Technical Skill Assessment and the Success of Statewide Articulation
Agreements
Montana RigorousPrograms of Study
Career pathways spelled out in the Rigorous Programs of Study initiative (RPOS) span secondary and postsecondary education Concentrate on high-demand, high-wage occupations.Statewide articulation agreements must become the norm.
Arne DuncanRigor, Relevance and the Future of CTE
Remarks presented April 19, 2011
10 Component Framework – RPOS
5. COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS STANDARDS
6. COURSE SEQUENCES 7. CREDIT TRANSFER AGREEMENTS
9. TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES 10. TECHNICAL SKILLS ASSESSMENTS
Montana RPOS
• Six year construction pathway – Sequence of Courses– 4 years of secondary– 2 years of postsecondary
• How do you know – College Ready?– Aligned to national standards
• Careertech.org– Technical Skill Assessment– College entrance assessments
• Goal is “College Ready.”• Academic test – Math and English – ACT or SAT– ACT Compass
• Technical CTE
• The answer is too often “NO!”– Montana and many other states• 60% of students entering a two-year college fail
English, Math or both.• Enroll in non-credit remedial class• Only 50% move on to their major field
• Academic Knowledge/Skill in terms of CTE– Integrate math and literacy into CTE classes• National Research Center for Career and Technical
Education (NRCCTE)• Math-in-CTE• Literacy-in-CTE• Geometry in Construction• Dual-Credit College level Technical math/English
• Technical skills not as clear• Look to national standards– cluster standards (careertech.org)–NCCER–National Association of Home Builders
(NAHB)
Montana Strategy - START
• Start with business/industry– What is career ready– Career Clusters at careertech.org– NCCER
• College Curriculum– Common Course Numbering– State Wide Articulation Agreements
CSTN 100 Fundamentals of Construction
• START Agreement Foundation• Common course numbering–80% Common Competencies/Objectives
• CSTN 100 Competencies– Explain the role that safety plays in the construction trades – Demonstrate the proper use -of safety tools– Safely demonstrate the use of hand tools and power tools– Perform basic math as required for carpentry
Creating the assessment
• Based on national standards that make sense to industry – postsecondary – secondary
• Buy in from all of above• Confidence– Instructors– Administrators– Registrars
