Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act

Reauthorization of the Carl Perkins Act

On July 23, 2018, the U.S. Senate approved legislation to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.  The new law, The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act (Perkins V, for short), will take effect on July 1, 2019. This will mark the beginning of the one-year transition period, which requires eligible agencies, such as the Wisconsin Technical College system and DPI, to submit a one-year transition plan to the Department of Education.

Summary of Changes (provided by Advance CTE)

Wisconsin's Primary Focus:

• Establish Programs of Study (POS) including improvement and expansion of existing POS and the development and implementation of new POS;
• Increasing the rigor of work-based learning programs;
• Improving student performance for special populations through focused activities and support;
• Expansion of Nontraditional Occupations (NTO) career awareness and exploration with increased participation and completion of POS.

Education Agencies wishing to apply must:

• Be a Local Education Agency (LEA) (including a public charter school that operates as a local educational agency) or a consortium;
• Have a formula allocation of not less than $15,001 or apply as part of a consortium;
• Have a Certified Local Vocational Education Coordinator or Licensed CTE Coordinator who provides leadership and oversight in the planning and implementation of the program as well as annual data collection and reporting to DPI.
• Fully complete all sections of the application as directed.