The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act was signed into law five years ago today, amending the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and creating what we know as “Perkins V.” States and local CTE programs have made great strides in implementing the law over the past five years, despite the immense challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the greatest challenges and opportunities in Perkins V has been the comprehensive local needs assessment (CLNA), which most local recipients have now completed at least twice. Local CTE leaders report that this process for assessing student performance, program quality and labor market needs is helping them make more data-informed decisions about programs and funding.
Another innovation has been the implementation of the new program quality indicators at the high school level. National performance data shows that Perkins Basic State Grant recipients achieved the following attainment levels on these indicators during the 2020-21 school year, the first full year of Perkins V implementation:
- Of the 12 states that elected to use postsecondary credit attainment as their program quality indicator, nearly 100,000 secondary CTE concentrators earned postsecondary credit in their CTE program area.
- Just over 128,000 secondary CTE concentrators participated in work-based learning experiences in the 29 states and territories that chose to measure CTE program impact in this way.
- More than 227,000 secondary CTE concentrators in the 22 states that chose recognized postsecondary credential attainment earned credentials such as industry certifications, licenses, postsecondary certificates and degrees.
CTE advocates also learned through 2020-21 Perkins data, which was the first year of performance reporting under Perkins V, that all states met their targets for secondary CTE concentrators’ four-year graduation rate, with an average graduation rate across the nation of 96%. In addition, we confirmed that CTE continues to impact millions of students, with almost 12 million participants and almost 5 million concentrators across secondary and postsecondary levels. Learn more with ACTE’s deep dive into Perkins V 2020-21 data.
As we celebrate this progress, we know that there is still work to do to ensure all students have access to high-quality CTE programs and experiences. In spring 2024, states will be setting new performance targets and also will have the option of revising their Perkins plans for the next four years. We encourage you to get involved in this process and provide your input.
At the national level, ACTE will continue to advocate for increased resources for the Perkins Basic State Grant to ensure more of the needs identified in CLNAs can be met. We will also continue to provide tools and resources to help CTE educators implement the law and deliver high-quality CTE, including Perkins V: The Official Guide. Please let us know in the comments if there are additional supports you need!
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