Colleagues,

The public comment period is open for the proposed revised State Determined Level of Performance (SDLP) Postsecondary Perkins 1P1 Performance Indicator. Public comment is required for all changes made to the State Plan, including the SDLPs, and must be garnered within 60 days of the submission of the State Plan to the U.S. Department of Education [Section 113 (b)(3)(A)(iii)(B)(ii)].

Performance Indicator 1P1: Post Program Placement

Definition: The percentage of CTE concentrators who, during the second quarter after program completion, remain enrolled in postsecondary education, are in advanced training, military service, or a service program that receives assistance under title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511 et seq.), are volunteers as described in Section 5(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504(a)), or are placed or retained in employment

The proposed adjustment for the federal fiscal year 2020/state fiscal reporting year 2021 SDPL for 1P1 (Post-Program Placement) is to decrease the current SDLP of 69% to 64%. The ICCB’s rationale for this change is as follows:

  1. Statewide closures of workplaces in almost every employment sector were necessary to mitigate the impact of COVID 19.
  2. The number of individuals participating in the labor market declined significantly during the pandemic. At the time period that many of our graduates were exiting the postsecondary education (i.e. May/June 2020), we were at a marked decrease in the number of individuals who were in the labor market.
  3. The unemployment rate during Q4 of 2020 remains one of the highest Q4 unemployment rates since the Great Recession.

At this time, states are only required to revise the first year of the SDLPs, and will have the ability to revise the other years as needed. The ICCB has made the decision to revise only the first year, with the understanding that more data will be made available in the coming months to make more accurate projections for the remainder of the SDLPs (69.4%, 69.8%, and 70.4%, respectively). The ICCB does not anticipate the need to revise performance indicators 2P1 or 3P1 for this coming reporting year.

The public comment period is open from March 22, 2021 – April 21, 2021. Please send all feedback to: https://form.jotform.com/210805481505147.

Background

As part of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) legislation effective July 01, 2019, states were required to develop a new Perkins State Plan. This Plan was developed in consultation with stakeholders from around the state, who provided feedback on all aspects of the Plan, including the proposed State Determined Levels of Performance. Contrary to years past, under Perkins V, states are able to set their own SDLPs (based on evidentiary support), as opposed to negotiating these levels with the U.S. Department of Education. In order to make any changes to these levels of performance, states must once again put the proposed revised SDLPs out for a 30 day public comment period.

Here is a link to the approved Illinois Perkins V State Plan. The section that is being proposed for revision is Section X. Accountability, b. Postsecondary SDLPs on page 89.