Section 254.1425  Vocational Education Support Programs by Community-Based Organizations

a)         Each community-based organization which desires to participate in vocational education support programs under Title III, Part A of the Vocational Education Act shall, together with an eligible recipient serving individuals in the same community or region as those served by the community-based organization, jointly prepare and submit an application to the State Board of Education.

b)         Each such application shall be submitted on forms provided by the State Board of Education and shall:

1)         contain an agreement between the community-based organization and the eligible recipients in the area to be served, which includes the designation of the fiscal agent established for the program;

2)         provide a description of the uses for which assistance is sought, together with evaluation criteria to be applied to the program.  The evaluation shall include:

A)        cross-reference(s) to the specific procedure(s) and/or objective(s) it is designed to evaluate;

B)        date(s) when the technique will be conducted; and

C)        criteria or standards used to assess the accomplishments of the evaluated procedure(s) and/or objective(s).

3)         provide assurances that the community-based organization will give priority in serving the needs of severely economically and educationally disadvantaged youth ages sixteen through twenty-one, inclusive;

4)         provide assurances that, where such assistance is available, business concerns will be involved in the identification and/or provision of services and activities for which funding is sought;

5)         describe the collaborative efforts with the eligible recipients in identifying, developing, and providing the vocational education program, services, and activities for which assistance is sought and the manner in which the services and activities for which assistance is sought will serve to enhance the enrollment of severely economically and educationally disadvantaged youth into the vocational education programs; and

6)         provide assurances that the programs conducted by the community-based organization will conform to the applicable standards of performance and measures of effectiveness required in this Part for similar vocational education programs in the state.

c)         Each such application shall be submitted to the State Board of Education as a supplement to the application required of the eligible recipient by Subpart C, Applications for Funding.

d)         Applications will be evaluated for approval purposes utilizing such criteria, including but not limited to the following, as will best assure that the programs and services detailed in the application are in accordance with the purposes of the Vocational Education Act and will contribute to achievement of the goals and objectives of the State Plan:

1)         the extent to which need for the programs and services proposed in the application has been documented for the area to be served;

2)         the extent to which the proposed programs and services will be made available in counties having rates of unemployment and school dropout greater than the statewide average for the previous year;

3)         the extent to which the proposed programs and services are unavailable through local educational agencies or other public institutions serving the designated area;

4)         the extent to which the proposed programs and services will be made available to those individuals having the greatest need for the programs and services.  The individuals having the greatest need for services and programs are those who:

A)        are currently in school but meet the criteria for academically disadvantaged;

B)        are out of school and meet the criteria for academically disadvantaged;

C)        are between 16 and 21 years of age;

D)        are not candidates for the General Education Development Certificate program;

E)        are unemployed and have job skills that have not allowed them to secure employment; or

F)         are economically disadvantaged;

5)         the extent to which the proposed programs and services do not duplicate the vocational education programs available in the area served; and

6)         the extent to which the community-based organization named in the application has demonstrated effectiveness through its longevity and support of the local community in the operation of programs and services of a type similar to those proposed in the application.

(Source:  Added at 12 Ill. Reg. 2282, effective January 15, 1988)