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

What's inside…

• Message from the Director
• DATE's Regional Accountability Specialists (RAS) Offer Technical Assistance on Requirements of Perkins IV
• Template Available for Performance Reporting
• National Data Quality Institute Scheduled
• Perkins CTE Grant Funds
• OVAE's Secondary-Postsecondary Transitions Institutes Update
• Spotlight on OVAE's State Scholars Program
• Student Appointment Opportunity in Agricultural Sciences Education/FFA
• Looking Ahead: Meetings and Conferences

Message from the Director

Hello, everyone!As the newly appointed Deputy Director for DATE, I am happy to write my first message to the States. Sharon is busy with her new baby girl, Olivia, and will be back the early part of May.

As Sharon mentioned in the March 2007 edition of Up-to-date with DATE, April has been a busy month for the States, as well as for the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE).Hopefully, things will quiet down, for a little while, after State plans are submitted in May.The OVAE staff will work as quickly as possible to review the State plans, and when necessary, will work with States to resolve questions or issues that may need to be addressed.

Looking forward to next month, information is provided in this update on the Data Quality Institute (DQI) that will occur in May. I hope that you have registered and will participate in this invaluable experience.We look forward to seeing you there!

Finally, the update on the State Scholars Initiative (SSI) program provides several web sites that may be of interest to you – check them out.

I am excited about my new role in DATE and look forward to working with all of you.Good luck with completing your State plans!

Sylvia E. Lyles
Deputy Director, DATE

DATE’s Regional Accountability Specialists (RAS) Offer Technical Assistance on Requirements of Perkins IV

Template Available for Performance Reporting

The Accountability and Performance Branch (APB) rolled out the new Perkins IV Final Agreed Upon Performance Level (FAUPL) template for reporting the state’s FAUPL.The purpose of this document is to inform states and users of a State’s performance, and to aid in holding states accountable for their annual yearly progress.In other words, the FAUPL represents the state’s report card and it provides up-to-date information of how the States are doing. State Directors can learn more about it in their conference calls with members of the Accountability Branch team, at the Data Quality Institutes, or on the Peer Collaborative Resource Network (PCRN).

National Data Quality Institute Scheduled

The first national Data Quality Institute (DQI) under the newly reauthorized Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV) will be held in Savannah, GA on May 18-19, 2007at the Hilton Savannah DeSoto Hotel. The institute will provide State teams with technical assistance on the Perkins IV core indicators and offer States the opportunity to assess their current use of technical skill assessments, identify gaps and learn about the availability of these assessments.

Perkins CTE Grant Funds

DATE staff recently sent a memo to State CTE Directors to announce the review of State grant balances for the current grant period. In order to determine the status of actual expenditures, DATE staff will send out inquiries on a quarterly basis (December, March, June, and September) as a way to monitor spending activities. This process will identify areas where technical assistance may be needed or areas where additional clarification is required in order for the department to assess the reasons for the drawdown levels.

Under the current grant, fiscal year 2005 funds must be obligated by September 30, 2007, or the funds will become unavailable. For further information, contact Alan Fjellheim at alan.fjellheim@ed.gov .

Spotlight on OVAE's State Scholars Program

The State Scholars Initiative (SSI) program, operated by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) for the U.S. Department of Education, advocates the Scholars Core Course of Study, which includes four years of English, three years of advanced math and science, 3 1/2 years of social studies, and two years of a language other than English. As part of the Scholars Core Course of Study, students are encouraged to take three years of math (algebra I and II and geometry) and three years of science (biology, chemistry, and physics).

Recent WICHE news includes:

• The publishing of Why Physics in the State Scholars Curriculum? This policy brief explains why high school students should take physics and can be found on the Web at: http://www.wiche.edu/statescholars/research/tools/
  why_physics.pdf. Advisory Board member Dr. Leon Lederman, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1988, contributed his expertise to the policy brief.
• The appointment of Stephen Wing to the Advisory Board. He brings his experience in the business world; he is director of government programs for the CVS Corporation: http://www.wiche.edu/statescholars/about/advisory.aspx.
• WICHE quarterly newsletters can be found on the SSI Web site at: http://wiche.edu/Statescholars/newsletter.
• Several SSI state directors will be participating as team members at the OVAE-sponsored regional institutes aimed at easing student transitions between secondary and postsecondary education, and from education to employment, through the use of programs of study organized around the career clusters. Nebraska, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Wyoming have confirmed their participation on their state team, and other SSI state directors are exploring team membership with their Career and Technical Education state directors.

For more information on the State Scholars Initiative, visit the program's newly revamped Web site, which includes a brochure, fact sheet, policy brief, newsletters, as well as links to State briefs, and each of the participating States' Web sites at www.wiche.edu/States/.

Student Appointment Opportunity in Agricultural Sciences Education/FFA

The Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) recently announced a Student Appointment Opportunity that will give participating students an opportunity to assist in the development of public information, program administration and policy initiatives in support of OVAE and it’s programs. The primary focus will be in the area of Agricultural Science Education/FFA, which is part of the Division of Academic Technical Education (DATE). Candidates must be enrolled in an Agricultural Science Education Teacher Preparation program at the university level. Through this work experience, students will gain knowledge and experience in Federal program development and educational policy administration.

This will be a 6-12 month paid position in which the student will have a workspace in the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC, and may have some opportunity to travel within the United States. The student will report directly to the Coordinator of Agricultural Education.

Applications are due in by April 30, 2007. For more information, contact: Christina Anzelmo via email Christina.Anzelmo@ed.gov or at 202-245-7800

Looking Ahead: Meetings and Conferences Over the Next Few Months