Chapter 02. Secondary School Career and Technical Education
Regulation .01 Scope.LinkCopy Citation
A.
Each local school system shall assure that students have equal access to career and technical education programs without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, socioeconomic status, academic disadvantages, economic disadvantages, or limited English-speaking ability. Each local school system shall further assure that career and technical education programs are readily available to students from all geographic sections of the local school system.
B.
Each local school system shall make career awareness, exploratory career experiences, career and technical student organizations, and unbiased program information equally available to students in accordance with §A of this regulation.
C.
Each local school system that develops career and technical education programs shall do so in accordance with the career and technical education development standards in Regulation .03A of this chapter.
Regulation .02 Definitions.LinkCopy Citation
A.
In this chapter, the following terms have the meanings indicated.
B.
Terms Defined.
(1)
“Articulation agreement” means a written commitment as described in the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, Public Law 109-270 (2006).
(2)
“Career and technical education (CTE) enrollee” means a student who is enrolled in at least one course which is part of an identified CTE completer program.
(3)
“Career and technical student organization” means an organization for individuals enrolled in CTE programs of study that engages students in co-curricular CTE learning experiences as an integral part of the instructional program, is approved by the Maryland State Department of Education, and adheres to Policies and Procedures for Implementing Career and Technical Student Organizations in Maryland.
(4)
“CTE concentrator” means aat the secondary level who completes two courses in a single CTE program of study and has enrolled in the third sequential course in a single CTE program of study.
(5)
“CTE completer” means a student who meets all requirements outlined in the State-approved proposal for a CTE completer program.
(6)
“Eligible recipient” means an entity that meets the requirements of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, Public Law 109-270 (2006), and federal amendments of the law, and Education Article, §§2-205(h) and 21-203, Annotated Code of Maryland, which are incorporated by reference.
(7)
“Liquidation” means the elimination of financial obligations.
(8)
“Value-added opportunities” means advanced standing at the postsecondary level, industry certification, or guaranteed apprenticeship or employment placement.
Regulation .03 Career and Technical Education Development Standards.LinkCopy Citation
CTE Programs shall be:
A.
Developed by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and/or local school system and implemented to increase the academic, career, and technical skills of students in order to prepare them for careers and further education;
B.
Aligned to high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations;
C.
Developed to provide opportunities for student to earn industry-recognized credentials or postsecondary credits;
D.
Developed to provide opportunities for students to engage in work-based learning experiences that require the application of academic and technical knowledge and skills in a work setting;
E.
Developed in collaboration with all relevant stakeholder groups, including industry and postsecondary partners to meet State or local workforce needs;
F.
Organized under broad career clusters, based on all aspects of an industry and designed to help students make informed decisions regarding career pathways;
G.
Developed to include opportunities for students to participate in state-approved, co-curricular career and technical student organizations aligned with career and technical education programs of study;
H.
Developed to include value-added opportunities based on current and projected economic market demands;
I.
Developed to prepare students for both college and careers through the completion of a planned sequential program of study that blends academic, technical, and workplace skills;
J.
Developed to include a coherent set of academic, employability, and technical skills, based on national and State standards that provide students moving directly to employment with a value-added competitive advantage;
K.
Developed to provide multiple options for students as they prepare for entry into careers and further education through articulation agreements, supervised work-based learning opportunities, and industry-mentored or capstone projects;
L.
Based upon the reporting and use of outcome data, such as academic and technical skill attainment, placement and retention in employment, the military or postsecondary programs, for a means of upgrading programs and increasing student performance; and
M.
Developed to meet federal requirements defined by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, Public Law 109—270 (2006) and federal amendments of the law and the federal Methods of Administration Program.
Regulation .04 Enrollment Criteria.LinkCopy Citation
A.
Each local school system and each community college shall describe in the annual local application how it assures that students have equal access to career and technical education programs without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, socioeconomic status, academic disadvantages, economic disadvantages, or limited English-speaking ability.
B.
Each local school system and community college shall further assure that career and technical education programs are readily available to students from all geographic sections of the local school system and community college area.
Regulation .05 Selection Criteria.LinkCopy Citation
Each local school system:
A.
Shall establish criteria for the selection of applicants for enrollment in career and technical education programs in accordance with Regulation .01A of this chapter;
B.
Shall give priority to enrolling students who intend to seek employment in a related career upon completion of the programs;
C.
May not exclude students who are concurrently preparing for employment in a related career and further education; and
D.
Shall make career and technical student organizations, career awareness, exploratory career experiences, and program information equally available to students in accordance with Regulation .01B of this chapter.
Regulation .06 Federal Funds.LinkCopy Citation
A.
Requirements. The State Board of Education shall implement the requirements of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, Public Law 109-270 (2006). Each eligible recipient, as defined by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, shall comply with these requirements in order to receive and expend federal funds.
B.
Application for Funds.
(1)
An eligible recipient requesting federal funds for career and technical education programs shall submit an application annually to the State Department of Education on a form prescribed by the State Superintendent of Schools. The application shall:
(a)
Contain assurances that both the requirements of Education Article, §2-205(h), Annotated Code of Maryland, and this regulation are met;
(b)
Include a completed CTE Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment evaluating access, equity, and student performance;
(c)
Identify the programs to receive federal funds for career and technical education, which shall be restricted to career and technical programs that are:
(i)
Approved by the State Department of Education;
(ii)
Focused on the development, coordination, implementation, or improvement of CTE; and
(iii)
Related to access, equity, student performance, labor market, workforce, and economic development needs, particularly in high wage, high skill, and in-demand occupations as identified in the CTE Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment;
(d)
Set forth a plan that targets funds to address eligible recipients priority needs identified through data and analysis;
(e)
Identify the proposed expenditures for each program; and
(f)
Include the expected and measurable outcomes resulting from proposed expenditures.
(2)
Collaborative Planning. An eligible recipient shall use a collaborative planning process to ensure the participation of all groups involved in local planning and assessment for career and technical education. These groups include, but are not limited to, the local advisory council, program advisory committees, local workforce investment boards, and local economic development personnel, as well as representatives from secondary and postsecondary instructional areas, guidance and counseling, special education, student support services, and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs.
(3)
Maintenance of Fiscal Effort.
(a)
Payments may not be made to any eligible recipient unless the State determines that its expenditures of general funds per student or aggregate fiscal effort for career and technical education in the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the determination is made equaled or exceeded its effort for career and technical education for the second preceding fiscal year.
(b)
If fiscal effort cannot be maintained, the eligible recipient may request a waiver in writing. The request for waiver shall be submitted to the Assistant State Superintendent, Division of Career and College Readiness, Maryland State Department of Education, not later than June 30 of the fiscal year in which effort cannot be maintained. The Assistant State Superintendent may grant a request for waiver of maintenance of effort for good cause.
(4)
Financial Reporting Requirements.
(a)
Financial reports shall be submitted according to the forms and procedures in the “Financial Reporting Manual for Maryland Public Schools”, which is incorporated by reference in COMAR 13A.02.01.02C.
(b)
An eligible recipient shall submit an Annual Financial Report of Expenditures to the State Department of Education not later than September 30 of each year. The report shall include expenditures, source year of funds, and State, local, and federal expenditures during the fiscal year. The Maintenance of Fiscal Effort figure is also reported and it represents the official Maintenance of Effort figure for the eligible recipient. The State Department of Education may withhold CTE payments from an eligible recipient that does not submit this report by the specified date.
(5)
Liquidation of Financial Obligations.
(a)
The liquidation of financial obligations incurred in a given fiscal year shall be completed within 90 calendar days after the end of the grant period.
(b)
The unused balance of funds granted to the eligible recipient which is remaining after the 90 calendar day liquidation period shall be refunded immediately to the State Department of Education.
(c)
If obligations cannot be eliminated within the 90 calendar day liquidation period, the eligible recipient may request, in writing, an extension of the liquidation period as follows:
(i)
The request for extension shall be submitted to the Assistant State Superintendent, Division of Career and College Readiness, Maryland State Department of Education, at least 15 calendar days before the end of the liquidation period; and
(ii)
The Assistant State Superintendent may approve a request for extension for good cause.
(6)
Equipment Management and Inventory. The Division of Career and College Readiness and each eligible recipient shall establish and maintain equipment inventories and appropriate record-keeping systems for equipment with an initial cost of $5,000 or more that was purchased with federal funds.
(7)
Program Reports.
(a)
Program reports shall be submitted by the eligible recipient according to a form prescribed by the Maryland State Department of Education and as identified on the Notice of Grant Award.
(b)
Interim program reports are due no later than January 15 of each year.
(c)
Final program reports are due July 31 of each year.
(d)
Other required reports such as outcome data, enrollment files, work-based learning questionnaires, pregraduate surveys, verification of eligible programs, Pell grant recipients, including justification of greater or less than 5 percent variance if needed, local agreed-upon performance levels, and others as may be required are due by the date identified and provided to eligible recipients by the Maryland State Department of Education.
(e)
The State Department of Education may withhold CTE payments from an eligible recipient that does not submit required reports by the specified date.
(f)
For grants, applications, and other related items, spending authority becomes effective the first day of the month in which all required items have been submitted in approvable form.
C.
Equity. An eligible recipient receiving federal funds shall comply with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and shall provide information to the Division of Career and College Readiness, as requested, to demonstrate compliance.
Chapter annotations
Authority: Education Article, §§2-205(h) and 21-201—21-203, Annotated Code of Maryland
History: Effective date: September 21, 1979 (6:19 Md. R. 1520)
History: Regulation .01 repealed and new Regulations .01—.03 adopted effective August 7, 1989 (16:15 Md. R. 1651)
History: Regulations .04 and .05 adopted as an emergency provision effective September 23, 1991 (18:21 Md. R. 2303); emergency status extended at 19:5 Md. R. 574 (March 6, 1992); emergency status expired August 31, 1992 (Emergency provisions are temporary and not printed in COMAR)
History: Chapter revised effective November 9, 1992 (19:22 Md. R. 1989)
History: Regulation .01B, C amended effective August 15, 1994 (21:16 Md. R. 1387)
History: Regulation .02C amended effective August 15, 1994 (21:16 Md. R. 1387)
History: Regulation .03B amended effective August 15, 1994 (21:16 Md. R. 1387); November 1, 1999 (26:22 Md. R. 1695); October 19, 2009 (36:21 Md. R. 1592)
History: Regulation .03C amended effective August 15, 1994 (21:16 Md. R. 1387)
History: Chapter revised effective January 7, 2016 (42:26 Md. R. 1595)
History: Regulation .01 amended effective March 22, 2021 (48:6 Md. R. 238)
History: Regulation .02B amended effective March 22, 2021 (48:6 Md. R. 238)
History: Regulation .03 amended effective March 22, 2021 (48:6 Md. R. 238)
History: Regulation .04 amended effective March 22, 2021 (48:6 Md. R. 238)
History: Regulation .05A, D amended effective March 22, 2021 (48:6 Md. R. 238)
History: Regulation .06B amended effective March 22, 2021 (48:6 Md. R. 238)