Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 11, August 30, 2024
(1) Planning.
(a) Planning efforts aimed at program
improvement shall reflect the goals of the Department's strategic
plan.
(b) Local boards shall submit
an approvable plan as required by state and federal law and in accordance with
the Alabama State Plan for Career and Technical Education.
(c) Local CTE Advisory Councils and
Committees shall actively participate in the development of the local
plan.
(d) Determination of the
career clusters and pathways to be provided by the Local Education Agency (LEA)
shall be planned in collaboration with workforce and economic development
partners to address local, regional, and state employment and economic
development opportunities.
(e) The
Department shall approve continuation, deletion, and addition of local CTE
programs through the program application process as defined in the MOA
Manual.
(2)
Accountability.
(a) CTE shall be managed
according to local and state-approved plans.
(b) Accountability measures shall include
Comprehensive LEA Monitoring (including Methods of Administration for the
Office of Civil Rights), business/industry program certification, data
collection, and may include teacher and student credentialing.
(c) All LEAs shall provide data required for
federal and state reporting abiding by timelines and methods as prescribed by
the Department.
(d) The strategies
used in each program to assist students to meet or exceed the negotiated levels
of performance, and the outcomes of the data gathered related to the negotiated
levels of performance, shall be evaluated by the LEA annually.
(e) Failure to meet LEA negotiated/identified
accountability requirements may cause state and federal funds for CTE to be
withheld in full or in part, or to be otherwise restricted.
(f) Teachers must possess appropriate
certification as prescribed by the Alabama Administrative Code
and Subject and Personnel Codes.
(g) Teachers must possess knowledge and
skills as prescribed by industry standards and the Department.
(h) The LEA shall have on file documentation
of appropriate CTE activities with measurable goals and objectives and
timelines for each teacher with an extended contract.
(i) All CTE programs in each LEA shall
participate in a national- or state-facilitated, on-site evaluation leading to
a business/industry certification.
(3) The Department will determine the
appropriate certification agency for all programs (Business Industry
Certification [BIC] or other approved certifying agency) as outlined in the CTE
MOA Manual.
(4)
New programs must obtain business/industry certification within three
consecutive years of the beginning of the program.
(5) Programs shall be recertified according
to the prescribed procedures of the appropriate certification agency.
(a) All programs, as verified annually in the
local plan, must remain in continued compliance with the appropriate state or
national certifying agency.
(b) Any
program that does not attain or maintain industry-certified status within two
consecutive years will be recommended for termination.
(i) State and federal funds shall not be used
for the terminated program. These funds may be reallocated to other CTE
programs within the system.
(ii)
After one year, terminated programs may be reinstated. Programs must certify to
industry standards during the year of reinstatement.
(c) Any program that does not obtain
business/industry certification during the reinstatement year must submit a
corrective action plan to the Department prior to the end of the reinstatement
year for approval to continue.
(d)
Any program that defaults on the corrective action plan or does not receive
approval of the corrective action plan shall close for a minimum of three years
prior to applying for reinstatement.
(e) After one year, locally closed programs
that re-open shall certify according to their initial on-site program review
year, or if that date occurred during the closed period, must certify the year
re-opened.
(6) Policies
and procedures for the state BIC process are outlined in the CTE MOA
Manual.
Author: Dr. Joseph B. Morton
Statutory Authority:
Code of Ala.
1975, §
16-37-2.