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State board approves four-year Perkins CTE plan after regional needs assessments
Summary
The State Board approved a four-year Perkins career and technical education (CTE) state plan on Jan. 16. The plan used regional comprehensive local needs assessments and sets multi-year performance targets; it will go to public comment, to the governor and then to the U.S. Department of Education.
The State Board of Education voted on Jan. 16 to approve Mississippi's four-year Perkins CTE plan, a federally required document that sets state performance targets and guides career and technical education funding and program decisions.
Brett Robinson, associate state superintendent for career and technical education, told the board the plan was developed after regional "comprehensive local needs assessment" meetings with community colleges, school districts, business and workforce partners in September. Robinson said those sessions produced region-specific priorities that informed the plan's proposed performance targets and program guidance.
Why it matters: Perkins funding and state performance targets shape which CTE programs get state and federal support and establish accountability measures for concentrators (students who complete a CTE pathway), credential attainment, placement and work-based learning.
Board action and next steps - The board approved the Perkins plan in a motion recorded during the meeting (motion: Mary Warner; second: Miss Barrett). The vote passed on a voice vote with the board chair calling for "all in favor." - Robinson outlined the post-approval process: the plan will be posted for a 30-day public comment period, the department will respond to comments, and the document will then be submitted to the governor for a 30-day review. If approved by the governor, the department will send the plan to the U.S. Department of Education in May for federal review.
Plan content and targets - The Perkins plan keeps a focus on increasing the share of CTE concentrators who complete pathways and earn credentials, expanding embedded work-based learning and apprenticeships, and aligning secondary CTE pathways with community college and employer needs. - Robinson said the state used a baseline averaging the previous two years of data to set proposed multi-year targets. For example, credential attainment had a baseline shown as roughly 29.3% but recent performance jumped higher (Robinson cited a 54% performance figure for the most recent year), and the plan sets stepped increases over the four-year period to align targets with observed growth in some indicators. - The plan calls for continued collaboration with Accelerate Mississippi and regional workforce boards to map regional needs and to create a path for emerging program areas through a new course-code process.
Board discussion Board members asked about regional customization of CTE programs (Robinson said the needs assessments were regionally organized by community college service areas), how new program approvals will be handled, and coordination with industry partners including potential employers expanding in-state. Robinson said the department had worked with Accelerate Mississippi and workforce boards to align regional data, curricula and program approvals.
Sources and attribution: the article is based on Brett Robinson's Perkins presentation to the State Board of Education and the board's recorded motion and voice vote on Jan. 16.
