Overview of the College and Career Ready Self-Assessment Tool

Deborah Jonas, Ph.D.

Research & Analytic Insights, LLC

November 7, 2013

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Purpose of CCR Self-Assessment Tool

• Identify fundamental elements that promote college and career readiness in CTE programs

• Enable CTE program leaders to assess current program alignment with fundamental elements students need to graduate college and be career ready

• Facilitate development and implementation of short- and long-term continuous improvement cycles within CTE programs

Support program leaders’ successful implementation of a continuous improvement process that ensures all students

graduate from high school college and career ready.

Why college and career ready (CCR)?

• Between 1980 and 2000, earnings for young workers with at least a college degree grew by 38 percent, while earnings for those with less education stagnated (Carnevale, Hanson, & Gulish, 2013)

• By 2018, 63 percent of jobs in the United States and 64 percent in Virginia will require at least some postsecondary education or training (Carnevale, 2008)

• States collectively will need to produce an additional 3 million college credentials to meet the growing workforce demands (Carnevale, Smith, & Strohl, 2010)

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What is college and career readiness?

• The College and Career Ready Self-Assessment Tool for Virginia Career and Technical Education Programs uses research-based definitions of college and career readiness

• College readiness – Being academically prepared for entry-level, credit-bearing courses in

workforce training programs and in two- and four-year colleges

• Career readiness– Developing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed for upward

movement within an industry or field, including the academic, industry-specific, and critical-thinking skills needed to be successful

– Being able to apply these skills to solve problems – Developing a commitment to lifelong learning

CTE programs should prepare students for college and careers so that students have choices when they leave high school.

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CCR Self-Assessment Tool development

• Based on a combination of empirical evidence and best practice recommendations– Empirical research studies – Interviews with experts in national CTE organizations– Published policy recommendations from national CTE organizations

• The College and Career Ready Self-Assessment Tool for Virginia Career and Technical Education Programs represents the best information available at this time

• Over time, as users gain experience and more empirical research becomes available, the tool may need to be updated

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Components of a high-quality CTE program

• Research and practice indicate that high-quality CTE programs are made up of four fundamental elements, with integrated infrastructure support throughout

• Rigorous learning opportunities anchor all elements

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Program self-assessment process

1. Review program offerings relative to promising practices– CTE leaders answer guiding questions that help them collect evidence

of their current policies and practices

2. Summarize evidence– Synthesize and describe their program’s status regarding each element

at program, staff, and student levels of implementation

3. Identify strengths and gaps in their current program– Use the evidence to identify program strengths and gaps in supporting

students to prepare for college and careers

4. Action planning– Identify and prioritize next steps to maintain and improve their program

Process uses a building block approach, with each step building on previously documented information

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A few thoughts on completing the self-assessment

• Self-assessment is not a short-term process– Will take time throughout the year– Requires deep understanding of program requirements and

expectations, and significant reflection– Likely to involve a team of staff members and external stakeholders

• Evidence helps to define what is and build a path to what will be – Collect evidence from multiple sources– Include qualitative and quantitative information– Can help explain and justify new and different approaches to program

implementation

• Action plans should reflect realistic but ambitious goals

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.

—Albert Einstein

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Overview of fundamental elements

• Academic, Technical, and Workplace Content

• Career Guidance

• Outcome Measures

• Partnerships

• All supported by strong infrastructure

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Academic, Technical, and Workplace Content

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Importance of core content

• What is academic, technical, and workplace content? – Academic: traditional knowledge and skills in language arts, mathematics, and

science– Technical: specific expertise needed to succeed in a field, based on real-world

applications of academic content, that varies by career– Workplace/employability: abilities, behavior, and dispositions such as

independent thinking, teamwork, and attitude

• Why is academic, technical, and workplace content important?– Research consistently shows that curriculum strength is one of the best

predictors of students’ success in college and careers– Rigorous curriculum sets the foundation for lifelong learning, as students

transition through careers and further education

• Strong CTE programs purposefully integrate academic, technical, and workplace content into coursework and other instructional experiences

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Rigorous academic content

• Minimum academic content– Four years of English, aligned to college and career ready standards– At least three years of mathematics, including success in Algebra II– At least three years of science, including laboratory science– At least three years of history and social science– Dual-credit courses– At least two foreign language courses

• Some career pathways, such as STEM-related clusters, may require higher level courses as a minimum

• Academic content aligns with postsecondary performance expectations*

* See VDOE’s “College & Career Ready Performance Expectations” website for alignment in English and mathematics http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/college_career_readiness/index.shtml#expectations

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Rigorous technical and workplace content

• Technical content– Focuses on specific knowledge and skills necessary within a career cluster– Provides students with real-world application of technical content– Not limited to a single job or industry—students should have choices when they

leave high school

• Workplace/employability content– Examples include teamwork, communication, problem solving, professional

behavior– Content integrated into projects and expectations for all courses– Employers expect these skills, but also assume that employees have basic

understanding of English and mathematics– Academic content forms the basis of many workplace skills, such as

communicating, critical thinking, and using logic

• Academic, technical, and workplace content aligns with postsecondary and employer expectations

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Infrastructure support for core content

• Dedicated resources to maintain and update curriculum, lesson plans, and materials needed to deliver rigorous content

• Staff access to and participation in diverse professional development and training opportunities

• Course scheduling that facilitates student participation in courses that integrate academic, technical, and workplace skills

• Policies and agreements to ensure students and staff have access to real-world, hands-on learning opportunities

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Career Guidance

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Importance of career guidance

• Helps students explore career and postsecondary options

• Explicitly helps students connect learning opportunities to career options

• Ensures that students are in appropriate progressions of academic, elective, and CTE courses

• Exposes students to skills and activities that are not obvious to students and may not be addressed in the curriculum, such as resume building or applying for financial aid

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High-quality career guidance

• Starts early in elementary grades, continues throughout school (and ideally throughout students’ careers)

• Encourages broad exploration early and progresses to include more focused information over time

• Includes adult mentors, such as teachers, counselors, and career coaches, for each student

• Includes use of career inventories and/or assessments

• Helps students develop and regularly update academic and career plans of study

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Infrastructure support for career guidance

• Involves school counselors collaborating with teachers, administrators, career coaches, and other adult mentors

• Typically includes career guidance from and support for adult counseling capacity beyond that of school counselors

• Engages students in career and technical student organizations as part of the support network

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Outcome Measures

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Importance of outcome measures

• Critical to determine the strength of a CTE program and inform program development

• Provide objective information about student knowledge and skills, teacher capabilities, and program activities

• Describe the current status of fundamental elements and can help establish future benchmarks

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High-quality outcome measures

• Incorporate multiple measures appropriate for each level of the system (program, staff, students)– Cover multiple dimensions of student preparation for college and

careers– Used at appropriate times throughout students’ education

• Rely on diverse measurement methods (formal assessments, inventories, observations, surveys, project results, etc.)

• Include data sources from within and outside the school/CTE program (students, teachers, and parents; postsecondary institutions; business and military leaders; labor market data, etc.)

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Infrastructure support for outcome measures

• Enables regular data collection– Internal sources (e.g., student assessments, course enrollments and

grades, teacher credential and professional development data)– External sources (e.g., postsecondary enrollment and success, labor

market information, feedback of employers and military leaders)

• Makes data available in useable, understandable formats – Builds infrastructure that supports data use for important decisions– Recognizes different roles that school and division personnel have in

supporting programs and students

• Leverages automated processes and technology whenever possible

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Partnerships

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Importance of partnerships

• Partners include representatives from business, institutions of higher education, the military, students, families, and other members of the community

• Partners help connect high school programs to real-world opportunities and expectations– Help staff understand employer needs and community perspectives– Give access to internships and college courses– Provide learning opportunities for teachers/staff

• Sustained partnerships help ensure program relevance

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High-quality partnerships

• Include formal agreements to define roles, responsibilities, and commitments to support and strengthen CTE programs

• Are dynamic in nature, include ongoing interactions, and offer partners regular opportunities for program feedback and input

• Require a sustained commitment as part of the CTE program strategy

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Infrastructure support for successful partnerships

• Dedicated staff responsible for forming and maintaining partnerships

• Leverages school and non-school resources to support students and staff

• May include a recognition program

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Contact information

Lolita Hall, DirectorOffice of Career and Technical Education ServicesVirginia Department of Educationcte@doe.virginia.gov or 804-225-2051

• Today’s speaker:Deborah Jonas, Ph.D.Research & Analytic Insights, LLCdjonas@ResearchAnalyticInsights.com804-252-5714

• CNA project manager for the CTE Self-Assessment ToolMichael Flory, Ph.D.florym@cna.org703-861-9557