The States Career Clusters Initiative: Bringing It to Scale

1
The States Career Clusters Initiative Bringing
It to Scale

• Kimberly Green
• kgreen_at_careertech.org

2
Spirit of the New Law

• Leading CTE into the 21st century
• Global competition
• Program improvement
• Ensuring modern, durable and rigorous CTE programs

3
Purposes of the Act

• Develop challenging academic and technical
  standards and related challenging, integrated
  instruction

4
Purposes of the Act

• Promote partnerships (education, workforce
  boards, business, industry, etc.)
• Connect education, workforce development and
  economic development

5
Whats New

• Focus on high skill, high wage, high demand and
  relate to regional economy

6
A Focus on Transition

• Increase transition from 2 to 4 year college
• Focus on articulation

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7
A New Definition of CTE

• Change in definition to eliminate the focus on
  subbaccalaureate careers (does not impact )
• Dual preparation for postsecondary education and
  employment
• Not just job preparation but academic and
  technical preparation
• Increased emphasis on attainment of a technical
  skill proficiency, degree, certificate or
  credential

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CTE Programs Must Be

• Aligned with rigorous and challenging academic
  content standards student achievement standards
  (NCLB)
• Relevant and challenging at the postsecondary
  level
• Lead to employment in high skill, high wage, or
  high demand occupations
• May include a focus on dual enrollment, credit,
  etc.
• Lead to a degree, certificate or credential

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Dictionary

• Are programs of study different than career
  clusters and career pathways?
• Career cluster grouping of like industries and
  occupations
• Career pathway a more refined grouping of
  occupations
• Program of study sequence of instruction that
  prepares individuals for careers

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Alignment of Perkins IV and Programs of Study

• What is a program of study?
• Incorporate and align secondary and postsecondary
  education
• Include academic CTE content in a coordinated,
  non-duplicative progression of courses
• May include the opportunity for secondary
  students to acquire postsecondary credits
• Lead to an industry-recognized credential or
  certificate at the postsecondary level, or an
  associate or baccalaureate degree

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Programs of Study Requirements

• State to develop or approve programs of study.
• All locals must implement a minimum of one
  program of study.

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How Programs of Study Support Perkins Goals

• Programs of study
• A way to transition from VTE to CTE
• Can enhance secondary and postsecondary
  collaboration
• Link (or lead) to articulation agreements
• Link (or lead) to high skill, high wage, and high
  demand occupations

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Implementation
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State of the States

• Most states consider themselves at the mid-level
  of implementation which means they are making
  good progress but still have a way to go.
• A third of the states are just getting started.
• Four states consider themselves at the advanced
  level.
• Most states have adopted a set of Career Clusters
  as an organizer for CTE.

15
Consistency in Implementation

• From 2004 2007, all Career Clusters increased
  in their implementation except for Government and
  Public Administration
• Which Career Clusters experienced the most
  growth?

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Connecting the Learner Levels

• A majority of the states see Career Clusters and
  programs of study as a way to effectively connect
  secondary and postsecondary education.
• Growth trends
• 16 at secondary level
• 48 2 year postsecondary
• 77 4 year postsecondary

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Alignment Across Learner Levels

• Strongest alignment across all learner levels.
• Strongest implementation at the secondary level
• Ag and Health (39 states)
• IT(38 states)
• Architecture and Construction (37 states)
• Hospitality and Tourism and Manufacturing (36
  states)

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Alignment Across Learner Levels

• Strongest implementation at 2 year postsecondary
  level
• Health (38 states)
• Manufacturing and Business (34 states)
• Strongest implementation at 4 year postsecondary
  level
• Health (17 states)
• STEM (16 states)
• IT and Business (15 states)

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Extending Beyond the Minimums

• 10 states are distributing all secondary Perkins
  funds via programs of study.
• 5 are doing so at the postsecondary level.

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Policies Supporting Implementation

• 31 states are starting out or making some
  progress in identifying or organizing programs of
  study into Career Clusters.
• 15 states have fully aligned programs of study to
  Career Clusters.
• A third of states have redirected staff to
  support Career Clusters and are working to align
  CTSOs to Career Clusters and programs of study.
• A few states, 8, are developing assessments
  aligned to Career Cluster knowledge and skill
  statements.

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Transitions

• Transition year programs of study
  development/approval
• 34 states develops voluntary local use.
• 35 states develops mandatory local use.
• 49 locals develop state approves.
• Most states are requiring accountability data by
  Career Clusters.
• Federal government will require enrollment data
  by Career Clusters and likely additional
  accountability data as well.

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Overcoming Obstacles

• Professional development
• Lack of assessmentspriority for us and OVAE
• Time Scheduling Cost
• Resistance from educators

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Advice to Others

• Inclusiveness of all the players at all levels
  business, industry, instructors, administrators,
  academic and technical, counselors, parents, etc.
• Marketing and awareness
• Patience
• Using the national models
• Not trying to do it all at once

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Thank you!

• Resources
• Career Clusters and Programs of Study State of
  the States http//www.careertech.org/uploaded_fil
  es/CareeerClustersProgStudySurveyJune07.doc
• Career Clusters A Plan for Education for a
  Global Economy http//www.careertech.org/uploaded
  _files/Career_Cluster_Research_Brief__-_final.pdf
• Career Clusters Website www.careerclusters.org
• Sample Programs of Study http//www.careercluster
  s.org/resources/web/pos.cfm