Technical Skill Assessment and the Success of Statewide Articulation Agreements Montana Rigorous Programs of Study

Career pathways spelled out in the Rigorous Programs of Study initiative (RPOS) span secondary and postsecondary education Concentrate on high- demand, high-wage occupations. Statewide articulation agreements must become the norm. Arne Duncan Rigor, Relevance and the Future of CTE Remarks presented April 19, 2011

10 Component Framework – RPOS 5. COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS STANDARDS 6. COURSE SEQUENCES 7. CREDIT TRANSFER AGREEMENTS 9. TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES 10. TECHNICAL SKILLS ASSESSMENTS

Montana RPOS Six year construction pathway – Sequence of Courses – 4 years of secondary – 2 years of postsecondary How do you know – College Ready? – Aligned to national standards Careertech.org – Technical Skill Assessment – College entrance assessments

Goal is “College Ready.” Academic test – Math and English – ACT or SAT – ACT Compass Technical CTE

The answer is too often “NO!” – Montana and many other states 60% of students entering a two-year college fail English, Math or both. Enroll in non-credit remedial class Only 50% move on to their major field

Academic Knowledge/Skill in terms of CTE – Integrate math and literacy into CTE classes National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE) Math-in-CTE Literacy-in-CTE Geometry in Construction Dual-Credit College level Technical math/English

Technical skills not as clear Look to national standards – cluster standards (careertech.org) – NCCER – National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)

Montana Strategy - START Start with business/industry – What is career ready – Career Clusters at careertech.org – NCCER College Curriculum – Common Course Numbering – State Wide Articulation Agreements

CSTN 100 Fundamentals of Construction START Agreement Foundation Common course numbering – 80% Common Competencies/Objectives CSTN 100 Competencies – Explain the role that safety plays in the construction trades – Demonstrate the proper use -of safety tools – Safely demonstrate the use of hand tools and power tools – Perform basic math as required for carpentry

Creating the assessment Based on national standards that make sense to industry – postsecondary – secondary Buy in from all of above Confidence – Instructors – Administrators – Registrars