Accountability/ROI Strand Breakouts

Accountability/ROI Strand: CTE is a results-driven system that demonstrates a positive return on investment

In step with this year's theme of Setting a New Standard, the 2012 National Career Clusters™ Institute will provide sessions and workshops organized into strands aligned with the vision for CTE.

Background: Breakout Session Strands
In the spring of 2010, CTE leaders, advocates and partners committed to a new CTE vision to guide the future of education for all students. Its ultimate goal: to prepare students of all ages to succeed in education and careers—and enable the United States to flourish in a dynamic and increasingly competitive global economy.

Guiding Principles: The new CTE vision is defined by five guiding principles. Collectively, they serve as guideposts for the CTE community to set priorities and make decisions affecting CTE programs, policies and priorities—and to chart a new course for CTE and the nation in the 21st century.

These five guiding principles form the Strands for the 2012 National Career Clusters™ Institute.

Reach a greater understanding: The accompanying NASDCTEc Brief explains the Accountability/ROI Strand guiding principle further.

Accountability/ROI Strand Breakout Descriptions

• Breaking Down the STEM Silos through Problem-Based/Project-Based Curriculum

  Participants will learn how Project Lead the Way's (PLTW) Problem-Based/Project-Based programs are impacting, math, science and technology education through student engagement and retention. Research methodology and results from multiple evaluation and research studies including a statewide longitudinal study conducted in the state of Iowa will be shared.

  Ken Maguire, Director, Upper Midwest Region, Project Lead the Way, West Des Moines, IA

• The "How to's" of Implementing Blended Learning in Career Technical and Academic Classes

  This is an explanation of how a career technical high school in rural Ohio created a blended learning program to prevent the loss of instruction time due to calamity days, varying feeder school calendars, and student absences.

  Bernie Pachmayer, Superintendent, Knox County Career Center, Mount Vernon, OH; Jeff Lavin, Curriculum & Instruction Administrator, Knox County Career Center, Mount Vernon, OH; and Jane Marlow, Adult Education Director, Knox County Career Center, Mount Vernon, OH

• Improving Career & Technical Education through State-wide Use of Technical Skill Assessments

  Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System and the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) launched a collaborative project focused on assessment of technical skills in Minnesota’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs offered in colleges and high schools. The purpose of the project was to develop an assessment system that provided teachers and faculty with accurate and useful information about common core competencies by career pathway and student technical skill achievement. In addition, the assessment system provides information that informs program improvement and communicates to employers and policymakers the value of career and technical skill programs of study in preparing students for college and careers. This session will provide an overview of the process used to identify assessments by career pathway, gather and report results, and plan and deliver professional development to teachers and faculty to improve their skills to engage in data-driven instructional improvement.

  Denise Roseland, Senior Director for Career Technical Education Planning & Evaluation, MN State Colleges & Universities, St. Paul, MN
  and Ginny Karbowski, Program Director for Career Technical Education Pathways, MN State Colleges & Universities, St. Paul, MN

• Improving CT Teacher Preparation in Oklahoma

  Dwindling numbers of teachers completing university teacher education programs, along with increasing numbers of teachers entering CareerTech classrooms through alternative pathways has created a scarcity of high quality effective teachers. These combined forces create an urgent need for the Oklahoma Department of CTE to address the issue of preparation for alternative certified teachers.

  Stephanie Hyder, Education Policy and Legislative Services Coordinator, OK Department of Career and Technology Education, Stillwater, OK
  and Phil Berkenbile, State Director, Oklahoma Department of Career and Technical Education, Stillwater, OK

• Improving the Transition to Teaching for Career/Technical Teachers Entering Through Alternative Routes

  Beginning career/technical teachers need a variety of support to make a successful transition to teaching. This session will share the research findings of a project to develop an induction model that provides over 200 hours of professional development and support framed around the most pressing questions new teachers face.

  Gene Bottoms, Senior Vice President, Southern Regional Education Board, Atlanta, GA
  and Heather Sass, Director, Southern Regional Education Board, Worthington, OH

• Including CTE Accountability Measures in State Longitudinal Data Systems

  This session will provide an overview of the process for incorporating Perkins Core Indicators of Performance and other CTE data elements into a state's Longitudinal Data System (LDS). Maryland CTE is a critical component in the LDS and for reporting on student transition to college and careers. Particpants will learn about key data elements and process steps for aligning k-12, higher education, and workforce data systems.

  Pat Mikos, Program Manager, MD State Department of Education, Baltimore, MD
  and Matt Keorner, CTE Specialist, MD State Department of Education, Baltimore, MD

• Is a Web-Based Perkins Plan for Your State?

  Learn from Maryland's experience in developing and implementing a Web-based Perkins Plan. This practical presentation will include a live demonstration of how the Web-based plan works, including both input and output. You will also learn about the benefits of moving to a web-based plan and the steps and timeline followed to develop, pilot and implement a web-based plan.

  Kathy McNerney, Program Supervisor, Maryland State Department of Education, Baltimore, MD
  and Jeanne-Marie Holly, Program Manager, Maryland State Department of Education, Baltimore, MD

• Minnesota CTE Data Driven Improvement Project

  Minnesota is employing a prefessional development model that provides secondary and postsecondary educators with knowledge and skills on the use and interpretation of technical skill assessment data for the purpose of making instructional improvements. The model focuses on the direct development of faculty confidence and skills in using data to guide program improvement and contribute to improved student outcomes. We believe that providing professional development for data-driven decision making holds great promise for influencing positive systemic change in Minnesota's secondary and postsecondary CTE programs.

  Debra Hsu, CTE Director of Professional Development, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, St. Paul, MN
  Denise Roseland, CTE Director of Planning and Evaluation, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, St. Paul, MN
  Mike Mitchell, Program Specialist for Health and Human Services and Work Based Learning, Minnesota Department of Education, Roseville, MN

• Professional Development for Data-Driven Program Improvement

  Maine state policy for CTE includes effective professional development opportunities for educators. Implementation of the well-researched CTEDDI (Career and Technical Educators using Data-Driven Improvement) model began with four schools in August 2011. Plans to offer additional CTEDDI training statewide will broaden a culture of data analysis for informed instructional decisions.

  Sandra Pritz, Investigator, National Research Center for CTE, KY
  and Debra Andrews, Education Consultant, Maine Department of Education-CTE, ME

• Service-Learning by the Numbers

  The National FFA has engaged over 7,000 rural youth in service-learning projects through their Living to Serve Program over the past year. Join FFA staff to examine innovative practices through an in-depth look at project outcomes, including return on investment, and the tools utilized to gather that information.

  Stefonie Sebastian, Administrator, Living to Serve/Rural Youth Development grant program, National FFA Organization, Indianapolis, IN
  and Dedra Andreko, Program Manager, Living to Serve/Rural Youth Development grant program, National FFA Organization, Indianapolis, IN

• Using and Improving Labor Market Information (LMI) in Understanding Career Pathways and Program of Study (POS) Development and Implementation: The Crosswalk Validation Project

  This presentation will discuss a project called the Crosswalk Validation Project. Come hear why it is necessary to be able use a validated crosswalk if you are trying to develop and implement programs of study (POS), career pathways, or, more, generally career preparation areas. In addition, see why a validated crosswalk is necessary for state eligible agencies (SEAs) and local eligible agencies (LEAs) to build strategies for career guidance. Last but not least, know the reasons behind why it is necessary for SEAs and LEAs to use a validated crosswalk for reporting Perkins accountability requirements.

  More generally, engage in a conversation about why a validated crosswalk enables a more efficient use of labor market information (LMI) to develop high-demand, high-skill, and high-wage career preparation areas.

  The Crosswalk Validation Project is a two-year long project led jointly by the National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) and the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE), the Crosswalk Validation Project focuses on updating and refining the original national crosswalk (known as Table 7 on www.careertech.org) used by state eligible agencies (SEAs) and local eligible agencies (LEAs) for career guidance as well as Perkins accountability.

  Pradeep Kotamraju, Deputy Director, National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE), Louisville, KY
  and Bruce Steuernagel, Consultant, National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) and National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE)

• Using Technical Skills Assessment Data for Effective Program Improvement

  State and local Perkins grant recipients are required to report on technical skill attainment and use a variety of technical skill assessments that align with state and national industry standards to measure outcomes. Learn how Missouri is using pre-and post pathway level test results and other data to improve programs of study in its area career centers.

  Dennis Harden, Coordinator, Career Education, MO Department of Elementary and Secondary Education;
  and John Foster, President and CEO, NOCTI, Big Rapids, MI