AchieveTexas and Texas Tech Prep: A True Partnership

1. PPT Notes will be available at www.achievetexas.org, under Implementation. AchieveTexas and Texas Tech Prep: A True Partnership Karen L. Alexander, karen.alexander@ttu.edu Texas Tech University October 2008

2. Lone Star State Snapshot… • Quarter of a million square miles (261,797 sq miles). • Second only to Alaska in Land area. • Population of 23 million residents. • 2nd largest civilian workforce in the nation • 11.5 million workers. • 143 institutions of Higher Education. • Texas Education Agency (TEA) provides leadership, guidance, and resources to over 1,000 school districts. • 20 Education Service Centers.

3. AchieveTexas College and Career Initiative Organized with Career Clusters Improve student achievement – both academic and technical Promote successful transitions from secondary to postsecondary education Support workforce and economic development

4. Society Pays the Price Class of 2007 dropouts will cost the U.S. $330 Billion in lost wages and productivity over their lifetime. U.S. could save between $7.9 and $10.8 billion annually by improving educational attainment among all recipients of TANF, food stamps, and housing assistance. A high school dropout contributes about $60,000 less in taxes over a lifetime. If the male graduation rate were increased by only 5 percent, the nation would see an annual savings of $4.9 billion in crime-related costs. America could save more than $17 billion in Medicaid and expenditures for health care for the uninsured by graduating all students. (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2007)

5. Career Clusters and Programs of Study can help to make learning more challenging and school more relevant to students, thereby increasing their involvement in education. A Part of the Solution

6. AchieveTexas is based upon… Concept- Students can succeed in school, career, and life if they plan their own individual college and career success. Philosophy - No career option is intrinsically better than the other. Whether the choice is right or not depends on the personal goals of the student. Goal- To prepare students for college and career, and allow them to choose the options that are best for them.

7. AchieveTexas Framework… Supports numerous reform initiatives and educational programs, • Career Guidance Expectations • Career Academies • Small Learning Communities • Regional Career Centers • Magnet Schools • Project Lead The Way • High Schools That Work • T-STEM

8. Career Development Spans All Grades Elementary school focuses on understanding the importance and value of work and jobs. Middle school focuses on initial career exploration. High school focuses on programs of study. Postsecondary education or training focuses on career preparation.

9. AchieveTexas Resources Counselor Guide and Counselor Kits

10. Benefits for Counselors Meets TEC §28.0212—Personal Graduation Plans (PGPs) Meets TEC §33.007—Counseling Public School Students Regarding Higher Education Supports TEC §33.005—Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance, and Counseling Program

11. College and Career Guides 16 Cluster Guides Available on the website in the e-zine format. Hardcopies available for order through PrinTech.

12. Each Cluster Guide Includes • TEA Introduction • Governor’s Industry Clusters • Career Planning Information • Career Clusters and Programs of Study • Texas Achievement Plan

15. And … • Cluster Profile • Career Information • What Employers Want • Cool Careers • Spotlight on schools • Extended learning options

18. And … • Portfolio development • Postsecondary education programs • College admissions • Financial Aid • Career resources

19. Upcoming Products • Spanish College and Career Planning Guide • One guide covering all 16 clusters • October 2008 target delivery date • E-zine format will be available • Resources for Elementary Counselors • Best Practices Guidebooks • Local Implementation • Counselor Implementation

20. Spanish College and Career Guide

21. AchieveTexas Programs of Study

22. AchieveTexas Programs of Study 115+ Models Available

23. What is a Program ofStudy? 1. Nationally recognized logos identify the Career Cluster for each model.

24. What is a Program ofStudy? 2. Program of Study names, established in the State's Career Cluster Initiative (www.careerclusters.org ), head each model. They focus attention upon a specific career field within a cluster.

25. What is a Program ofStudy? 3. Cluster Overviews maintain the 16 U.S. Department of Education Career Cluster definitions.

26. What is a Program ofStudy? 4. Career goals shown here correlate with occupational names and O*NET codes used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Use OSCAR (www.ioscar.org) to begin investigating those careers of interest. The "goal" of models is to target In-Demand jobs.

27. What is a Program ofStudy? 5. Career Options provide examples of contemporary job titles currently appearing in sources, such as WorkInTexas (https://wit.twc.state.tx.us). Jobs are correlated to the postsecondary education typically required for a career.

28. What is a Program ofStudy? 6. High School Suggested Coursework highlights the Core Courses and Career-Related Electives recommended to prepare for a career goal. Models are based on the Recommended High School Graduation Plan and can easily be adapted for the Distinguished Achievement High School Graduation Plan. With established models it is easier to anticipate the consequence of curriculum changes, such as when legislation recently increased math and science requirements, or whenever a student decides to modify her/his TAP.

29. What is a Program ofStudy? 7. Certificates shown on the models are associated with specific courses. Use the Certification Finder at Career InfoNet (www.acinet.org/acinet) to investigate post-secondary certifications.

30. What is a Program ofStudy? 8. Example Postsecondary program names are identified from the Associates level through Graduate Degrees. Names are based upon the CIP Code Names. Could be edited to highlight local articulation partners.

31. What is a Program ofStudy? 9. Extended Learning Experiences include Work-Based Learning, Curricular, and Extracurricular activities. Participation in and support of Career and Technical Student Organizations (i.e. BPA, DECA, FBLA, FCCLA, FFA, TSA, HOSA, or SkillsUSA) is especially important to AchieveTexas. While campuses might modify their list of Extracurricular and Service Learning Experiences, examples should always cohesively extend meaningful learning in settings suitable and safe for students. Students could record volunteer service in their portfolios, or participate in a program such as The President's Volunteer Service Award (http://www.presidentialserviceawards.org/index.cfm) where school groups may, likewise, record their service hours.

32. Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2008. All rights reserved. AchieveTexas is a Best Practice • Adolescent development • Working with students in generational poverty.

33. Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2008. All rights reserved. Adolescent thinking??? • Abstract vs. concrete thinking • Life planning, goal setting, career and college planning can be very abstract • Payne suggests that mental models are necessary for making the abstract become concrete.

34. Mental Models • To translate the concrete to the abstract, the mind needs to hold the information in a mental model. • Can be a two-dimensional visual representation, a story, a metaphor, or an analogy. • When directly taught, abstract information can be learned much more quickly because the mind has a way to hold it. • One of the most important models for students to have is for time, which includes a representation of a past, present, and future. • Programs of Study are mental models!

35. Program of Study is a Mental Model

36. AchieveTexas Postsecondary Transitions

37. Vertical Alignment Vertical alignment process between high school and community college career and technical education courses. Create connectivity and continuity between secondary and postsecondary curriculum that promotes seamless transitions for students leaving high school, entering college and into the workforce. http://www.txcareerclusters.org/

38. Best Practice of Vertical Alignment • Texas Tech University College of Engineering, South Plains College, the Lubbock Independent School District and the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance have partnered to develop a Seamless Automotive Technology Curriculum. • The educational program of study provided by the Seamless Automotive Technology Curriculum allow high school students to participate in automotive programs without limiting their opportunities for college careers.

39. AchieveTexas Local Implementation

40. Implementation Guide • Revisions • Strengthened connections to other state initiatives • Eliminated the term, career pathways to reflect the state language of programs of study • Available in an electronic magazine (E-zine) format on website. • Can be ordered by local districts through PrinTech.

41. 8 Steps for System Building 1. Decide to implement AchieveTexas 2. Career Awareness, Exploration, Concentration, Preparation, and Advancement 3. Add Texas Achievement Plans (TAP) 4. Enhance guidance and counseling 5. Build seamless connections 6. Establish extended learning 7. Build strong partnerships 8. Support intense professional development

42. Best Practices • Initial summary of programs already highlighted with AchieveTexas. • Compiled in one document. • Represent all 16 clusters. • Adding to the website this summer. • School districts will be able to submit examples for inclusion on the website.

43. Program Evaluation • Surveys were available on the website, www.achievetexas.org • Site visits to schools. • Submission of implementation materials for consideration for best practices. • Guide to Selecting Best Practices • Reporting best practices this summer.

44. 2008 Study Questions How well have the 8 Steps of AchieveTexas been communicated? Which local implementation strategies appear most promising?

45. Summative Evaluations 2008 Effectiveness = well communicated 2012 Effectiveness = locally 8 Steps in place 2015 Effectiveness = improved outcomes in academic/technical learning

46. Implementation Panel Discussion Bob Lucas, Gulf Coast Tech Prep, Houston, TX, blucas@lonestar.edu Jill Berset, South Plains Tech Prep, Lubbock, TX, jberset@spc.cc.tx.us Michael Rodriguez, Upper Rio Grande College Tech Prep Youth Consortium, El Paso, TX, miker@esc19.net