109-270 ) is the most recent federal law supporting career and technical education (CTE) services offered within the states at the secondary and postsecondary education levels. The stated purpose of Perkins IV is to support the development of career and technical, as well as academic, skills among secondary and postsecondary education students enrolled in CTE programs. Most recently, Perkins IV was funded at $1.1 billion for FY2016. Career and Technical Education under Perkins

For the purposes of Perkins IV, CTE includes organized educational activities that impart technical or occupational skills at the secondary and postsecondary levels and lead to an industry-recognized credential, a certificate, or an associate's degree. History of Federal Involvement in CTE

The federal government has a long history of supporting workforce development, including CTE. Perkins IV

The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV; P.L. The authorization was extended through FY2013 under the General Education Provisions Act, although the act continues to receive appropriations in FY2016. While maintaining the overall structure of its predecessors, Perkins IV introduced the following major changes:
The act was renamed "career and technical," replacing "vocational and technical," education; separate core indicators of performance for the Basic State Grants (BSG) program were introduced for the secondary and postsecondary levels, requiring grantees to meet at least 90% of their adjusted levels of performance on each core indicator; state improvement plans were required if the 90% target is not met on the BSG adjusted level of performance for at least one core indicator; CTE provisions were explicitly linked with the academic standards required under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act ( P.L. Structure and Purpose of the Act

Perkins IV authorizes funding for five separate programs:
the Basic State Grants program; Tech Prep; National Programs; the Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions (TCPCTI) Program; and Occupational and Employment Information. Each indicator must be disaggregated by special populations and by ESEA Title I subgroups. Other Programs under Title I

				National Programs52

Perkins IV authorizes the Secretary to carry out the following national activities:
collect performance information on the state of CTE and on the effectiveness of state and local CTE programs; provide an annual report to Congress on the state of CTE and on state and local performance of Perkins CTE programs; direct the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to collect information on CTE for a nationally representative sample of students as part of its regular assessments; carry out research, development, dissemination, evaluation, and assessment of CTE activities under Perkins IV based on a single plan developed by the Secretary; conduct an "independent evaluation and assessment" of programs under this act and submit a report to Congress summarizing all studies related to the assessment; appoint an independent advisory panel to conduct an analysis of the findings and recommendations resulting from the assessment described above; collect and disseminate information regarding state efforts to meet their performance standards; establish a national center for research on career and technical education; and carry out demonstration CTE programs and disseminate information about best practices for providing CTE programs under this act. States with lower per capita incomes are also targeted by the initial allocation formula.
The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV; P.L. 109-270) is the main federal law supporting the development of career and technical skills among students in secondary and postsecondary education. Perkins IV aims to improve academic outcomes and preparedness for higher education or the labor market among students enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs, previously known as vocational education programs.
The federal government has a long history of supporting programs to develop students' career and technical skills, dating back to the 19th century. Perkins IV, the most recent federal law targeting CTE, was passed in 2006 and authorized through FY2012. The authorization was extended through FY2013 under the General Education Provisions Act, and Perkins IV has continued to receive fairly constant appropriations through FY2016. The total appropriations for Perkins IV in FY2016 were approximately $1.1 billion. This report provides a summary of Perkins IV.
The largest program authorized by Perkins IV is the Basic State Grants program. Key features of this program include the following:
formula grants to the states to develop and improve CTE programs at the secondary and postsecondary levels; a state allocation formula that allocates money based on population and per capita income factors; a distribution of at least 85% of the funds from the states to the local level; state flexibility in deciding the allocation of state funds between secondary and postsecondary local CTE providers; requirements for states to develop and implement programs of study, which are nonduplicative sequences of courses that span the secondary and postsecondary levels and lead to an industry-recognized credential, certificate, or postsecondary degree; core indicators of performance for accountability purposes, with target levels of performance negotiated between each state and the Secretary of Education; disaggregation of performance data by special populations and subgroups defined in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015; and the requirement for states to prepare and implement program improvement strategies if the target levels on core indicators of performance are not met.
Perkins IV also authorizes additional programs: Tech Prep, National Programs, Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions (TCPCTI), and Occupational Employment Information. Of these, only National Programs and TCPCTI received funding for FY2011-FY2016.