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Announcing the 2013 National Career Clustersâ„¢ Institute Call for Presentations

November 14th, 2012

The National Career Technical Education Foundation (NCTEF) is currently accepting presentations for the 2013 National Career Clustersâ„¢ Institute. We are looking for Institute sessions that promote the use of Career Clustersâ„¢ to drive collaboration and innovation in state and local education and workforce systems. The 2013 Institute theme is Career Clustersâ„¢: Achieving Excellence

Presenter candidates, our participants are looking for:
• Specific how-to, replicable advice that goes beyond awareness of Career Clusters™ to specific implementation strategies;
• Interactive sessions which engage the attendee and provide collaborative discussion and/or hands-on activities; and
• Sharing of best practices and awesome take-aways!

How to Submit:

Simply go online to access and complete a submission form. All presentations must be received by December 13, 2012 by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. NCTEF looks forward to reading your submissions. Notification e-mails will be sent December 18, 2012. The National Career Clustersâ„¢ Institute will be in Fort Worth, TX at the Omni Fort Worth June 10-12, 2013. Aimed toward providing a venue for sharing of effective practices, ideas, and research, the Institute is designed to increase student success and ensure our nation’s economic growth and security.

General registration is slated to go live mid-January 2013.

Learn more about Career Clustersâ„¢
Printable Call for Presentations announcement

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

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Pilot Project on Improving Data Exchange Between Industry Certification Organizations and State Education and Workforce Longitudinal Data Systems

October 31st, 2012

NASDCTEc is serving on the advisory committee, led by ACTE and collaboration of national and state partners, to support a project that expands and improves data exchange between industry certification organizations and state longitudinal data systems.

 The project is based on a multi-year roadmap for the development of a national data exchange clearinghouse that will allow states and educational institutions to gain access to data on industry-recognized certifications earned by students.

The clearinghouse could serve as an excellent resource to inform the decisions associated with programming, teaching and learning within CTE and provide a crucial missing link in the pursuit of quality data reflecting student performance of CTE programs.

Over the next year, in addition to a focus on raising awareness of the need for improving data exchange a pilot project will be conducted between states and industry partners on how data can be effectively and securely exchanged and used for the benefit of all parties. Current industry partners include CompTIA and The Manufacturing Institute (an affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, or NAM).

The Department of Education is also interested in the development and outcome of this project. Industry certifications and licensure are a growing part of the expected outcomes of career and technical education (CTE) programs, and the Department is interested in the identification of solutions to the issues surrounding state collection of valid and reliable data.

This pilot project is based on a recent Illinois and CompTIA project that demonstrated the feasibility of linking state and certification data, and states are currently being recruited to participate.

To find out more about the project or to submit a state application to participate in the pilot project please go to the web page to view the documents and information or contact Alisha Hyslop at ACTE.

 

Dean Folkers, Deputy Executive Director

 

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NASDCTEc releases Request for Proposal

October 26th, 2012

The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify a contractor to conduct an alignment study to compare the Common Career Technical Core (CCTC) against state Career Technical Education (CTE) standards.

The CCTC, released in June 2012, includes a set of standards for each of the 16 Career ClustersTM and supporting career pathways, a comprehensive collection of industry-validated expectations of what students should know and be able to do after completing instruction in a program of study. The CCTC also includes an overarching set of Career Ready Practices that apply to all 16 Career Clustersâ„¢. The Career Ready Practices include 12 statements that address the knowledge, skills and dispositions that are important to becoming career ready.

To help states facilitate the adoption and implementation of the CCTC, the NASDCTEc Board of Directors has called for a comparable, uniform evaluation of current state and territory standards against the CCTC. The purpose of the alignment study is two-fold. First, to provide feedback to individual states and territories about alignment to inform the development of an adoption plan and an implementation plan. Second, to provide a broad understanding of the needs of states and territories in adopting and implementing the CCTC so that NASDCTEc can develop targeted technical assistance and resources. NASDCTEc also anticipates that the results of this study could contribute to the development of assessments in the future.

NASDCTEc plans to publicly release the results of the full gap analysis in October 2013 during the fall membership meeting. NASDCTEc plans to share each individual state or territory report with the respective CTE State Director by August 31, 2013, prior to the public release.

The RFP and Budget Template can be found online at: http://www.careertech.org/career-technical-education/cctc/cctcrfp.html.

 

Dean Folkers, Deputy Executive Director

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CTE Courses: Creating Commonality with SCED

September 18th, 2012

One of the challenges of CTE for national policymakers has been the difficulty of comparing information about program performance around the country. While there is much valuable data and research available about CTE, more high-quality research is always helpful in advocacy and program improvement benchmarking. One of the contributing factors is inconsistent and out-of-date information about CTE courses identified in the national School Codes for Exchange of Data (SCED) system. The course coding system is often used for national research studies and student transcript work across the country as a common set of courses.

An effort to update these course names and descriptions is underway and this e-mail serves as an invitation to consider participating in the project specifically for Career Technical Education courses.

The “CTE Courses: Creating Commonality with SCED” project will include input from the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc), ACTE, the Department of Education (DOE) and, most importantly, practitioners in the field. Working groups of 6-8 people per Career Cluster™ will work together to update and align CTE course names and definitions with the help of resources provided by the steering committee of ACTE, NASDCTEc and DOE representatives.

CTE teachers, administrators, teacher educators, state education agency consultants, or local education agencies and postsecondary institutions, are all qualified to participate. Ideally, each working group will include a variety of participants across the profession and across states.

Check out the SCED webpage for more information on the project and if interested please complete the online volunteer application at https://www.acteonline.org/content.aspx?id=18105&terms=sced.

Applications accepted through October 22.

 Dean Folkers, Deputy Executive Director

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Virginia High School Students Engage in Aerospace Exploration

September 7th, 2012

As the Rover Curiosity travels across the surface of Mars, Virginia high school students are able to explore careers and opportunities in the aerospace industry, including Mars studies, with the Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS) program, an interactive on-line science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning experience highlighted by a seven-day residential summer academy at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) in Hampton, Virginia. In this competitive program, students selected to participate are immersed in NASA-related research through interaction with scientists, engineers and technologists.

At the summer academy, which recently concluded in early August 2012, students were grouped into four teams; Getting There, Living There, Working There, and Mission Integration. Teams worked collaboratively to design a feasible human mission to Mars. At the end of the week at NASA Langley Research Center they presented details of their mission to NASA scientists, engineers, and technologists in addition to aerospace industry representatives during a Mission Design Review Panel and then to NASA administrators, state legislators, parents, and other VIPs at the Closing Ceremony.

Students were eligible to receive up to four college credits, at no cost to them, from Thomas Nelson Community College depending upon their successful completion of the online course and Summer Academy program.

The program is a partnership between the Virginia Space Grant Consortium and NASA Langley Research Center with assistance from the Virginia Department of Education. Online application for the 2012-2013 program is available beginning today.

Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics is one of 16 Career Clustersâ„¢ designed to provide students with relevant contexts for studying and learning. Career Clustersâ„¢ link school-based learning with the knowledge and skills required for success in the workplace.

More information about the Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars Program

The colorized shaded relief map of Gale Crater (pictured), shows the general landing area for Curiosity on the northwestern crater floor (accessed from Wikimedia). At the Academy, as students design a feasible human mission to Mars, we can all share in the rover Curiosity’s first steps in a mission that will someday help prepare for human exploration.

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

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Reminder to Register for Upcoming NASDCTEc Webinar on Infusing Green and Sustainability Knowledge and Skills Statements – July 17 at 3 p.m. Eastern

July 16th, 2012

This is a reminder to register for upcoming NASDCTEc webinar on Infusing Green and Sustainability Knowledge and Skills Statements, with presenter Dean Folkers, Deputy Executive Director of NASDCTEc (pictured).

Description: The webinar will present overview of the process and resources associated with the development of Green and Sustainability Knowledge and Skills statements in six Career Clustersâ„¢ that are now available for use by states and local schools districts. The project was funded through the US Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education and managed by MPR Associates. Participants will learn the details of how the statements were developed, review the set of statements, and be provided information about how to access additional resources.

Length of webinar – one hour (webinar will be recorded)

This webinar is open to the general public – invite your colleagues to participate!

When: July 17 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time

LINK to register

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

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Arizona Career Technical Education Program Offers Internship Program Aligned with Career Clustersâ„¢

July 13th, 2012

In Arizona, the Career and Technical Education Professional Internship Program offered through the Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) “provides students with a quality work-based learning experience after completing classroom, laboratory experience and 100 hours of professional internship experience” as reported in the Peoria Times.

In the PUSD, 99% of graduates take at least one Career Technical Education (CTE) course and 74% of PUSD graduates take two or more courses. CTE education in the District starts with exploratory courses in a program called Technology, Life and Careers (TLC). TLC is the first level of Career and Technical Education in the Peoria Unified School District. The purpose of The TLC program is to introduce the 6 Peoria Career Fields and the 16 National Career Clustersâ„¢ to seventh and eighth grade students. The students will have the opportunity to explore the Career Fields and Clusters with classroom instruction and hands on lab experiences related to specific careers. The program allows students to attain technical skills, life skills and career exploration necessary for further education and the workplace.

The Peoria Times also stated “Through the CTE internship program, students are provided an opportunity to realistically investigate professional fields being considered for future employment. The program helps students gain an educational perspective, financial information, and knowledge about all aspects of a specific career.”

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

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June “CTE Monthly” Newsletter: Engaging CTE in the Common Core; Business Management & Administration Career Spotlight

June 12th, 2012

CTE Monthly, a collaborative publication from the Association for Career and Technical Education and the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium, features the latest news on Career Technical Education (CTE) from across the nation for CTE stakeholders and Members of Congress.

This month’s newsletter highlights the Business Management & Administration Career Cluster™, an area expected over the next decade to experience job growth and increasingly require postsecondary education and training. The South Texas Business, Education and Technology Academy is an effective CTE program that is excelling in this Career Cluster™.

The June edition also features findings from a recent report about certificates from Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce. The report reveals that individuals with certificates in specific fields can provide greater earnings than postsecondary degree holders.

The CTE Monthly for June is available online now!

Kara Herbertson, Education Policy Analyst

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Rhode Island Expands Student Access to Career Technical Education Programs

March 8th, 2012

New regulations on Career Technical Education (CTE) opportunities are planned to go into effect July for students to learn CTE skills aligned with industry standards, and enable students to earn credentials that will prepare them for postsecondary education and training programs for entry into challenging careers.

According to the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Department of Education News Release, the Board of regents for Elementary and Secondary Education unanimously approved the regulations. Citing George D. Caruolo, Chairman of the Board of Regents, “A high-quality system of career-technical education is vital to the future of Rhode Island. One of our priorities on the Board of Regents is to make sure that career-preparation programs have the resources they need and that all students in our state have access to programs that will prepare them to enter the workforce – particularly in areas that will drive our economy in the 21st century.”

The purpose of the regulations are to establish a comprehensive and coherent Career and Technical Education System (CTE System) that provides students exposure to the world of work; offers students the opportunity to learn rigorous technical and career-based skills that are aligned to industry standards, and through the earning of credentials, prepare students for a seamless transition to postsecondary education and training programs and/or careers.

The regulations also say that the CTE System “Shall forge and maintain partnerships with higher education, technical training programs, workforce and economic development initiatives, and regional business and industry. Through these partnerships, the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) will promote and systemically manage career pathways in critical and emerging industries and provide education and training programs that are responsive to the needs of students, business, industry and the regional economy.”

Elements of the CTE System include:

  • Career awareness programs
  • Career exploration activities such as internships, job-shadow programs, introductory career and technical courses
  • Career preparation programs that provide students with rigorous academic and technical training and include sequenced, non-duplicative courses that focus on skill development in a single career-based or occupational area, with the opportunity to earn industry-recognized credentials whenever applicable to the program, and/or postsecondary credits, and/or advanced standing in training programs or jobs. Career preparation programs can be a career program of study or a career innovation program (subject to RIDE approval).

Programs of study provide successful student transitions between secondary and postsecondary education. Learn more about programs of study and career pathways on our Web site at www.careertech.org.

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

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Michigan Teacher of the Year Applauds Career Technical Education as Key to Student Success

February 24th, 2012

Paul Galbenski is the first Career Technical Education (CTE) teacher to be honored as Michigan Teacher of the Year. Galbenski is a Business Management, Marketing and Technology instructor at Oakland Schools Technical Campus Southeast in Royal Oak with over 19 years of classroom experience. In a video shared by Michigan State Director Patty Cantu, he shares his passion for CTE.

Galbenski’s remarks from the video include:

  • The focus of CTE is to make sure students are college and career ready. It is not an ‘either-or’ situation, but an ‘and ‘ solution
  • Academic rigor and hands-on technical skills need to be married, so students benefit
  • Project-based learning is the key to program success; engagement increases, students see relevance, and stay in school because they are following their areas of interest

Galbenski also shared two success stories on the video:

  • A student who participated in the Transportation Technology Career Clusterâ„¢, who subsequently graduated from Michigan State University with a marketing degree, won out a job with General Motors over hundreds of other Marketing candidates because she was the only applicant who ever worked on a car
  • Five students who participated in the Information Technology Career Clusterâ„¢ earned 24 college credits by their senior years, enabling them to save substantially for their postsecondary educational training

In a quote from the Michigan Department of Education Web site, Galbenski said “I feel my greatest accomplishment in education is engaging and working with students on a personal level as they are preparing for post-secondary education or employment. In my eyes, being able to build a trusting relationship with students is one of the greatest accomplishments a teacher can experience.”

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

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