How Do You Develop a CTE Program into a Career Academy

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How Do You Develop a CTE Program into a Career
Academy?
School District of Palm Beach County

• ACTE Convention
• Atlanta, Georgia
• December 1, 2006

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Presented by
Susan Katzman, President National Career
Academy Coalition Susan.katzman_at_slps.org Mary
Vreeland, Director Choice Programs and School
Choice mvreeland_at_palmbeach.k12.fl.us Connie
Scotchel-Gross, ManagerCareer Education scotche_at_p
almbeach.k12.fl.us Tom Hession Career Education
hessiont_at_palmbeach.k12.fl.us Jim Politis
Career Education politisj_at_palmbeach.k12.fl.us El
izabeth Shapiro Career Education
shapiro_at_palmbeach.k12.fl.us Sylvia
Tricarico Career Education tricaricos_at_palmbeach.k1
2.fl.us
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CAREER EDUCATION PROGRAMS
CAREER ACADEMIES
I have a good idea of what I want to do . .
Im thinking about it

• The Student
• applies to a school by choice
• is able to fulfill a career plan
• has a commitment to a career path by taking
  specific program courses in a sequence
• has academic courses that relate to the career
  focus and stress preparation for post-secondary
  education
• and employment

Common Areas Curriculum Frameworks Occupational
Completion Points Sequence of Courses Career
Assessment Bright Future Scholarships Work-Based
Experiences CTSOs

• The Student
• attends an assigned school within a boundary area
• not necessarily part of a career plan
• may take unrelated career courses
• attends traditional academic courses that may be
  unrelated to the career focus

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12 Characteristics of Career Academies

• Integrated Curriculum (Core)
• Pure Schedule (Core)
• Common Planning (Core)
• Advisory Committee
• Enrollment
• Career Focus

• Program of Study and Standards
• Articulation
• Staff Development
• Work-Based Learning
• Capstone Activity
• Marketing

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Academies as Small Learning Communities

• Academies are organized as small learning
  communities
• that include
• integrated curriculum of academics and career
  education with a career-related theme
• preparing students academically for
  post-secondary education and marketable skills
  for employment
• learning opportunities that are coordinated and
  sequenced with learning at school and with
  community partners
• use business relationships, service learning, job
  shadowing and mentorships
• based on the 16 National Career Clusters

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Academies Focused on the 16 National Career
Clusters
Early Childhood Teacher Education
Culinary Arts Hospitality, Tourism, Resort
Management
Criminal Justice/ Pre Law
Global Business Entrepreneurship
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Latest Research Shows

• Higher attendance rates
• Lower drop-out rates
• Higher self-esteem and satisfaction with school
• Lower discipline problems
• Higher promise for at-risk and disengaged
  students
• Lower incidence of school violence
• Higher academic standards and sense of connection
  with teachers, other students, and school
  programs
• Lower sense of student apathy, isolation, and
  alienation

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Questions to Consider When Developing a Plan
of Action

• Why should an academy be developed?
• Where will it be located (specific schools)?
• What will be the cluster direction of the
  academy?
• Who will comprise the student body?
• How will the students apply to the academy?
• What is the criteria?
• How do we include advisory boards?
• Will there be an on-going evaluation of the
  career academy?

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National Standards of Practice Self Assessment
Rubric for Career Academies

• Defined Mission Goals
• Academy Structure
• Host District and High School
• Faculty Staff
• Professional Development
• Governance Leadership
• Curriculum Instruction
• Employer, Higher Education Community
  Involvement
• Student Assessment
• Cycle of Improvement

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National Standards of Practice10 Components

• Defined Mission and goals
• A written definition of its mission and goals
  available to administrators, teachers, students,
  parents, advisory board, and others involved in
  the academy
• Academy Structure
• A well-defined structure within the high school,
  reflecting its status as a small learning
  community

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• Host District and High School
• Career academies exist in a variety of district
  and high school contexts which are important
  determinants of an academys success
• Faculty Staff
• Appropriate teacher selection, leadership,
  credentialing, and cooperation are critical to an
  academys success
• Professional Development
• Since an academy places teachers and other adults
  into roles not normally included in their
  previous training, providing adequate
  professional development time, leadership, and
  support is critical

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• Employer, Higher Education Community
  Involvement
• Links high school to its host community and
  involves members of the employer, higher
  education and civic community in certain aspects
  of its operation
• Student Assessment
• Improvements in student performance are central
  to an academys mission. It is important to
  gather data that reflect whether students are
  showing improvement and to report these
  accurately and fairly to maintain the academys
  integrity

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• Governance Leadership
• The academy has a governing structure that
  incorporates the views of all stakeholders
• Curriculum Instruction
• Meets or exceeds external standards and college
  entrance requirements, while differing from a
  regular high school by focusing learning around a
  theme

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SAMPLE STUDENT SCHEDULE
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• Cycle of Improvement
• No new academy functions perfectly. Even
  well-established and operated academies benefit
  from self-examination and refinement.
• Ensuring and improving the quality of a career
  academy requires engaging in a regular cycle of
  improvement

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Importance of Community Partnerships

• Teachers face major challenges, a fact that
  impacts teacher training, recruitment and
  retention. Without support from the community at
  large, including businesses, all our students
  will suffer.
• --Ms. Becton, Verizon

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Why Partner with Business?

• Top Reasons Why U.S. Companies Reject Job
  Applicants

• Inadequate math skills
• Inadequate reading / writing skills
• Inadequate technical / computer skills
• Insufficient work experience skills

H A R D

• Inadequate team working skills
• Inadequate oral communication skills
• Inadequate problem-solving skills
• Inadequate basic employability skills

S O F T
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Advisory Board Mission Statement

• Develop academies that meet industry standards
  and enhance post-secondary education and
  employment options

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Advisory Board Development

• A response to the business communitys request
  for high performing graduates
• A committee working in collaboration with local
  business development boards
• Identified careers based on community needs
  established by the State Department of Labor
• Industry input to develop district Career
  Academies that meet industry standards and
  prepare a student for post-secondary education

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Planning Events Prior to Implementation

• Prior School Year
• Identify academy high school locations
• Principals, Curriculum Assistant Principals, Key
  Teachers, and District Staff attend joint
  training
• Industry partners and staff input on academy
  facility needs (i.e. furniture, equipment)
• Develop academy curriculum scope, sequence, and
  sample schedules

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Planning Events Prior to Implementation

• Develop student data tracking system
• Develop flyers for advertising the academy
• Visit middle schools for recruitment
• Open houses for parents and students
• Press releases and coverage for opening academy
  locations

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Career Academies should reflect

• Integration of curriculum that must be
  academically RIGOROUS and REAL WORLD REVELANT
  for ALL students
• Teaching and learning must focus on RIGOR and
  REVELANCE
• Teaching and learning must focus on RELATIONSHIPS
  and REFLECTION
• Students make connections between academic and
  technical information, helping them discover the
  answer to, Why do I have to learn this?

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Key to Advisory Board Success Remember.
A business partnership is NOT about money.
First you friend raise, then you fund raise.
Rev. Bill Byron Catholic University, Washington,
D. C.
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Key To Academy Success

• Strong District Administrative Support
• Principals Support
• Qualified, dedicated teachers and support staff
• Strong Business/Community Partnerships
• Attendance at National Conferences
• Specific, well-planned staff development that is
• continual, relevant, timely
• Continual expectation for program excellence

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Questions?
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• For more information on
• Career Academies
• contact
• Connie Scotchel-Gross
• scotche_at_palmbeach.k12.fl.us
• 561-969-5821
• or visit
• http//www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/careered/