The Loudoun Governor’s Career and Technical Academy

Partnerships

Innovative STEM Career Cluster Pathways

CAREER CLUSTERPATHWAY Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Plant Systems Health ScienceDiagnostic Services Health ScienceTherapeutic Services Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Engineering and Technology Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics Facility and Mobile Equipment Maintenance

Academy Goals and Performance Measures: Improve academic achievement of Academy students by increasing academic rigor and relevance within selected pathways. Increase completion of dual enrollment courses. Provide workplace readiness experiences through strong partnerships with businesses.

Increase high school graduation rates. Reduce drop out rates. Increase enrollment and retention in postsecondary education. Increase the proportion of students completing a college and workplace ready curriculum in high school. Reduce the proportion of students requiring remediation in college.

Increase the number of industry certifications awarded to high school students. Increase the number of graduates employed in high-wage, high-skilled careers.

America’s Perfect Storm Report from the Educational Testing Service January

Three forces for changing our nation’s future based on the January 2007 America’s Perfect Storm Report from the educational testing service ( Divergent skills distributions The changing economy Demographic trends

2010 Update to the Perfect Storm Report Three Forces That Are Having A Significant Impact on Our Nation: The globalization and restructuring of the US economy Declining workforce skills and a failing educational system Shifting Demographics

This is not an economic cycle but a supercycle- a shift in the world economy of historic proportions The central process driving this is not globalization- it’s the skills revolution. We are moving into a more demanding cognitive age. Education boosts economic growth—but only if students’ cognitive skills, as measured by math and science tests are improved as a result

The birth of the college-and-career readiness movement promoted by president Obama’s administration The goal is to graduate all high school students college-and career-ready by 2020

What is college-and career- readiness? Loosely, it means ensuring that students are prepared for college-level courses upon graduation and/or for a job that can support a family.

Is there a difference between college and career readiness? The skills needed in college and at a job with a viable career path are very similar

Virginia’s workplace readiness skills Personal Qualities & People Skills Positive Work Ethic Integrity Teamwork Self-Representation Diversity Awareness Conflict Resolution Creativity & Resourcefulness Professional Knowledge & Skills Speaking & Listening Reading & Writing Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Health & Safety Organizations, Systems, & Climates Lifelong Learning Job Acquisition & Advancement Time, Task, & Resource Management Mathematics Customer Service Technology Knowledge & Skills Job-Specific Technologies Information Technology Internet Use & Security Telecommunications

How can teachers prepare students for the 21 st century workforce and a college-and-career ready curriculum? Work with school systems to recognize and support students taking a college and career ready curriculum: rigorous core coursework and rigorous technical course specializations. Work with students on following an established career plan and pathway. Reinforce the importance of a college ad career ready curriculum when students are visiting prospective college campuses Focus on the multiple pathways that students can take toward higher education and training. Promote opportunities for students to obtain real-world experiences through internship and other work- experience programs. Promote and recognize appropriate industry credentials and college-level coursework that students have already earned at the high school level.

Fall 2009 Career Clusters’ icons are being used with permission of the: States’ Career Clusters Initiative, 2006, Career Clusters

Career Clusters: Goals  Attain high academics through meeting state requirements (Virginia SOL).  Base student plans of study on individual student career assessments of knowledge, skills, and interest  Make a successful transition from middle school to high school to post-secondary education and training  Align academic and technical skills with employability skills to prepare students for success  Create and enhance career development opportunities and outcomes  Involve parents (PTA Resolution), business and industry, and the school community in the career pathways initiative

Career Clusters: VDOE CTE  All CTE courses are aligned with one or more career clusters and career pathways within those clusters based on the skills sets taught in the class. Note: Some academic and elective courses have been aligned with career clusters and pathways: Journalism, Fine Arts (Visual and Performing) and will be aligned with Government this coming school year.  Career Cluster and Career Pathway alignments are listed in the Administrative Planning Guide, the Career Planning Guide, and CTERS Manual.

Knowledge & Skills (K & S) The foundational principle of career clusters and career pathways is that a set of knowledge and skills can be identified within an occupation that are shared with other occupations in a pathway and other pathways in a cluster:  Cluster Level – academic and technical skills and knowledge for all pathways within a cluster  Pathway Level – academic and technical skills and knowledge within each pathway  Career Specialties - full range of career opportunities within each pathway