OPTIONS FOR THS Enhancing Learning Opportunities for Students

Guiding Questions What do we do well NOW? (keep doing it!) What do we need to START doing to  Offer options within THS  Prepare students for multiple exit options (work, certificate, 2 year or 4 year higher education, military, apprenticeship or training program) What do we need to STOP doing?

School to Career Also known as Career Pathways Started as vocational-technical but now encompasses college and career (K-16 plans) Institutionalized by Student Success Plans for all, not just Special Ed or Career Completers Spell out specific technical and employability standards for each major employment cluster

The Career Clusters Arts and Media Business and Finance Construction Technologies and Design Environmental, Natural Resources and Agriculture Government, Education and Human Services Health and Biosciences Retail, Tourism, Recreation and Entrepreneurship Technologies: Manufacturing, Communications and Repair

The Vision Provide all students with the opportunity to connect learning that takes place within the school walls to the needs and demands of higher education and of the full range of careers offered by the Connecticut economy

Career Forecast by Career Builder Business  Management analyst  Consumer service representative  Retail sales Health  Registered nurse  Medical assistant  Home health aide Technical  Biomedical engineer  Software engineer  Network systems and data communications analyst

Hartford Courant’s top employers in CT Technical  United Technologies  General Dynamics  AT & T Business/Retail  Hartford Financial Services Group  Wal-Mart  Stop & Shop  Aetna  Cigna Health  Pfizer Pharmaceutical  Hartford Hospital Other  Yale University  Foxwoods  Mohegan Sun

The Goal To develop a comprehensive K-16 system of school- based learning, work-based learning and connecting activities that leads to the attainment of a Connecticut Career Certificate, which is a portable credential that attests to mastery of employer- identified academic, employability and technical skills within one of clusters offered to THS students

Steps to accomplish goal Implement Student Success Plans for all students in grades 6-12 (mandated by state, use Career Cruising) Provide students with a structured opportunity to explore careers in middle school Research job market trends to determine growing fields for future employability Continue to offer rigorous, college-prep coursework (AP, ECE) as well as maintain connections with higher education for course articulations

Decide on focus area(s) Which one or two of the core career clusters are of interest and benefit to THS students? Which area(s) can be effectively integrated with our core academic program? Which area(s) offers potential for connection to community business and industry resources as partners for expertise and experiences?

Logistics What changes would need to be made to our current use of space and facility to create a viable space for a new program? What type of equipment, materials, and resources would need to be added to bring our current program up to industry standards in the selected career area? What type of training would our professional staff need to be able to deliver appropriate and integrated instruction to support a career area? What type of school schedule would be needed?

Potential benefits Retain students in the district Offer program options to better meet needs of all students Graduate students with an identifiable credential that represents technical, academic, and employability Connect school and community in synergistic way Mobilize external resources to supplement budget

Possible configuration Continue to offer a traditional comprehensive high school program with both an Academic and College Prep/Honors track. Core courses, electives, AP/ECE Develop not more than two theme/career-based Small Learning Communities with specific course work in technical and employment skills integrated with core academic content Offer an online or blended learning component for students who wish to enrich or accelerate learning or who need to recover credits or build language proficiency

Preparing students for their future Offer education programming that is authentic and engaging Prepare students for future jobs Get employers to invest in their future workforce Provide students with multiple exit options:  College ready  Employable