State Profile For Alabama

Data sources used in this profile (PDF,177Kb)

State Director

Mrs. Sherry Key, Director
Career/Technical Education, Alabama Department of Education
PO Box 302101
Montgomery, AL 36107

CTE Web Site(s) as Applicable

Secondary: http://www.alcareertech.org

Postsecondary: http://www.acs.cc.al.us/careertech/careertech.aspx

Career Readiness Certification Program: http://www.careerreadyalabama.com

Mission

Career/technical education is a vital, progressive, and rigorous part of the total education system that provides students with life skills and prepares them as a workforce in which business and industry are confident.

CTE Statistics

Number of Public High Schools: 392
Number of Public High Schools Offering Solely (or primarily) CTE courses: 69
Number of Students in Public High Schools: 209,380
Number of Secondary Students Enrolled in CTE: 129,661
Number of Public Community Colleges: 25
Number of Students at Public Community Colleges: 79,401
Number of Postsecondary Students Enrolled in CTE: 53,463
Perkins Funds Received: $21,305,492

CTE Governance Structure

Perkins Eligible Agency: Department of Education
Agency Administering Secondary CTE: Department of Education
Agency Administering Postsecondary CTE: Department of Postsecondary Education
Programmatic Control For Secondary CTE: State Board of Education
Programmatic Control For Postsecondary CTE: State Board of Education

CTE Funding: Non-Perkins

Key: Increased Funding  Small_green_arrow_up    Decreased Funding   Small_red_arrow_down    Funding Maintained   Small_blue_arrow_both
State Secondary Funding: Small_red_arrow_down
State Postsecondary Funding: Small_green_arrow_up
Local Secondary Funding: Small_red_arrow_down
Local Postsecondary Funding: N/A

State Director Roles and Responsibilities

The State Director has the title of State Director of Career and Technical Education. The State Director’s primary areas of responsibility include Accountability, Budgeting, Economic & Workforce Development Partnerships, High School Reform, CTSOs, Business/Industry Certification (ISO 9000), Jobs for Alabama’s Graduates (JAG), Methods of Administration for OCR, Course of Study, SREB Initiatives, Professional Development, Teacher Certification, Career Information Network, Strategic Plans, Career Academies, Teacher Quality/Teacher Education, National Board Certification.

CTE Connections to Secondary Education and High School Reform

The State Director is a member of the state’s high school reform leadership team.

Implementation of Career Clusters

The Alabama State Plan indicates that career cluster implementation will provide a smooth transition between secondary and postsecondary education and eliminate duplication of coursework. They will help students select a program of study that is academically and technically challenging that will also lead to postsecondary education opportunities or entry in to a high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand occupation. Alabama has adopted the 16 National Career Clusters and the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations has identified the top 40 high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand occupations. This information is being used for all secondary CTE Courses of Study development. All career clusters are being implemented at the secondary and 2-year postsecondary level.


Implementation levels of programs of study

Indicators

Secondary Indicators

Indicator Yes/No
Source: CAR Report 2003-4 2004-5 2005-6 2006-7
Academic Achievement Small_green_check Small_red_x Small_red_x Small_red_x
Vocational Skills Small_green_check Small_green_check Small_green_check Small_red_x
Diploma Equivalent Degree Credential Small_green_check Small_blue_line Small_red_x Small_red_x
Diploma With Proficiency Credential Small_blue_line Small_blue_line Small_blue_line Small_blue_line
Total Placement Small_green_check Small_red_x Small_red_x Small_red_x
Nontraditional Participation Small_red_x Small_red_x Small_green_check Small_green_check
Nontraditional Completion Small_red_x Small_red_x Small_green_check Small_green_check

Post Secondary Indicators

Indicator Yes/No
Source: CAR Report 2003-4 2004-5 2005-6 2006-7
Academic Achievement Small_red_x Small_green_check Small_green_check Small_green_check
Vocational Skills Small_red_x Small_red_x Small_red_x Small_red_x
Diploma Equivalent Degree Credential Small_green_check Small_green_check Small_red_x Small_red_x
Total Placement Small_red_x Small_red_x Small_red_x Small_red_x
Retention Small_red_x Small_red_x Small_red_x Small_green_check
Nontraditional Participation Small_red_x Small_green_check Small_green_check Small_green_check
Nontraditional Completion Small_red_x Small_green_check Small_green_check Small_green_check

Key:

  • Small_green_check - Yes
  • Small_red_x - No
  • Small_blue_line - Data unavailable

Source

The data in the above chart was taken from the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act Reports to Congress on State Performance (see below). The Consolidated Annual Report, or CAR, is a mandatory fiscal and accountability report submitted by each state to the U.S. Department of Education. It provides performance information on Perkins indicators. A red X means a state did not meet its adjusted level of performance and a green checkmark means that the state did meet its goal. A blue bar in the Secondary Indicators table means that the state does not offer students the opportunity to earn both a high school diploma and other credential (e.g., a skill certificate) or that the data was not otherwise provided by the state. A blue bar in the Postsecondary Indicators table indicates that the state did not provide data. CAR narratives for individual states are hyperlinked below.

Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act Reports to Congress on State Performance

State profiles for each of the core indicators (academic attainment, attainment of diplomas or degrees, placement and retention in further education or employment, and participation and completion of non-traditional training programs) for secondary and postsecondary programs. Also included are federal allocations, enrollment by gender, and a brief description of program improvement and data quality efforts for each state.

CAR Narratives for individual states

Last updated on 09/22/2009