October 3 Elert Now Available

Membership dues invoices have been sent. To keep receiving your membership benefits, please send payment or confirm your intent to renew by October 15. For all inquiries, please contact Sonia Liu, Assistant Director for Operations.

Publications

From Achieve: American Diploma Project Algebra II End-Of-Course Exam: 2008 Annual Report indicates that 14 states have joined together to develop and use a common end-of-course exam in Algebra II. In spring 2008, nearly 90,000 students across 12 of the 14 states in the partnership took the ADP Algebra II end-of-course exam for the first time.

Findings showed that performance varied by grade, with earlier grades achieving a higher percentage of correct answers. Average scores across the states ranged from 21 percent to 35 percent. The low score was attributed to the level of rigor of the test and that there were no incentives or consequences associated with the exam. Advice to participating states in order to improve postsecondary preparation in mathematics includes:

Strengthen K-12 standards
Provide supports to teachers and students
Make college and career readiness the focus of high school assessment and accountability systems

***

The Institute of Educational Sciences (IES) Practice Guide: Dropout Prevention describes several interventions for students to stay in school, progress in school, and complete school. One intervention recommends the integration of academic content with career and skills-based themes through career academies or multiple pathways models, in order to provide rigorous and relevant instruction to increase student engagement. The report defines career academies as school-within-school programs operating in high schools that offer career-related curricula based on a career theme, academic coursework, and work experience through partnerships with local employers.

In a follow-up review of dropout interventions, the IES What Works Clearinghouse Topic Report on Dropout Prevention, indicates career academies have potentially positive effects on staying and progressing in school.

Facts, Figures and...

Other Good Stuff

The Programs and Practices That Work: Preparing Students for Nontraditional Careers project from the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, aims to recognize local and state educational agencies or schools across the country that have implemented strategies for improving student access to and success in pursuing training for careers that are nontraditional for their gender. Applications are due October 31, 2008.

***

AYPF Forum: Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Centers and Community Colleges: Keeping Up with the Demand for a Technically-Skilled Workforce, focused on the role of ATE centers, their community college hosts, and their industry partners in the fields of Information Technology at the Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, MA and Process Technology at the College of the Mainland in Texas City, TX.

Research has shown that ATE centers are providing well-qualified technicians in the workforce pipeline, and producing collaborative relationships with industry and academic partners which lead to improvement in the STEM curricula, increased outreach to students, and economic benefits at community and technical colleges and secondary schools.

***

Another AYPF Forum: Jumpstart on College and Careers: Dual Enrollment Research, Policies, and Effective Practice discussed research from the Community College Research Center on dual enrollment programs in Florida and New York City. Findings: dual enrollment programs have been effective, particularly for males and low-income students, to support access and subsequent success in postsecondary education.

***

From the National Governors Association (NGA):
NGA Report Implementing Graduation Counts: State Progress to Date, 2008 highlights the Graduation Counts Compact plan to implement a consistent high school graduation rate and accurately count student completion of secondary education. The Compact has been signed by all 50 governors and is currently implemented by 16 states, with more planning to use the Compact formula in the future.

For states that will not have student-unit record data available for more than a year, the Graduation Counts task force offered short-term actions: develop guidelines for schools and disctricts on how to collect and code student data; adopt a policy that students whose status is unknown be coded as dropouts; and conduct audits of local record keeping and data collection.

The NGA brief Impact of Military Mission Growth on States and Local Education Agencies underscores the Department of Defense's military growth and realignment initiatives and the impact on K-12 education in states. A number of bases across the nation are enhancing their mission and growth--and with over 17 states heavily impacted by the influx of students from military families--federal resources to offset new costs for LEAs are deemed inadequate for states and schools.

***

From ACT: State Future Workforce Gap Summary provides 31 states with information on their workforce pipeline pertaining to high growth jobs that require a two-year college degree or more. These include education, management, health care, computer specialties, and engineering.

***

New website from USDE: www.college.gov

has the goal of motivating students with inspirational stories and information about planning, preparing and paying for college, in tabular setup. How it speaks of CTE:

Under the Why Go tab: "today, more jobs than ever before require specialized training or a two- or four-year college degree. A college degree decreases your chance of unemployment by nearly 50%. A two-year degree or even some college can have a positive impact on your ability to keep working."
Under Parent/Family tab: "today, education beyond high school is practically a necessity to build a better life. Whether it's a 2-year or 4-year college degree, or a trade or technical certification program, more education opens doors to more opportunities."
Also under Parent/Family tab: Overcoming parental objections to attending higher education: But his grades aren't good enough. Answer: "A child whose grades haven't been the best can still go...if he will be graduating soon, consider community colleges, which can have more open admission policies. Trade and technical schools are other good options."

Career Clusters

The Annual Conference of the National Partnership for Careers in Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security (LPSCS), will be held October 22-23 in conjunction with the National Career Pathways Network (NCPN) workshops and Preconference. If you plan to attend ONLY the LPSCS conference (and not the NCPN conference), fax or mail the registration form and payment to the address or fax number on the registration form.

The conference will include examples of career programs in all five of the related pathways, plus new curriculum, assessments and certifications will be highlighted in key sessions. Additional sessions will feature topics such as the role of colleges, starting or improving programs, program evaluation and certification, and specialized programs such as Explorers, Youth Court and student organizations that can add on to career programs.