This post is written by NOCTI, a Platinum Level sponsor of the 2019 Advance CTE Spring Meeting.
In the summer of 2018, the 115th Congress finalized the “Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century” act and it was subsequently signed by the President with an effective date of July 2018. That legislation marked the next revision in the 100-year history of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and the legislation was dubbed “Perkins V” by the CTE community. This act was touted for its alignment to other pieces of relevant legislation including the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).  The additional flexibility provided to state CTE leaders was highlighted, and the law made a number of subtle changes that could impact the way individual states provide CTE to their learners. Though it may seem like a bit of an understatement, we believe that state CTE leadership is critical as each state outlines the opportunities for its workforce during this initial planning phase.
Here are just a few examples of the importance of CTE state leadership:

• Perkins V requires a needs assessment and suggests numerous voices that can be a part of that conversation. Leadership will need to identify the most important voices to be included and the type of input that should be expected.
• Perkins V requires state leaders to determine performance measures consisting of the core indicators outlined in the act. These measures must contain expected targets showing continuous improvement.
• Perkins V includes some determination of secondary indicators of performance including a recognized post-secondary credential, post-secondary credits earned during the secondary experience and/or student participation in work-based learning.

In addition, Perkins V provides a host of permissible uses of funds including initiatives such as statewide programs of study, statewide industry partnerships, and statewide professional development targeted to recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers. As a non-profit organization serving the CTE community, and as long-time practitioners of CTE, we recognize these challenges and applaud those bold enough to take this opportunity to improve our students’ technical competence and academic underpinnings.
With a focus on data-driven improvement, NOCTI and its partners have served the CTE community for over 50 years.  Our services and processes have continued to evolve over the past five decades and we understand the importance of a dedicated and focused state leader. NOCTI is available to provide helpful and relevant resources that state leaders can use in their planning activities.
Resources include a collaborative series of books that include examples from over 40 states on CTE teaching, administration, and use of data for instructional improvement. Other resources focus on credentials that meet the WIOA definition of a post-secondary credential, while at the same time offer college credit meeting the requirements the secondary performance indicator. Resources are also available to address statewide professional development, workplace readiness credentialing and curriculum, customized state credentialing assessments, as well as digital badges and extensive data reports.
Interested in knowing more about what NOCTI can do for your state?  Seek us out at the upcoming Advance CTE meeting where we are pleased to be a sponsor!  You can also reach us at [email protected] if you have more specific questions about how we can assist your state with a customized solution. Thanks for all you do; we look forward to seeing you in April!