Louisiana's Workforce Training Rapid Response Fund

Louisiana's Workforce Training Rapid Response Fund is sponsored by Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS). This fund is designed to help employers with accelerated training that leads to academic awards or industry credentials needed for employment. Technical colleges like SLTC would be central to delivering such training.

## U. S.

Department of Education ## Office of Vocational and Adult Education # Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 ## State Name: _LOUISIANA ## Eligible Agency Submitting Plan on Behalf of State: ## LOUISIANA COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM ## Person at, or representing, the eligible agency responsible for answering questions on this plan: Signature: Name: Patricia Felder Position: Executive Director of Career and Technical Education/State Perkins Director Telephone: (225) 922-2809 Email: patriciafelder@lctcs.

edu ## Type of State Plan Submission (check one ): _X 5-Year Full Plan – FY 2008 – FY 2013 _ 1-Year Transition Plan – FY 2007-2008 ## Special Features of State Plan Submission (check all that apply): Unified - Secondary and Postsecondary Unified - Postsecondary Only _X_ Title I only ( All Title II funds have been consolidated under Title I ) Title I and Title II Updated April-2016 2 ## 2008-2013 STATE PLAN FOR IMPLMENTATION OF THE PERKINS CTE IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2006 Part A: State Plan Narrative .....................................................................................................

5 Executive Su mmary ........................................................................................................................ 5 SECTION I. Planning, Coordination, and Collaboration Prior to Plan Submission ..................

9 A. Statutory Requirements............................................................................................................ 9 1.

Public Hearings [Section 122(a)(3)] ....................................................................................... 9 2. Summary of Hearings and Agency Response [Section 122(a)(3)] .........................................

9 3. Consultation in Development of State Plan [Section 122(b)(1)(A)-(B)]................................ 9 4.

Procedures for Participation in Plan Development [Section 122(b)(2)] .............................. 10 5. Coordination of State Plan with Other Agencies [Section 122(e)(3)] .................................

10 Section II. Program Adm inistration .............................................................................................. 12 A.

Statutory Requirements......................................................................................................... 12 1. Submission of the Plan [Section 122(a)(1)]..........................................................................

12 2. CTE Activities .................................................................................................................. 12 (a) Programs of Study/LCPs [Section 122(c)(1)(A)] .......................................................

12 (b) Development and implementation of Programs of Study [Section 122(c)(1)(B)] ......... 13 (c) Support for Articulation Agreements [Section 122(c)(1)(C)] ................................... 16 (d) Share Information about Programs of Study [Section 122(c)(1)(D)].........................

20 (e) Secondary and Postsecondary Programs and Technology Improvements [Section 122(c)(1)(E)] ........................................................................................................................ 22 (f) Approval Criteria [Section 122(c)(1)(F)] ................................................................... 22 (g) Secondary Preparation for Graduation [Section 122(c)(1)(G)].......................................

27 (h) Preparation for Postsecondary Education and Career Entry [Section 122(c)(1)(H)] . 29 (i) Improvement and Development of CTE Courses [Section 122(c)(1)(I)] ................... 32 (j) Communication of Best Practices Between Title I and Tech Prep [Section 122(c)(1)(J)] .........................................................................................................................

33 (k) Link Secondary and Postsecondary CTE [Section 122(c)(1)(K)] .............................. 33 (l) Integration of Academic and CTE Content [Section 122(c)(1)(L)] ........................... 38 3.

Comprehensive Professional Development [Section 122(c)(2)(A)-(G)] ............................. 39 4. Recruitment and Retention of CTE Teachers [Sec.

122(c)(3)(A)-(B)] ............................... 41 5. Transitions, Subbaccalaureate to Baccalaureate [Section 122(c)(4)] ..................................

42 6. Involvement of Stakeholders in CTE Programs [Section 122(c)(5)]................................... 43 7.

Improving Academic and Technical Skills, All Aspects of Industry, Taught to Challenging Proficiencies [Section 122(c)(7)(A)-(C)].................................................................................. 44 8. Technical Assistance [Section 122(c)(15)] ..........................................................................

46 9. CTE Relevance to Occupational Opportunities [Section 122(c)(16)] ................................ 46 10.

Joint Planning and Coordination [Section 122(c)(17)] ..................................................... 47 11. Coordination and Non-duplication [Section 122(c)(20)]...................................................

48 B. Other Departmental Requirements .......................................................................................... 48 1.

Local Applications .............................................................................................................. 48 3 2. State Governance Structure for CTE ...................................................................................

48 SECTION III. Provision of Services for Special Populations ..................................................... 50 A.

Statutory Requirements........................................................................................................... 50 1. Program Strategies for Special Populations [Section 122(c)(9)(A)-(C)].............................

50 2. Alternative Education Programs. [Section 122(c)(14)] ......................................................

52 3. Promote High-Skill, High-Wage, High-Demand and Non-Traditional Fields. [Section 122(c)(18)] ................................................................................................................................

52 4. State Correctional Institution Services . [Section 122(c)(1 9)] ............................................

53 5. Equitable Access (section 427(b) of the General Education provisions Act)...................... 53 SECTION IV.

Accountability and Evaluation............................................................................. 54 A. Statutory Requirements........................................................................................................

54 1. Obtaining Input on Measurement Definitions and Approaches [Sec. 113(b)(1)(A)-(B), sec.

113(b)(2)(A)-(C) ....................................................................................................................... 54 2. Obtaining Input on State Adjusted Levels of Performance [Section 122(c)(10)(A), sec.

113(b)(3)(B)]............................................................................................................................. 54 3. Valid and Reliable Measurement Definitions – Technical Assessment [Section 113(b)(2)(A)-(B)]......................................................................................................................

58 4. Alignment of Indicators of Performance [Section 113(b)(2)(F)] ........................................ 58 5.

Accountability Forms [Sec. 113(b)(3)(A)(i)-(ii)] ................................................................ 58 6.

Agreement on Local Adjusted Levels of Performance [Section 113(b)(4)(A)(i); sec. 122(c)(10)(B)]........................................................................................................................... 59 7.

Procedures to Request Revised Local Adjusted Levels of Performance [Section 113(b)(4)(A)(vi)]....................................................................................................................... 61 8. Data Reporting Processes Section 122(c)(13); section 205]................................................

61 9. Consortium Agreements and Performance Levels [Section 204(e)(1)]............................... 61 10.

Evaluation of Program Effectiveness [Section. 122(c)(8)] ................................................ 62 B.

Other Department Requirements............................................................................................ 63 1. Data Accountability Form s ..................................................................................................

63 2. Programs with Technical Skill Assessments ....................................................................... 64 SECTION V.

Financial Requirements..................................................................................... 67 A. Statutory Requirements.......................................................................................................

67 1. Allocation of Funds [Sec. 122(c)(6)(A); Sec.

202(c)] ..................................................... 67 3. Specific Dollar Allocations [Section 122(c)(6)(A), Section 202(c)] ...................................

67 4. Allocation of Funds to Consortia [Section 122(c)(6)(B), Section 202(c)] .......................... 68 5.

Allocation to Postsecondary Consortia [Section 122(c)(6)(B), Section 202(c)] ................. 68 6. Adjustment of Allocations if District Boundaries Change [Section 131(a)(3)] ..................

68 7. Proposed Alternative Allocation Formula(s) [Section 131(b) or 132(b)]............................ 68 B.

Other Department Requirements........................................................................................... 69 1. Detailed Project Budget .......................................................................................................

69 2. Listing of Allocations [Sections 112(a) and (c)].................................................................. 69 3.

Secondary and Postsecondary Formulas [Section 112(a), Section 131(a), 132(a)]............. 69 4. Competitive Basis or Formula for Allocating Reserve Funds [Setion 112(c)]....................

70 5. Procedures for Ranking Eligible Recipients [Section 112(c)] ............................................. 70 6.

Procedures to Determine Rural and Sparsely Populated Areas [Sections 131(c)(2), 132(a)(4)] ................................................................................................................................. 70 SECTION VII. EDGAR Certifications and Other Assurances ................................................

71 4 A. EDGAR Certifications .......................................................................................................... 71 B.

Other Assurances........................................................................................................... 73 CERTIFICATION REGARDING LOBBYING ..................................................................... 75 Part B: Budget Forms ............................................................................................................

78 Part C: Accountability Forms and Definitions............................................................................

81 > Appendix A Summary of Public Comments and Reponses > Appendix B 2012 Revisions - Summary of Public Comments and Reponses Appendix Appendix C Louisiana Career Clusters and Career Majors for Secondary Schools Appendix D Louisiana Career Clusters and Career Majors for Postsecondary Schools Appendix E Regional Partnerships Appendix F Local Application Plan – Used for Secondary and Postsecondary Eligible Recipients > Appendix G Industry-Based Credential Matrix, Secondary CTE Appendix H Postsecondary Formula Waiver (including tentative allocations) 5 ## Part A: State Plan Narrative The Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS), partnering with the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) and other state agencies, is committed to preparing a high quality workforce that will meet the needs of existing and new businesses in Louisiana.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) is one of Louisiana’s most important assets to help create the opportunities for excellent education and training -- efforts that will contribute to dynamic economic environment to benefit all Louisianans. This document is the Five-Year State Plan, jointly adopted by LCTCS and LDE that will guide the development and expansion of CTE during program years 2008-2013.

More specifically, the Five-Year State Plan provides details about how Louisiana will carry out the provisions of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (Perkins IV).

Skills Acquisition – Academic, Technical and Employability Through the efforts in CTE, academic and technical skills training delivered to youth and adults through the dedicated efforts of talented teachers, faculty and administrators at the school district and community/technical colleges, Louisiana’s program completers will acquire the core academic learning skills they need to be lifelong learners, adapting effectively to the changing needs of the workplace.

They will possess specific technical (or occupational) skills in the career field for which they have been prepared. Just as important, our program completers will understand the value that employers place on hard work, respect, individual responsibility, and teamwork.

This plan for CTE is designed to: (a) ensure that we instill all three components into our students (learning skills, technical skills and knowledge, and workplace employability skills); (b) give individuals the best opportunity for workplace success in high-skill, high-wage, high-demand occupations; and (c) give Louisiana’s employers the chance to strengthen and grow their businesses in Louisiana.

Secondary to Postsecondary Connections To reach these outcomes, we are working to improve the quality of every CTE course and program, and to connect high school programs with college-level programs so students can make a seamless transition from one to the other.

Almost all skilled, high-wage employment requires some level of education and training at the postsecondary level – whether it is in a community/technical college degree, diploma or certificate program, a registered apprenticeship program, or a bachelor’s degree program. These seamless connections of courses from secondary to postsecondary education are called Louisiana Career 6 Pathways (LCPs).

O v e r t h e p a s t f e w y e a r s , the LCTCS and LDE have been jointly developing over 62 LCPs that link community and technical college programs, offering over 150 degrees and many Industry-Based Credentials (IBCs) at the State’s 10 community and technical colleges, 6 university-based two-year CTE programs, and 70 secondary school districts.

Louisiana Career Pathways Using the Louisiana Career Pathway (LCP) models, qualified high school students can earn a significant number of college credits while still enrolled in high school. These programs accelerate student progress toward a college degree or industry-based credential, and can save thousands of dollars in tuition, loans and grants.

Louisiana has identified seven LCPs critical to the economic growth and success of Louisiana’s workforce and the State’s needs. By giving programs within these pathways a pre-approved status, secondary and postsecondary eligible recipients are to use Perkins funding to further develop and implement pathways for the targeted areas.

The pathways encompass 33 program concentrations at the secondary level and dozens of postsecondary credentials. The pathways are targeted for further development and implementation in Louisiana.  Education (i.e. Students Teaching and Reaching);  Information Technology, and  Manufacturing (including Advanced Manufacturing) LCTCS may approve the use of Perkins funds for other programs that fall outside of these pathways.

To receive approval, the eligible recipient will need to make a substantive case, based upon credible data and other information, that there is or will be a significant workforce need in the region of the state served by the school district or college that the program will address.

This new CTE plan for 2008-2013 will help the community and technical college system, as it takes on the important responsibility of delivering workforce training and providing a skilled Louisiana workforce. LCPs are designed for high school students to make seamless transitions. Similar planning and awareness tools will also help adults to enter the workforce or to learn new skills that will enhance their economic viability.

Adult LCPs are important to the training of those adults not currently in a program to earn a credential (certificate of technical skills, technical diploma, associate degree, and IBCs earned within a program). 7 Accountability for Results Through this new CTE plan, funding is directly tied to results.

Each school district and college sets performance targets for a variety of indicators such as student learning, program completion (earning a credential-technical skills certificate, diploma, associate degree), and successful transition to employment, further learning, and military service. Each program is accountable for continuously improving results on those indicators.

If the district or college falls short of its performance targets, the State works with the local recipient to implement improvement plans. Ultimately, the State has the authority to sanction programs if they show no improvement over time. This plan will strengthen partnerships of CTE programs at community and technical colleges with businesses to focus the State’s programs on “shortage areas.

” In fact, under the first two years of this plan, and in the foreseeable future, federal Perkins funds for local programs can only be used for launching and/or improving LCP programs in seven core areas of need for the State (listed on the previous page). LCTCS and LDE may approve the use of Perkins funds for other regional specific programs that fall outside of these pathways.

The work of CTE programs will be closely coordinated with other partner state agencies to make sure that the appropriate focus on priority programs is maintained. Federal funds for CTE should also be closely coordinated with any new sources of funding that are appropriated for economic development and start-up of new programs for workforce training and preparation.

Industry-Standards and Credentials This Perkins State plan will continue to build upon Louisiana’s use of IBCs in CTE programs at the secondary and postsecondary levels. In fulfilling the new Perkins requirement that each State must assess technical skill attainment using assessment methods that are valid and reliable (such as the IBC) Louisiana’s CTE programs will demonstrate that CTE students are prepared for skilled employment.

The technical skill assessments will also serve as an accountability measure to demonstrate how well CTE programs are preparing students using up-to-date industry standards, and to help teachers and program administrators know where further program improvement is needed.

Support for Professional Growth of Teachers and Faculty Louisiana will continue to invest in the professional growth of its teachers so they are fully qualified to teach industry-based content in their respective CTE fields, understand how to integrate challenging and rigorous academic skills into their CTE programs, and are equipped with knowledge and skills needed to address a wide variety of student needs.

Through all the policies and strategies laid out in this State plan for implementation of the Perkins Act of 2006, Louisiana’s CTE educators at the secondary and postsecondary levels will be supported in the challenge to build a more highly-skilled and well-prepared workforce that can address the needs of Louisiana’s businesses.

8 Equitable Access for Special Population Students This plan also lays out Louisiana’s continued commitment to helping all its students succeed at the secondary and postsecondary levels, including those students with significant barriers to educational success that the Perkins Act refers to as “special populations.

” Louisiana’s initiative ensures non-discrimination and open access to programs, as well as active strategies to ensure that student learning is supported throughout the learning environment.

Regional Partnerships (2012 Revisions) In order to better target industry needs in Louisiana and to ensure that Perkins funds are focused on getting the greatest outcome for all stakeholders, Louisiana is emphasizing regional focused planning for CTE.

Louisiana will continue to require that all eligible recipients (at the both the secondary and post-secondary level) enter regional partnerships for the purposes of promoting regional planning and funding of programs leading to high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand occupations.

Partnerships will be between local educational agencies (LEAs), postsecondary institutions and will be defined by the state based on social, economic and geographical regions. The partnership workgroups must include regional business and industry participation. Members of a regional partnership must meet, in person or through the use of technology, at least three times per year to cooperatively plan for the upcoming year.

Regional partnership members are expected to collaborate on local application plans so that funds are spent on up to three of the same occupational cluster areas in a given year. LCTCS and LDE may grant waivers to this requirement if justified by workforce investment data or if exceptional circumstances exist.

Through the regional partnerships, secondary and postsecondary partners can ensure that resources are being used in the most beneficial ways and that the skills being taught to CTE students are in line with each region’s workforce needs. 9 SECTION I. Planning, Coordination, and Collaboration Prior to Plan Submission A.

Statutory Requirements 1. Public Hearings [Section 122(a)(3)] The Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) (eligible agency) and the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) conducted two public hearings on February 7, 2008 in Shreveport, Louisiana and February 8, 2008 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Public notices were posted around the State in the major newspapers: Baton Rouge Advocate, Alexandria Town Talk, The Advertiser-Lafayette, The Shreveport Times, Daily World-Opelousas, News Start-Monroe, The Courier-Houma, Daily Comet-Thibodaux, American Press-Lake Charles, and The Times-Picayune-New Orleans.

Notices regarding the public hearings were e-mailed to stakeholders around the State providing notification of the hearings and requesting their input. Media advisories were sent electronically around the state to stakeholders regarding the public hearings.

The public hearings provided key stakeholders with the opportunity to make comments and suggestions on the plan, prior to submission of the plan to the Board of Supervisors of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. Both the public hearing notices and the letters of invitation contained the link to log on to the LCTCS website to review. Written comments were gathered at the meetings or sent via e-mail.

2. Summary of Hearings and Agency Response [Section 122(a)(3)] Comments received were evaluated and incorporated into the development of the State Plan as appropriate. Appendix A contains the comments, questions and responses from the public hearings.

3. Consultation in Development of State Plan [Section 122(b)(1)(A)-(B)] The Louisiana Five-year State Plan was developed in consultation with teachers, eligible recipients, parents, students, and interested community members, representatives of special populations, representatives of business and industry, and representatives of labor organizations in the State.

A Louisiana Perkins State Plan Steering Committee was organized to develop the 1-Year Transition Plan and subsequently the Five-Year State Plan.

Membership included representatives from the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) Office including the senior level executives for the System, Louisiana Department of Education (LDE), Louisiana Board of Regents (BoR), local parish CTE supervisors, representatives from the technical college and community colleges.

The Steering Committee contributed a great deal of their time and contributed much effort in the development of both the transition plan and the five-year state plan. The State Director made presentations regarding the components of Louisiana’s plan to the LCTCS Board of Supervisors and to the Governor’s Office of the Workforce Commission.

Additionally, various updates were made to other stakeholders by the senior LCTCS management and CTE personnel at the LDE. 10 Perkins Forums were held around the State in November 2007. The purpose of the forums was to give regional stakeholders an opportunity to provide their thoughts regarding what should be included in the plan.

The LCTCS and the LDE are gathering input from teachers/faculty, parents, students, administrators, the business community, and other members of the general public about how to improve the quality of Career and Technical Education (CTE) services to students, at both the high school and community and technical college levels.

CTE programs are designed to provide relevant career-related skills as well as core academic skills so students can enter postsecondary education (community colleges, technical colleges, or universities) or are prepared to enter a high-skilled employment area, and have obtained the necessary skills which will allow them to continue to learn and upgrade their skills over the course of their work-lives.

In an informal facilitated discussion format, participants had an opportunity to contribute to the development of the five-year State plan. These information gathering session s were part of the process to involve as many stakeholders as possible in the preparation of Louisiana’s five-year state plan for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006.

Forum Meeting Dates and Locations: > Day/Date Time Area Forum Location > November 7, 2007 9:00 a. m. to 11:00 a.

m. Shreveport/Bossier Bossier Parish Community College Room 215, Building D 6220 East Texas, Bossier City, LA November 7, 2007 2:00 p. m.

to 4:00 p. m. Monroe/West Monroe West Monroe Convention Center Ouachita Room, 901 Ridge Avenue, West Monroe, LA November 8, 2007 9:00 a.

m. to 11:00 a. m.

Alexandria Learning Center for Rapides Parish The Regent Room, 1410 Neel Kearby Blvd. , Alexandria, LA November 8, 2007 3:00 p. m.

to 5:00 p. m. Lake Charles Sowela Technical Community College The Library, Bldg.

3850 3820 J. Bennett Johnston Avenue Lake Charles, LA November 9, 2007 9:00 a. m.

to 11:00 a. m. Lafayette South Louisiana Community College Auditorium, 320 Devalcourt Lafayette, LA November 9, 2007 2:00 p.

m. to 4:00 p. m.

Baton Rouge/New Orleans State Office Building—Auditorium 150 3rd Street (corner of 3rd & Convention) Baton Rouge, LA 4.

Procedures for Participation in Plan Development [Section 122(b)(2)] In accordance with Section 122(b)(2) of Perkins IV, Louisiana developed activities and procedures, including access to information needed to use such procedures, to allow stakeholders to participate in State and local decisions that relate to development of the State plan. Planning meetings and a public hearing were announced electronically and in print.

Sharing of stakeholder 11 mailing lists also helped ensure that all individuals described in the previous section had full information to participate in decisions that related to development of the State plan. All meetings of groups associated with developing Louisiana's State plan, including the State Plan Steering Committee, were open to the public.

The dates, times, and places of these meetings were made public and were posted on the LCTCS website. 5.

Coordination of State Plan with Other Agencies [Section 122(e)(3)] LCTCS and LDE closely coordinated development of the Perkins State Plan with other state agencies through the coordination of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, which is “charged with the coordination, improvement and oversight of a comprehensive workforce development system that is accessible to all users and customers of the workforce system.

” LCTCS and LDE are members of the Workforce Commission, as are the Louisiana Department of Labor (LDOL), the Louisiana Department of Economic Development, and the Louisiana Department of Social Services (DSS). Since the development of the state plan, Louisiana continued to work towards achieving a greater outcome for career and technical education (CTE) in the state with its Perkins investment.

As part of this initiative, Louisiana is focused on promoting regional collaboration between secondary and postsecondary eligible recipients.

Although, Louisiana has been successful in promoting dual enrollment opportunities and articulation agreements throughout the state, Louisiana determined that CTE students and industry would benefit even more through regional planning and funding of activities leading to high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand occupations.

Accordingly, in the winter of 2012, LCTCS and LDE undertook a joint effort to promote such regional planning through state plan revisions that emphasized this new focus. In compliance with statutory requirements, the revisions to the state plan were developed with consultation from secondary and postsecondary stakeholders as well as from the community.

Secondary and postsecondary stakeholders participated in a webinar outlining the proposed changes. Both secondary and postsecondary stakeholders were asked to review the proposed revisions in summary form online. The link to the online document was emailed to all stakeholders and provided in the webinar.

Comments and suggestions were provided and used to develop the state plan revisions prior to drafting the revisions and making the state plan available to the public. The community was invited to participate and comment on the state plan revisions during the public hearing process.

LCTCS and LDE conducted seven public hearings on February 27 through March 1, 2012 in Lake Charles, Lafayette, Walker, Bossier City, New Orleans, West Monroe and Alexandria, Louisiana.

Public notices were posted around the state in the major newspapers: Baton Rouge Advocate, Alexandria Town Talk, The Advertiser-Lafayette, The Shreveport Times, News Start-Monroe, American Press-Lake Charles, The Times-Picayune-New Orleans, and the Daily Review – Morgan City. Notices regarding the public hearings were e-mailed to stakeholders around the state providing notification of the hearings and requesting their input.

Media advisories were sent 12 electronically around the state to stakeholders regarding the public hearings. The public hearings provided key stakeholders with the opportunity to make comments and suggestions on the plan revisions prior to submission to the Board of Supervisors of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. Written comments were gathered at the meetings or sent via e-mail.

Comments were evaluated and incorporated into the development of the State Plan revisions as appropriate. Appendix B contains the comments, questions and responses from the public hearings regarding the State Plan revisions. Section II.

Program Administration A. Statutory Requirements 1. Submission of the Plan [Section 122(a)(1)] The Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) is the sole state agency responsible for the administration of the Carl D.

Perkins Career and Technical Education funds. The LCTCS Board of Supervisors is responsible for approving the State Plan and State Plan revisions. The LCTCS, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), has delegated responsibility for the administration of Perkins activities at the secondary level to the LDE.

The staffs of the two agencies work closely together to ensure consistent programmatic coordination between the secondary and postsecondary programs. The State of Louisiana is submitting a five-year plan for activities to be carried out under P. L.

109-270, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006. The State of Louisiana will use federal Perkins funds to support the nine required uses of funds, and focus activities on helping foster student success so eligible recipients and the State meets or exceeds the State adjusted levels of performance.

The initiatives to be conducted by the State of Louisiana will include (a) the development of programs of study (LCPs), (b) curriculum and technology development, (c) professional development, (d) technical assistance throughout the life of the Perkins legislation, and (e) educational and career planning.

(a) Programs of Study/LCPs [Section 122(c)(1)(A)] Louisiana is creating and implementing Programs of Study (also known as Louisiana Career Pathways, or “LCPs”) that will help students engage in rigorous and relevant learning at the both the secondary and postsecondary levels by offering a program of study that connects challenging academic coursework with relevant career and technical coursework.

Each LCP will offer the student a clear pathway to postsecondary studies and skilled employment. LCPs will also assist adults in re-entering the workforce or obtain new skills. Adult LCPs are important to the training of those adults not currently in a program to earn a credential (certificate, diploma, or associates degree).

LCPs are built upon Programs of Study initiated by the LDE. With the advent of the Perkins 2006, postsecondary will further develop LCP’s to extend the pathways beyond high school into 13 postsecondary education and training, offering smooth transitions to postsecondary programs and, ultimately, to skilled employment.

It is Louisiana’s intent that LCPs provide secondary and postsecondary students (including adults) with a vehicle to pursue and complete their career technical education. The proposed activities under the Carl D. Perkins IV Act of 2006 will provide for the development and enhancement of LCPs by secondary and postsecondary eligible recipients.

Information regarding the appropriate LCPs developed will be provided to secondary and postsecondary students and (as appropriate) to parents. This strategy will empower all students to attain the education necessary to enter high-skill, high-wage, and/or high-demand careers; advance in those careers; and obtain wage increases associated with this advancement.

> Secondary and postsecondary education elements The LCTCS, LDE and BoR will continue to collaborate through the state level committee Success through Articulation (STArt).

The purpose of the collaboration is to align secondary and postsecondary courses into clearly defined pathways from secondary to postsecondary education in order to assist students with completion of the related postsecondary IBC, certificate, diploma, and/or degree programs. Curriculum alignment efforts will utilize industry standards.

> Content that is coherent, rigorous, aligned, non-duplicative Each LCP includes a full complement of academic and CTE content to demonstrate to the students how they may complete the secondary portion of the program, be prepared for college-level work, and entry into skilled employment.

Each LCP recommends the “default curriculum” that is recommended by the Louisiana High School Redesign Commission (starting in the fall of 2011, the Commission was renamed the College and Career Readiness Commission), as well as the career and technical content needed to advance to postsecondary training.

The content of the culminating CTE courses is articulated with the entry-level courses at the postsecondary level to create a seamless transition for the student while avoiding unnecessary duplication of content.

> Opportunity for postsecondary credits leading to postsecondary credentials, certificates and/or degrees The Governor’s Office of the Workforce Commission established the Louisiana Industry-Based Certification (IBC) Council to create and maintain an official focus list of IBCs.

All occupational training programs in the State have agreed to institute the practice that training programs: (a) align career and technical programs with nationally recognized, industry-based skill standards and certifications as the basis for developing competency-based learning objectives, curricula, instructional methods, teaching materials and classroom/worksite activities; (b) prepare students to satisfy employer knowledge and skill requirements assessed by related examinations; and (c) support initiatives that will enable educational institutions to provide students with the opportunity to take these exams and receive certifications corresponding with their program of study.

Both the LCTCS and LDE are active members of this Council. This assists in aligning secondary and postsecondary LCPs. 14 LCPs are designed to include adequate preparation for the achievement of industry-recognized credentials, certificate of technical studies, or the achievement of an associate’s degree in a CTE program area.

Secondary and postsecondary curriculum must prepare students to earn a postsecondary credential (IBC and a certificate, diploma, or degree) as a positive outcome. Through dual enrollment and articulation, secondary CTE students will also have the opportunity to earn college credit prior to graduation.

(b) Development and implementation of Programs of Study [Section 122(c)(1)(B)] Louisiana has identified seven career pathways critical to the economic growth and success of Louisiana’s workforce and the State’s needs. All secondary and postsecondary eligible recipients are to use Perkins funding to further develop and implement pathways for the designated areas.

The pathways encompass 33 areas of concentration at the secondary level, and dozens of postsecondary credentials. The following seven pathways have been targeted for development and implementation:  Advanced Manufacturing,  Education (i.e. Students Teaching and Reaching),  Hospitality & Tourism; and,  Information Technology.

As the program evolves, pathways will be updated to focus on emerging high-skill, high-wage, high-demand occupations. The list of career clusters and areas of concentration for secondary schools as of May 2011 is included in Appendix C and postsecondary list is included in Appendix D.

On November 1-2, 2007, a meeting jointly sponsored by LCTCS and LDE was held to provide training on career pathways to secondary and postsecondary educators. Approximately 200 educators participated in the two-day session, which was led by nationally recognized experts Larry Warford and Ann Benson.

Participants learned about the research which supports the formation of programs of study and the process to assure that meaningful and operational linkages between secondary and postsecondary are developed. Participants also met with subject matter experts from secondary and postsecondary and collaborated to establish statewide LCPs for the 20 approved statewide articulation agreements.

As such, local funds for Perkins awards should be used to support the development or improvement of activities related to these seven pathways. LCTCS may approve the use of Perkins funds for other programs that fall outside of these pathways. To receive approval, the eligible recipient will need to make