Describe how NJ will report data relating to students participating in career and technical education programs in order to adequately measure the progress of the students, including

special populations and students participating in Tech Prep programs, if applicable, and how NJ will ensure that the data reported to you from local educational agencies and eligible institutions, and the data that you report to the Secretary, are complete, accurate, and reliable. [Sec. 122(c)(13); sec 205].

Reporting

To ensure complete, accurate, and reliable data, New Jersey will conduct annual monitoring of the Perkins grant program according to established NJDOE policies. New Jersey has also begun implementation of NJ SMART, a database that collects individual student information. To improve the data collection system, the state will provide workshops and manuals explaining the data collection methodology. New Jersey will also evaluate reports and check data for accuracy and completeness; and reported individual student data will be analyzed and compared to the previous year’s reports to ensure reliable and valid measures.

As the NJ SMART system evolves, the OCTE will engage in discussions to include Perkins as part of this data collection system.

At the postsecondary level, New Jersey will report the current school year’s data on the next reporting year’s Consolidated Annual Report. It takes time to exchange data with other organizations and to get the testing results back from the testing company; therefore, with a one- year delay, the data on student retention or transfer and skill assessment will be more accurate and reliable.

Technical Assistance

New Jersey acknowledges that is has been challenged in the accurate reporting of student data by issues surrounding data collection, particularly in regard to postsecondary providers of career and technical education. In this regard, New Jersey was approved by OVAE to receive technical assistance through Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., (MPR), a nationally recognized research organization, to assist in refining measurement approaches. As part of this initiative, MPR has proposed the following three key activities to address New Jersey’s request for technical assistant to improve postsecondary data collection and reporting procedures:

1. Assist New Jersey in refining measures and measurement approaches. This will involve assisting New Jersey in constructing secondary and postsecondary Perkins IV population definitions and measures to align with federal non-regulatory guidance. In addition to reviewing proposed measurement approaches for each core indicator, MPR will work with New Jersey to determine the best way to identify and track students transitioning from secondary to postsecondary education, as well as how to measure retention for postsecondary CTE students.

2. Assist New Jersey in aligning and/or integrating measures of adult CTE programs offered through the county vocational school districts with measures of CTE programs offered through the county colleges. MPR will work with the State to determine if and how measures of CTE programs at county vocational school districts can be aligned to or integrated with measures of CTE programs at county colleges. Additionally, MPR will assist the NJDOE in determining which adult and collegiate programs should be counted as CTE programs and provide examples of approaches used by other states to collect and report data for adult programs.

3. Provide examples of current web-based data collection and reporting systems. MPR will provide New Jersey with examples of web-based data collection and reporting systems the State can use as models for developing a state on-line reporting system. MPR will also meet with State information technology experts during on-site meetings to assess state design capacities and needs.

As New Jersey’s work with MPR progresses, the results will inform the NJDOE’s data collection, analysis, and reporting efforts, and will help to ensure the reporting of accurate data.

Perkins Grant Application Process: Data and Accountability

To begin to address data collection challenges, which affect the quality of reporting, the OCTE has also a new, developing, Web-enabled Perkins grant application and approval system, which

has resulted in sweeping changes to the entire application process. To focus on and help improve data quality and accountability, the revision included adding the aggregated latest reported VEDS data to the on-line grant application of each secondary eligible recipient of Perkins and/or state funds. (Within the two subsequent grant years, the OCTE will add the data on postsecondary programs to the postsecondary grant application) The VEDS data include academic performance on the state’s “high stakes” High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), skills proficiency assessments as required by state administrative code, graduation rates, placement rates, attainment of industry credentials, and participation and completion of non- traditional students.

The Web-enabled grant application compares the eligible recipient’s aggregate performance information to the state’s Final Agreed Upon Performance Levels (FAUPL) as negotiated with the federal Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE). The aggregate performance the recipient has achieved above or below the state’s performance goal is calculated and clearly shown. For each performance area, the eligible recipient falling below the state standard is required to propose a performance level they plan to achieve during the grant year. The eligible recipient may choose to accept the state’s goal as its aggregate goal, or propose a different performance level. This level may be accepted by the state’s Perkins program officer or it may require negotiation with the eligible recipient if it is deemed to be an unreasonable proposal. To elevate aggregate performance levels, it is necessary to elevate performance levels of individual approved CTE programs. To assist eligible recipients in the selection and negotiation of aggregate performance goals, the OCTE provided each eligible recipient a summary of the performance data for every individual approved CTE program for which data were submitted. This information is used to recognize successful programs and to focus attention on those programs that did not achieve the performance standard.

These online application process changes that focus on reforming traditional approaches to data collection and verification will have a positive impact on New Jersey’s ability to report accurate student data. Additionally, New Jersey is committed to working with its eligible recipients to further clarify and improve data reporting.

The NJDOE will also review the current Perkins Electronic Web-Enabled Grant (EWEG) application, itself, to determine how it might be streamlined for simplicity and ease of use, while still ensuring that it collects the information necessary to make an informed decision about the appropriateness of the proposed activities and planned expenditures.

9. Describe how NJ plans to enter into an agreement with each consortium receiving a grant