Back to EMSC Home SED Home Disclaimers and Notices

2007-08 Career Pathways and Perkins Title II
Application Guidance and Instructions

Application Form  (in Word)

FS-20 (in Word)

Scoring Rubric (in Word)

Program Purpose

The Career Pathways and Perkins Title II program was established under Title II Tech-Prep Education of the Federal Career and Technical Education Improvement Act (Perkins IV) to "develop more fully the academic and career and technical skills of secondary and postsecondary students who elect to enroll in career and technical education.” This law challenges educational agencies to work in consortia to implement Career Clusters/Career Pathways in Tech-Prep, to share expertise in articulation development between secondary and postsecondary institutions, to increase academic and technical proficiencies of Tech-Prep and other students for the purpose of increasing student success so that high school and college retention and completion rates increase in career and technical programs.

These consortia will be held accountable through program-performance targets which will include the collection and analysis of data by consortia by career cluster. Performance measures will be based on the retention and completion of high school and college students in their career pathways programs and their subsequent success in the global economy through long-term placement in employment related to their career pathways of study.

Project Period

July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008

Due Date

Submit one original and two copies of the completed application postmarked by June 11, 2007 to:

New York State Education Department
Grants Management
Room 676 EBA
Albany, NY 12234

Eligible Applicants

Consortia of Local Perkins Eligible Recipients with at least five years experience working in the area Tech Prep/Career Clusters. This includes public school districts, BOCES, and State Registered degree-granting institutions of higher education offering an associate degree or a two-year certificate which are responsible for administering at least one Career Pathways in Tech-Prep program of study.

Each of the Large Five school districts may apply as a single school district through consortia with a BOCES/s, where applicable, and one or more Perkins eligible postsecondary institutions.

Any other school district may only apply in consortia with at least one other school district, at least one Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), and at least one postsecondary institution.

One member of the consortium must serve as the applicant and fiscal agent. The superintendent, district superintendent, college president, of the applicant/fiscal agent shall:
 

• Provide leadership for coordinating the efforts of the consortium.

• Provide for the work of career pathways/career cluster initiative within the region.

• Serve as the “point person” for all agencies wanting to engage in the work of the consortium, such that it develops and implements strategies for the agencies and/or other consortia within the region.

• Ensure appropriate data systems are in place and all appropriate data are collected and submitted to SED in a timely manner.

• Submit an interim and an annual report as required by SED.
   

The applicant/fiscal agent must require consortium partners to sign an agreement that specifically outlines all services each partner agrees to provide.

Note: All entities except for public entities exempted by the State Comptroller are required to go through the contract process. Any agency that has not previously received funding with the State Education Department must complete and submit a Payee Information Form at http://www.oms.nysed.gov/cafe/PIform.doc. 

Funds Available

$ 5,280,000. Maximum grant award is $165,000.

Requirements

Consortia applying for grants are required to engage in collaborative consortia planning involving teachers, administrators, staff, parents, and, where appropriate, students. Grant proposals must be developed in conjunction with a fully functioning steering committee. The completed proposal should reflect a cohesive plan or program, with each individual section related to all other sections.

Along with the grant application, consortia applicants working with their steering committee must submit a Transition Year Plan for the period 2007-2008 that aligns with the State Plan.

The steering committee must use collaborative-decision-making in which all parties, including the fiscal agent, have equal weight in decisions. The steering committee must be comprised of a representative from each member of the consortium. The consortium must include at least one secondary, one BOCES, and one post-secondary Perkins eligible agency and may include institutions of higher education that award a baccalaureate degree, and employers, including small businesses, business intermediaries, and labor organizations. Further, the committee will have established rules for operation, including frequency of meetings, and procedures for recording and disseminating steering committee decisions or minutes. Consortia applicants that are unable to demonstrate the existence of such a steering committee will not be funded.

There must be a formal articulation agreement between members of the consortium that is designed to provide students with a non-duplicative sequence of progressive achievement leading to competencies in the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep program. The agreement must be signed by the Chief Executive Officer of each participating agency and specify the roles, responsibilities and committed resources of each participant.

Grant proposals must include a plan to implement the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep using the Career Clusters Initiative with 16 clusters and Career Pathways with 81 pathways in the programs of study. This effort shall concentrate on innovative and academic challenging methodologies and strategies that lead to seamless transition for students from secondary to post-secondary environments. As such, the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep concentrate on nontraditional programs for men and women; high-skills, high-wage occupations; emerging professions; industry recognized credentials; and high-demand occupations.

Grant proposals must also include:
 

• Strategies to unite the agencies in the region wanting to engage in the work of the consortium.

• Articulation between secondary and postsecondary institutions.

• Strategies to increase academic and technical proficiencies of Tech-Prep and other students so that high school and college retention and completion rates increase.

• Method to collect data by student by school/college by career pathway and by career cluster and to submit those data to the Department which, in turn, will provide measures of the consortia’s performance.
   

Contents of the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep

Career Pathways in Tech-Prep consists of a program plan of study that:

• Combines a minimum of two years of secondary education with a minimum of two years of postsecondary education in a non-duplicative, sequential course of study; or an apprenticeship program of not less than two years following secondary education instruction;

• Integrates academic and career and technical education instruction, and utilizes work-based and worksite learning experiences where appropriate and available;

• Provides technical preparation in a career field, including high-skill, high-wage, high-demand occupations;

• Builds student competence in technical skills and in core academics through applied, contextual, and integrated instruction, in a coherent sequence of courses;

• Leads to technical skill proficiency, an industry-recognized credential, a certificate, or a degree, in a specific career field;

• Leads to placement in high-skill or high-wage employment, or to further education;

• Uses career and technical education within the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep;

• Meets academic standards developed by the State;

• Links secondary schools and two-year postsecondary institutions, and if possible and practicable, four-year institutions of higher education, through non-duplicative sequences of courses in career fields, the use of articulation agreements, and the investigation of opportunities for secondary education students to enroll concurrently in secondary education and postsecondary education coursework;

• Uses, if appropriate and available, work-based or worksite learning experiences in conjunction with business and all aspects of an industry;

• Uses educational technology and distance learning, as appropriate to involve all the participants in the consortium more fully in the development and operation of programs;

• Includes in-service professional development for higher education faculty and school system teachers, and administrators;

• Includes professional development for counselors which is designed to enable them to: provide information to students regarding the career pathways; support student progress in completing the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep; give information on related employment opportunities; ensure that students are placed in appropriate employment or further postsecondary education; stay current with the needs, expectations, and methods of business and industry; and provide comprehensive career guidance and academic counseling to participating students, including special populations;

• Provides equal access to the full range of technical preparation to individuals who are members of special populations, including the development of services appropriate to the needs of special populations;

• Provides for preparatory services that assist participants in the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep Programs of Study;

• Coordinates with activities conducted under Perkins IV Title I for both secondary and postsecondary fiscal agent partners.
   

Additional Authorized Activities

Each Career Pathways in Tech-Prep may also:
 

• Provide for the acquisition of the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep equipment;

• Acquire technical assistance from State or local entities that have designed, established, and operated the Career Pathways and Tech-Prep Programs that have effectively used educational technology and distance learning in the delivery of curricula and services;

• Establish articulation agreements with institutions of higher education, labor organizations, or businesses located inside or outside the State and served by the consortium, especially with regard to using distance learning and educational technology to provide for the delivery of services and the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep;

• Improve career guidance and academic counseling for participating students through the development and implementation of graduation and career plans; and

• Develop curriculum that supports effective transitions between secondary and postsecondary career and technical education programs.
   

Special Consideration

Special consideration will be given to applications that:

• Provide for effective employment placement activities or the transfer of students to baccalaureate or an advanced degree in the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep;

• Are developed in consultation with business, industry, institutions of higher education, and labor organizations;

• Address effectively the issues of school dropout prevention and reentry, and the needs of special populations;

• Provide education and training in an area or skill, including an emerging technology, in which there is a significant workforce shortage based on the data provided by the Department;

• Demonstrate how the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep will help students meet high academic and employability competencies; and

• Demonstrate success in, or provide assurances of, coordination and integration with other eligible recipients.
   

Accountability

The Career Pathways in Tech-Prep grantee must collect data on each student who fits the definition of a Career Pathways in Tech-Prep student and is enrolled in the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep program of study. The Director/Coordinator is responsible for all data collection and shall, if directed, submit the data digitally on appropriate forms to SED. The Director/Coordinator is responsible for securing such data from previous Tech-Prep grantees and recording them into his/her data system.

The minimum number of data elements for each student is:

Descriptive Data

• ID Number

• Gender

• Name of high school

• Date of entry into the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep

• Career Cluster Code

• The Career Pathways in Tech-Prep (CIP Code(s))
  
   

Ethnicity Designation

• American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN)

• Asian (A)

• Black/African Americans (B/AA)

• Hispanic/Latino

• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (H/OP)

• White (W)

• Unknown (Unk)
   

Special Population
 

1. Individuals with disabilities (D)

2. Displaced Homemakers (DH)

3. Single parents, including single pregnant women (SP)

4. English Language Learners (ELL) or Limited English Proficient (LEP)

5. Individuals preparing for non-traditional fields (NT)

6. Individuals from economically disadvantaged families, including foster children (ECO/DIS)
    

Basic
 

• 1S1-Academic Attainment – Reading/Language Arts
  1S1-Academic Attainment – Mathematics
  2S1-Technical Skill Attainment
  3S1-Secondary School Diploma
  3S2-GED or Other State-Recognized Equivalent
  3S3-Diploma and Other Credential
  4S1-Student Graduation Rates
  5S1-Secondary Placement
  6S1-Nontraditional Participation
  6S2-Nontraditional Completion
  
  1P1-Technical Skill Attainment
  2P1-Post-Secondary Credential Attainment
  3P1-Student Retention or Transfer
  4P1-Student Placement
  5P1-Nontraditional Participation
  6P2-Nontraditional Completion
   

Tech Prep
 

• TC1-Number of secondary and postsecondary served;
  TS2-Number and percent of secondary enrolled in postsecondary;
  TS3-Number and percent of secondary enrolled in postsecondary in the same field or major;
  TS4-Number and percent of secondary that complete a State or industry-recognized certification or licensure;
  TS5-Number and percent of secondary that complete courses that award postsecondary credit at the secondary level;
  TS6-Number and percent of secondary that enroll in remedial mathematics, writing, or reading courses upon entering  postsecondary education;
  TP1-Number and percent of postsecondary that are placed in a related field of employment not later than 12 months after graduation;
  TP2-Number and percent of postsecondary that complete a State or industry-recognized certification or licensure;
  TP3-Number and percent of postsecondary that complete a 2-year degree or certificate program within the normal time for completion of such\program; and
  TP4-Number and percent of postsecondary that complete a bachelor’s degree within the normal time for completion of such program.
   

Definitions

Career Pathways in Tech-Prep Student is one who has signed the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep Enrollment Form and meets the following criteria:
 

• receives academic content through applied learning;

• completes a sequence of two or more standards-based, career-oriented courses that provide technical skills that are part of a career pathway;

• is able to be employed in skilled, entry-level jobs and complete the postsecondary portion of a secondary/postsecondary Career Pathways in Tech-Prep program in the career pathway of choice;

• if a postsecondary student, has completed the secondary portion of the secondary/ postsecondary Career Pathways in Tech-Prep program and enrolls in an articulated, State-registered postsecondary program which continues the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep; and

• completes a two-year associate degree, a two-year certificate, or a two-year apprenticeship that follows secondary Career Pathways in Tech-Prep instruction.
   

An Articulation Agreement is an agreement between a secondary agency and a postsecondary institution, which describes the academic and technical education in which a Career Pathways in Tech-Prep student will engage. Its purpose is to develop, implement, and institutionalize a seamless, non-duplicative school-based and work-based course/ program of study leading to an associate degree in a specialized Career Clusters/Career Pathways in Tech-Prep area that spans at least four years (grades 11-14). It must include the roles and responsibilities of each consortium member and the roles of the steering committee, the policy and procedures ensuring students will receive various types of college credit for courses taken in high school during a Career Clusters/Career Pathways in Tech-Prep sequence, student activities, teacher/faculty activities, and the academic and technical competencies students will attain as a result of this articulation agreement. The following statements must be included: an attestation to the support for equal access for students with disabilities and at-risk students; assurance of support for the inclusion of nontraditional students; assurance that the applied/contextualized curriculum will be reviewed annually and updated as needed; and assurance that consortium members will participate in student assessment activities and data collection efforts as required by Perkins legislation.

The Director/Coordinator of a Career Pathways in Tech-Prep program is responsible for the planning of the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep and its implementation. S/he brings teachers and faculty together for curricular planning; works with schools to ensure successful implementation of the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep; follows up on student assessment; ensures data systems are operational and that all required data is collected and submitted digitally to the Department; and appropriate reports are written to satisfy federal and State requirements. The coordinator is also expected to work closely with local school districts in the development and implementation of their professional development plans for further understanding the career pathways and career clusters and with local business and industry to develop support for the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep and places where students may intern. S/he must keep abreast of the workforce development efforts in their local areas, attend professional development meetings where information about career clusters and career pathways is presented, attend the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep statewide annual meetings and the national meeting (if possible), and ensure all parties involved are working for the interests of the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep students. The coordinator is responsible to the steering committee.

Collaborative Decision-Making Process is one in which each member on the steering committee has a vote and that vote has equal weight, including the fiscal agent.

The DACUM (Develop A Curriculum) Process for job analysis takes a panel of 8 –12 expert workers to describe their jobs in great detail. Secondary and postsecondary agencies have used this process with business and industry experts to successfully develop curricula that can be used effectively to establish viable Career Pathways in Tech-Prep. (http://www.dacumohiostate.com/)

Management and Staffing

The management plan should identify the staff responsible for the overall project and the staff responsible for project components. The management plan should provide detailed descriptions of project development, implementation, evaluation, data collection methods, and accountability strategies. It should provide a timeline for the accomplishment of the Career Pathways in Tech-Prep objectives, activities, and data collection and should identify the management procedures as they relate to the timeline of project activities.

Allowable Activities and Costs
Budgets will be reviewed and any items that are deemed non-allowable, excessive or inappropriate will be eliminated.

The general guide for allowable expenditures is that the expenditure contributes to student achievement in Career Pathways. Allowable expenditures include the following:
 

• Child care subsidies for children of students matriculated in Career Pathways in Tech-Prep;

• Equipment (including computers) acquisition, installation, repair, and maintenance;

• Instructional supplies and materials including computer software and testing materials;

• Supplemental staff, including instructors, technicians, aides, tutors, signers, note-takers, and interpreters for special population students;

• Supplemental services to improve access such as curriculum modification, equipment modification, classroom modification, and instructional aids and devices;

• Travel in the United States that is specifically related to the project's major efforts.
   

Non-Allowable Activities and Costs
 

• Supplanting existing funding and efforts;

• Sub-granting to members of the consortia or other agencies including mini-grants.

• Acquisition of equipment for administrative or personal use;

• Acquisition of furniture (e.g., bookcases, chairs, desks, file cabinets, tables) unless an integral part of an equipment workstation or to provide reasonable accommodations to Career Pathways in Tech-Prep students with disabilities;

• Food services/refreshments/banquets/meals;

• Purchase or rental of space;

• Remodeling not directly connected to accessibility to Career Pathways in Tech-Prep instruction or services;

• Payment for memberships in professional organizations;

• Pre-career educational activities;

• Purchase of promotional favors, such as bumper stickers, pencils, pens, or T-shirts.

• Subscriptions to journals or magazines;

• Travel outside the United States;

• Any expenditure for students not enrolled in Career Pathways in Tech-Prep, including career exploration.
   

Budget Category and Narrative Forms and Budget Summary Form (FS-20)

The application must include a Budget Category and Narrative form for each category of expenditure and a Budget Summary Form (FS-20). Each Budget Category and Narrative form must include a narrative with sufficient detail to allow reviewers to understand exactly what the funds will be used for and the relationship between the proposed expenditures and project activities and goals.

The totals from each of the Budget Category and Narrative Form must correspond to amounts shown on the Budget Summary Form (FS-20). The FS-20 must bear the original signature of the Chief Administrative Officer of applicant agency.

General information about the categories of expenditures, allowable costs and applicable federal costs principles and administrative regulations are available in the Fiscal Guidelines for Federal and State Aided Grants.

Page Limits and Standards

The Project Narrative must be no more than 15 single-spaced, one-sided pages using 12-point size font. Pages must be numbered. Required charts/tables, the Budget Category and Narrative Forms, the FS-20 and the required assurances are not included in this limit. Pages that exceed this limit will not be reviewed.

Review and Rating of Applications
 

Applications postmarked after the due date will not be reviewed. Each application will be reviewed by two reviewers according to the indicated point criteria in the Proposal Narrative and the Proposal Evaluation Rubric. The score of each reviewer will be averaged to obtain the final average score of the application. If the two reviewer’s scores are more than 20 points apart another reviewer will rate the application. The two scores closest in numeric value will be averaged to calculate the final average score of the application. An application must receive a score of at least 75 to be considered for funding.

Budgets will be reviewed and items not allowable, as excessive or inappropriate will be eliminated.
Funds will be divided proportionately among the nine Joint Management Team regions, plus New York City. Each application will be ranked in order of final average score from highest to lowest in the region it serves. In the event of tie scores within a region, proposals with the highest score on item #2 in the Project Activities will be ranked higher. Awards will be made to the highest ranking applications in each region until funds allocated for that region are insufficient to fund the next ranking application serving that region in full. If any funds remain for that region, the funds will be offered to the next ranking applicant with a score of 75 or higher in that region to operate a smaller project.
If funds remain after all applicants with minimum score of 75 in a region are funded, the Department reserves the right to first reopen competition within that region within 60 days of review and then, after that, allocate unspent funds from that region to unfunded eligible applicants in other regions of the State in rank order of highest scores.

Required Reports

An interim report and annual report on the results of the program are required.

Entities’ Responsibility

Projects must operate under the jurisdiction of the local board of education, or other appropriate governing body, and are subject to at least the same degree of accountability as all other expenditures of the local agency. The local board of education, or other appropriate governing body, is responsible for the proper disbursement of, and accounting for, project funds. Written agency policy concerning wages, mileage and travel allowances, overtime compensation, or fringe benefits, as well as State rules pertaining to competitive bidding, safety regulations and inventory control must be followed. Supporting or source documents are required for all grant related transactions entered into the local agency’s recordkeeping systems. Source documents that authorize the disbursement of grant funds consist of purchase orders, contracts, time and effort records, delivery receipts, vendor invoices, travel documentation and payment documents, including check stubs.

Supporting documentation for grants and grant contracts must be kept for at least six years after the last payment was made unless otherwise specified by program requirements. Additionally, audit or litigation will “freeze the clock” for records retention purposes until the issue is resolved. All records and documentation must be available for inspection by NYSED officials or its representatives.

For additional information about grants, please refer to the Fiscal Guidelines for Federal and State Aided Grants, http://www.oms.nysed.gov/cafe/guidelines.html

NYSED Consortium Policy for State and Federal Discretionary Grant Programs:


NYSED oversees many discretionary grant programs. These programs require NYSED to issue discretionary funds through a competitive grant RFP (unlike allocational grant programs where grant funds are allocated by formula, e.g. Title I Part A, Title II Part A, Title IV Part A). The statute pertaining to a grant program may require or permit a cooperative arrangement of grant applicants/participants, for the mutual benefit of the grant participants. In such cases, the participants can form a partnership or consortium to apply for the grant. In order to do so, the partnership or consortium must meet the following requirements:
 

The partnership or consortium must designate one of the participants to serve as the applicant and fiscal agent for the grant. The applicant agency must be an eligible grant recipient. All other consortium members must be eligible grant participants, as defined by the program statute or regulation.
 

In the event a grant is awarded to a partnership/consortium, the grant or grant contract will be prepared in the name of the applicant agency/fiscal agent, not the partnership/consortium, since the group is not a legal entity.
 

The applicant agency/fiscal agent must meet the following requirements:
 

1. Must be an eligible grant recipient as defined by statute;

2. Must receive and administer the grant funds and submit the required reports to account for the use of grant funds;

3. Must require consortium partners to sign an agreement with the fiscal agent that specifically outlines all services each partner agrees to provide.

4. Must be an active member of the partnership/consortium, except where SUNY or CUNY Research Foundations are the fiscal agent.

5. Cannot act as a flow-through for grant funds to pass to other recipients. NYSED may establish a minimum level of direct service to be provided by the fiscal agent.

6. Is PROHIBITED from sub granting funds to other recipients. The fiscal agent is permitted to contract for services with other consortium partners or consultants to provide services that the fiscal agent cannot provide itself.

7. Must be responsible for the performance of any services provided by the partners, consultants, or other organizations and must coordinate how each plan to participate.
    

APPLICATION FORM (in Word format)

SCORING RUBRIC (in Word format)




 

06/01/2007