The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, commonly referred to as Perkins V, was signed into law on July 31, 2018. This federal law reauthorizes the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, which provides almost $1.43 billion in federal support for career and technical education (CTE) programs in all 50 states and U.S. territories, including support for integrated career pathway programs for students. Iowa receives nearly $13.9 million annually in federal funds, divided between secondary and postsecondary CTE programs delivered through public school districts and community colleges.

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Public Comment for Perkins V Accountability

Public comment is now being collected through May 7, 2024, for the proposed State Determined Levels of Performance for academic years 2024-29. Iowans interested in providing feedback are invited to review the Draft Iowa Perkins V Accountability for Continuation of State Plan.

Feedback can be submitted by email to cte@iowa.gov or via USPS mail to the Iowa Department of Education, Bureau of Community Colleges and Postsecondary Readiness, 400 E 14th St, Des Moines, IA 50319.

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Perkins V State Plan

Iowa’s state plan for meeting requirements of Perkins V, and the related secondary and postsecondary accountability performance targets, may be viewed below.

Iowa 4-year Perkins State Plan

Iowa Perkins State Plan Approval Letter

Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment

Perkins V introduced the concept of the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA). The needs assessment is to be used by each eligible recipient as a guidepost, informing the development of the local application and, in particular, how the eligible recipient uses its federal Perkins funds. Learn more about Iowa's CLNA process.

Accountability

"Congress made accountability for results a central focus of Perkins V, setting out new performance requirements for States and local programs. These requirements were established to assess the effectiveness of the State in achieving statewide progress in career and technical education and to optimize the return on investment of Federal funds in career and technical education." Perkins Collaborative Resource Network

"The data explored in this story highlight CTE access, participation, and educational and labor market outcomes. They tell an interesting story of the potential benefits of a concentrated sequence of CTE courses in high school. Concentrating in CTE can provide students with a strong foundation of technical knowledge and employability skills to complement their academic studies and prepare them for both college and career options."

Under Perkins V, states are required to report annually on core indicators of performance for both secondary and postsecondary. States are also required to report disaggregated data on the performance of students by race, ethnicity, gender, and special population categories. Grant recipients should analyze their performance results, which can be utilized in budget and program evaluation.

Secondary Perkins V Performance Indicator Reference

IndicatorIndicator Description

2020-2021

State Target

2021-2022

State Target

2022-2023

State Target

2023-2024

State Target

1S1Four-Year Graduation Rate93.00%93.25%93.50%93.75%
2S1Academic Proficiency in English Language Arts66.00%66.25%66.50%66.75%
2S2Academic Proficiency in Mathematics62.00%62.25%62.50%62.75%
2S3Academic Proficiency in Science58.25%58.50%58.75%59.00%
3S1Post-Program Placement89.50%90.00%90.50%91.00%
4S1Nontraditional Program Concentration14.60%15.00%15.25%15.50%
5S3Participated in Work-Based Learning7.00%8.00%9.00%10.00%

Postsecondary Perkins V Performance Indicators Reference

IndicatorIndicator Description

2020-2021

State Target

2021-2022

State Target

2022-2023

State Target

2023-2024

State Target

1P1Postsecondary Placement70.00%70.25%70.50%70.75%
2P1Earned Recognized Postsecondary Credential50.32%50.50%50.75%51.00%
3P1Nontraditional Program Concentration9.75%10.00%10.25%10.00%

References:

Perkins Collaborative Resource Network

Iowa 4-year Perkins State Plan

Secondary Performance Indicator: Work-Based Learning

Perkins V Work-Based Learning Defined from Sec. 3 [20 U.S.C. 2302] 55: Sustained interactions with industry or community professionals in real workplace settings, to the extent practicable, or simulated environments at an educational institution that foster in-depth, firsthand engagement with the tasks required in a given career field, that are aligned to curriculum and instruction.

Reserve Funding Project: College & Career Transition Counselors

The Iowa Perkins State Plan provides the opportunity to use reserve funds to help establish new College and Career Transition Counselor (CCTC) positions across Iowa. Through a competitive application process, the CCTC Partnership steering committee will award small grants across the state to community colleges that partner with school districts in their service area. Learn more about these positions and grant funding opportunities. 

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Perkins Local Application

The FY24 Perkins V Secondary and Postsecondary applications are posted in funding opportunities in the IowaGrants.gov system. The application deadline is June 30, 2023. The following guidance, memos, and videos provide more information and assistance for completing the application.

Guidance

FY24 Perkins Grant Application: General Guidance for Submission

Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO) Student Competition Funding

Perkins Consortium FAQs

Memos

Consortium Requirements for Distribution of Perkins Funds to Secondary Education

Webinar Recording

FY24 Perkins V Application Webinar

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Accounting for Perkins Funds

Accounting for Perkins Funds: Consortia

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Pell Audit Guidance

Annual Iowa Pell Audit Verification Guidance

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Perkins V Claim Resources

Topic, Description and Webinar Recording (if applicable)

Click on the title to play the webinar recording.

Documents and Links
Accountability and Monitoring Webinar Recording (11-8-23)2023-11-08 Accountability and Monitoring Webinar PowerPoint
Allowable and Unallowable ExpendituresPerkins V Allowable and Unallowable Expenditures - AY 2023-24 - Document includes links to the required approval forms or contact responsible for reviewing and granting the prior approval.
Assurances and Certifications 
Timelines and Due Dates FY24 Webinar Recording (9-27-23 Claims Webinar Series)Timelines and Due Dates FY 24 Webinar PowerPoint (9-27-23) 
Claim Submissions

Perkins Claim Template - FY24

Claim submission presentation file

Claim Updates and FAQsClaim Updates and FAQs Presentation Slides
CLNA Alignment of CTE Programs with Labor Market Information

2024-02-14 CLNA Alignment of CTE Programs with Labor Market Information PowerPoint

Align CTE Programs and Labor Market Information Template

Inventory Requirements

Perkins Inventory Requirements AY24 Webinar PowerPoint (12-13-23)

Equipment Inventory Template

Equipment and Supply Checkout Template

Memos

CTSO Memberships

CIS Platform Perkins Eligibility

CTSO Student Competition Funding

Supplanting and Reimbursement Memo 10-25-2017

Prior Approval Forms

Advertising for Special Populations

Middle School Prior Approval Form

Use of Funds and FY25 Budget Webinar Recording (3-13-24)

2024-03-13 Perkins Use of Funds and FY 2025 Budget PowerPoint

FY25 Perkins V Budget Template

Perkins FAQ and Perkins Federally Required Policies and Procedures

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Perkins-Funded Equipment Guidelines

Perkins Equipment Guidelines

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Perkins Bill

Perkins V

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Post-Secondary Information

Post-Secondary Perkins Certified Annual Report Documentation

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Perkins V Secondary and Post Secondary Monitoring

Community College Perkins Desk Audit Form

Secondary Perkins Desk Audit Form

Perkins Monitoring Presentation

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Resources

Perkins V Plan Timeline

Perkins 101 Presentation

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