Career and Technical Education Update

1. Career and Technical Education Update

2. Concurrent Credit • Both Department of Education and Department of Higher Education revised their policies on concurrent credit. These should be reviewed. • Secondary Career Centers Concurrent Credit Data: • 2011-2012 – 6,356 students earned 37,027 concurrent credit hours • 2010-2011 – 5,304 students earned 31,293 concurrent credit hours • 2009-2010 – 4,925 students earned 31,484 concurrent credit hours • 2008-2009 – 4,435 students earned 28,761 concurrent credit hours

3. Legislation 2013http://www.rsatv.com/digestreport/aaea_all.htm(Home Schooling, School Choice, Charter Schools) • 145 bills introduced and signed into law in the 2013 Legislative session • ACT 1440 – Elective course for academic student of the Bible • ACT 128 – Repeals the requirement that school districts notify parents of high school students regarding classes that the school district is required to offer • ACT 234 – Arkansas Scholarship Lottery award from $4,500 per student to a scale awarding $2,000 and $5,000 per student based on year of college the student is currently in. • ACT 330 – Requires schools and public institutions of higher education to transmit only electronic transcripts when transmitting among schools and to the Higher Education Department. • ACT 1106 – Provides that a recipient of an Academic Challenge Scholarship who does not complete any hours in a semester immediately forfeits the remainder of the scholarship award for that year. • ACT 1462 – Redefines Smart Core as a college and career readiness curriculum requires students in grades 9-11 to take the ACT Assessment beginning with the 2014-15 school year • ACT 1280 – Establishes the Digital Learning Act of 2013, requiring school districts and charter schools to provide at least one distance learning course beginning with ninth grade students of the 2014-15 school year

4. ACT 743 – ACE College and Career Readiness ACT 743 passed in 2011 Legislative session defining CTE Programs of Study standards. • Validation of Program Support • Partnerships • Professional Development • Accountability and Evaluation Systems • College and Career Readiness • Course Sequences of Secondary and Postsecondary Courses • Credit Transfer Agreements • Comprehensive Guidance Counseling and Academic Advisory Systems • Teaching and Learning Strategies • Technical Skills Assessment

5. Changes in Keyboarding • K-4 – integrated into classrooms – ADE and ACE will help with integration • Grades 5/6 (if keyboarding integrated into K-4) – Grade 5: Input Technologies; Grade 6: Technologies Communications • Grades 7/8:new course, Introduction to Business Communications and Technologies (this course would be necessary if Grade 5-6 was not taught) • New CTE foundation course – Information and Communications which complete the required technology curriculum • Grades 9-12: new core course for Business/Marketing Technology – Technology Design and Applications to replace Computer Business Applications The above courses require a waiver from James Brock, Program Manager for Business/Marketing Technology and a transition plan submitted to ACE. Standards are still in place for Keyboarding at grades 7-8 and Computer Business Application at grades 9-12.

6. Certifications/Licensures Growing Demand • 42% of the workforce, need some form of occupational certification or licensure to perform their jobs • 75% are test-based Carnevale et al. Help Wanted: Projections of Education and Jobs Through 2018. (2010

7. Overriding Issue - Disconnects • About half of all senior male students and 2/3 of all senior female students say they are going to work in professional occupations • Only 8.4% of males and 3.7% of females indicate aspirations in technical occupants • THE DISCONNECT: ONLY 21% OF ALL JOBS IN THE U.S. REQUIRE A 4-YEAR DEGREE OR HIGHER

8. Skills2Compete.org • Middle-skill jobs – (require more than high school but less than a four-year degree) make up nearly half of all jobs today. • For every job in the U.S. requiring a 4-year degree, significantly more require some training past high school, but not necessarily a bachelors or graduate degree • Skill demands for middle-skill jobs will grow • Labor supply in that category is dwindling

9. Top 5 Career Clusters with Fastest Growth (by % change in employment by 2018 • Information Technology : +23% • Health Science: +21% • Human Services: +19% • Law, Public Safety, Corrections, Security: +14% • Education & Training: +14%

10. Arkansas Kuder Career Interests - 2012 • Human Services – 16% • Arts AV – 13% • Health Science – 12% • Education and Training – 11% • Law Security – 8% • Agriculture – 7% Disconnect for Arkansas – most Kuder data is from 7th or 8th graders during their Career Orientation Class

11. Microsoft IT Academy Technology Education Solution What? Bridging the Gap Why? High Schools, Adult Ed Centers and Workforce Services Centers Who?

12. Why MOS Certification? • International Industry Standard • Student Engagement/Academics • 1000’s of jobs in Arkansas require MS Office Skills

13. Implementing Certifications • Any school can be registered as a test center at no charge • Download test software for free • Purchase certification vouchers or licenses for use during the school year

14. Arkansas Results in JUST One Year

15. Contact Information: Sandra Porter, Associate Director Career and Technical Education Arkansas Department of Career Education sandra.porter@arkansas.gov