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Ford PAS Curriculum
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In the Common Core these areas of emphasis parallel the design of the Ford PAS curriculum, which takes an interdisciplinary approach, develops foundational skills through different content areas and in meaningful contexts, and integrates media, technology, and research skills.
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Greetings!
For the past few months I've had the privilege of working on a research project with Hans Meeder of Meeder Consulting. This project was initiated by Achieve and was focused on the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in the Career Tech area. The project report was published last month and is titled, "Common Core State Standards and Career and Technical Education: Bridging the Divide Between College and Career Readiness".
 As part of the project I had the opportunity to speak with eight state directors of CTE from around the country. Our conversations focused on the progress and difficulty of introducing and embedding the new standards into both the academic and career tech courses. While some states had made remarkable progress toward the implementation of the standards, others were still battling the "silo" mentality that all of us have experienced to one extent or another at either the state or the local level.
Quoting from the executive summary the report states, "The goal of ensuring that all students graduate from high school ready for college, careers and life has taken hold in every state across the nation. Yet all too often, the focus on "college readiness" and "career readiness" remains in two distinct silos, even though there is little question that reading, writing, communications and mathematical reasoning are all core skills for success in post-secondary education, in the workplace and for citizenship and that educators across all disciplines should help students develop, deepen and refine these core skills."
I would urge you to read the report as there are common sense recommendations that are relevant to all stakeholders concerned with the same issues as they relate to Georgia's students and future workers.
In the Georgia Ford NGL section below you will read more about our efforts to align the Ford PAS curriculum to the Common Core.
In conclusion let me provide one more quote from the report. "Right now, the moment is here, and the opportunity is clear: As states are working to align their education systems with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in support of the goal of graduating all students ready for college, careers and life, academic and career and technical education (CTE) leaders at the state and local levels can and should maximize this opportunity to finally break down the silos between their disciplines and collectively find ways to ensure that the new standards rigorously engage all students in both academic and CTE courses."
Let's break down some silos.
Thom Suddreth
GA Ford Next Generation Learning
Technical Assistance Specialist
Professional Development Provider
Read the full report here...
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Lt. Governor Participates in National Forum in Washington, DC
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 Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle recently traveled to Washington, DC to participate in an American Youth Policy Forum panel on Capitol Hill. The forum, held on June 8th, was titled "Increasing College and Career Readiness through Dual Enrollment: Research, Policies, and Effective Practices"; it discussed various dual enrollment programs throughout the country and research supporting their effectiveness. The panel recognized state policies that support, expand, and sustain educational models with dual emphasis on postsecondary education and workforce preparation. The Lt. Governor addressed the vision for Georgia's College and Career Academies and the policy environment that has supported their growth and development. The forum was attended by 80 to 100 policymakers from across the country, including Congressional staff, federal government officials, and national nonprofit and advocacy association professionals.
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Please visit our new website at http://georgiafordngl.com/ |
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Ford PAS Curriculum Aligned With
Common Core State Standards
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The Georgia Ford PAS Next Generation
Learning Hub is a resource for teachers, students, parents and community partners. We are constantly striving to bring you news of successful practices by those educators using the Ford PAS curriculum and pedagogy.
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are the culmination of a state-led initiative, coordinated by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, to provide a clear and consistent framework and benchmarks for the skills and knowledge that students need to succeed in college and in the workforce. The Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) offers a rigorous and engaging curriculum that supports efforts to meet these new standards. Through its curriculum, Ford PAS builds career and life skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication, which are at the core of the CCSS.
The Ford PAS curriculum comprises 20 modules, each designed to be taught over periods ranging from 5 to 12 weeks. Through case studies, role plays, simulations, scientific experiments, research, negotiation, and collaboration, students gain both the knowledge and the interdisciplinary skills needed for learning, analyzing, and decision-making in complex situations-and, in the process, learn to apply classroom learning to challenges in the real world. Each Ford PAS module is aligned with the relevant standards for English language arts and literacy in the content areas. Several modules are also aligned with the mathematics standards.
Read more...
Visit the Common Core page on the Ford PAS website here...
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Lanier Charter Career Academy
Uses Advanced AV Systems to Help Deliver
Real World
Training and Convention Services.
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 "We believe kids are simulated to death. There's just not time enough in a 50-minute class period to do anything but talk or watch a video or work on the computer. And so when we began to develop this school, we just kept thinking, we wanted a place where there would be no more simulations."
That's Principal Cindy Blakley talking about the real-world education offered at Lanier Charter Career Academy (LCCA) in Gainesville, Georgia. Not only is LCCA a high school but it's also a conference center, fine dining restaurant, coffee shop, gift shop, and a producer of custom business apparel.
Read more...
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 CEC Wins Prestigious Award
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Coweta County's Central Educational Center charter school has been selected to represent Georgia as the winner of the Southern Growth Policies Board's 2012 Innovator Award.
CEC was chosen for the award from among a number of nominees in the South that have achieved success important in the area of education and workforce development.
As one of 13 "Innovators" chosen from 13 southeastern states, the charter school will be publicly recognized on June 25 at an awards ceremony during the evening festivities at Southern Growth's Chairman's Conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This year's conference, hosted by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, will focus on the importance of connections between education and the workforce.
Read the press release here...
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Golden Isles Career Academy Student Wins Region In State Poster Contest
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Saresa Pearce, a senior at the Golden Isles Career Academy, has been named a regional winner in a statewide Georgia Department of Education (GDOE) poster contest to promote a national hotline for reporting and preventing human sex trafficking. Submissions for "Not in Georgia: Combating Human Sex Trafficking" were judged by a panel of state officials representing multiple areas of expertise. Two winners from each of the state's 16 Regional Education Service Agencies (RESAs) areas - one for an English poster and one for a Spanish poster - were chosen and will be printed and sent to the respective RESA for distribution to the schools in that area. The winning posters will be prominently displayed in schools within their region.Read more...
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Career Academy Inspires Young
Kaleidoscope Students
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 During a demonstration of a remote controlled robotic car, 10-year-old Lane Simons' eyes went wide as he followed the vehicle around a classroom at the Floyd County Schools College and Career Academy.
"I've always wanted to build something," said Lane. "I want to make a rocket that spins!"
A fourth-grader from Cave Spring Elementary, Lane was one of approximately 60 Kaleidoscope fourth- and fifth-graders from county schools that toured the College & Career Academy technical campus Wednesday, May 9.
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More College and Career Academy News
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Thanks for your support for Georgia's College and Career Academies and the GCCAN network. Please consider passing this newsletter on to others and posting it on your web page or social network. You can do so easily by clicking on the social icons provided at the top.
Sincerely, Your GACCAN team |
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