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ExpectMore.govExpectMore.gov home pageEXPECT FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO PERFORM WELL, AND BETTER EVERY YEAR.
 
Program Assessment

Program

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Vocational Education State Grants

This program provides funds to support state-sponsored vocational education programs. These programs, which are implemented in high schools and postsecondary schools, provide students with job-focused education and occupational training.

Rating

What This Rating Means

NOT PERFORMING
Ineffective

Programs receiving this rating are not using your tax dollars effectively. Ineffective programs have been unable to achieve results due to a lack of clarity regarding the program's purpose or goals, poor management, or some other significant weakness.
  • Evaluations show the program does not provide advantages in terms of academic achievement. The National Assessment of Vocational Education reported that students in vocational education programs did not perform better in reading, math, and science achievement between grades 8-12 than students who were in general education programs.
  • Annual performance data show that many States are not making adequate progress in achieving positive student outcomes. 15 States did not meet their performance targets for academic achievement at the secondary level; 17 States did not meet their targets for high school completion for school year 2003-04.
  • The validity and reliability of program performance data are limited. The previous program statute gave States the flexibility to define performance measures, so States use varying performance measures that do not share a common standard for validity and reliability and do not allow for aggregation. The Department will seek to implement the new statute in a manner that produces better data.

Improvement Plan

About Improvement Plans

We are taking the following actions to improve the performance of the program:

  • Setting short and long-term targets based on the measures in the new Perkins law.
  • Issuing regulations on implementation of performance measures systems under the new Perkins law.
  • Issuing guidance and providing technical assistance on integrating challenging academic and career/technical instruction and collecting and reporting better performance data under the new Perkins law.

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