System Career and Technical Education staff, in collaboration with other state agencies, will work closely with the community college deans to ensure efforts are made for the recruitment and retention of students known to be in special populations.  The focus of these efforts will be closing gaps and improving outcomes for these students. 

         Based on the context of this requirement, the reference to the local application process under “section 132” appears to be a typographical error in the Perkins V statute. The correct section for local applications in Perkins V is section 134. Therefore, eligible agencies should respond to this item using the provisions in section 134 of Perkins V.

Economic Development will provide funding that allows a large number of the Professional development activities will be made available to increase college staff members’ awareness of best practices in addressing the needs of special populations.  A local outreach attempt will also be made to those community service agencies that can assist with program success for students of special population groups.  The barriers often keeping students from success surround a need for childcare, transportation, or support in mentorship.  Reaching out to local agencies to help provide this support is critical to student success, and will be done on a case-by-case basis.  It is the intent of the community college system to provide professional development to finance leadership and student services leadership on each campus to ensure eligibility for such assistance as well as additional funding streams, agency support, and qualifications for students of special population groups occurs.

​​​​​​​v. coordinate with the State board to support the local development of career pathways and articulate processes by which career pathways will be developed by local workforce development boards, as appropriate;

The Alabama State Department of Education will coordinate with local WIOA Workforce boards to guide LEAs in providing credentials of high value. These credentials, and the competencies which lead to the credentials, will be disseminated by the TAC. Task Force committees consisting of educational content experts will be trained on strategies used to meet the needs of local industry and will assist TACs for creating competency models for each credential obtainment, career lattices indicating progression of occupations within each career cluster, and pathways of progress for student obtainment and credential award.

​​​​​​​vi. support effective and meaningful collaboration between secondary schools, postsecondary institutions, and employers to provide students with experience in, and understanding of, all aspects of an industry, which may include work- based learning such as internships, mentorships, simulated work environments, and other hands-on or inquiry-based learning activities; and

Using the 2020 WIOA Combined Plan and the Alabama Career Pathways Model,   Alabama will work to establish a wage premium for individuals who presently are unable to enter the labor force due to barriers, such as a lack of childcare or transportation or disillusionment regarding the prospects of upward mobility. The career pathway model will provide a feedback loop between employers and employees that will signal to individuals who currently are not betting on work to take a chance on a competency-based career pathway. A currency of credentials of value will also signal progressive wage increases, upward mobility within a firm, and within and between industry sectors. The 2020 WIOA Combined Plan will ensure that Alabama’s workforce system is driven by data and by the needs of industry and special populations to serve two customers: employers and jobseekers.

Dual enrollment is a longstanding component of Career and Technical Education   for Alabama’s high school students.  By availing themselves to dual enrollment, students have the opportunity to earn high school and college credit for the same course(s).  The Alabama Community College System Office of Workforce and

state’s dual enrollment students to receive scholarships when they enroll in targeted technical education programs of study.  An annual determination will be made regarding which programs of study are scholarship-eligible.  Those programs selected will be deemed as high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand.

The Alabama Community College System also has an articulation agreement with the Alabama State Department of Education that allows high school graduates to receive articulated credit for specific courses taken in high school.

​​​​​​​vii. improve outcomes and reduce performance gaps for CTE concentrators, including those who are members of special populations. (Section 122(d)(4)(C) of Perkins V)

Upon completion of the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment, if performance gaps for CTE concentrators exist, including members of special populations, the Alabama Department of Education is committed to working alongside local education agencies to deploy meaningful, evidence-based strategies that address minimizing our gaps that exists to close gaps. The Department will continue to focus on professional learning for CTE teachers in the areas of numeracy and literacy to support academic learning. 

The Alabama Community College System Career and Technical Education staff will continue to work with college deans and faculty members to address gaps in performance and persistence for all CTE concentrators (with an increased focus on students who are identified as being a part of special population groups).  Professional development opportunities, focused on best practices for recognizing the abilities students bring to our programs and building on them, will be provided.  Faculty members will be provided insight into how they can assist students (in special populations) in focusing the resilience they demonstrate in other aspects of their lives to academic achievement and persistence.

By providing students career pathways, students will be made aware of the credentials they can earn as they progress through a program of study.  Students will be provided a clear understanding of entry and exit points along a career pathway.

​​​​​​​d. Describe how the eligible agency, if it opts to do so, will include the opportunity for secondary school students to participate in dual or concurrent enrollment programs, early college high school, or competency-based education. (Section 122(d)(4)(D) of Perkins V)

Alabama Secondary CTE students have the opportunity to earn postsecondary credit through the following initiatives:

• Statewide and local articulation agreements which have been developed between secondary schools and postsecondary institutions
• Dual enrollment programs which allow eligible secondary students to earn high 

school and college credit for courses taken through an Alabama Community College System (ACCS) institution or through an Alabama four-year public or private college/university. 

• Alabama State Board of Education policies allow students to earn credit applicable toward an Alabama high school diploma, college degree, or certificate requirements in pathways which support local, regional, and state occupations which are in in-demand and require advanced technical skills.
• All postsecondary CTE programs of study accommodate dual enrollment credit, where applicable.

• Career and Technical Education Dual Enrollment (CTEDE) Scholarship Funds   

                        are allocated by the Alabama Legislature.  Colleges may maximize the CTEDE    

                        scholarship funds by providing textbooks, tool kits, personal protective

                        equipment, and other associated materials and supplies for student checkout, 

                        CTEDE scholarship funds may be used to cover costs of academic core

                        course(s) in the eligible CTE program of study that must be taken concurrently

                        with CTE course(s).

• The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and other college credit advancement programs enable students to earn college credit for introductory-level courses by achieving satisfactory scores on subject-specific tests.

​​​​​​​e. Describe how the eligible agency will involve parents, academic and career and technical education teachers, administrators, faculty, career guidance and academic counselors, local business (including small businesses), labor organizations, and representatives of Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations, as appropriate, in the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of its career and technical education programs.  (Section 122(d)(12) of Perkins V)

Alabama will communicate with the Career and Technical Education (CTE) community so all stakeholders begin to view CTE as a relevant educational option.  The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) will develop marketing strategies, communication strategies, and recruitment materials that emphasize real world skills and tangible outcomes. Each eligible recipient will evaluate Local Market Data indicators, will involve technical assistance committees, and will ensure each program is not duplicating services.  Furthermore, the eligible recipient will consult with local business and industry to ensure ample opportunities exist for student participation in each program in post-secondary and labor market endeavors.  Teachers, students, parents, academic and career and technical faculty and administrators, local businesses, labor organizations, and Tribal organizations, as appropriate, will be involved in the planning and development of programs.

Each eligible applicant will submit an application for a new program to ALSDE.  Each new program will be reviewed.  If approved, the eligible applicant will implement the program.  Each program will be evaluated using the Evaluation of Quality of Instructional Programs (EQUIP) annually to ensure it is a quality program with favorable outcomes.

​​​​​​​f. Include a copy of the local application template that the eligible agency will require eligible recipients to submit pursuant to section 134(b) of Perkins V. See Text Box 4 for the statutory requirements for local applications under section 134(b) of Perkins V.

(Appendix 2—Local Program Application Template)

​​​​​​​g. Include a copy of the comprehensive local needs assessment template and/or guidelines that the eligible agency will require of eligible recipients to meet the requirements of section 134(c) of Perkins V. See Text Box 5 for the requirements for the comprehensive local needs assessment under section 134(c) of Perkins V.

(Appendix 3—CLNA)

​​​​​​​h. Provide the eligible agency’s definition for “size, scope, and quality” that will be used to make funds available to eligible recipients pursuant to section 135(b) of Perkins V.

Each sub-recipient of Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (Perkins) funds will be required to implement a minimum of one of the national 16 clusters. The components of each cluster will include a foundation course and other pathway courses identified in the Alabama Courses of Study: Career and Technical Education that end with a credential, certificate, or degree (www.alsde.edu). Courses in the appropriate postsecondary pathway will complete the required components of each cluster. Local education systems will be encouraged to add additional pathways to support additional clusters.  The size, scope and quality provisions include the following:

Secondary CTE Program Quality Indicators:

• • Criteria for Size:
    • Provide an opportunity for students to become CTE concentrators. A CTE concentrator is defined as a secondary student who has earned two (2) or more credits in a single CTE program, and
    • Offer a minimum number of programs based on the percentage of CTE enrollment. A CTE program must consist of two (2) or more courses (or two (2) credits) in a single secondary CTE program where two (2) course/credit sequences are recognized by the state and/or its local eligible recipients).

Secondary CTE Program Quality Indicators:

• • Criteria for Scope:
    • Provide secondary students with opportunities for acceleration (dual enrollment/articulated credit), and
    • Align with business and industry as validated by a local or regional business advisory committee.

Secondary CTE Program Quality Indicators:

• • Criteria for Quality:
    • Provide students with the opportunity to earn an industry certification and/or licensure approved by the state, and
    • Provide students with the opportunity to participate in a CTE program that is classified as high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand, and
    • Ensure that academics and academic achievement are an integral component of all Perkins-funded CTE programs.

Postsecondary CTE Program Quality Indicators:

• • Criteria for Size:
    • The ACCS institutions will offer a sufficient enough number of courses to provide all students the opportunity to become CTE concentrators.

Postsecondary CTE Program Quality Indicators:

• • Criteria for Scope:
    • Each of the Alabama Community College System’s institutions will collaborate with local workforce advisory committees to ensure program requirements align with local industry needs and that they provide students an opportunity to enter into career fields that are high-wage, high-skill, and/or in-demand.

Postsecondary CTE Program Quality Indicators:

• • Criteria for Quality:

The Alabama Community College System programs of study will integrate the opportunity for students to earn industry-recognized certifications/credentials.  Programs of study are designed to ensure academic and technical proficiencies are achieved.

3. Meeting the Needs of Special Populations

​​​​​​​a. Describe the eligible agency’s program strategies for special populations, including a description of how individuals who are members of special populations—

​​​​​​​i. will be provided with equal access to activities assisted under this Act;

The Alabama Department of Education requires that all students, have equal access to public education programs and support services. We will comply fully with Federal statutory requirements regarding the requirements outlined in Perkins V that all students have equal opportunity to receive publicly funded services, including students identified as special populations based on the pre-defined categories. Students in these categories will not experience discrimination based on their status and will receive appropriate support to meet or exceed the determined levels of performance, including opportunities for further learning and appropriate accommodations to promote parity in success. 

• • The Office of Counseling and Guidance is housed within the Alabama Department of Education under the supervision of the Assistant State Superintendent for Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Workforce Development. All students, including students from all special populations, will be provided counseling and career guidance services coordinated through this office. CTE students and those not enrolled in CTE coursework will be exposed to opportunities for participation in CTE programs and to accommodations available which enable their access to those programs.
  • ALSDE will disaggregate participation and performance data for all special populations to identify areas of strength and areas of improvement at the LEA level.
  • LEAs will disaggregate participation and performance data for all special populations to identify areas of strength at the local program level.
• Individuals with disabilities:
  • CTE representatives are team members and will participate in the creation and implementation of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or Section 504 Plans. Those plans will include necessary accommodations to curriculum and to potential modifications of equipment or other physical facilities to enable student access to CTE programs.
  • In cases when CTE representatives are not participants in the creation of the IEP or Section 504 Plan, a Career Technical Implementation Plan will be developed to address potential barriers to student participation.
• Individuals from economically disadvantaged families, including low-income youth and adults:
  • Local Education Agencies (LEAs) will develop funding mechanisms to reduce or to eliminate student fees associated with participation in CTE programs.
  • Through the braiding of Perkins funds with Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds, students who meet WIOA eligibility requirements may receive assistance with fees or costs associated with participation in CTE programs.
• Individuals preparing for non-traditional fields:
  • ALSDE will provide LEAs with professional development and technical assistance to identify and to eliminate barriers to student participation in preparation for non-traditional fields. 
  • LEAs will develop active recruitment and retention strategies for student participation in preparation for non-traditional fields.
• Single parents, including single pregnant women:
  • The 2020 WIOA Combined Plan for Alabama will include Perkins as a component. The combined plan will enable the braiding of Perkins funds with Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds for students who meet WIOA eligibility requirements. Those students may receive assistance with fees or costs associated with participation in CTE programs.
  • LEAs will be provided professional development in the implementation of Title IX protections related to student participation in CTE programs.
• Out-of-workforce individuals:
  • Secondary CTE programs do not support out-of-workforce individuals.
• English learners:
  • To fulfill ESSA requirements (ESEA section 1111(c)(4)(A)(ii)), ALSDE has created long-term goals for English learners which determine increases in the percentage of students making progress in achieving English proficiency that are both ambitious and achievable.
  • Local needs assessment data will incorporate data on the number and percentage of students in need of assistance with English Language Proficiency.
  • When appropriate, LEA’s Local Perkins Applications will include activities to assist ELP students with CTE program selection and will coordinate with the LEA’s ELP program efforts.
• Homeless individuals described in section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C 11434a):
  • The 2020 WIOA Combined Plan for Alabama will include Perkins as a component. That combined plan will enable the braiding of Perkins funds with Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds for students who meet WIOA eligibility requirements. Those students may receive assistance with fees or costs associated with participation in CTE programs.
  • For non-WIOA eligible homeless students, course fees and costs will be waived.
• Youth who are in, or have aged out of, the foster care system:
  • ALSDE will provide professional development and technical assistance to LEAs regarding effective strategies for inclusion of students in CTE programs who are involved with the foster care system.
  • LEAs will coordinate with county representatives of the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) to identify students involved in the foster care system. LEAs and DHR will work to identify needs, develop strategies to address the needs, and provide educational and support services to students. 
• Youth with a parent who is a member of the armed services and is on active duty:
  • ALSDE will provide professional development and technical assistance to LEAs regarding effective strategies for inclusion of students in CTE programs with parents on active military duty.

The Alabama Community College System’s institutions will ensure all students have equal access to and success in all educational offerings.  This will involve the following:  outreach opportunities targeted toward special populations; comprehensive, on-going career and academic counseling; job placement services; the availability of accommodations, when needed; work-based learning opportunities; participation in career and technical education student organizations; parental involvement, when appropriate; English language instruction, etc.

 Funds will be set aside to serve students enrolled in educational programs in correctional institutions (both youth and adults) and to provide professional development opportunities to the staff members who serve these students.

​​​​​​​ii. will not be discriminated against on the basis of status as a member of a special population;

       No person shall be denied access to secondary or postsecondary career and technical education programming based on his or her designation as a member of a special population.  Special population students are to have full access to all career and technical education programs, including cooperative education, apprenticeship, and student organizations.  Students will receive high-quality instruction, assessment, guidance and counseling services, and job placement.

ALSDE staff is responsible for the monitoring OCR requirements.  Annually, data is collected to ensure that students are not discriminated against on the basis of their status as members of special populations.  If target data shows discriminatory patterns, systems are reviewed for OCR violations.  On-site monitoring visits will be conducted to determine if there is any discrimination and the extent of that discrimination against students who are members of special populations.  Technical assistance will be provided in the areas of nondiscrimination as monitored through OCR.  Professional development activities will be conducted annually to provide awareness to all eligible recipients.  Eligible recipients will provide assurance of nondiscrimination through the submission of the local application.

In accordance with Federal and State statutes, Alabama Community College System institutions prohibit discrimination against students, including those enrolled in career and technical education programs, on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or gender identity; national origin, citizenship status; age; disability; veteran status; and genetic information.  Professional development on non-discrimination and cultural awareness is offered on a routine basis.

​​​​​​​iii. will be provided with programs designed to enable individuals who are members of special populations to meet or exceed State determined levels of performance described in section 113, and prepare special populations for further learning and for high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors or occupations;

All Career and Technical Education students will meet or exceed State determined levels of performance described in section 113.  Furthermore, ALSDE will provide training and technical assistance to LEAs in analyzing and interpreting academic data to drive instruction.  Data will be utilized to provide additional academic supports to CTE students who are members of special populations.

The Alabama Community College System’s Division of Adult Education works collaboratively with ACCS’s Career and Technical Education Department to ensure students in special populations are prepared to enter into career and technical education programs of study after completing adult education programs.  Some technical programs that lead to careers in high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industries can be completed concurrent with adult education.

​​​​​​​iv. will be provided with appropriate accommodations; and

• Individuals with disabilities
• Individuals from economically disadvantaged families, including low-income youth and adults
• Individuals preparing for non-traditional fields
• Single parents, including single pregnant women
• Out-of-workforce individuals
• English learners
• Homeless individuals described in section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C 11434a)
• Youth who are in, or have aged out of, the foster care system
• Youth with a parent who is a member of the armed services and is on active duty
  • Students with IEPs will be provided accommodations based on the recommendations and requirements in the IEP and Career Tech Implementation Plan.
  • Students who are members of special populations, but do not have an IEP, an ELP, 504 plan, or other mandated plan for accommodations will be offered appropriate accommodations for their individual needs.
    5. will be provided instruction and work-based learning opportunities in integrated settings that support competitive, integrated employment. (Section 122(d)(9) of Perkins V)
    6. Individuals with disabilities
• Individuals from economically disadvantaged families, including low-income youth and adults
• Individuals preparing for non-traditional fields
• Single parents, including single pregnant women
• Out-of-workforce individuals
• English learners
• Homeless individuals described in section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C 11434a)
• Youth who are in, or have aged out of, the foster care system
• Youth with a parent who is a member of the armed services and is on active duty
  • Students with IEPs will be provided accommodations based on the recommendations and requirements in the IEP and Career Tech Implementation Plan.
  • Students who are members of special populations, but do not have an IEP, an ELP, 504 plan, or other mandated plan for accommodations will be offered appropriate accommodations for their individual needs.

 4. Preparing Teachers and Faculty

1. Describe how the eligible agency will support the recruitment and preparation of teachers, including special education teachers, faculty, school principals, administrators, specialized instructional support personnel, and paraprofessionals to provide career and technical education instruction, leadership, and support, including professional development that provides the knowledge and skills needed to work with and improve instruction for special populations.  (Section 122(d)(6) of Perkins V)

The Alabama Department of Education (ALSDE) will provide alternative methods of certification to recruit teachers from business and industry.  ALSDE will utilize the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) to implement Teach to Lead as Alabama’s New Teacher Institute professional development for teachers who choose to enter the teaching profession via alternate routes.  Teach to Lead is divided into four learning institutes in which new teachers are able to learn teaching basics and how to accommodate special populations.  In the annual Perkins electronic grant application, each eligible agency will be required to describe a plan to recruit, to retain, and to train personnel.  ALSDE will offer support to LEAs through national, state, and regional conferences.  Program specific specialists are available to provide technical assistance either at the request of a CTE director or after a Quality Assurance Visit.  The Standards and Accountability section of the Career and Technical Section will coordinate technical assistance after Quality Assurance Visits (EQIP) to ensure any findings are addressed.  The CTE section will coordinate with the Special Education Services Section to ensure accommodations and modifications are made to make CTE programs accessible to students with special needs.  ALSDE will host an annual New Administrator’s Institute to support new career and technical education administrators and three meetings to support all career and technical education administrators. 

Alabama Community College System faculty will be given the opportunity to attend The Alabama Department of Education’s CTE Professional Development Conference.  Several sessions are content specific and not only allow our ACCS faculty to be made aware of best practices, they are provided examples of how they can utilize them in their classrooms and labs.

In addition, ACCS career and technical education instructional personnel are given opportunities to attend one- and two-day workshops, where they are able to collaborate on strategies they employ to best serve students, including those who are identified as being a part of a special population.

ACCS CTE deans and college financial personnel have two opportunities each year to attend sessions related specifically to Perkins requirements.