ERIC EJ976606: Evolving Partnerships to Enhance Transition: Meeting POS Expectations

0.35 MB·English

by  ERIC

PROGRAMS OF STUDy
eVOLVinG
PartnerSHiPS
to Enhance Transition:
Meeting POS Expectations
PHOTO By ISTOCK.COM
BY KRISTy MORELOCK
F
inding the best way for students drew upon longstanding relationships Perkins IV legislation, the Illinois POS
to learn and achieve success with both state education and workforce initiative strives to “develop more fully
is of utmost importance to the stakeholders and the robust community the academic and career and technical
State of Illinois and the nation college CTE system. The aim was to skills of secondary education students
as a whole. College and career success is build a framework that recognized POS and postsecondary education students…”
critical to our national and state economy. implementation requires strong engage- (Perkins IV, Title I, Career and Techni-
Career and technical education (CTE) ment from partners, should be locally cal Education Assistance to the States,
has been central to this call for greater driven, and must be a continuous process Sec. 2., Purpose). In Illinois, POS reach
college completion, and the credentials with both equity and outcomes at the far beyond the federal definition and aim
that CTE provides to both traditional and center of both development and delivery to involve education on all levels, fully
nontraditional student populations have of programs. Further, the process has a engaging partnerships and programs to
emerged as one of the most important ele- strong basis in the use of data of both state maximize student outcomes at every level.
ments in the completion agenda through- and local origin. Federal law demands im- In partnership with the University
out the country. The Illinois Programs provement in data and accountability— of Illinois’ Office of Community Col-
of Study (POS) framework uniquely and POS relies on it—not only for federal lege Leadership (OCCRL), Illinois also
positions the state to achieve the goal of and state compliance, but also to make developed a fan graphic for all 16 career
fully articulated curriculum from second- informed decisions at the state and local clusters (see Figure 1 on page 45). This
ary to postsecondary education, and to levels. Much of the POS implementation graphic provides a representation of the
ultimately meet the call for greater college process is reflected in the state’s Guiding five CTE areas in secondary education,
and career success. Principles and Design Elements summa- the 16 career clusters and the related POS
rized in Figure 2 on page 46. in the Illinois system.
POS Implementation in Illinois A key component of POS develop- The fan also illustrates entry points for
A few years ago, Illinois was struggling ment and implementation within the state adults—including bridge programs that
with the implementation of Programs of continues to center on the collaborations integrate occupational cluster knowl-
Study. The Illinois Community College between secondary institutions, postsec- edge and skills into adult education and
Board (ICCB) recognized the need for ondary institutions that award certificates developmental education course content.
a specific vehicle for such implementa- and degrees, and business and industry Bridge programs are designed to prepare
tion on a statewide basis. The board representatives. Consistent with the students to transition to postsecondary
44 Techniques January 2012 www.acteonline.org
Figure 1: Illinois fan
graphic for the 16
career clusters
credit instruction in a career pathway. Sections of the fan blur into one anoth- the arrow labeled “Programs of Study”
The fan also provides an understanding er to indicate the importance of student extends beyond the boundaries of the fan,
of the transition process through which transition from the cluster to the pathway indicating that education and career de-
traditional students proceed through a se- to the Program of Study. As noted on the velopment continue throughout a person’s
quence of courses—ones taken at multiple graphic, secondary students can access lifespan. The POS arrow also denotes
levels that lead to certificate and degree postsecondary-level coursework through that individuals can earn education cre-
attainment and into employment. dual credit. Also worth mentioning is that dentials beyond the traditional associate
www.acteonline.org January 2012 Techniques 45
PROGRAMS OF STUDy
and baccalaureate degree levels. listed are just a mere snapshot of the array designed as a process that capitalizes on
The fan itself has a direct link to the 48 of programs within each cluster and path- local practitioners and partners to engage
community colleges within Illinois, and way area. Note that the career pathways in a systematic problem-solving process,
provides program-specific information and career and program options shown one that identifies sustainable solutions to
on programs being offered within each in bold text are those that are currently improve student outcomes.
cluster and pathway. Those programs available in the Illinois Community Col- Through this process there are a num-
lege System. Where a career and program ber of objectives, including:
option is missing, no program has been
Figure 2 developed as of yet within the system. 1. Integration of career cluster-based
regional skill planning with the
ILLINOIS’ PROGRAMS OF Continuous Improvement implementation of POS.
STUDY GUIDING PRINCIPLES and Pathways to results 2. Development and implementation
AND DESIGN ELEMENTS Illinois recognized that in order for Pro- of a continuous improvement process
grams of Study to truly be viable for CTE that targets opportunities for
1. Leadership, organization and reform, educational programs and ser- program improvement and
support—Programs are developed vices had to be developed and improved enhanced outcomes.
and supported with input from continuously. By adopting this premise, 3. Improvement of key career pathway
collaborative partners. local area practitioners were given the transition outcomes, including stu-
2. Access and opportunity— opportunity to experiment when examin- dent transition outcomes.
Each and every student has access ing program-related problems to develop 4. Improvement of community col-
to educational opportunities and solutions. In order to fully understand leges’ access to data and tools to
services that enable their success. true program improvement within POS, support continuous improvement.
3. Alignment and transition— the use of measures that allowed for 5. Improvement of equity in access
Education and training providers, data-driven examination and change and results for students.
with input from business and were employed through the Pathways
industry, enhance alignment that to Results process (PTR)—developed in PTR consists of five distinct phases,
facilitates student transition through partnership with the OCCRL. PTR is represented in Figure 3. Two key features
the educational pipeline.
4. Enhanced curriculum and
instruction—Curriculum and Figure 3: Pathways to Results consists of five phases:
pedagogy involve rigorous and
relevant instruction and career
development that enhances Engagement
learning and enables students
to attain credentials.
5. Professional preparation and
development—Teacher prepara-
tion, recruitment and selection Outcomes and
Review and Reflection
of qualified instructional staff, and Equity Assessment
the delivery of quality professional
development.
6. Accountability and program
improvement—Data are col-
lected and shared to demonstrate
accountability, program improvement
Process Improvement Process Assessment
and student outcomes.
For a full description of Illinois’ Framework for
Programs of Study, including the six guiding
principles and design elements, see http://
occrl.illinois.edu/projects/pos/principles.
46 Techniques January 2012 www.acteonline.org
of PTR include the focus on using an engaging them directly in partnerships, Kristy Morelock
equity lens to examine problems at keeping the focus on equity and is associate director for CTE Programs of Study at the Illinois
institutions, and the focus on explicit, outcomes, and by recognizing that POS Community College Board, Springfield, Illinois. She is pursuing
formalized partnerships. The focus on development is a continuous process, her master’s in educational leadership. She can be contacted at
equity is consistent with both the Perkins the ICCB has thus far successfully been [email protected].
IV legislation and the larger community a change agent in the CTE system.
college mission. Also, PTR cannot work This work simply would not be possible Interested in exploring this topic
if partners are not committed to working without the dedication of these diverse further? Discuss it with your
colleagues on the ACTE forums at www.
through the entire process, engaging professionals throughout our great
acteonline.org/forum.aspx.
at each phase with materials and data community college system.
to assist in furthering the work to solve
40777-2
the identified problem in a program
area.
Since the fall of 2009, local area
partnerships have been engaged in the
PTR initiative through a Local Programs
of Study Implementation Grant. A total
of 18 sites have participated as part of
this continuous improvement project
thus far. Across all previous projects,
high schools, colleges/universities and
industry partners have been especially
prevalent.
For Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, the Illinois
Community College Board funded four
demonstration sites that will continue
to progress in the PTR process, as
well as new sites that will engage in
the PTR process for the first time—
learning lessons from previously funded
applicants. Additionally, PTR was part
of the FY12 Postsecondary Perkins Grant
applications, with community colleges
Give new meaning to Motor-head
being required to identify a problem in a
program area that could potentially be a
subject of a PTR project focus.
Hydraulics: Fundamentals Of Service
The next step for continued work
in PTR would be a wider inclusion Just one of the 27 support the beginners or even the most
in Perkins IV implementation. books from John Deere experienced mechanics.
PTR’s focus on data-driven decision- Publishing. Learning Filled with remarkably designed illustrations,
the operation for
making, partnerships and the equity Hydraulics gives students clear demonstrations
hydraulic systems in
component, provide an opportunity for for greater understanding. From photographs
automotives are simpler
and pictorial diagrams to troubleshooting and
demonstrating outcomes in POS. Its than students may think.
diagnostic charts. This is the ideal handbook
wider inclusion in Perkins IV in Illinois With Hydraulics, you can show your class the to help trainees comprehend all the theories of
“how-to” necessary for diagnosing problems,
will ensure that CTE in Illinois will be automotive hydraulic systems.
testing components in off-road vehicles, trucks
able to illustrate results at many levels. and automobiles. www.johndeere.com/publications
Call [phone] to order, to inquire into
Hydraulics is a simple language instruction
Looking ahead prices, or to get our free catalog!
manual that provides new learners with basic
Illinois CTE educators are a diverse steps to increase their knowledge. With
group of individuals across the system. By 15 informative chapters, this book can
www.acteonline.org January 2012 Techniques 47
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