Mississippi Career Pathways for High School Redesign and Dropout Prevention

1
Mississippi Career Pathways for High School
Redesign and Dropout Prevention

• Stephanie King, Ph.D.
• Research and Curriculum Unit
• Mississippi State University

2
Why Change?

• Mississippi dropout data (30-40 dropout rate)
• Graduates unprepared for 21st century workforce
• Federal legislation
• Need to increase student learning by adding
  relevance
• Need to prepare students for postsecondary
  education

3
Redesign Components

• Meet job demand
• Provide standards-based programs
• Aid dropout prevention

4
Meet Job Demand

• Preparing for global competition and the 21st
  century
• Information and communication technology
  curriculum for middle school students
• Learning and thinking skills, global awareness,
  information and communications technology
  literacy, leadership skills, and life skills
• Focus on high skill, high wage, or high demand
  occupations
• Partnerships between education and industry
• Dual preparation for postsecondary education and
  employment

5
Provide Standards-Based Programs

• Challenging academic and technical standards
• Related challenging and integrated instruction
• Statewide curriculum frameworks
• Reliable and valid occupational skills assessment

6
Aid Dropout Prevention

• Career awareness
• Self-esteem
• Multiple exit points

7
Job Outlook Research

• MS Economic Review Outlook
• Developed for the Governors Office by IHL
• U.S. Department of Labor Statistics
• Pre-Katrina Post-Katrina Data
• National Occupational Outlook Handbook

8
Dual Credit Options

• High school and college computer applications
  requirement fulfillment
• Online vocational and academic course options at
  the secondary and postsecondary levels
• Select vocational courses count for academic
  credit
• Articulated credit by course based on state
  occupational skill assessment
• Dual enrollment

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On Target with a New Direction
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Middle School Component

• Workplace Skills (21st Century Skills)
• Global Awareness
• Financial, Economic, Business Literacy
• Civic Literacy (citizenship, leadership, behavior
  management)
• Information and Communication Skills (research)
• Thinking Problem Solving Skills
• Interpersonal and Self Directional Skills (work
  ethics, character, teamwork, diversity, time
  management)
• Academic Core
• Online Learning

• Technology Skills Tools
• Office Suite
• CADD
• Internet
• Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
• Graphing Calculators

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ICT I

• Safety and Orientation 5 hours
• Basic Operations and Technology Concepts 45
  hours
• Social, Ethical, and Human Issues in Technology
  10 hours
• Technology Communication Tools 5 hours
• Technology Research Tools 7 hours
• Technology Productivity Tools Word Processing
  Applications 23 hours
• Technology Productivity Tools Publishing
  Applications 14 hours
• Technology Productivity Tools Spreadsheet
  Applications 23 hours
• Technology Productivity Tools Multimedia
  Presentation Applications 14 hours

12
ICT II

• Safety and Orientation (Review and Reinforcement)
  5 hours
• Input Applications 20 hours
• Technology Productivity Tools Database
  Applications 26 hours
• Technology Lab Management Networking 10 hours
• Technology Productivity Tools Design
  Applications 15 hours
• Technology Productivity Tools Graphic Design
  Applications 15 hours
• Technology Productivity Tools Web Design
  Applications 20 hours
• Technology Problem-solving and Decision Making
  Tools 30 hours

13
STEM

• Safety and Orientation 5 hours
• 21st Century Workforce Skills Human Services
  Technology 35 hours
• Financial, Economic, and Business Technology 30
  hours
• Environmental, Agricultural, Natural Resource,
  Health, and Transportation Technology 30 hours
• Science, Technology, Construction, Manufacturing,
  and Engineering Technology 30 hours
• Directed Individual Project 15 hours

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Curriculum Process Overview

• Advisory team selection and meeting
• Mississippi cluster and pathway selection
• Research and input related to selected clusters
  and pathways
• Development of plans of study for pathways
• Development of curricula for pathways
• Evaluation and validation
• Approval

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Career Pathways Advisory Taskforce (CPAT)

• Business and Industry Representatives
• Secondary and Postsecondary Vocational Teachers
• Secondary Academic Teachers
• Counselors
• Administrators
• IHL Representatives
• Department of Education Program Coordinators
• RCU Instructional Design Specialists

16
Methods of Communication

• Online
• E-mail
• Phone conference
• Blackboard
• Other

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CPAT Initial Meeting

• CPAT for each of the seven proposed clusters
• Reviewed research related to proposed career
  clusters and related pathways
• Made a recommendation to MDE and the Career
  Pathways Oversight Committee (CPOC) for clusters
  and related pathways

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Seven Mississippi Clusters

• Health and Human Sciences
• Agricultural Sciences
• Construction and Manufacturing
• Transportation
• Business Management, Marketing, and Technology
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
• Human Services, Arts, and Humanities

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Mississippi Clusters and Pathways
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Research and Continued Input

• Examine national career cluster research
• Plans of study
• Suggested courses and descriptions
• Cluster foundation knowledge and skills
• Pathway knowledge and skills
• Crosswalk competencies in current programs to
  knowledge and skills in national clusters and
  pathways
• Obtain input from CPAT in relation to crosswalk
  results
• Determine which existing competencies align to
  the career cluster knowledge and skills and the
  new competencies that need to be added to address
  knowledge and skills absent from curricula

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Curriculum Development

• CPAT meets to develop the following for each
  pathway program
• Program description
• Course outline
• Competencies and objectives
• Suggested teaching strategies, assessment
  strategies, and references
• Related standards
• Equipment list
• Assessment items for new competencies
• Articulation agreement between high school and
  community college programs

22
Evaluation and Validation

• Curricula will be piloted in select schools
  beginning in the 2008-09 school year
• Adjustments will be made to curricula as needed
  based on pilots

23
Approval

• The Mississippi Board of Education must give
  final approval to plans of study and curricula.

24
Dropout Prevention

• Increase self-esteem
• Show career relevance
• Focus on individual learning
• Provide mentoring program by pathway

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Plans of Study

• Determine appropriate academic and vocational
  courses for each pathway
• Differentiate plans for students interested in
  career entry, community college entry, and
  university entry

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Career Guidance

• Counselors
• WE WORK (Workforce Education With Online Learning
  for Real-world Knowledge) Center Technicians

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Counselor Impact

• Records
• Registration
• Testing
• Scheduling
• Attendance
• Referrals
• Academic progress
• Counseling

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WE WORK Center

• Online Career Counselor and/or Crisis Hotline
• WE WORK Website
• Career Resources
• MS Industries
• Postsecondary and Higher Education Information
• Resume Samples, Cover Letters, Interviewing
  Skills, etc.
• Career/Industry Certifications
• Virtual High School/Virtual Community College
• Modules
• Drop-out Prevention
• Employability Skills
• Basic Industrial Skills
• Quality Management Skills
• Academic Testing (ACT/PSAT)

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WE WORK Center Technician

• Records
• Testing
• Scheduling
• Attendance
• Online Classes
• Career Software

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Records Testing

• Assist with cumulative folders.
• Make sure that cumulative records and computer
  records match.
• Assist with records for new enrollments.
• Assist with preparation of testing security plan
  and maintenance of security.
• Assist with testing logistics.
• Assist with providing information, forms, etc.
  for training.

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Scheduling Attendance

• Assist with scheduling and balancing classes.
• Assist with changing schedules.
• Make sure that pathway choices and student
  selections match.
• Let counselor or principal know of discrepancies.
• Assist with assigning mentors.
• Assist with attendance monitoring.
• Assist with any reporting.
• Assist with dropout documentation.

32
Online Classes

• Provide technical assistance for online classes.
• Schedule computer labs so that students taking
  online classes will be able to complete
  assignments.
• Make sure that teachers and students operate
  computers safely.
• Schedule students to complete career research.
• Assist mentors in obtaining career information.
• Assist mentors in obtaining grade information for
  pathway group.