Using Career Clusters to Help ALL Students Achieve Success

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Using Career Clusters to Help ALL Students
Achieve Success

• Presented by
• Belinda McCharen, Ed.D., LPC, NCC, NCCC
• College of Education
• Oklahoma State University
• belinda.mccharen_at_okstate.edu

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So Why Are We Here?
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Essential Questions

• Why are we getting involved in using career
  clusters, career pathways and programs of study
  to increase rigor and relevance, and how to we do
  it?
• Is our current educational system providing
  avenues of success for all learners (secondary,
  postsecondary, adults)?

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Transition to 21st Century Workplaces Source
Adapted from Schray and Sheets (2002)


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The Problems

• Engagement attending school and completing
  (graduating) high school

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Too many 9th Graders do not complete High School
historical trend
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Source One-Third of a Nation (ETS, 2005)
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Why do they leave?
Source The silent epidemic Perspectives of high
school dropouts Civic Enterprises, 2006
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Have you ever been bored in class?
Source 2008 HSSSE
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If you have been bored in class, why?

• Material not interesting
• Material wasnt relevant to me
• No interaction with teacher
• Work wasnt challenging enough
• Work was too difficult
• Other

Source 2008 HSSSE
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The Problems

• Engagement attending school and completing
  (graduating) high school
• Achievement academic (and technical) course
  taking grades, test scores

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Data Changes

• Do we know what the outcomes are for our
  students?
• What are the implications for planning and
  advisement?
• What are our expectations for students AND
  instructors?
• The POS requires us to look at traditional data
  in new ways to measure progress of our students

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The Problems

• Engagement attending school and completing
  (graduating) high school
• Achievement academic (and technical) course
  taking grades, test scores
• Transition to postsecondary education without
  the need for remediation and to the workplace

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Transition Through High School And To College
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31 Leave with 0 Credits
100 Start 9th Grade
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Source Education Weekly March 2005
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Transition Through High School And To College
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100 Start 9th Grade
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Source Oklahoma Office of Accountability 2007
State Report
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Transition

• 84 of high school students anticipate earning a
  college degree
• Students who anticipate a degree are unlikely to
  prepare for a career following high school
• More than 50 of students who begin college do
  not earn a degree
• For students with the lowest high school
  performance, 86 do not earn a degree

Rosenbaum, J. E. (2002). Beyond Empty Promises
Policies To Improve Transitions into College and
Jobs. U.S. Illinois 42.
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When Graduates Get There . .
Source NCES (2003), Remedial Education at
Degree Granting PS Institutions in fall 2000
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Percent Of Students Who Take Remedial Courses

• 63 at two-year institutions
• 40 at four-year institutions

The Bridge Project Stanford University
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Key Terms

• Career Cluster
• Career Pathway
• Program of Study
• Career Major
• Plan of Study
• Dual Credit

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Need to Know Information about Perkins?

• At least one Program of Study in must be in place
  during the 2008-09 school year
• The Programs of Study must include courses at
  both the secondary and postsecondary levels

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Need to Know Information about Perkins?

• The Programs of Study must include both academic
  and CTE/degree major courses and
• The Programs of Study must lead somewhere a
  credential, certificate, license,
• degree, etc.

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Key Terms

• Career Clusters are groupings of occupations and
  industries
• A Career Pathway represents a grouping of
  occupations within a cluster based on
  commonalities
• A Program of Study is sequence of courses used to
  get students from high school entry to success in
  careers and postsecondary education/both academic
  and technical courses

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Key Terms, cont.

• A Plan of Study is the tool used to help students
  identify the courses needed to reach their career
  goal and establish their educational strategy
• Dual Credit is college credit earned by being
  enrolled in courses at the tech center and
  earning credit from a community college

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National Perspective

• System Philosophy for Career Clusters
• Career-focused educational reform
• Career GuidanceInstructionDelivery
• Seamless Education
• Framework in which occupationally-specific
  programs are one component
• Connects career guidance to K S to
• delivery systems
• Vertical and horizontal transfer of
• knowledge/skills

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National Perspective

• Career Clusters require a shift in thinking from
  ONLY specific occupational education and skills
  training to a seamless system
• Career Clusters require programs to quit
  thinking of themselves as stand-alone and to
  begin thinking of themselves as part of a
  seamless system
• Career Clusters require long-term commitment of
  every partner in its role within the system
• Career Clusters support workforce preparation and
  economic development

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Lets Say It Again

• A Program of Study is the plan to get students
  from high school entry to success in careers and
  postsecondary education.
• Its not hard, but someone has to take the lead
  and dedicate the time.

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Whats Most Important?

• NOT What you call courses.
• NOT How many courses you take.
• Its being sure students get the content they
  need.
• The Key is the Knowledge and Skills Statements
  (YOU MIGHT CALL THEM STANDARDS).

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Where Do Clusters Fit in the Educational System?

• Elementary, Middle and Comprehensive High Schools
• Career Academies
• Small Learning Communities
• Technology Centers
• Magnet Schools
• Community Colleges
• Universities
• Business and Industry (re-tool, cross-train,
  career ladders/lattices)

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16 Career Clusters


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Connections

• Strategies
• Perkins
• School-to-Careers
• HSTW
• Tech Prep
• Career Academies
• Small Learning Communities
• Career-Themed Instruction
• Knowledge and Skills
• Technical
• Academic
• Soft/Employability

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What are the Programs of Study?

• A sequenced listing of courses, both academic and
  CTE/degree major, that connects students high
  school and postsecondary educational experiences
• Added-----
• A set of course descriptions for the CTE/degree
  major courses based on knowledge and skill
  statements

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• www.careerclusters.org

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CAREER
PS
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
CAREER MAJOR
PATHWAY KS
CLUSTER KS
9TH GRADE
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So What Is A Plan of Study?

• It is the advisement document that interprets the
  program of study to students and
  parents/guardians
• Provides a tool to plan academic and technical
  courses to achieve a career goal
• It is a student and counselor
• roadmap to career success

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There are Many Formats of POS

• CCTI
• National Career Clusters
• Local design
• Which one is best?

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The One That

• Partners will support
• Will be used with students
• Reflects the knowledge and skills
• Has both technical and academic courses

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Steps For Developing POS

• Bring the players together
• Determine pathways to be developed.
• a. Target careers
• b. Include as part of POS
• Identify template format for POS
• Clump the K S statements into courses.
• (Dont worry about specific titles.)

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Lets Create A Place to Begin

• In small groups. Identify which clusters you are
  implementing
• Which pathways will be implemented?
• What template format will you use?
• What is the reason you want to implement?

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Next Steps For Developing Plans of Study

• Develop course descriptions based on K S
• Identify academic courses to support K S
• Crosswalk with appropriate local, state and
  national standards
• Remember the target audienceStudents!

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Other Hints for Development

• Dont forcefeed existing courses
• Dont worry about course titles
• Dont try to include everything-focus on the
  knowledge and skills
• Do prepare for lots of PD
• Be willing to repeat yourself

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The Most Important Aspects of Plans/Programs of
Study

• Cluster Foundation Knowledge and Skills
• Career Pathway Knowledge and Skills

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POS Checklist

• Are both academic and degree major courses
  included?
• Are both secondary and postsecondary courses
  included?
• Does coursework reflect the K S?
• Do courses represent a sequence of instruction
  that leads to a degree, certificate or credential?

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POS Checklist, cont.

• Do courses represent a coherent and rigorous
  program of studies?
• Have courses been cross-referenced against state
  and national standards?
• Does completion of the high school courses ensure
  success at the postsecondary/career level?
• Does the high school plan reflect opportunities
  for postsecondary and dual enrollment?

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Implementation of the Pathways Provides

• Consistency for better data (results) and shared
  opportunities for development
• Articulation within and between states
• Employer and postsecondary validated standards
• Opportunities for all students
• A place for all career goals and interests

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Critical Components for Cluster Implementation

• Administrative Support
• Shared Planning
• Career Development Planning
• Professional Development
• Standards-Based Curriculum
• Parent and Community Support
• Education Partnerships
• BI Partnerships

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Critical Components for Cluster Implementation

• Multi-Measure Assessment
• Flexible Schedules
• Integrated Curriculum
• Creative Innovative Teaching Strategies
• Workplace Learning
• Student Centered Learning

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Cluster Approach to Addressing Educational
Redesign

• Strategy to organize instruction and student
  experiences around career themes (Focus on
  an industry cluster of related occupations)
• Incorporates existing school reform strategies
• (career academies, career pathways,
• small learning communities, Tech Prep)
• Connects to business and higher education

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Why Do All This?

• Worst Reasons!!!
• Perkins Legislation
• Just to get the money
• Someone says we have to

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Why Do All This?

• Best Reasons!!!
• It is best for students
• It links the various levels of education
• It causes academic courses and CTE/degree major
  courses to have a linkage
• It gives faculty members a reason to work together

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Why Do All This?

• It puts a reason into what students are
  learning
• Reduce remediation
• Increase academic and career success
• It adds value to CTEno one else is doing it for
  students!!

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Benefits for Learners

• Enhances academics by providing real-world
  relevance
• Provides opportunities to explore multiple
  pathways and relates high profile careers to real
  life situations
• Relationships among educational institutions
• Sets them apart from
• the pack

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Benefits for Teachers/Faculty

• Curriculum can be tailored to the needs of the
  community
• Opportunity to integrate CTE and traditional
  academics
• Opportunity to enhance academic achievement for
  all students

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Benefits for Postsecondary

• Learners who have established a career path
• Learners with better academic skills and in need
  of less remediation

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Benefits for Parents

• Smoother entry into postsecondary education
• Students can make better career decisions

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Benefits for Workforce Development and Business

• Provides a well qualified workforce which can
  quickly adapt to changing needs
• Opportunity for input in school curriculum
• Framework for cross-training or re-tooling the
  workforce

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What is left to do?

• Identify the tasks to be completed
• Who is responsible
• Who needs to be involved
• When will the work be completed?
• Who needs to approve it?

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If I can provide you with any assistance, please
contact

• Belinda McCharen
• belinda.mccharen_at_okstate.edu
• 405.744.9502
• Or 405.623.6196 (cell)