Volume 22-3: Best Results Through Best Practicesthat will be made at the October 2012 NCPN conference in Richmond, Virginia. The conference will feature over 130 presentations from

NCPN Connections 22-3, page 1

Volume 22-3: Best Results Through Best Practices

This is the print version of the newsletter released online.

For the online version, go here: http://www.cordonline.net/connections/22_3

NCPN: A Conduit for Sharing Best Practices

David Bond, Director, National Career Pathways Network

NCPN’s main purpose is to

provide a network where

members can discover proven

best practices from each other.

The Connections newsletter

and the annual conference are

two ways this is accomplished.

This issue of Connections is a

collection of seven articles from six states (West

Virginia, Tennessee, Alaska, Oklahoma, Wisconsin,

and Florida) and an announcement from a national

organization. The first five introduce presentations

that will be made at the October 2012 NCPN

conference in Richmond, Virginia. The conference

will feature over 130 presentations from more than

30 states and territories (plus two or three from

other countries).

The first two articles were submitted by the West

Virginia Department of Education. Both involve the

development and use of online resources. The

Employers’ Portal matches CTE graduates with

employers who are looking for specific skills. The

CTE Instructional Resource Tool (IRT) is an online

curriculum mapping process designed to help

instructors locate relevant resources.

The article from Tennessee describes the

Williamson County Middle College High School,

which has raised graduation rates to over 90

percent among historically “at risk” students.

Although the school offers students many

advantages, the main key to its success is that it

“always puts the needs of the student first.”

The Alaska Construction Academies emphasize two

core strategies: being future-focused by providing

training beginning with high school students, and

by leveraging the power of partnerships. Find out

what students and employers think about these 10

regional academies. Also learn about the adult

training component.

The article from Tulsa Public Schools describes

Teachers As Advisors, a program designed to

increase TPS’s low graduation rate and even lower

college and career readiness rate. The program’s

success data will be presented at a session at the

NCPN conference in October.

The Western Wisconsin STEM Consortia project

received a three-year $900,000 Math-Science

Partnership grant in 2009. Activities included


intensive professional development that led to the

development of STEM integrated curriculum

projects.

Representatives of the Hillsborough County Public

Schools’ Adult Education Program in Tampa,

Florida, write about the program they developed

using a grant from the Florida Department of

Education. Learn about the activities that were

funded with the grant and what results are

anticipated.

Don’t miss the announcement at the end of the

newsletter. The American Youth Policy Forum

(AYPF) is led by Executive Director Betsy Brand, a

former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department

of Education. AYPF offers resources on policy,

practice, and research that can improve the lives of

young people. Be sure to check out their new and

improved website.

Outcome of Business and Education Conversations

Kathy D’Antoni, Assistant State Superintendent of Schools, West Virginia Department of Education

Connecting the Employment Disconnect—

Whether an employer is looking to fill an open

position or a job seeker is looking to make his or

her next career move, sometimes finding the right

fit is no easy process. Even with the national

unemployment rate of 9 to 10 percent, companies

are indicating that they still can’t find skilled

workers, and filling some of the job openings is

taking months. “How can employers find skilled

career and technical education (CTE) graduates?”

was a key question asked during multiple

discussions with West Virginia business and

industry leaders. There was an apparent

disconnect between education and

business/industry in their understanding of the skill

potential of graduates of our CTE schools.

A decision was made to create an online

Employers’ Portal where employers could access

CTE high-skilled graduates who had acquired

specific skills sets and certifications

(http://careertech.k12.wv.us/ep.html). With the

national shortage of high-skilled workers,

employers are finding it difficult to locate potential

employees with the technical skills needed for the

workplace. Employers want prospective workers to

be able to fill roles right away, without additional

training or ramp-up time. The Portal was designed

to enable employers in West Virginia to identify

highly qualified CTE graduates.

The Portal is organized so that employers can easily

select from among the six West Virginia career

clusters—Agriculture, Food, and Natural

Resources; Business and Marketing; Engineering

and Technical; Fine Arts and Humanities; Health

Science Education; and Human Services. Employers

can select, for example, the Business and

Marketing cluster, go to the Accounting pathway,

review the list of CTE schools (organized by county)

that offer relevant programs, and obtain contact

information for school representatives through

whom the potential employees would be

contacted.

For each pathway, the Portal lists the associated

skill sets. For example, nine skill sets are identified

for the Collision Repair Technology pathway

(Engineering and Technical cluster):

Finish defects diagnosis

Frame machine operation

Metal and composite parts repair

Non-structural analysis

Panel straightening techniques

Spraying equipment inspection, cleaning, and

operation

Surface refinishing preparation

Vehicle detailing

Welding techniques


Similarly, the skill sets for the Pharmacy Technician

pathway (Health Science Education cluster) are

CPR-health care provider, first aid, and pharmacy

technician certification.

Before posting résumés on the Portal, CTE

graduates must have earned ACT WorkKeys

certificates and West Virginia Global Performance

technical assessment credentials, met their

schools’ attendance requirements, and obtained

recommendations from their CTE instructors

attesting to their work ethic.

Launched in March 2012, the Portal has already

generated rave reviews, much excitement, and

innovative ideas for expansion.

For more information, contact the author at

[email protected].

Introducing “IRT” the Avatar: West Virginia’s Online CTE Instructional Resource Tool

Kathy D’Antoni, Assistant State Superintendent of Schools; Tracy Chenoweth, CTE Assessment Coordinator; and

Sherri Nash, CTE School Improvement Coordinator, West Virginia Department of Education

West Virginia CTE teachers have access to a

powerful new curriculum, instruction, and

assessment tool—the CTE Instructional Resource

Tool, better known as IRT. Currently in the initial

phases and planned to be a continuous work in

progress, IRT is an online curriculum mapping

process designed to enable instructors to locate

resources aligned to specific concentrations

(programs), skill sets, and academic standards. A

CTE avatar walks teachers through the tool, which is

customized to individual CTE programs so that the

user can discover skill sets and aligned learning

resources. The resources imbedded in IRT include

West Virginia Writes CTE technical writing prompts,

project-based learning modules, technology

resources, videos, learning activities, and formative

assessments—just to name a few.

IRT evolved from research on and development of

curriculum skill sets, integration of academic and

technology skills, and recognition of the need for a

means of aligning learning resources and formative

assessments. West Virginia CTE has revised the

programs of study and identified curriculum skill

sets. In the past, traditional curriculum guides were

developed to provide instructional guidance. IRT is

an online, searchable system that expands on the

curriculum guide concept by providing links to

learning resources aligned with each skill set.

To ensure college and career readiness and increase

the potential for future success in the workplace

and continuing education, academic and technology

skills must be integrated into CTE curriculum. CTE

instructors have the expertise necessary to teach

academic content but sometimes find it difficult to

connect academic and technical content standards

in CTE instruction. CTE instructors wanted

assistance in integrating academic skills into the CTE

skill sets rather than teaching them in isolation.

One example of academic integration resources

stemmed from business and industry conversations

expressing concern with the current level of

technical writing skills in the workplace. In

response, the West Virginia Department of

Education’s Career and Technical Education Division

and Office of Assessment and Accountability

collaborated with SREB and seven West Virginia

Technology Centers that Work to develop

customized writing prompts for CTE concentrations.

The result of that effort, WV Writes, is a

customized, West Virginia version of Writing

Roadmap 2.0 that provides formative writing

assessments designed to inform teaching and

improve student learning. The colorful, user-friendly

interface is a web-based platform that provides

schools with writing assessment, feedback, scoring,

and reporting. IRT aligns the writing prompts to the

individual CTE skill set for teaching in context.


IRT contains additional learning resources from a

variety of sources. Some are submitted by teachers

and some are state-adopted programs designed to

address particular content areas. All submitted

resources will be reviewed by a curriculum team

and posted to the appropriate

concentration/program and skill set. Annual

updates to the resource posting will be conducted

to ensure that the resources are current and

effective and assist in skill set acquisition.

This resource bank provides practical examples of

numerous new media tools and types that have

direct applicability for teachers. Most resources are

intended to be used by students, primarily online.

Some are geared more toward teacher productivity,

academic and technology integration, and

instructional differentiation. In both cases, the focus

is on learning applications that use a variety of

media tools and address the independent learning

style of each student.

Students will have an opportunity to rate the tools

along with the learning experience. This rating

system will assist in verifying the effectiveness of

individual resources. Students complete formative

assessments that are then saved in their electronic

portfolios. Unlike summative assessments, which

take place only after information has been delivered,

formative assessments can take place any time. This

flexibility allows teachers to tailor their lessons and

assessments to the needs of their students.

IRT can assist teachers in facilitating instruction and

provide a process for assessing mastery of skill sets

with the identified formative assessments

throughout the curriculum (as opposed to a one-

time summative assessment approach). Currently,

West Virginia CTE students participate in the end-

of-course technical performance assessment

process called “Global 21 Performance

Assessment.” The CTE performance assessments

are designed to judge students’ abilities to apply

specific knowledge and research skills in a “hands-

on” platform. Performance assessments often

require the student to manipulate specialized

equipment to solve a problem or make an analysis.

Rich performance assessments should reveal a

variety of approaches to problem solving, thus

providing insight into a student’s conceptual and

procedural knowledge.

The first administration of the West Virginia CTE

Global 21 Performance Assessment Program was

piloted in the spring of 2009. Each assessment has

been reviewed by West Virginia administrators and

teachers, staff members of the West Virginia

Department of Education, and West Virginia

citizens. Each assessment has also been examined

and re-examined for bias, content, rigor,

complexity, and alignment to the West Virginia

Content Standards and Objectives (CSO) and

Performance Descriptors as well as industry

scenarios (real-world examples). Business/industry

personnel evaluate the technical skills using a

criteria rubric for each concentration/program.

Professional development on the use of IRT and the

process for collecting best practice projects,

learning activities, formative assessments, online

activities, and other resources will be conducted

during the July CTE Summer Conference.

For more information, contact Sherri Nash at

[email protected].


Helping Students at a Middle College High School to Graduate

Earl Santymire, Williamson County Middle College High School, Franklin, Tennessee

Williamson County Middle College High School is

located in Franklin, Tennessee, twenty miles south

of Nashville. We serve students in grades 10–12

who, for whatever reasons, do not believe they can

reach their potential while attending what is

sometimes classified as a traditional high school.

Many of our students are considered potential

dropouts at traditional schools. Our school is one of

nine public high schools governed by the

Williamson County Schools.

The reason for our success is that no matter what

the education reform is, who our director of schools

is, what new curriculum guidelines are given to us,

who our students are, who our faculty members

are, where our location is, or any other variable that

is given to us, we always put the needs of the

students first.

Our school began with the 1998–1999 school year.

We were first located on the Nashville State

Technical Community College (NSCC) campus.

Starting with an initial enrollment of 82, we have

been able to help “at risk” students re-focus on

education and complete their high school careers

by earning diplomas. After the first year, we have

been able to take about 150–160 students each

year. Since our beginning, we have moved twice

and are looking forward in a few years to moving to

a new location. In January 2006 we moved from

NSCC into portables situated between a high school

and a branch of Columbia State Community College.

We stayed there until April of that year and then

moved to our current location, a renovated building

that once housed the middle school of a private

school in Williamson County.

The other day as I was viewing We Are Marshall

again, I listened as Coach Jack Lengyl stated that,

although he was a firm believer in the Power I, it

didn’t work for Marshall. So he was discarding it

and changing the Marshall offense to the veer. I

thought, that is what has helped us to help our

students at Middle College. We do not try to do the

same programs if we are not able to execute them

with the students we have. Each year almost 50

percent of our students are new to our school. Each

year our students come in with different needs,

which means that what we did last year may not

work for this group. Each year our personnel

(principal, teachers, aids, and staff) meet numerous

times and decide where we want to go for that

school year based on the needs of our current

students. We do not try to fit the students into the

school’s system. Rather, we try to fit the school into

the students’ needs. Some years, we change course

at the semester if we feel the change will benefit

the students.

The mission of Williamson County Middle College

High School is to provide a guidance-based

environment where each student will focus on

educational pursuits relevant to a successful future.

Over the years we have followed several scheduling

plans—college style (in which some classes would

meet on MWF and others on TTh), six classes a day,

and four-by-four block scheduling. We have been

part of a $600,000 U.S. Department of Education

grant that enabled us to have an IT academy. We

have used problem-based case studies in our

curriculum, and many of our students have been

dual enrolled. Our students have taken online

classes as well as video courses. We have

emphasized the need for reading, concentrated on

writing, focused on ACT scores, contracted math

teachers to help with our scheduling when we were

located on the NSCC campus, collaborated with

college teachers, had ASHP classes, and used other

methods of learning based on the students’ needs.

We were even a No Child Left Behind target school


for three years as a result of the way fifth-year

seniors were calculated in our graduation rate.

We have graduated close to 1000 students in the

short history of our school. Our graduation rate has

averaged over 90 percent. Many of our students

have been able to reduce the number of times they

are absent or tardy. Our school has never had a

detention program or ISS. Every discipline problem

is handled on a case-by-case basis. We try to help

students make positive changes in their lives

without them really knowing that we are helping

them to change.

The diagram at the end of this article illustrates how

we view each student who arrives on our campus.

Each one arrives at his or her own level. It is our job

to help them move up the escalator. If we do not do

that, then we fail and the student fails.

Many schools and school systems claim to put the

students first, but at Williamson County Middle

College High School, we only exist for the students!

Earl Santymire ([email protected]) has been a teacher

at Williamson County Middle College High School

since its third day of operation. Only the principal,

Harold Ford, and Earl remain from the original

faculty. Earl has completed 34 years of teaching.


Developing Alaska’s Next Generation of the Construction Workforce

Kathleen Castle, Executive Director, Alaska Construction Academies

The purpose of the

Alaska Construction

Academies (AkCA) is

simple: to advance the

construction industry

in Alaska. To meet

demand for new

construction, Alaska must have a highly qualified

workforce, skilled and committed to building

careers in Alaska and able to meet and exceed the

challenges of work in Alaska’s unique conditions.

To maximize job opportunities for Alaskans and

hiring opportunities in the industry, the AkCAs take

a long-term approach to workforce development

that emphasizes two core strategies: (1) being

future-focused by providing training beginning with

high school students and (2) leveraging the power

of partnerships. Through grants from the Alaska

Department of Labor and Workforce Development

(DOLWD) and the Alaska Denali Commission, the

AkCAs have been established in ten regions of the

state. Each academy has a local advisory board that

includes representatives from local school districts,

Alaska Works Partnerships, regional employers,

Native corporations, housing authorities, DOL job

centers, and the University. Advisory board

members continually monitor their regions to

identify new building projects, assess the types of

skills needed on those projects, and plan class

schedules offering relevant skill training and

required industry certifications.

The AkCAs provide entry-level construction classes

for high school students. Young people who choose

careers in construction can take additional classes

scheduled after the regular school day, on

Saturdays, and during spring break. One

outstanding example is Jacob Tramp, from the

Anchorage School District. During his high school

career Jacob took three carpentry classes, a

welding class, and an auto mechanics class. And

because of weekend courses he was able to earn

several certifications, including the North Slope

Training Cooperative (NSTC) card, forklift

certification, Occupational Safety and Health

Administration 10 Hour (OSHA 10), and CPR/First

Aid. Jacob graduated last May and was hired by EP

Roofing.

The AkCAs have an adult training component. The

curriculum is highly adaptable, allowing

communities to work with public and private

sector partners in each region to customize the

training programs. Adult students can receive

training for weatherization, building maintenance,

plumbing, welding, or other industry-specific skills

depending on the job opportunities available in

their regions. Adult classes are taught by

instructors from the industry using hands-on

activities that often involve real-life projects.


When working with youth, it’s as much about

motivation as it is about skills. As Mike Shiffer,

Assistant Director of Business Partnerships at the

DOLWD, said, “It’s not just about getting jobs, but

also about keeping young people in school and

making sure they understand there are job

opportunities here in Alaska.”

To test the impact of the high school programs, the

AkCAs contract with LifeTrack Services Inc. to

survey second-semester seniors registered in

construction-related classes. The survey includes

questions about students’ career goals in and

outside of Alaska and their interests in or outside

of the construction industry.

Results indicate that the AkCAs are making a

difference. More than 80 percent of the seniors

rated the classes’ influence on their self-confidence

as somewhere between “some” and “powerful,”

and 90 percent responded similarly to prompts

pertaining to the classes’ value in preparing them

for careers. Classes also increased the desire of

78 percent of the respondents to attend school.

Other survey outcomes reveal that 66 percent of

the students are “likely” to “absolutely likely” to

choose a construction career, 75 percent are aware

of construction jobs available after high school, and

71 percent plan to have careers in Alaska.

To determine the program’s overall influence on

their life paths, the AkCAs will survey these same

students two and five years after they graduate.

The AkCAs’ approach to workforce development

strives for continuous improvement and evolves as

opportunities and needs change, but the emphasis

remains the same: We are the construction

industry’s partner in building the next generation

of the construction workforce in Alaska.

For more information about the Alaska

Construction Academies, visit www.alaskaca.org or

contact the author at 907-222-0999 or

[email protected].

How to Help Students Not Fall Through the Cracks: Teachers As Advisors in Urban Schools

Jeanie Newell, Career Guidance Specialist, Tulsa (Oklahoma) Public Schools

There is a euphemism

for students who

disappear one day for no

special reason: They

have “fallen through the

cracks.” Dropouts come

in many categories: They

lost interest a long time ago. They didn’t see any

point in it. School did not connect to their world in

any meaningful way. They perceived the school

environment as hostile. They had problems at

home or conflicts in the larger society that kept

them away. All the educational philosophy and

instructional knowledge we have at our disposal

will probably not bring them back to school. While

easy to dismiss in earlier decades, the rising

dropout rate is front and center in all secondary

schools, especially in urban settings.


Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) is a large, diverse, urban

school district in which 84 percent of students

receive free or reduced lunches. In 2009 TPS had a

graduation rate of 68.6 percent and a college and

career readiness rate of 7 percent. These statistics

inspired the district to put into place initiatives that

would address these problems.

The Teachers As Advisors (TAA) program provides a

classroom guidance system that gives middle and

high school students time to establish academic

and career goals beginning in the sixth grade. It

incorporates two important components aimed at

ensuring academic and future career success: (1)

Students establish academic and career goals that

begin in the 6th grade and continue through the

senior year and college. (2) Students develop

relationships with adults who show genuine

interest in their progress in achieving academic and

career goals.

TPS saw TAA as a new approach to career,

academic, and social development. The teacher-

counselor ratio in most TPS schools made career

counseling, as well as dissemination of college

readiness information, very difficult. TAA provides

places and times and trained advisors in every

school to disperse information to students about

career, academic, and social development. TPS has

over 40 thousand students in nine high schools,

twelve middle schools, and several alterative

schools. TPS has a culinary magnet, a digital

broadcasting magnet, an engineering academy, a

performing arts magnet, a college prep academy,

and a middle and high school for the International

Baccalaureate Program. Could TAA find a place in

such diverse schools? The College and Career

Readiness Dept (CCR) at TPS researched TAA

secondary school models that had successfully

flourished for at least ten years. After a one-year

pilot project in four middle and four high schools,

funded by the Oklahoma Department of Career

Tech, the district implemented TAA in all schools

over a three-year period. The curriculum used was

the College and Career Planner published by the

Oklahoma State Regents, customized for both TPS

high and middle schools students. Teachers,

counselors, and administrators were provided

professional development before program

implementation and during the course of the

school year as needed.

While TAA may look different at different TPS

schools sites, the goals are the same across the

district: to provide pertinent career and college

information to all students equally; to enable

students to assess their academic, personal, and

career goals; and to help students see their future

and be engaged in the molding of it. Data was kept

on all aspects of the TAA program, beginning with

the pilot program. The CCR department created six

questions that students would be asked in surveys

before and after participating in the program.

These questions reflect important topics to be

taught in the TAA curriculum. Teachers, students,

and parents were surveyed about their experiences

with TAA, and principals were asked to complete

TAA rubrics to self-evaluate the progress of TAA at

their sites.

Program data and information provided at the

NCPN conference in Richmond will enable

attendees to gain a broad understanding of TAA.

We look forward to sharing reflections on the

successes and growing pains experienced by an

innovative program that serves over 15 thousand

students in providing advisement and career and

academic development.

For more information, contact Jeanie Newell at

[email protected].


Western Wisconsin STEM Consortia: SySTEMically Improving Student Academic Achievement in Mathematics and Science

Jerrilyn Brewer, Grant Developer, Sparta Area School District; Kevin Mason, Assistant Professor of Science

Education, University of WI-Stout; Charles Bomar, Professor of Biology, University of WI-Stout; Petre Ghenciu,

Associate Professor of Mathematics, University of WI-Stout; Jerry Redman, External Evaluator, Redman and

Associates

The Western Wisconsin STEM Consortia received a

three-year, $900, 000 Math-Science Partnership

grant in 2009 from the Wisconsin Department of

Public Instruction. The goal of the project was to

improve student academic achievement in

mathematics and science by improving teacher

content knowledge and pedagogy in those areas.

The conceptual framework for the project included

five components as shown in Figure 1.

Sixty K-12 teachers from nine school districts

participated in a two-week STEM Summer

Academy facilitated by faculty members from the

University of Wisconsin-Stout and Western

Technical College. This intensive professional

development experience focused on ecosystems

and the interdependence of organisms, scientific

inquiry, and statistics and probability. It also

explored pedagogical strategies in mathematics

and science, including problem-based learning,

project-based learning, inquiry-based learning, and

contextual teaching using the REACT model

(relating, experiencing, applying, cooperating,

transferring).

Teachers were immersed in the asking and

investigation of mathematics and science

questions in the classroom, at field locations, and

at a variety of business sites. Mathematics and

science concepts and skills were taught and

experienced by the teachers in the context of how

mathematics and science are applied by scientists,

researchers, and others in business and industry.

At the same time, teachers were given instruction

in pedagogical strategies and considerable time in

groups to discuss how these concepts and

experiences in mathematics and science related to

the K-12 curriculum and the students they teach.

This led to the development of STEM Integrated

Curriculum Projects that were taught in their

classrooms the following year.

The STEM Integrated Curriculum Projects were

modeled after CORD’s STEM Transitions Project

(www.stemtransitions.org). The Agriculture, Food,

and Natural Resources cluster provided a real-

world context for development of the projects.

Each project addressed topics in mathematics

(mean, median, mode, and range) and science

(organisms, populations, and ecosystems). For

each project the curriculum included an overview,

scenario, learning objectives, alignment to math

and science standards, lesson plans, test blueprint,

and assessment. Table 1 shows a summary of the

ten integrated curriculum projects. The projects

are also available at

http://www.uwstout.edu/wwsc/index.cfm.


The STEM integrated approach has proven to be an

effective professional development model that

results in growth in teacher content and

pedagogical knowledge—in both mathematics and

science. Data analysis revealed that 83 percent of

teacher participants demonstrated significant gains

in mathematics content knowledge and 62 percent

demonstrated significant gains in science content

knowledge. Most importantly, students

demonstrated significant gains in pre-post-test

results after participating in learning activities

developed for the projects. Table 2 shows the

results of the student pre-post testing.

Aspects of the program that contributed to this

effectiveness were the subject-matter expertise of

participating higher education faculty members;

field-based learning activities; career pathway

focus; two-week summer academy; multi-district

collaboration; grade-band teams; and contextual

and problem- and project-based learning. Teachers

embraced this integrated approach to professional

development as evidenced by the wide range of

STEM Integrated Curriculum Projects they

developed and taught in their own classrooms.

For more information, contact Jerrilyn Brewer at

[email protected].

Figure 1. Conceptual framework for the Western Wisconsin STEM project


Table 1. 2010 STEM Integrated Curriculum Projects

Grade Band Project Title Project Purpose

K-2 Loopy for Ladybugs To facilitate student understanding of living things and their environment.

K-2 Amazing Animals To introduce students to characteristics and structures of living things and how living things interact with one another and their environment.

3-5 PONDering Ideas To facilitate student understanding of characteristics and structures of living things, the processes of life, and how living things interact with one another and their environment.

3-5 Project Karner Blue To foster curiosity and stewardship in students by establishing a butterfly garden and to study, monitor, and investigate ecosystems, life cycles, and photosynthesis.

6-8 Aromatic Adventures To provide opportunities for students to study the benefits of producing and processing an indoor herb garden.

6-8 The Amazing Forest Race

To provide opportunities for students to navigate, sustain, and evaluate the value of a forest.

6-8 What’s the Dirt on Organics?

To provide students with inquiry-based activities to compare and contrast conventional and organic farming in the areas of soils, plant growth, and food product choices available to consumers.

9-12 Creating a Frisbee Golf Course

To identify and evaluate ecological consequences of designing, building, and implementing a local Frisbee golf course.

9-12 Pew – Dumpster Diving for the Environment

To develop awareness and knowledge of the benefits of recycling as it pertains to high school students and their local environment.

9-12 Something for Nothing? Repurposing Food Grade Oil into Biodiesel

To investigate the economic feasibility and ecological impact of converting recycled food grade oil for practical uses within the community.

Table 2. STEM Integrated Projects Pre-Post-Test Results

Grade Band Pre-Test Post-Test

Cohen’s d Effect Size % Change Mean SD Mean SD

PK-2 N=77

7.21 2.57 8.53 1.78 .60 Medium 18% = Medium

Grades 3-5 N=104

6.94 2.85 11.77 2.8 1.72 Huge 70% = Very Large

Increase

Grades 6-8 N= 148

9.19 3.55 12.63 5.46 .75 Large 37% = Large

Increase

Grades 9-12 N =71

11 5.31 14.5 4.84 .69 Medium 32% = Large

Increase

Total Number of Students Pre-Post-Tested = 400 Total Number of Teachers = 20


Developing an Adult Career Pathways Program

Deborah Sohrabi, District Resource Teacher for Transition, Adult Education and Manager of the Adult Career

Pathways Grant; Victoria Ellis, Loretta Libhart, Adult Career Pathways Guidance Counselors, Hillsborough

County Public Schools, Tampa, Florida

The economic future of our communities relies on a

skilled workforce. Economists state that by 2018,

63 percent of all jobs will require postsecondary

training. In the past, it was possible for many

students to begin employment immediately after

receiving their GEDs. In today’s economy, however,

postsecondary education/training is a vital

component to earning a livable wage.

For example, in Florida, a high school dropout earns

an average salary of $18,000 per year while a high

school graduate earns $27,000 per year. Research

has shown that students who have at least some

postsecondary education earn at least $473,000

more over their working lifetimes than their less

educated peers.

Hillsborough County Public Schools’ Adult Education

Program in Tampa, Florida, was a recipient of the

Adult Career Pathways Grant provided by the

Florida Department of Education. The one-year

grant enables districts to develop Career Pathways

programs for adults. Hillsborough County is the

fourth most populous county in Florida (1.2 million)

and has the 8th largest school district in the United

States. Given that, our challenge has been to

integrate the Adult Career Pathways initiative into a

wide variety of school settings that will encourage

adult education students to pursue postsecondary.

What the Adult Career Pathways Grant Provided—

The grant covered the cost of hiring part-time

personnel: two guidance counselors, a

paraprofessional, and curriculum writers. The

District Resource Teacher for Adult

Education/Transition (managing the grant

activities), in conjunction with the Career Pathways

guidance counselors, developed classroom

materials, conducted training, and produced

marketing products. Grant funding provided the

opportunity for two adult education district

resource teachers to attend the National Career

Pathways Network conference in October 2011.

Advertising for Career Pathways (a joint effort with

adult education funding) consisted of the following:

Large banners with the Career Pathways logo

at all of the district’s main adult sites including

the district office

Bus wraps on five city buses and insert cards

in all 200 buses

Billboards (20) in areas throughout the county

TV commercials on seven local stations

Radio commercials on four channels

Advertisement in a weekly flyer

Advertisement in a local weekly newspaper

Career Pathways brochures

Thus far, the Adult Career Pathways team has

accomplished the following:

Provided 30 hours of staff development for

adult education teachers and counselors

Developed marketing materials including

brochures and posters

Conducted a career interest inventory with

approximately 800 of the targeted 1000

ABE/GED students

Developed a Career Pathways portfolio for each

ABE/GED student consisting of a career plan, an

exit survey, and a Career Pathways disc. Each

Career Pathways disc contains information on

technical centers, community colleges,

apprenticeship programs, military options,

financial aid, career exploration, and the job

market, all hyperlinked to provide access to the

latest information in those areas.

Purchased instructional materials for teachers

to provide career-related activities and

lessons in the classroom


“Career Ready” kits (instructional career

lessons/activities) developed by the district

resource teacher for transition, continue to be

provided to all new adult education

teachers/classes. Career Pathways curriculum

writers are contextualizing ABE/GED curriculum

with CNA and cosmetology curricula to provide

exposure to vocabulary and instructional activities

that are unique to that field.

Looking Ahead—The Adult Career Pathways Grant

provided funding for one year. A Five-Year Strategic

Plan for Adult Career Pathways was developed for

Hillsborough County Public Schools and was

approved by the Florida Department of Education.

The strategic plan focuses on expanding and

improving the Adult Career Pathways initiative for

Hillsborough County Public Schools. The goal is to

increase by 2015–2016 to at least 50 percent the

number of adult general education students who

earn high school diplomas or GEDs and successfully

transition, by the end of the following academic

year, into postsecondary education/training.

The district is developing measures to ensure that the

Adult Career Pathways initiative continues to be

funded and that the focus on postsecondary education

continues to be a priority in the Hillsborough County

Public Schools’ adult education programs.

For more information, contact Deborah Sohrabi at

[email protected].

American Youth Policy Forum Website Announcement

Dear Colleague,

It is with great excitement that we are launching

our new and improved website at www.aypf.org.

You have come to rely on the American Youth Policy

Forum as an unbiased source of information on

policy, practice, and research that can improve the

lives of young people. We hope that you’ll find our

new website an even more powerful tool for

accessing information to help you do your work.

Our new web interface will enable you to:

Perform a dynamic search of all of our

resources for materials that fit your needs

Create a user login and password to update your

profile and register for AYPF events ONLINE

Learn more about featured program areas,

searchable by popularity and date of resource

Stream videos and recordings of past AYPF

forums and webinars

Learn about our upcoming events

Read our latest e-bulletin and peruse our

e-bulletin archives

Our new system will allow you to update your contact

information, and more! Please click on the link below

to choose a username (we advise using your email

address) and password, to facilitate signing up for our

future events. Please be aware that the following link

is specific to you and your information.

Go to https://www.z2systems.com/np/clients/

aypf/setLogin.jsp?secureId=wIEoxN%2BRLeM%3D

to create your login and password.

We value your feedback on our new design, and

encourage you to let us know how we can continue

to improve on our new website. If you have

suggestions, please contact us at [email protected].

Please also help spread the word! We hope that you

inform others about our new website via Facebook,

Twitter, and relevant listservs.

Thank you for your continued interest and support

of AYPF. We’ll see you online!

Sincerely, Betsy Brand, Executive Director


Connections Mark Whitney, Editor

David Bond, Director, NCPN

Connections is published by the National Career Pathways Network, an organization of educators and employers dedicated to the advancement of Career Pathways, Tech Prep, and other CTE initiatives. NCPN assists its members in planning, implementing, evaluating, and improving workforce education programs. NCPN was founded by CORD, a national nonprofit organization that has been leading change in education for over twenty years.

Questions about Connections? Contact: Mark Whitney, NCPN, P.O. Box 21689, Waco, TX 76702-1689; 254-772-8756 ext. 315; or [email protected]

Visit NCPN on the web at www.ncpn.info.

Future events of interest to our members and affiliates!

The 2012 HI-TEC Conference will be held

July 23–26 at the Denver Marriott Tech Center

in Denver, Colorado. Visit http://highimpact-

tec.org/ for the latest information.

The 2012 NCPN Conference will be held

October 17–19 at the Convention Center in

Richmond, Virginia. Visit ncpn.info for the latest

information.

Documents

Volume 22-3: Best Results Through Best Practicesthat will be made at the October 2012 NCPN conference in Richmond, Virginia. The conference will feature over 130 presentations from