CTE monitoring: Amherst outlines corrective actions after Carl Perkins review
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Summary
Following a federal Carl Perkins monitoring visit, CTE leaders briefed the board on a corrective-action plan addressing licensure, program completers, lab safety and documentation; administrators said most fixes are in progress and that evidence will be submitted to VDOE.
The board heard a detailed update on Career and Technical Education (CTE) after the division underwent federal monitoring tied to the Carl Perkins grant.
Mr. Maddox told the board the March monitoring identified multiple findings—teacher licensure gaps, missing completer sequences, documentation shortfalls and lab health-and-safety items—and that the division has compiled a corrective-action plan with completion dates. "We have sent them over 2,800 documents," Maddox said, describing the documentation effort and the collaborative walk-throughs with neighboring divisions prior to the on-site visit.
Maddox said many corrective steps are manageable (signage, floor markings, procedural evidence) and that some curricular adjustments were already placed in the program-of-studies to align with VDOE expectations. Board members pressed about teacher endorsements and "completer" course sequences for entrepreneurship and cybersecurity fundamentals; Maddox said the program-of-studies has been updated for next year and missing course applications are being submitted.
Members also flagged equipment and lab issues—Maddox confirmed a nonfunctional wash station in culinary arts will be removed and replaced and that some shop signage and bolt-hole security on machines needed correction. The administration described that a percentage of items were flagged for "lack of evidence" rather than absence of corrective action; the division will submit lesson plans, photos and procedures as evidence to VDOE.
The superintendent and board framed the audit as a learning opportunity and discussed potential future pre-audits or third-party reviews; one board member suggested budgeting for a pre-audit service before the seven-year federal monitoring cycle returns. Maddox said the division expects to complete the corrective-action items on the posted schedule and will report progress to the board.