Perkins V

What is Perkins?

Perkins is dedicated to increasing learner access to high-quality CTE programs of study and is critical to ensuring that programs are prepared to meet the ever-changing needs of learners and employers.

History of the Act

The Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 was the first authorization for the Federal funding of vocational education (now termed career and technical education). Subsequent legislation for vocational education  included the following:

• Vocational Act of 1973
• Carl D. Perkins Act of 1984 Perkins
• Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act (Perkins II)
• Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 1998 (Perkins III)
• Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV)
• Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V)

Perkins V

On July 31, 2018, the President signed into law the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V), reauthorizing the existing Perkins IV law. Perkins V took affect on July 01, 2019.

Perkins V reflects the 100-year federal commitment to Career Technical Education (CTE) and is largely based on the structure and content of Perkins IV; it remains the most important piece of legislation affecting CTE in the country. Perkins V focuses on improving the academic and technical achievement of CTE students, strengthening the connections between secondary and postsecondary education, and improving accountability. Perkins V affords states and local communities the opportunity to implement a vision for CTE that uniquely supports the range of educational needs of students — exploration through career preparation — and balances those student needs with the current and emerging needs of the economy. The Act places additional emphasis on-

• local flexibility
• comprehensive stakeholder engagement and collaborative planning
• innovation
• equity
• alignment with other education and workforce programs

What is the Illinois Perkins V State Plan?

The Illinois State Plan for Perkins V details Illinois’ efforts for the administration of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act for State Fiscal Years (SFY) 2021-2024 (July 1, 2020- June 30, 2024).

The purpose of the State Plan is to guide the strategic partnership and alignment between the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) as they administer the federal Perkins program. The plan describes the processes and policies that will be carried out by ISBE, ICCB, and the local education agencies and community colleges who are responsible for local administration of Perkins dollars. Activities within the State Plan aim to achieve the State’s Vision and Goals for creating an educated and skilled workforce, in partnership with many state and local partners.

The Illinois State Perkins Plan, along with a letter from Governor JB Pritzker providing his support, was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education and approved on May 21, 2020! Additionally, the Illinois’ Career and Technical Education plan was among the first to receive federal approval.

Resources

Plan and Appendices:

• Illinois State Plan for Perkins V
• Work Group Recommendations
• Summary of Feedback from the Transition Plan Road Shows
• ICCB Grant Monitoring and technical assistance procedures
• Postsecondary Local Application
• Postsecondary Local Application Guidelines
• Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment Template

Translated Versions of the Plan:

• Perkins V Draft 9.12 Arabic final version
• Perkins V Draft 9.12 Polish Final version
• Perkins V Draft 9.12 Spanish Final Version
• Perkins V Draft 9.12 Tagalog Final Version
• Perkins V Draft 9.12 Urudu final version

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Informing the State Plan: Employer Input
• Informing the State Plan: Student Input
• CTE Roadshow, An Intro to Perkins V State Planning Efforts (December 2018), Webinar
• Perkins V State Plan Work Group Meeting (February 2019)
• State Plan Roadshow (Fall 2019)

Allocations

Budgets and Allocations

Federal Perkins

• FY2025 Postsecondary Perkins Allocations
• FY2024 Postsecondary Perkins Allocations
• FY2023 Postsecondary Perkins Allocations
• FY2022 Postsecondary Perkins Allocations
• FY2021 Postsecondary Perkins Allocations
• FY2020 Perkins Allocations
• FY2019 Perkins Allocations

State CTE 

• FY2020 State CTE Allocations
• FY2019 State CTE Allocation

Funding
Federal funds shall be disbursed to the grantee on a reimbursement basis. Payment requests should be made using the specific payment request form provided to you by ICCB fiscal staff. Please contact ICCB at ICCB.grantpayments@illinois.gov for assistance.

Deadlines

Both fiscal and programmatic administrators should be conscious of the funding deadlines provided in order to ensure reimbursement. These deadlines are specific to the Perkins grant and may vary for other grant opportunities made available by the ICCB.

For more information on specific state and federal regulations and guidelines, visit the websites below:

• Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR)
• GATA- Office of Management and Budget

The public comment period is now open for the State Determined Level of Performance (SDLP) proposed targets for fiscal years 2025 to 2028.

Please join ICCB and ISBE on February 27 for a webinar to review the proposed SDLPs, as well as review the updates to the State Plan. Register here for the webinar: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5455548435525438040.

The U.S. Department of Education requires states to create new performance targets to be submitted in conjunction with the FY25-FY28 Perkins State Plan. Table 1 below shows the proposed target percentages (in green), as well as the past and current targets for fiscal years 201 to 2024, for reference. The acronym “ALP” in the table below means Actual Level of Performance. The percentages in the ALP rows (in red) are how the state of Illinois actually performed versus the target directly above it. Postsecondary CTE has consistently exceeded the targets over the past several years.

The public comment period is open from February 16, 2024 – March 08, 2024.
Please send all feedback to: https://form.jotform.com/240466279818165

The following factors were used to determine the proposed targets:

• Historical Performance and Trend Analysis:
  • An analysis of the historical performance data for each measure (1P1, 2P1, and 3P1). This included analyzing past targets versus the actual performance achieved. Post-COVID Illinois has seen a significant amount of hiring and job openings as businesses reopened and normal operations resumed. However, this will not continue indefinitely, and the labor market often goes through downturns after periods of growth and expansion. We believe it best to take a conservative- yet continuous improvement- approach to target setting as we move forward.
  • An examination of the trend in actual performance relative to the targets over the past three years (we do not yet have data for fiscal year 2024).
• Gradual Improvement and a Balanced Approach:
  • A consideration of the organization’s ability to improve over time, and then utilizing this logic to set targets that reflect a gradual improvement from historical performance, balancing ambition with achievability. This included avoiding setting targets unrealistically high to prevent demotivation or unrealistic expectations.

Additional factors of significance:

• CTE continues to be crucial to the revitalization of our economy.
• Community colleges experienced an increase in headcount and FTE for the 2nd year in a row, in which CTE increased by 10.4 percent in headcount.
• Statewide initiatives like PATH (our healthcare grant) and the new EV initiative will get more students interested in nontraditional careers, especially in healthcare which has seen probably the largest shift away from being dominated by a single sex.

Accountability

Perkins V Specifics: Accountability and continuous improvement remain key tenets in Perkins V. While the performance indicators for postsecondary CTE did not significantly change, there is an increased focus on transparency and equity. Perkins V also outlines new guidelines for states, which are as follows:

• States no longer negotiate performance levels with U.S. Department
  of Education (although the Secretary of Education still has the authority to approve or disapprove performance levels as part of the State Plan
  review/approval process)
• Eligible agencies consult with stakeholders to develop “State
  Determined Levels of Performance”
• All four years of targets must be included in State Plan (reinforces strategic,
  long-term planning)
• States must continually make progress toward improving the
  performance of all CTE students, including special populations and other sub-populations

Following are the State Determined Levels of Performance (SDLPs) that were developed in consultation with stakeholders. ICCB staff also considered Illinois’ vision and goals for CTE, as well as long-term planning when developing the SDLPs.

Data

Postsecondary Perkins accountability data is comprised of three performance indicators. These indicators do not differ greatly from those of Perkins IV, rather, they have been condensed into three indicators as opposed to six. Those indicators and accompanying definitions are included below.

1P1: Postsecondary Retention and Placement
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.

• Numerator: Number of individuals in the denominator who in the second quarter after program completion are in a postsecondary education or advanced training, military service or a service program, that receives assistance under Title I of the National Community Service Act or are employed.
• Denominator: Number of individuals earning 12 Credits in CTE via course level
  submission to ICCB (AC) OR who completed a CTE Degree or Certificate but earned less than 12 CTE credits in a cohort year.

2P1: Credential, Certificate or Degree
The percentage of CTE concentrators who receive a recognized postsecondary credential during participation in or within 1 year of program completion.

• Numerator: Number of CTE concentrators from the denominator who have received a degree, certificate, or industry credential approved for a specific CTE program in the prior reporting year or within one year of program completion
• Denominator: Number of individuals earning 12 Credits in CTE via course level
  submission to ICCB (AC) OR who completed a CTE Degree or Certificate but earned less than 12 CTE credits in a cohort year.

3P1: Non-traditional Program Enrollment
The percentage of CTE concentrators in career and technical education programs and programs of study that lead to non-traditional fields.

• Numerator: Number of under-represented CTE concentrators in non-traditional CTE programs during the reporting year.
• Denominator: Number of individuals earning 12 Credits in CTE via course level
  submission to ICCB (AC) OR who completed a CTE Degree or Certificate but earned less than 12 CTE credits in a cohort year.

Resources

• Perkins Data Dashboard: https://www2.iccb.org/pods2/
  • Username: ICCBPerkinsV
  • Password: perkvbeta_202104#
• FY2022 Perkins Data Dashboard Training Resources:
  • Training slideshow
  • Training Recording
• Perkins V Measure Flowchart
• CTE Concentrator definition: [Postsecondary] A student who earns 12 credits in a single CTE program or program of study or completes a CTE program if that program encompasses fewer than 12 credits.

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 21^st 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.

The Process

Risk is assessed using a quantitative system for rating and ranking grantees and their ICCB-funded programs. The risk-based system ensures that grantees are monitored uniformly across all ICCB-funded programs, while also ensuring efficiency of time and effort on behalf of both ICCB and college staff. Grantees are assessed using factors and weights derived from multiple sources. Each grantee is allocated points based on the criteria below. If a grantee’s institutional risk score was in the top 20% of all ICCB grantees, that grantee’s risk level will be designated as ‘elevated‘. All other grantees who do not fall into the top 20% will receive targeted technical assistance. Criteria used in the risk assessment will be evaluated and updated annually. 

• Number of deficient performance indicators for the year being monitored
• Number of advisory recommendations and compliance findings in most recent monitoring
• Timeliness of required submissions (performance, programmatic, financial and final reports)
• Unspent funds
• Unmet deliverables
• Experience of Perkins Coordinator

Monitoring Visits and Technical Assistance

Monitoring activities are dependent on the grantee’s risk designation. Only grantees with a risk designation of ‘elevated’ will receive an on-site monitoring visit. This visit will be conducted with ICCB fiscal staff when appropriate. Grantees who do not receive a risk designation of ‘elevated’ will receive targeted technical assistance in the form of a desk review or a phone conference. 

Resources

• ICCB fiscal staff contact information:

Purpose

The intent of Perkins programmatic monitoring is to directly review compliance with Perkins law, as well as observe evidence of progress on program activities and services.  Grantees will be notified of their risk level and subsequent monitoring at the beginning of each calendar year.

Process: Before continuing, please see the Grant Monitoring web page for specific information about how colleges are selected for monitoring. Programmatic monitoring activities are dependent on the grantee’s risk designation.

• Elevated risk: grantees will be required to complete the self-assessment portion of the Monitoring Tool and submit documentation specific to the Documentation Checklist. Grantees will receive a joint fiscal and programmatic Final Monitoring Report, even if the on-site review was not conducted with ICCB fiscal staff.
• Targeted Technical Assistance: grantees will receive targeted technical assistance to discuss the previous fiscal year’s grant, as well as any questions or concerns they have regarding the current year’s grant. Grantees will not receive a formal monitoring report.

What Grants will be Monitored?
The risk-based monitoring system applies to all grants you receive through the ICCB. Thus, your ICCB CTE liaison will be monitoring your previous year’s Perkins Basic grant, as well as any Perkins Title I Leadership grants your institution received. If the Perkins Administrator is not the contact for a specific Leadership grant, then the applicable person(s) will be contacted.

Resources

• Monitoring Tool and Self-Assessment
• Documentation Checklist
• Sample timeline of monitoring activities (elevated risk)

For FY2025, the Postsecondary Application materials can be found on the AmpliFund Grant Management website. The website is linked here.

FY2025 – FY2028 Postsecondary Perkins Guidelines and Resources:

• FY2025 Postsecondary Perkins Guidelines
• CTE Program of Study Approval Form
• Out of State Travel Request Form (FY25)
• Perkins V – Measure and Subgroup Source Information 

FY2024 PAC Meeting Materials:

FY2023 Guidelines Spring Cohort Presentation

Link to the full PAC Meeting recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sjv6U5IHfo&t=5s

Link to the Amplifund recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt_VHJ7ZFzU&t=1011s

Quarterly Reporting Schedule

• Quarterly programmatic reporting: This has been integrated into your Annual Work Plan template to reduce duplication of effort. That template can be found here.
• Quarterly financial reporting: This must be completed in a separate reporting document.is separate. That template can be accessed here: FY2021 Financial Reporting Template