The White House launched the Race to the Top Fund to spur and replicate innovation, however priorities, requirements, definitions and selection criteria for the grant program should distinctly include career and technical education – a critical and effective education reform tool.

Responding to a Federal Register notice published in July, NASDCTEc and the Association of Career and Technical Education, submitted to the Education Department, recommendations for the yet-to-be-finalized Race to the Top Fund. The historic $4.35 billion in competitive grant funding could play a significant role in elevating the positive impact CTE has had in pockets of school reform efforts across the nation.

The joint recommendations weighed in on the areas of proposed priorities, selection criteria, and definitions of student achievement for the Race to the Top Fund. For instance, NASDCTEc and ACTE urges the Department to include career technical education in its Proposed Priority 2: Competitiveness Preference Priority, which now only includes partiality for science, technology, engineering and math programs. The clause (i) should be changed to read: “offer a rigorous course of study in mathematics, sciences, technology, and engineering, including STEM-intensive courses such as those offered in many career and technical education programs.” While many CTE courses do dovetail with STEM programs, it is important to distinctly include CTE in the guidance language to ensure opportunities in the competitive process.

NASDCTEc and ACTE also recommend to expand or clarify guidance language that calls attention to “non tested grades and subjects.” Since CTE programs often fall in this category, it is critical to address the areas in which CTE cultivates student achievement and uses alternate assessments and indicators to demonstrate success. Hence, language in subsection (b) should read “For non-tested grades and subjects: An alternative measure of student performance (e.g. student performance on interim assessments — as defined in the notice), number of students earning industry-recognized certificates or credentials, number of students earning college credit through dual or concurrent programs…”

The comment period on the proposed RTF guidance ended last week, and the first awards under the Race to the Top
Fund are expected early next year.

View NASDCTEc & ACTE recommendations.

Tags: Public Policy, race to the top

This entry was posted on Friday, September 4th, 2009 at 5:16 am and is filed under Advance CTE Announcements, Legislation, Public Policy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.