Editor: Ellen Kelly-Holland
Correspondents: Barbara Gilbert, Nancy Essey, and Clara Lawson-Holmes

What's inside…

• Message from the Director
• Update on the Release of the Perkins IV State Plan Guide
• Federal Register Notice Published for Revised FY 2006-07 Perkins Consolidated Annual Report (CAR)
• Update on the Upcoming Round Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Incentive Grants
• Save-the-Date: "From High School to College and Careers: Strengthening Secondary-Postsecondary Transitions Using Career Clusters and Pathways" Institutes
• Notice Inviting Applications for Perkins Discretionary Grants
• Spotlight on State Scholars
• Looking Ahead: Meetings and Conferences

Message from the Director

The Office of Vocational and Adult Education’s (OVAE’s) Division of Academic and Technical Education (DATE) staff and I are pleased to issue the first monthly edition of “Up-to-Date with DATE.”  This informational fact sheet is intended to provide States, local grantees, and national associations with important news and information from our office on State formula grants, discretionary grants, and national activities in career and technical education (CTE).  This update also will spotlight innovative programs and practices in CTE across the country and alert readers to dates of important upcoming meetings and conferences of which DATE staff will be a part.  We encourage your feedback on how this publication can be most helpful to you.  Please feel free to contact Ellen Kelly-Holland at the e-mail address above with your ideas and suggestions.

Sharon Lee Miller
Director, DATE

Resources from OVAE's Data Quality Institute in Savannah

OVAE’s latest Perkins Data Quality Institute (DQI) was held in Savannah, Georgia, from May 17-19, 2007.  State representatives who were unable to attend may request a copy of the Institute notebook from Denise Garland at 202-245-7730 or via email at Denise.Garland@ed.gov.  Institute materials also may be downloaded from the Peer Collaborative Resource Network Web site at http://www.edcountability.net.

Update on the Release of the Perkins IV State Plan Guide

DATE staff is making final revisions to the Perkins IV State Plan Guide based on public comments that were received by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during their 60-day review period.  During this period, OVAE also received a letter from Congress to clarify its intent for the nontraditional core indicators of performance (the letter from Congress and the department’s response will be sent to State CTE directors under separate cover).  Among the major changes to the draft guide will be the separation of the nontraditional indicator into two indicators for reporting and accountability and the elimination of the “secondary investor” student definition.  OVAE expects the final guide to be released within the next week.  Stay tuned!

Answers to Your Questions about Perkins IV

DATE staff is receiving numerous questions from State CTE Directors and their staff members about the various provisions of the newly reauthorized Perkins IV Act, particularly with regard to accountability.  While we hope you will continue to submit your questions, we plan to hold off on answering specific questions until we issue the final Perkins IV State Plan Guide (and any related non-regulatory guidance) and begin preliminary conversations with State CTE directors and their staffs on measurement approaches and performance levels for the Perkins IV core indicators of performance beginning for FY 2007-08.  We anticipate these conversations to begin in early March. 

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Federal Register Notice Published for Revised FY 2006-07 Perkins Consolidated Annual Report (CAR)

DATE staff invites public comment on the revised FY 2006-07 Perkins Consolidated Annual Report (CAR), which was posted in the Federal Register on February 14, 2007.  Two major revisions are being requested:  a requirement for States to report enrollment data by gender for each of the career cluster areas; and a requirement for States to report on new indicators of performance that will be required under the Perkins IV legislation (academic attainment in reading/language arts and mathematics, and graduation rates).  The public comment period will close on April 16, 2007.

Save-the-Date: "From High School to College and Careers: Strengthening Secondary-Postsecondary Transitions Using Career Clusters and Pathways" Institutes

On Friday, February 23, 2007, DATE staff issued an invitation letter, Save-the-Date notice, and draft agenda for two upcoming regional institutes—the first to be held in Chicago, IL, on May 1-3, 2007, and the second to be held in Washington, DC, on July 16-18, 2007.  These institutes, a collaborative effort among OVAE, the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc), the League for Innovation in the Community College, and MPR Associates, will provide facilitated planning time for State teams to design and/or enhance model programs of study organized around the 16 career clusters that align to the requirements of the newly reauthorized Perkins IV legislation.  The registration site, accessed through OVAE’s home page at www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE, will open on Thursday, March 1.

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Notice Inviting Applications for Perkins Discretionary Grants

DATE staff will post Notices Inviting Applications (NIAs) for four discretionary grant programs in the Federal Register in early March 2007: the Native American Career and Technical Education Program, the Native Hawaiian Career and Technical Education Program, the Tribally Controlled Career and Technical Institutions Program, and the Outlying Areas (Pacific) Program. Our office intends to award grants under each of these programs by June 30, 2007.

Spotlight on State Scholars

Are you wondering how States are proceeding with their State Scholars Initiative (SSI) efforts?  The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) publishes quarterly newsletters featuring the efforts of SSI States.  The September 2006 issue features Connecticut, Michigan, and Oklahoma, while the December 2006 issue features Arizona, Rhode Island, and Tennessee. The newsletters can be found on the SSI Web site at: http://wiche.edu/statescholars/newsletter. Look for the next edition of the newsletter in March 2007, featuring news about Dr. Leon Lederman, Nobel Laureate, who joined the SSI’s Advisory Board in February 2007.

Looking Ahead: Meetings and Conferences Over the Next Few Months

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