(a) Employment preparation education programs means programs leading to a secondary credential for individuals who are at least 21 years of age and who have not received a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma issued by any state or territory of the United States or programs serving eligible persons 21 years of age or older who have not been enrolled in any school for the preceding school year, including persons who have received a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma but fail to demonstrate basic educational competencies as defined in section 168.6(a) of this Part. Such programs may include as appropriate, but are not limited to, day or evening programs which provide instruction in basic education, life skills, high school equivalency examination preparation, English as a second language, evaluation and intake assessment (including the development of individual education and employment preparation plans), and regular credit-bearing high school courses.

(b) Local funds means monies raised by local tax levy.

(c) Contact hour means 60 minutes of instruction given by a teacher.

(d) Nontraditional modes of instruction mean external high school diploma programs, correspondence programs, televised general educational development programs, and such other employment preparation education programs, which are not conducted in regular classrooms during a regular school day, as may be approved by the commissioner.

(e) A comprehensive plan of service application shall consist of program components identified by the department such as traditional adult education instruction, non-traditional adult education instruction, high school credit courses, adult occupational education programs, work experience programs. For each program component, the plan shall include projections of contact hours, student enrollment, projected expenditures in a budget form prescribed by the department, a description of planning and coordination with other programs and agencies in the region, a coordinated staff development plan, a description of program design and curricula for those programs prescribed by the department. The plan shall also identify consortia of school districts that may be formed to provide coordinated service to a region.