CONTACT: JIM MORRIS |
Vol. 42, No. 51
July 3, 2008
Missouri’s “Perkins IV” Plan Gets Federal OK
Plan focuses on academics, accountability and post-high school transitions
The U.S. Department of Education has approved Missouri’s five-year plan for career and technical education, state education officials announced today.
Prepared by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the plan calls for strengthening the academic skills of technical-education students and making it easier for them to move from high school into postsecondary programs.
The state plan is required under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, also known as “Perkins IV.” Under the law, Missouri receives about $26 million per year in federal funds to support career and technical education programs across the state.
“Our staff and constituents worked hard to develop a forward-looking state plan that will help prepare Missouri students and adults for 21st-century careers. This is an important and exciting time for career education,” said Tom Quinn, assistant commissioner of DESE’s Division of Career Education.
Perkins IV maintains much of the previous law’s emphasis on program improvement and student achievement, but it also requires states to focus on several new priorities: documenting the rigor of academic and technical courses; improving curriculum alignment among secondary and postsecondary schools; and streamlining the transition process for students moving from one level to another.
The law also calls for schools to focus more effort on programs that will prepare students for recognized employer credentials, postsecondary certificates, and associate or bachelor’s degrees – which are likely to qualify more students for high-demand, high-wage careers.
The U.S. Department of Education praised DESE for submitting “such a comprehensive and thoughtful plan,” Quinn said. The Perkins IV plan covers the period from July 1, 2008, to June 30, 2013.