§ 2342. State plan
(a)
State plan
(1)
In general
Each eligible agency desiring assistance under this subchapter for any fiscal year shall prepare and submit to the Secretary a State plan for a 6-year period, together with such annual revisions as the eligible agency determines to be necessary, except that, during the period described in section
2303 of this title, each eligible agency may submit a transition plan that shall fulfill the eligible agency’s obligation to submit a State plan under this section for the first fiscal year following August 12, 2006.
(2)
Revisions
Each eligible agency—
(3)
Hearing process
The eligible agency shall conduct public hearings in the State, after appropriate and sufficient notice, for the purpose of affording all segments of the public and interested organizations and groups (including charter school authorizers and organizers consistent with State law, employers, labor organizations, parents, students, and community organizations), an opportunity to present their views and make recommendations regarding the State plan. A summary of such recommendations and the eligible agency’s response to such recommendations shall be included in the State plan.
(b)
Plan development
(2)
Activities and procedures
The eligible agency shall develop effective activities and procedures, including access to information needed to use such procedures, to allow the individuals and entities described in paragraph (1) to participate in State and local decisions that relate to development of the State plan.
(c)
Plan contents
The State plan shall include information that—
(1)
describes the career and technical education activities to be assisted that are designed to meet or exceed the State adjusted levels of performance, including a description of—
(A)
the career and technical programs of study, which may be adopted by local educational agencies and postsecondary institutions to be offered as an option to students (and their parents as appropriate) when planning for and completing future coursework, for career and technical content areas that—
(ii)
include coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant career and technical content in a coordinated, nonduplicative progression of courses that align secondary education with postsecondary education to adequately prepare students to succeed in postsecondary education;
(B)
how the eligible agency, in consultation with eligible recipients, will develop and implement the career and technical programs of study described in subparagraph (A);
(C)
how the eligible agency will support eligible recipients in developing and implementing articulation agreements between secondary education and postsecondary education institutions;
(D)
how the eligible agency will make available information about career and technical programs of study offered by eligible recipients;
(E)
the secondary and postsecondary career and technical education programs to be carried out, including programs that will be carried out by the eligible agency to develop, improve, and expand access to appropriate technology in career and technical education programs;
(F)
the criteria that will be used by the eligible agency to approve eligible recipients for funds under this chapter, including criteria to assess the extent to which the local plan will—
(G)
how programs at the secondary level will prepare career and technical education students, including special populations, to graduate from secondary school with a diploma;
(H)
how such programs will prepare career and technical education students, including special populations, academically and technically for opportunities in postsecondary education or entry into high skill, high wage, or high demand occupations in current or emerging occupations, and how participating students will be made aware of such opportunities;
(I)
how funds will be used to improve or develop new career and technical education courses—
(J)
how the eligible agency will facilitate and coordinate communication on best practices among successful recipients of tech prep program grants under subchapter II and eligible recipients to improve program quality and student achievement;
(2)
describes how comprehensive professional development (including initial teacher preparation and activities that support recruitment) for career and technical education teachers, faculty, administrators, and career guidance and academic counselors will be provided, especially professional development that—
(A)
promotes the integration of coherent and rigorous academic content standards and career and technical education curricula, including through opportunities for the appropriate academic and career and technical education teachers to jointly develop and implement curricula and pedagogical strategies, as appropriate;
(C)
is high quality, sustained, intensive, and focused on instruction, and increases the academic knowledge and understanding of industry standards, as appropriate, of career and technical education teachers;
(D)
encourages applied learning that contributes to the academic and career and technical knowledge of the student;
(E)
provides the knowledge and skills needed to work with and improve instruction for special populations;
(F)
assists in accessing and utilizing data, including data provided under section
2328 of this title, student achievement data, and data from assessments; and
(3)
describes efforts to improve—
(4)
describes efforts to facilitate the transition of subbaccalaureate career and technical education students into baccalaureate degree programs at institutions of higher education;
(5)
describes how the eligible agency will actively involve parents, academic and career and technical education teachers, administrators, faculty, career guidance and academic counselors, local business (including small businesses), and labor organizations in the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of such career and technical education programs;
(6)
describes how funds received by the eligible agency through the allotment made under section
2321 of this title will be allocated—
(7)
describes how the eligible agency will—
(A)
improve the academic and technical skills of students participating in career and technical education programs, including strengthening the academic and career and technical components of career and technical education programs through the integration of academics with career and technical education to ensure learning in—
(8)
describes how the eligible agency will annually evaluate the effectiveness of such career and technical education programs, and describe, to the extent practicable, how the eligible agency is coordinating such programs to ensure nonduplication with other Federal programs;
(9)
describes the eligible agency’s program strategies for special populations, including a description of how individuals who are members of the special populations—
(10)
describes—
(A)
the eligible agency’s efforts to ensure that eligible recipients are given the opportunity to provide input in determining the State adjusted levels of performance described in section
2323 of this title; and
(B)
how the eligible agency, in consultation with eligible recipients, will develop a process for the negotiation of local adjusted levels of performance under section
2323
(b)(4) of this title if an eligible recipient does not accept the State adjusted levels of performance under section
2323
(b)(3) of this title;
(11)
provides assurances that the eligible agency will comply with the requirements of this chapter and the provisions of the State plan, including the provision of a financial audit of funds received under this chapter which may be included as part of an audit of other Federal or State programs;
(12)
provides assurances that none of the funds expended under this chapter will be used to acquire equipment (including computer software) in any instance in which such acquisition results in a direct financial benefit to any organization representing the interests of the acquiring entity or the employees of the acquiring entity, or any affiliate of such an organization;
(13)
describes how the eligible agency will report data relating to students participating in career and technical education in order to adequately measure the progress of the students, including special populations, and how the eligible agency will ensure that the data reported to the eligible agency from local educational agencies and eligible institutions under this subchapter and the data the eligible agency reports to the Secretary are complete, accurate, and reliable;
(14)
describes how the eligible agency will adequately address the needs of students in alternative education programs, if appropriate;
(15)
describes how the eligible agency will provide local educational agencies, area career and technical education schools, and eligible institutions in the State with technical assistance;
(16)
describes how career and technical education relates to State and regional occupational opportunities;
(17)
describes the methods proposed for the joint planning and coordination of programs carried out under this subchapter with other Federal education programs;
(d)
Plan options
(1)
Single plan
An eligible agency not choosing to consolidate funds under section
2372 of this title shall fulfill the plan or application submission requirements of this section, and section
2371
(c) of this title, by submitting a single State plan. In such plan, the eligible agency may allow recipients to fulfill the plan or application submission requirements of section
2354 of this title and subsections (a) and (b) of section
2374 of this title by submitting a single local plan.
(e)
Plan approval
(1)
In general
The Secretary shall approve a State plan, or a revision to an approved State plan, unless the Secretary determines that—
(B)
the State’s levels of performance on the core indicators of performance consistent with section
2323 of this title are not sufficiently rigorous to meet the purpose of this chapter.
(2)
Disapproval
The Secretary shall not finally disapprove a State plan, except after giving the eligible agency notice and an opportunity for a hearing.
(3)
Consultation
The eligible agency shall develop the portion of each State plan relating to the amount and uses of any funds proposed to be reserved for adult career and technical education, postsecondary career and technical education, tech prep education, and secondary career and technical education after consultation with the State agency responsible for supervision of community colleges, technical institutes, or other 2-year postsecondary institutions primarily engaged in providing postsecondary career and technical education, and the State agency responsible for secondary education. If a State agency finds that a portion of the final State plan is objectionable, the State agency shall file such objections with the eligible agency. The eligible agency shall respond to any objections of the State agency in the State plan submitted to the Secretary.