Pairing Learning and Work

How are schools preparing students for the jobs of

today—and the future?

What are the postsecondary education and workforce

outcomes of students who participate in work-based

learning in high school?

Are students learning skills and earning credentials for

the highest demand jobs in our state? In our region?

What programs are working best and for which

students?

Do students in our city centers as well as our rural areas

have access to quality programs?

What’s the Vision for Workbased Learning in Your State?

• What opportunities are available?• To whom? • What are students doing? At school?

Out of School?• What partners are involved?• What happens as a result—considering

both academic and workforce and economic outcomes?

Pairing Learning & Work

May 2018

Kate Kreamer, Advance CTE

4

Agenda

• General context for state of CTE policy

• CTE Data Challenge

• Work-based Learning across the States

• Work-based Learning Measurement Challenges

5

CTE’s Broad Scope

• CTE is an educational option that provides learners with the

knowledge and skills they need to be prepared for college,

careers and lifelong learning.

• CTE gives purpose to learning by emphasizing real-world skills

and practical knowledge within a selected career focus.

• From early career exploration to highly technical training

• Includes all sectors and professions

Quality Program Design & Approval

Core Elements of a CTE Program Approval Policy

1. Rigorous course standards and progressive, sequenced courses

2. Secondary and postsecondary alignment and early postsecondary offerings

3. Industry involvement

4. Labor market demand

5. High-quality instruction

6. Experiential learninghttps://careertech.org/resource/program-approval-

policy-benchmark-tool

CTE Data Challenge

• Career-focused data and accountability is critical:• Learner outcomes

• Program/pathway quality and access (and accountability)

• Labor market data

• Many challenges:• Inconsistent data collection;

• Misalignment of data systems;

• Mixed quality of indicators;

• Limited Perkins accountability indicators;

• Lack of transparency; and

• Limited capacity to use data.

CTE Data Opportunities

• AT LEAST 12 states including CTE pathway completion

• AT LEAST 18 states including dual credits earned

• AT LEAST 12 states including work-based learning in some form

• AT LEAST 19 states including industry-recognized credentials35

4

3

9

States Planning to Include or Report Career Readiness Indicators

Adopted

May Adopt in

FuturePublicly Report

Not Included

Work-Based Learning

Defining Work-based Learning

https://connectedstudios.org/url-

zvlwjKfwKlRqX3P7h-1fUaLqZX4Ww5GZSbdZZEUB

A LOT of State Interest

28

20

26

36

0

10

20

30

40

2014 2015 2016 2017

State Work-Based Learning & Industry Partnerships Policies

A LOT of Local Offerings

31%

77%

55%

16%

0%

Apprenticeships / Pre-

Apprenticeships

OTJ Training (internships,

co-ops)

Student-run enterprises Other

Percent of Districts Reporting Offering WBL

Defining High-Quality Work-Based Learning

Key components of a high-quality work-based learning experience:

• An agreement between the employer, participant and education institution or intermediary organization that

identifies expectations for each partner and the general structure of the experience.

• An authentic work experience linked with a structured learning component to connect theory with practice and

workplace skills.

• The work experience should be supervised and mentored by an industry professional.

• Culminates in an assessment and recognition of skills by a third party with recognition aligned with the

attainment of a credential or progress along a career pathway. (NGA)

A quality work-based learning system ensures that all learners have opportunities to engage in high-quality

experiences, and has capacity at the state and local levels to support the connection between classrooms and

careers.

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Five Key Elements of Work-based Learning System

https://careertech.org/resource/work-

based-learning-comprehensive-guide

Measuring Work-based Learning for Continuous Improvement

• How do you know work-based learning is quality?

• How do you know work-based learning is having a positive impact?

• How do you know if work-based learning experiences are contributing to students’ college and career readiness?

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Measuring Work-based Learning for Continuous Improvement

There are two, interrelated approaches states can take to measure

work-based learning:

• A systems-level approach, which examines program data to assess the

quality of and equitable access to programs offered

• A student-level approach, which measures students’ learning and

attainment of knowledge and skills.

Considerations for Measuring Work-based Learning

• Define and differentiate types of work-based learning experiences and their

intended outcomes

• Establish clear thresholds on quality and what should “count”

• Consider role of students, teachers, coordinators, intermediaries and

employers in measurement strategy (collection and validation)

• Skills gain can and should include academic, technical and professional skills

• When coordinating evaluations, consistency among evaluators is crucial

• Will likely require new data collection approaches

Work-Based Learning Courses

• Increasingly common practice

• Strategy for:• Inclusion in accountability systems

• CTE pathway completion

• Supporting funding for WBL (and coordinators)

• Often requires state standards and clear

course constructs

West Virginia’s Simulated Workplace Industry Assessment

Sample Questions from WV’s Industry Evaluation Rubric

“Classroom/lab area represents an applicable workplace environment”

“Proper industry safety signage displayed”

“Equipment and tools are up-to-date to meet occupational standards”

“Students can discuss how acquired program skills will assist in furthering their education and career”

• During the 2015 school year, over 13,000 students participated in more than 500 Simulated

Workplace classrooms across West Virginia.

• Industry evaluations,

conducted by

employers, provide

summative assessment

to support program

improvement efforts

• 10 versions based on Career

Clusters/pathways

• “Industry Endorsed

Program” or in need of

improvement

West Virginia’s Simulated Workplace Industry Assessment

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Massachusetts’ Connecting Activities

• During 2016, more than 10,500 students engaged in

Connecting Activities

• Worksite supervisors assess students at least

twice over the course of the experience based on

WBL Plan

• Online portal called the Massachusetts Career

Ready Database

• Provide common rubrics and training for

employers

Massachusetts

Work-Based

Learning Plan

Discussion Questions to Support a Measurement Strategy

Designing Program Evaluations and Measurements

• What does your state want to achieve through its work-based learning

measurement strategy?

• What role should business and industry play in evaluating work-based learning

programs at the state and/or local level? What role should intermediaries play?

• What assessment/evaluation instruments should play a role in your measurement

strategy?

Discussion Questions to Support a Measurement Strategy

Assessing the Current Environment

• Is your state already collecting data on work-based learning? If so, what kind of

program-level and/or student-level data are being collected and how are they

being used?

• Are there policies in place that regulate data collection activities? Are there

privacy regulations that could complicate data collection and evaluation?

• What data collection infrastructure, such as the state longitudinal data system,

is already being used at the state and local levels? If none, where can/should

work-based learning data can be collected?

Discussion Questions to Support a Measurement Strategy

Implementing Systems and Processes for Measuring Outcomes

• What guidance needs to be developed for local districts, institutions, partners

around program development and data collection?

• What can the state do to ensure that evaluators and their evaluations are

consistent across the state and over time?

• What are the key quality control mechanisms to put in place?

The Learning that Works Resource Center

The Learning that Works Resource Center is a repository

of high-quality reports, policies

and tools to advance CTE and

career readiness

https://careertech.org/resource

s/work-based-learning

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Take Action

Ensure data leadership

Promote continuous

improvement

Make data available

Reflect• Who is the one other person you will talk to about this when you get back

to your state?

• What, in your position, do you want to tackle first?

Relevant Resources

• Advance CTE’s Work-based Learning Guide: https://careertech.org/resource/work-based-

learning-comprehensive-guide

• West Ed’s WBL Continuum: https://connectedstudios.org/url-zvlwjKfwKlRqX3P7h-

1fUaLqZX4Ww5GZSbdZZEUB

• Advance CTE’s CTE on the Frontier: Connecting Rural Learners with the World of Work:

https://careertech.org/resource/cte-frontier-world-work

• Advance CTE’s 2017 Year in Review: https://careertech.org/resource/2017-state-policies-

impacting-cte

• NCES’ survey of CTE in public school districts: https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018028.pdf