Rhode Island Perkins V Plan
The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) was signed into law on July 31, 2018. This bipartisan measure reauthorized the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV) and continued Congress’ commitment in providing nearly $1.3 billion annually for career and technical education (CTE) programs for our nation’s youth and adults.
Perkins V represents an important opportunity to expand opportunities for every student to explore, choose, and follow career and technical education programs of study and career pathways to earn credentials of value.
In the summer of 2019, RIDE and the CTE Board hosted a series of meetings to engage educators, student advocates, industry, and community partners across the state in order to develop the Rhode Island Perkins V Plan for 2020-2025. Therefore, this State Plan, officially approved on June 26, 2020, reflects feedback from all relevant stakeholders.
View the State Plan:
Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA)
Overview:
One of the most significant changes introduced in Perkins V is the new Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA). All recipients must demonstrate strong local industry, student interest, and community support to be eligible for Perkins funds. The CLNA is the mechanism by which CTE programs will use to demonstrate this demand.
The purpose of the CLNA is to align planning, spending, and accountability activities under Perkins V to support high-quality CTE programs. Any gap areas identified through the development of the CLNA should directly align to the goals and action steps found within the Perkins funding application.
All Rhode Island LEAs that have approved CTE programs completed their CLNAs during the summer of 2020. Under Perkins V regulations, LEAs are required to update and submit a CLNA “not less than once every 2 years.”
CLNA Application Information
Any Rhode Island LEA wishing to access Perkins funding to support a CTE program, either RIDE-approved or a local pathway, must submit a biennial CLNA. The following materials and resources were provided for the 2022 CLNA:
2022 CLNA Resources:
To complete their CLNAs, returning LEAs will need to access their 2020 Summary Documents:
In addition, to complete the Labor Market Needs section of the CLNA, LEAs must use the following documents to gather relevant Labor Market Information (LMI) about their programs:
RIDE-Approved CTE Programs
Effective July 1, 2022
Substantially Similar CTE Programs
Effective January 15, 2022, (and every year thereafter), the CTE Board of Trustees and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall publish a list of “substantially similar CTE programs” for the upcoming school year. See R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-45-6.1(d)(3).
(NEW) Please click here to view the Substantially Similar CTE program list for the 2023-24 school year, the criteria by which these programs were evaluated, and the appeals process for LEAs/schools and students/families.
Grant Opportunities
The Rhode Island Perkins V Plan expanded the Perkins Reserve Fund, which RIDE will use for competitive grant programs to advance key priorities. LEAs and/or post-secondary institutions may apply for these opportunities.
Please check back soon for potential application information, including eligibility and timelines, for the following grant opportunities:
- CTE Teacher Grant
- Equity
- Post-secondary Partnerships
- Career Exploration
Perkins V Funding
In June, Rhode Island releases an annual application for Perkins Funding. This application will include a narrative section, required evidence, and budget. The application’s focus is how the program will use the funds to meet the CTE Board Standards and prepare students for career success. RIDE and the CTE Board are focused on maximizing the return on investment (ROI) of Perkins dollars on student outcomes.
Transfer of Perkins funds between LEAs
RIDE is formalizing the process of transferring annual Perkins funding between partner LEAs. If your LEA wishes to transfer your annual Perkins allocation to a partner LEA, please complete and sign the following agreement, and return to RIDE at CTE@ride.ri.gov. This documentation will be uploaded in the Accelegrants application for accurate financial record-keeping.
This will be an annual process that will kick off every year when Perkins allocations are announced to LEAs. Please let us know if you have any questions, and thank you in advance for timely submission of these materials.
CTE Funding Model
In addition to federal Perkins dollars, RIDE further supports CTE programs with Rhode Island state CTE Categorical Funding. To encourage growth in Priority Sectors, starting in FY19, CTE Categorical Funds are only generated by, and used for, programs in Priority Sectors. Programs receiving CTE Categorical Funds will report on the use of their funds to RIDE and the CTE Board on a quarterly basis.
Rhode Island Career and Technical (CTE) Industry-Specific Program Standards
Standards have been approved by the CTE Board of Trustees on December 16, 2022 and endorsed by the K-12 Council on Elementary and Secondary Education on December 20, 2022.
Governor’s Workforce Board Priority Sectors
The Rhode Island Governor’s Workforce Board (GWB) is the governing body charged with the continuous improvement of the workforce system and oversight of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds and programs. GWB’s Board consists of industry leaders from across the state who are appointed by the Governor to oversee workforce development activities statewide. Local Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) fall under the auspices of GWB, which is part of the PrepareRI umbrella. GWB also has a seat on the CTE Board to further ensure alignment between the CTE Board and the workforce investment boards.
Because CTE programs strive to prepare students for success in life and employment in Rhode Island. This means identifying career fields and skills aligned to Rhode Island's industries and economy. In approving programs, and in distributing resources such as state categorical funding, RIDE prioritizes programs that address critical industry sectors in Rhode Island, as identified by the Department of Labor and Training in conjunction with the Rhode Island Department of Commerce and adopted by the Governor's Workforce Board. Currently, the following sectors are identified as Priority Sectors:
- Environmental and Life Sciences - Bioscience
- Business Management, Administration, Finance & Management
- Architecture and Construction
- Education, Training, and Human Services
- Healthcare
- Hospitality and Tourism
- Industrial Design
- Information Technology
- Manufacturing
- Manufacturing - Defense
- Marine Trades
- STEM
- Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics
CTE Regulations
The Rhode Island Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education approved and adopted, effective July 1, 2012, the Board of Regents Regulations Governing Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Rhode Island, which supersedes all previous rules and regulations pertaining to career and technical education and vocational education.
Career Coordinators
About
Beginning in the 2018-19 school year, RIDE encouraged all high schools to designate a "Career Coordinator." They are a vital link to business/industry/community resources and opportunities that support and enhance classroom learning and work-based learning in their respective schools. Work-based learning is a critical component of a student’s pathway and encompasses activities that provide students with real-life or simulated work experiences.
Career Coordinators create opportunities for a school’s faculty, staff and administrators to gain knowledge about Rhode Island’s businesses, industries, community-based organizations, post-secondary institutions and the various career clusters in order to provide meaningful work-based learning experiences for all students.
They also serve as a liaison for teachers to business, industry, post-secondary institutions and the community by developing and supporting partnerships with interested groups and/or individuals. Career Coordinators are focused on ensuring students' readiness for success during their WBL experiences and on their future career pathways.
Work-based Learning
As a means to strengthen the academic performance of all students, work-based learning provides students with real-life work experiences where they can apply and develop their academic, technical, and professional skills. Career Coordinators engage school faculty, staff, administrators, parents and business in a process to understand the importance of integrating work-based learning opportunities into all classes. By accessing and providing information, materials, resources and expertise about work-based learning programs, projects, professional development, and special events Career Coordinators assist their respective school with the integration of work-based learning opportunities and career awareness activities throughout the curriculum.
Work-based projects and activities include:
- Internships: Positions for students or trainees to work in an organization, with or without pay, to gain work experience, satisfy requirements for a credential, and/or gain course credit.
- Apprenticeships: Highly formal job training experience that involves studying with a master of the trade on the job.
- Service-learning Project: A program or project which combines community service with an outside organization with a structured opportunity for reflection about the service, emphasizing the connections between service experiences and academic learning.
- School-based Enterprise: Students produce and sell goods or services in the school and learn about business skills and entrepreneurship. This ma be part of an entrepreneurship course, and a business professional may serve as a mentor and advisor for the enterprise.
- Industry Project: Individual, group, or class-wide projects in which students address a real-world, industry focused question or problem with the guidance of industry professionals.
2022-23 Meeting Information:
Quick Links to Materials and Resources:
Contact Paul Williams for questions and/or more information:
Paul.Williams@RIDE.RI.Gov
CTE Program Approval Process
Annually, RIDE releases a CTE Program Approval process for new state-approved programs. These programs, designed to prepare students for careers after high school, may be be proposed by any public high school in the state and can be accessed by all Rhode Island students regardless of their home districts, in alignment with legislation. Program approval will be for a term of up to five years. Further, approved programs in industries defined as high-skill, high-growth are eligible for state CTE categorical funding.
SY 23-24 New Program Approval Process
LEAs that are moving forward in the official new program approval process have been notified by RIDE. The official application will be available on Monday, October 31st in the portal.ride.ri.gov system. A PDF of the application questions is available for planning purposes only, and applications are due by 5pm on November 16, 2022.
- New Program Application submission window: 10/31/22 - 11/16/22
- LEAs may use this planning guide to prepare. The questions in the planning guide mirror the questions on the New CTE Program Approval application on portal.ride.ri.gov.
SY 22-23 New Program Approval Process
The previous program approval window closed on March 2, 2022. To learn more about the FY23 process, please refer to the following materials that were in effect for this most recent application window:
- Mandatory LEA Self-Assessment: LEAs had to first self-evaluate their program(s) against RIDE's priorities for new program approval; those programs scoring less than 20 points would likely not receive approval.
- Program Approval Guide: Contains background, context, and guidance for new program approval. Additionally, it contains the required application questions.