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

What's inside…

• Message from the Director
• Revised Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) for FY 2007 Approved
• Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) Published for the Native Hawaiian CTE Program
• Community College STEM Curriculum Development Request for Proposals
• "Blue Jackets and Bright Futures" Take Over DC for the Week!
• New Career Development Toolkit Available
• Mark Your Calendar! Meetings and Conferences

Message from the Director

Our office is pleased to report that we completed successful negotiations with States on performance levels for the three Perkins IV indicators that are tied to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)—academic attainment in reading/language arts, academic attainment in mathematics, and graduation rates—for program year one beginning on July 1, 2007. Below are a few bullet points with information on the outcomes of our negotiations:

• 40 States agreed to use OVAE’s recommended measurement approaches for the Perkins IV core indicators of performance as provided in our March 13, 2007, nonregulatory guidance memorandum.
• 45 entities agreed to use their Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) as their State-adjusted performance levels for academic attainment in reading/language arts.
• 42 entities agreed to use their AMOs as their State-adjusted performance levels for academic attainment in mathematics.

Between now and September 30, 2007, this office will conduct negotiations with States on performance levels for year two for these indicators. Look forward to a call from your Perkins IV Regional Accountability Specialist (RAS)!

All the best for a productive and relaxing summer!

Sharon Lee Miller

Revised Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) for FY 2007 Approved

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved this office’s revised Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) for FY 2007. This report will gather narrative, fiscal, and accountability information from States for the final program year under Perkins III (July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2007). Among the revisions to the CAR is a requirement for States to report data for CTE concentrators on the three Perkins IV indicators that are tied to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)—academic attainment in reading/language arts, academic attainment in mathematics, and graduation rates.

OVAE contractors at DTI Associates, Inc. will be “beta-testing” the Web-based version of the CAR for two weeks, beginning on or about August 23, 2007.

Please contact Sharon Head at 202-245-6131 or Sharon.Head@ed.gov if you are interested in participating in the beta-test.

Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) Published for the Native Hawaiian CTE Program

The Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) for the Native Hawaiian Career and Technical Education Program (NHCTEP) was published in the Federal Register on Thursday, July 5, 2007. This program provides grants to eligible applicants to plan, conduct, and administer programs, or portions of programs, that are authorized by, and consistent with, the purposes of section 116 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV) for the benefit of Native Hawaiians. The deadline for submitting applications is August 6, 2007.

Please contact Nancy Essey at 202-245-7789 or Nancy.Essey@ed.gov for further information or questions on the NHCTEP grant program.

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Community College STEM Curriculum Development Request for Proposals

The League for Innovation in the Community College, as part of its OVAE-funded College and Career Transitions Initiative (CCTI) has recently released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development of curriculum projects/strategies that can be made available to community colleges for use in their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-related career cluster courses and general education mathematics and science courses. These curriculum projects/strategies will both promote academic rigor in CTE courses and expose students taking mathematics and science courses to the specific career applications of the academic skills they are acquire in those courses.

Eligible applicants are encouraged to apply! The RFP is available at www.league.org/ccti

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“Blue Jackets and Bright Futures” Take Over DC for the Week!

More than 100 State FFA officers (each State president and a guest from their officer team) gathered in Washington, D.C., from July 25-30 for the National FFA State Presidents’ Conference (SPC). The officers, representing each state, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, are united by common goals: to strengthen skills in leadership and citizenship, to discuss national FFA business and to explore the heritage of the nation’s capital. The group attended the conference in preparation for their responsibilities as delegates and committee chairs for the 2008 National FFA Convention, to be held in Indianapolis, IN, from October 22-25.

Among the highlights of the week were a presentation and question and answer session hosted by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and the Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, congressional visits, capitol tours and a meeting scheduled with President George W. Bush on Thursday July 26th at the White House, where he addressed the students for more than thirty minutes and then answered several questions they had for him.

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New Career Development Toolkit Available

The Career Development Toolkit is a central library of electronic tools and resources developed to support counselors, teachers, administrators, and career guidance professionals as they help students and parents make good decisions about their education and career options—all within the context of career clusters.

The toolkit has four primary areas targeting career development professionals' work with students:

• Career Planning;
• High School, Postsecondary, and Work Preparation;
• Postsecondary Selection; and
• The Labor Market.

Each area provides tools to guide students through career exploration and assessments, career clusters, programs of study, postsecondary education and training options, internships, job searching and more.

Professional Practices, a fifth area of the Toolkit,offers information on professional development and the changing role of the career development professional, as well as resources to support professionals as they market career clusters and develop strategic partnerships. This section also highlights comprehensive guidance programs, promising state models, and evaluation.

The toolkit is available at: www.acrnetwork.org/counselortk

Mark Your Calendar!

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