ACE Colorado’s High-Risk / Special Populations Career and Technical Education Division ACE Alternative Cooperative Education

High-Risk / Special Populations CTE Division Mission Statement ACE provides high-risk students with a lifelong pathway for graduation, employment, and career development. This slide is not in the 11-08 version – should it be?

What is ACE? ACE is the only Career and Technical Education program designed specifically for high-risk and special populations students, which addresses individualized and transition needs. ACE works to transition these students from high school to post-secondary education and training or into the workforce. The ACE framework is the multi-occupational program spanning multiple career pathways for students.

Who are Special Populations? Students at high-risk of dropping out or not graduating from high school Indicators may include but are not limited to: educational barriers special education qualified limited English proficiency economically disadvantaged head-of-household students pregnant and parenting teens non-traditional career goals credit deficient involvement with the criminal justice system

Current facts on Colorado Youth 2006-07 Colorado Youth Population Based on 525,713 youths ages 10-17 44,985 Juvenile Arrests 6,829 Live Births by mothers ages 10-19 23,600 Dropouts 44% of students with an IEP drop out of high school There are many more pregnancies this just shows births. 10% of students with an IEP drop out

What is the cost of 23,000 dropouts per year? What is the cost to Colorado’s school districts? 23,000 x $6,0001 = $138,000,000 revenue lost What is the cost to Colorado’s communities? 23,000 x $250,0002 = $5,750,000,000 will be spent supporting this year’s dropouts! What is the cost to you, your family, your community? By supporting ACE Programs we pay a little now as opposed to a LOT later. 1 state average per pupil allocation 2 average cost to community over the lifetime of a dropout

Colorado Vocational Act 2006 ACE Programs 2005-2006 enrollment in ACE programs = 6,192 number of ACE programs = 111 data shows 92.5% of ACE students are employed or continuing their education ACE students are successful! 1 Colorado Vocational Act required, annual data report (VE-135)

Response to Intervention is built into every ACE program Response to Intervention is federally mandated by NCLB and IDEA The ACE program meets a tier 2, targeted-level intervention, by meeting the needs of students identified as high-risk or those who require specific supports to make adequate progress in general education, through a nationally identified and funded Career and Technical Education program.

ACE Curriculum is… designed for students who are high-risk or have special needs. a comprehensive curriculum providing a continuum of pre-employment, employment, 21st Century Skills, independent living skills, financial literacy, etc. standards-based. aligned with Colorado State academic content standards. an enhancement to the application of academics providing contextual learning opportunities and relevance. academic assistance for struggling and/or credit deficient students also taught under other program names (e.g. Achieve, JET, GAIN, Options, ICE, ACE/WES, etc.) ACE is the only Career and Technical Education program designed specifically for high-risk and special populations students, which addresses individualized and transition needs.

ACE supports other CTE programs by: Career and Technical Education incorporates over 80 different career pathway opportunities in specific career fields. ACE supports other CTE programs by: providing work-related opportunities for practical, hands-on experiences for all pathways including those which may not offer work-related components. building a foundation for students to explore multiple career pathways. coordinating a variety of multi-occupational employment opportunities.

Context and Relevance Work-based Internship Work evaluations Job coaching Job shadows Job fairs Providing opportunities to build strong community relations and group dynamics business community relationships Soft skills Earn credit towards graduation for work experiences

ACE is a Solution ACE provides students who are high-risk or have special needs with fundamental Career and Technical Education Skills ACE enhances the application of academics by providing contextual learning opportunities and relevance ACE provides assistance with academics in and out of class.