Ad Hoc CTE Committee Report February 12, 2014

                       

Helping Career and Technical Education Students to Become

College and Career Ready

           

A Report from The Ad-Hoc CTE Advisory Committee to the

Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES Board of Education

       

   

Table of Contents

Committee Charge Page 1 Committee Participants Page 2 Meeting Summaries Page 3 Key Documents Page 4-39

• Committee Charge Page 5 • Power Point Presentation Page 6-13 • Meeting Agendas Page 14-17 • Slot System Page 18-20 • CTE Offerings Page 21 • State and National Career Clusters Page 22-24 • CTE Metrics Page 25 • Meeting Minutes Page 26-39

Recommendations Page 40-41

   

Committee Charge The WSWHE BOCES has provided cost-effective, high-quality programs for many years. However, like all educational organizations, changes in the economy coupled with dwindling state and federal resources have affected the BOCES ability to manage cost increases and to maintain the current levels of staffing and support. Over the past five years, Career and Technical Education tuitions have increased while student participation has decreased. As a result, component school districts are struggling to afford valuable CTE programs for their students. This fiscal crisis also makes it more difficult for the BOCES to sustain and contain CTE costs. Given this context, the Committee is charged to do the following on behalf of the Board of Cooperative Educational Services: Make specific recommendations to maintain a viable and updated CTE program that is cost effective and sustainable based on a comprehensive review of the current CTE program. In doing so, the committee should look at the following questions:

1. What are the variables that affect or impact the BOCES ability to maintain sustainable cost increases and a high-quality programs?

a. The Committee is asked to: i. examine the current structure of the organization and identify potential areas

that can be controlled. ii. analyze the slot process to determine effectiveness and need for continuance.

iii. make specific recommendations on how to effectively manage the costs and cost increases to ensure long-term sustainability.

2. Should the BOCES remove or enhance the number of offerings as a cost-controlling mechanism based upon the current needs of the workforce and our component school districts?

3. Can adjusting duplicate programming at the Myers Education Center and the Southern Adirondack Education Center play a role in managing costs?

The Committee was asked to develop a comprehensive report that articulates the findings of the Committee and any specific recommendations based on those findings. Specific cost-containment measures along with programmatic changes were to form the foundation of the report.

This charge and context material were provided to the members of the committee on September 17, 2013, by District Superintendent James Dexter. This material, including his power point presentation, is included with the key documents. The Ad-Hoc CTE Advisory Committee is made up of Superintendents of Schools and Guidance Counselors from component school districts, as well as staff from WSWHE BOCES CTE programs. Tim Lawson, Warrensburg Superintendent was named Chair.

1

   

Committee Participants

Chaired by Tim Lawson, Superintendent of the Warrensburg Central School WSWHE BOCES Board of Education Members: Lin King, BOCES Board of Education Member John Rieger, BOCES Board of Education President Cheryl Smith, BOCES Board of Education Member WSWHE BOCES Director: Doug Leavens, CTE Director, WSWHE BOCES WSWHE BOCES Instructors: John Coffinger, BOCES Construction Trades Teacher Clay Corey, BOCES Welding Teacher Dennis Flynn, BOCES Environmental Conservation and Forestry Teacher WSWHE BOCES -Work Based Learning Coordinator: Bruce Hoffman, CTE Placement Coordinator, Southern Adirondack Education Center Component School Superintendents: Mark Brand, Superintendent of School at Indian Lake Dr. Stanley Maziejka, Superintendent of Schools at Stillwater Dr. Michael McCarthy, Superintendent of Schools at Mechanicville Michael Patton, Superintendent of Schools at South Glens Falls Component School Guidance Counselors: Lynne Jenkins, Guidance Counselor at Corinth Sarah Landers, Guidance Counselor at Warrensburg Industry Advisor: William Reese, Director of the Workforce Investment Board Support Related Staff: Kelly Brough, BOCES Chief Information Officer Beth Clements, Principal Account Clerk at Myers Education Center Wendy Liberatore, BOCES Public Information Specialist Holly McArthur, BOCES Guidance Counselor 2

   

Meeting Summaries The Committee met five times at the BOCES Gick Road Conference Center. The meeting dates and topics were: September 17, 2013 WSWHE BOCES Superintendent of Schools reviewed with the committee its charge: mainly to determine the extent to which the CTE programs meet the needs of the students, component school districts and business and industry partners. October 1, 2013 Committee members reviewed information and discussed the merits of the new slot system of enrollment in programs, initiated for the 2013-14 school year. October 15, 2013 Committee members considered national and state career clusters and discussed how CTE programs serve or bypass the current regional job market needs. October 29, 2013 Committee members reviewed actual programs: New Visions, Early College High School, CTE vocational courses and CTE preparatory courses. Considering the career clusters, the members also discussed how best to steer students toward colleges and careers. November 19, 2013 Committee members discussed the history of CTE enrollment. Committee members discussed preliminary recommendations and how best to program contain costs. December 3, 2013 Committee members reviewed and expanded upon recommendations. The members considered ways to reach out to a students and parents while containing costs. The members reviewed and expanded CTE metrics.

3

   

Key Documents

• Committee Charge

• James Dexter Power Point Presentation

• Meeting Agendas (No agenda for October 15)

• Slot System

• CTE Offerings

• State and National Career Clusters

• CTE Metrics

• Meeting Minutes 4

Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex Board of Cooperative Educational Services

Ad Hoc Advisory Committee to Career and Technical Education

Committee Charge

The WSWHE BOCES has provides cost effective high quality program for many years. However, like all educational organizations, changes in the economy coupled with dwindling resources have affected the BOCES ability to manage cost increases and to maintain the current levels of staffing and support. Over the past five years, CTE tuitions have increased while student participation has decreased. The “tuition and student enrollment” chart below depicts what has transpired over the past 5 years.

Given the impact of the state aid reductions (Gap Elimination Adjustment), a new cap for state aid and the new property tax cap and increasing costs for the component school districts and the BOCES, it has been increasingly apparent that the BOCES must review our current practices in the CTE Division to develop a long term cost containment strategy. Given this context, I am charging the committee to do the following on behalf of the Board of Cooperative Educational Services: Make specific recommendations to maintain a viable and updated CTE program that is cost effective and sustainable based on a comprehensive review of the current CTE program. In doing so, the committee should look at the following questions:

1. What are the variables that affect or impact the BOCES ability to maintain sustainable cost increases and a high quality program?

a. The Committee is asked to: i. examine the current structure of the organization and identify potential areas that can

be controlled. ii. analyze the slot process to determine effectiveness and need for continuance.

iii. make specific recommendations on how to effectively manage the costs and cost increases to ensure long term sustainability.

2. Should the BOCES remove or enhance the number of offerings as a cost controlling mechanism based upon the current needs of the workforce and our component school districts?

3. Can adjusting duplicate programming at each Center play a role in managing costs?

The Committee is asked to develop a comprehensive report that articulates the findings of the Committee and any specific recommendations based on those findings. Specific cost containment measures along with programmatic changes should form the foundation of the report. Staff to Support Committee Work In order to provide you with the necessary information and support, we will provide the following staff to support your work. Staff support will consist of Holly MacArthur - Guidance Counselor, Kelly Brough – Information Processing Specialist and Beth Clements – Principal Account Clerk. The assigned staff will assist the committee with any support needed, including the preparation and interpretation of data, preparation of materials (including the final report, based upon the direction of the committee and chair) and or any presentations on topics as requested by the committee or the chair.

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AM PM   unknown Total P/R AM PM   TBD Total P/R AM PM   TotalAuto  Body  Repair 18 13 0 31 14//12 14 14 0 28 13//11 16 12 28Automotive  Technology 25 33 0 58 24//22 17 24 1 42 22//18 17 17 34CEIP 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Construction  Trades 0 15 0 15 13//7 0 12 0 12 11//4 0 11 11Cosmetology 40 40 0 80 40//30 36 46 0 82 37//34 16 34 50Criminal  Justice  Studies 27 31 0 58 19//18 27 39 1 67 36//29 15 28 43CTE  Essentials 0 0 0 0CTE  Transition 0 0 1 1 0 1 1Culinary  Arts  &  Hospitality 25 40 0 65 34//28 22 25 0 47 29//21 17 30 47Early  Childhood  Education 21 25 0 46 27//22 16 18 0 34 23//20 14 17 31Environmental  Conservation 22 0 0 22 9//8 17 17 0 34 20//16 17 14 31Graphic  &  Visual  Communications 13 15 0 28 15//10 18 14 0 32 16//15 17 15 32Health  Occcupations 25 36 0 61 26//23 29 32 0 61 32//23 23 27 50Heating,  Ventilation,  Air  Conditioning  &  Refrigeration 20 18 0 38 14//11 14 26 0 40 26//20 21 31 52Heavy  Equipment  Maintenance  &  Operation 24 29 0 53 27//20 27 45 0 72 22//21 29 33 62Horse  Care 6 19 0 25 16//13 9 22 1 32 11//10 15 19 34Horticulture  &  Landscaping 13 22 0 35 14//11 8 15 0 23 16//12 7 16 23Information  Technologies/CISCO 14 16 0 30 11//9 13 9 0 22 22//14 15 14 29Mechanical  Technology 0 0 0 0 4//1 0 0 0 0 0//0 0 0 0New  Visions/Health 15 0 0 15 14 0 0 14 14 0 14Practical  Nursing 20 0 0 20 20 0 0 20 0 0 0Service  Level  -­‐  HH 9 7 0 16 11 10 0 21 9 13 22Service  Level  -­‐  TT 10 13 0 23 7 9 0 16 Na 11 11Welding 18 17 0 35 23//18 12 7 0 19 13//12 16 0 16

CTE  Total 365 389 0 754 331 384 4 719 278 343 621

Career  Connections 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 7 8 0 8Work  Readiness 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0

Pre  Vocational  Total 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 7 8 0 8

TOTAL 365 389 0 754 331 391 4 726 286 343 629

denotes  programs  with  a  wait  list

6  in  their  2nd  choice 1  Not  in  any  program3  in  Culinary  PM  -­‐  waiting  for  Cosmetology  I  PM 1  Cosmetology  PM1  in  Health  Occ  PM  -­‐  waiting  for  Cosmetology  I  PM1  in  Welding  II  AM  -­‐  waiting  for  Auto  Technology  I  AM1  in  Heavy  Equipment  AM  -­‐  waiting  for  Auto  Technology  I  AM  (no  show  in  HE)

Lottery  9/9/20130.8%  placed  in  their  2nd  choice99.2%  placed  in  their  1st  choice

2011-­‐2012

MYERS  EDUCATION  CENTERSeptember  2011  VS  September  2013

9-­‐Sep-­‐13

2012-­‐2013 2013-­‐2014

AM PM   Total P//R AM PM   Total P//R AM PM   Total

Automotive  Technology 15 20 35 20  //  12 24 32 56 16//14 17 21 38CEIP 15 0 15 1.87  fte 17 0 17 1 1Construction  Trades 14 10 24 12  //  12 19 X 19 9//7 20 X 20Cosmetology 31 29 60 19  //  16 36 24 60 32//30 28 24 52Criminal  Justice  Studies 30 36 66 45  //  38 23 17 40 23//21 35 23 58CTETransition 0 0 0 0 0 0Culinary  Arts  &  Hospitality 28 40 68 37  //  23 28 29 57 36//32 23 21 44Early  Childhood  Education 17 31 48 22  //  21 18 22 40 19//16 26 15 41Environmental  Conservation 0 30 30 14  //  13 X 13 13 6//6 X 17 17Graphic  &  Visual  Communications 12 16 28 10  //  7 20 18 38 18//13 24 16 40Health  Occupations 23 30 53 23  //  20 17 30 47 27//27 28 25 53Heavy  Equipment  Maintenance  &  Operation 25 50 75 37  //  28 35 41 76 39//34 52 52 104Horticulture  &  Landscaping 0 0 0 X//X X X 0 X//XMachine  Tool  Technology 0 17 17 6//6 0 9 9 2//2 X 14 14New  Visions/Engineering 14 14 13 13 13 13New  Visions/Health  Careers  Exploration 19 19 16 16 16 16Power  Sports  Technology 13 16 29 11  //  11 12 13 25 10//7 17 14 31Service  Level  -­‐  HH  (Start  9/2011) 5 x 5 10 x 10 5 X 5Service  Level  -­‐  TT  (Sart  9/2011) x 11 11 x 11 11 X 7 7Welding 15 23 38 15  //  15 18 29 47 28//22 26 21 47

     CTE  Total 276 359 635 306 288 594 331 270 601

Career  Connections 6 7 13 X 7 7 X 4 4Work  Readiness 9 12 21 10 12 22 11 X 11

Pre  Vocational  Total 15 19 34 10 19 29 11 4 15

TOTAL 291 378 669 316 307 623 342 274 616

denotes  programs  with  a  wait  list

denotes  programs  that  are  full  but  have  no  wait  list

*There  are  9  Students  on  the  wait  list  and  out  of  the  ,  3  of  them  are  placed  in  their  2nd  choice  and  0  in  their  3rd

Program  wait  lists  range  from  1  student  for  the  smallest  to  3  on  the  largest"-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐  3  in  their  2nd  choice 6  Not  in  any  programin  Graphics  AM  -­‐-­‐-­‐  waiting  for  Auto  AM (2)  Automotive  AMin  PST  PM  -­‐-­‐-­‐  waiting  for  PST  AM (1)  Conservation  PMin  Weld  PM  -­‐-­‐-­‐waiting  for  Conservation  PM (1)  Heavy  Equipment  PM  or  AM

(2)  Welding  AM

Lottery  9/9/20130.5%  placed  in  their  2nd  choice99.5%  placed  in  their  1st  choice

9-­‐Sep-­‐13

2011-­‐2012 2013-­‐2014  *

September  2011  VS  September  2013SOUTHERN  ADIRONDACK  CENTER

2012-­‐2013

             

New York State Career Clusters  

New York has its own structure of CTE, but crosswalks to the Career Clusters for federal reporting.

New York believes that Career Clusters can provide a foundation for high school reform efforts, in addition to providing important information for career guidance and supporting improvement of quality CTE programming. New York State has learning standards for Career Development and Occupational Studies, which include six career majors. These six career majors incorporate the 16 Career Clusters. The six career majors are based in:

 • Agricultural education • Business & Marketing education • Family & Consumer Sciences education • Health Occupations education • Technology education • Trade, Technical & Industrial education

 

22

METRIC

Stud

ent  O

utcome  Measure

WSW

HE  BOCE

SWSW

HE  BOCE

SWSW

HE  BOCE

SBa

seline

2011-­‐2012

2012-­‐2013

2010-­‐2011

(Actual)

(Actual)

2012-­‐2013

2013-­‐2014

2014-­‐2015

Total  Percentage

WSW

HE  

End  of  Year

End  of  Year

End  of  Year

Point  G

ains

3  Year  Goal

Percen

t  with

 Hon

ors  &

 Hon

ors  w

ith  

Distinction  -­‐  G

eneral  Edu

catio

n10%

16%

14%

2%3%

3%8%

18%

Percen

t  with

 Hon

ors  &

 Hon

ors  w

ith  

Distinction  -­‐  Spe

cial  Edu

catio

n10%

2%2%

2%1%

1%4%

14%

Retention  Ra

te  across  y

ears

75%

82%

85%

2%2%

2%6%

81%

Attrition

 rate  with

in  year

5%5%

5%<5%

<5%

<5%

<5%

<5%

3Pe

rcen

t  of  stude

nts  p

assin

g  the  SED  

Technical  A

ssessm

ent

58%

69%

66%

2%2%

2%6%

64%

Percen

t  of  e

ntry  into  employmen

t12%

25%

not  a

vail  yet

6%6%

8%20%

32%

Percen

t  of  e

ntry  into  post-­‐second

ary  

education

40%

41%

not  a

vail  yet

5%5%

6%16%

56%

Percen

t  of  stude

nts  e

ligible  to

 receive  academ

ic  credit  -­‐  ELA

94%

95%

95%

1%1%

1%3%

97%

Percen

t  of  stude

nts  e

ligible  to

 receive  academ

ic  credit  -­‐  M

ath

93%

94%

95%

1%1%

1%3%

96%

5

WSH

WE  BO

CES  METRICS

WSW

HE  ANNUAL  TAR

GET

(percentage  po

int  g

ains)

3  Year  Outcomes

1 2 4

Follow-Up Letter After September 17 Meeting

Present:

The following members were present at the September 17, 2013, meeting.

James Dexter, Superintendent of Schools at WSWHE BOCES Chairman Tim Lawson, Superintendent of Schools at Warrensburg Doug Leavens, Director of CTE Mark Brand, Superintendent of Schools at Indian Lake Kelly Brough, BOCES Chief Information Officer Beth Clements, Principal Account Clerk at Myers John Coffinger, BOCES Construction Trades Teacher Clay Corey, BOCES Welding Teacher Dennis Flynn, BOCES Environmental Conservation and Forestry Teacher Bruce Hoffmann, CTE Placement Coordinator at SAEC Lynne Jenkins, Guidance Counselor at Corinth Sarah Landers, Guidance Counselor at Warrensburg Wendy Liberatore, BOCES Public Information Specialist Dr. Stanley Maziejka, Superintendent of Schools at Stillwater Holly McArthur, BOCES Guidance Counselor Dr. Michael McCarthy, Superintendent of Schools at Mechanicville William Reese, Director of the Workforce Investment Board Cheryl Smith, BOCES Board of Education member

Dear members of the Ad Hoc Advisory Committee to CTE,

Thank you for your participation in our first meeting earlier this week.

As you know, with the reductions in state aid to our schools and the property tax cap, education funds have been severely limited. At the same time, schools are being asked to do more in preparing our students for careers and college.

You are also aware that enrollment in Career and Technical Education is an excellent way to provide students with the tools to succeed in the 21st century. New York State Education Department and educators throughout the nation now recognize CTE’s value. Thus, it is clear that CTE will rise to prominence in the next several years as new pathways, via vocational education, are being established for high school students.

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With that in mind, WSWHE BOCES wants to ensure the sustainability of our CTE programs. We feel it’s vital to keep our programs relevant to business and industry and of the highest caliber

for students in our 31 districts. Equally important is cost-effectiveness. We want to keep our tuition reasonable so that interested students can benefit from our outstanding CTE courses.

Therefore, we are charging the committee to develop recommendations that will safeguard CTE programs in future years.

With the guidance of Committee Chair Tim Lawson, Superintendent of Warrensburg Central School, the committee will examine the current structure of CTE, analyze the effectiveness of the slot or lottery enrollment process and make specific recommendations on how to effectively manage staffing levels and cost. The committee should also consider CTE’s offerings. We will consider if new programs should be created to fill the needs of the current workforce and our students.

All reasonable ideas and recommendations will be considered at the meetings throughout the coming months.

We hope to work out details through the fall and have a draft report that can be presented to the WSWHE BOCES board by early January, 2014.

Again, thank you for your willingness to participate in this endeavor.

Questions on the committee’s mission should be directed to WSWHE BOCES Superintendent of Schools Jim Dexter at jdexter@wswheboces.org or Committee Chair Tim Lawson at lawsont@wcsd.org.

Question on the committee’s meeting schedule should be directed to Wendy Liberatore at wliberatore@wswheboces.org.

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Minutes for October 1 Meeting Present:

The following members were present at the October1, 2013, meeting.

Chairman Tim Lawson, Superintendent of Schools at Warrensburg Doug Leavens, Director of CTE Mark Brand, Superintendent of Schools at Indian Lake Kelly Brough, BOCES Chief Information Officer Beth Clements, Principal Account Clerk at Myers John Coffinger, BOCES Construction Trades Teacher Clay Corey, BOCES Welding Teacher Dennis Flynn, BOCES Environmental Conservation and Forestry Teacher Bruce Hoffmann, CTE Placement Coordinator at SAEC Lynne Jenkins, Guidance Counselor at Corinth Sarah Landers, Guidance Counselor at Warrensburg Wendy Liberatore, BOCES Public Information Specialist Dr. Stanley Maziejka, Superintendent of Schools at Stillwater Holly McArthur, BOCES Guidance Counselor Dr. Michael McCarthy, Superintendent of Schools at Mechanicville Michael Patton, Superintendent of Schools at South Glens Falls William Reese, Director of the Workforce Investment Board Cheryl Smith, BOCES Board of Education member

At the first meeting of the Ad-Hoc CTE Advisory Committee on October 1, CTE Director Doug Leavens provided members with a synopsis on how the new slot/lottery process for student admission to CTE programs transpired this school year.

He wanted to provide a full perspective of this cost-containment measure so that members could better consider improvement to the new system or to the programs offered.

I t essentially works l ike this :

Enrollment in CTE programs is capped – most at 17.

Juniors, who want to complete a program in their senior year, have opportunity to submit applications in first lottery and secure a spot.

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The remaining class seats go to new students through a lottery.

To enter the lottery, new students must indicate their first, second and third choice of programs at the time of enrollment.

Once applications are received by WSWHE BOCES, applicants enter a pool.

In April, the first lottery is held.

School counselors and students are notified if they received their first or second choice.

When slots open up in classes, those on waiting lists for their first choice are entered in another lottery held in August.

Adult students enter the next lottery after they apply.

Additional sections of programs are added after target enrollment has been met and an evaluation has been made on the waiting list.

There were several surprising outcomes as a result of the new system:

About 99 percent of all students are enrolled in their first choice.

Only eight students at the Myers Center and four students at SAEC are on a waiting list.

Many students, who started in their second choice, decided they wanted to stay with their second choice, even when a seat opened up in their first choice.

Large numbers of students do not move from program-to-program as was their wont when the CTE division allowed open enrollment.

Enrollment numbers did not fluctuate as wildly as they have in the past because students had to enroll earlier.

Retention seems to have also stabilized. In the past, one out of four students dropped their CTE course.

With a more stable enrollment, budgeting for the programs was easier.

School counselors Holly McArthur, Sarah Landers and Lynne Jenkins said the slot system seemed confusing at first, but the process went smoothly.

Holly also said that school tours of the programs are being pushed to earlier months. This way, students will be more informed when deciding on a course of study.

Welding teacher Clay Corey said that the caliber and seriousness of the students has improved this school year as well. He believes that the slot system might have screened out students who are not fully committed to the particular course of study.

He and environmental conservation and forestry teacher Dennis Flynn also mentioned that it is difficult to work without a teaching assistant, a result of the cap. (Contractually, teaching assistants are only hired when there are 18 students or more in a classroom.) His students work off-site, away from the classroom.

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Construction trades teacher John Coffinger agreed. He finds it difficult to manage his class without a teaching assistant as his classroom is not located near his worksite. Students are often walking back and forth from the classroom to the site, unsupervised. He invited members to visit his classroom at any time to help them better understand this challenge.

John is also undecided on the effectiveness of the slot system. One of his students has left the program to go to his first choice.

Clay and Dennis viewed the slot system favorably.

Doug mentioned that BOCES was currently engaged in a space study. He hopes some of the issue of students being unsupervised as a result of distance worksites can be addressed and alleviated.

Bill Reese of Workforce Investment Board has another concern. He wants to ensure that the adults his agency’s sponsors to attend BOCES will not be locked out of their desired programs. He suggested that perhaps an adult could have a cut in the tuition if they act as a mentors in the classroom.

Clay added that adults add a level of professionalism in his class and he welcomes them.

Holly noted that CTE wants to attract adults and should devise a system that would help adults enter into their desired program. As it stood this year, all of the adults, even though entered in the lottery, made it into their first choice. Unfortunately, at this time, there is no mechanism to guarantee an adult his or her first choice. Perhaps the agencies working with adults could improve the timing, so that adult options would not be limited.

Doug also mentioned that students are doing better on their technical assessments. He hopes improvement will continue as students are more committed to their course of enrollment.

Finally, most members concluded that the system worked well, but can be refined.

Future refinement suggestions were offered:

Mark Brand, Superintendent at Indian Lake School District, raised the question of flexibility in the need for a teaching assistant after the enrollment of 17 students in a program.

There was a suggestion to survey the students regarding the effectiveness of the slot system.

The committee will discuss simultaneous placement of adults with an emphasis on not closing out component school district students.

At the next meeting, Chairman and Warrensburg School District Superintendent Tim Lawson would like members to consider the current program offerings in comparison with national and regional trends and needs. We will also spend some time looking at a program crosswalk with the needs of business and industry, which will ultimately guide the discussion for course offerings in the future.

An agenda will be forthcoming for the next meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the Gick Road Conference Center.

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Minutes from October 15 Meeting

Present:

The following members were present at the October 15, 2013, meeting.

Chairman Tim Lawson, Superintendent of Schools at Warrensburg Doug Leavens, BOCES CTE Director Mark Brand, Superintendent of Schools at Indian Lake Kelly Brough, BOCES Chief Information Officer Beth Clements, Principal Account Clerk at Myers John Coffinger, BOCES Construction Trades Teacher Clay Corey, BOCES Welding Teacher Dennis Flynn, BOCES Environmental Conservation and Forestry Teacher Bruce Hoffmann, CTE Placement Coordinator at SAEC Sarah Landers, Guidance Counselor at Warrensburg Wendy Liberatore, BOCES Public Information Specialist Holly McArthur, BOCES Guidance Counselor Dr. Michael McCarthy, Superintendent of Schools at Mechanicville Michael Patton, Superintendent of Schools at South Glens Falls William Reese, Director of the Workforce Investment Board Cheryl Smith, BOCES Board of Education member

In the quest to hone CTE offerings to fulfill the needs of the current job market, CTE Director Doug Leavens presented reports at the October 15 meeting on the region’s industries as well as an overview of the area’s labor market to the CTE Ad Hoc Committee.

Doug also shared a listing of the nationally recognized Career Clusters, 16 in all, and what part the 26 CTE programs play in fulfilling those clusters.

Doug would like to hear feedback on what courses CTE should be offering that would better connect students with the job market. He would like the committee to build specific recommendations based on each program’s ability to guide a student on a clear and market-driven career pathway.

Bruce Hoffman, the CTE Placement Coordinator at SAEC, said there is a disconnect between what students are attracted to and what is realistic career-wise. He pointed out that many of the programs that will lead to a solid career have low enrollment and that more popular, high enrollment programs might not lead to jobs after high school. He wondered how to get students interested in programs that would offer a more viable career path.

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Doug agreed, pointing to Machine Tool Technology, which doesn’t always have high enrollment, but can lead to a well-paying, secure job.

Sarah Landers, a guidance counselor at Warrensburg, said that some students who enroll in programs, such as Health Occupations, find that the courses don’t always fulfill their career desires. However, she would like more eight graders to visit BOCES. Then, when they tour the facility again in 10th grade, they will have a better idea as to what they want to consider as a career.

Other agreed that exposing middle school children to CTE would better prepare them to make the career choices. They also lamented that the school schedule, graduation requirements and budget does not lend itself to providing middle schools students with the more options to expose them to a pathway other than college.

On the employer side, there was discussion on getting labor unions and companies involved in the programs, perhaps hiring top students. Doug and the teachers spoke highly of the various certifications and articulation agreements that are available to students in many of the programs.

South Glens Falls Michael Patton said he was intrigued by the Early College High School, believing that that program, which allows students to earn college credit, would be extremely attractive to parents and students.

Chairman and Warrensburg Central School Superintendent Tim Lawson said there was a lot of data to go through, but ultimately, the committee will have to look at current CTE offerings with a critical eye. He would like members to consider which programs can be sustained and enhanced. The judgment should be based on the pathways to the 16 career clusters.

With that in mind, members should develop and bring with them key questions that committee members can answer on CTE programming. This will be the basis for the discussion at the Oct. 29 meeting.

Finally, Doug noted that federal Perkins funding has been significantly reduced in the past few years. This has forced BOCES to rely more heavily on district funding.

He also noted that New York lags other states in supporting career and tech education as a viable option for high school students.

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Minutes from October 29 Meeting  Present:

The following members were present at the October 29, 2013, meeting.

Chairman Tim Lawson, Superintendent of Schools at Warrensburg Doug Leavens, Director of WSWHE BOCES CTE Mark Brand, Superintendent of Schools at Indian Lake Kelly Brough, BOCES Chief Information Officer Beth Clements, Principal Account Clerk at Myers John Coffinger, BOCES Construction Trades Teacher Clay Corey, BOCES Welding Teacher Dennis Flynn, BOCES Environmental Conservation and Forestry Teacher Bruce Hoffmann, CTE Placement Coordinator at SAEC Lynne Jenkins, Guidance Counselor at Corinth Lin King, BOCES Board of Education Member Sarah Landers, Guidance Counselor at Warrensburg Wendy Liberatore, BOCES Public Information Specialist Dr. Stanley Maziejka, Superintendent of Schools at Stillwater Holly McArthur, BOCES Guidance Counselor Dr. Michael McCarthy, Superintendent of Schools at Mechanicville John Rieger, BOCES Board of Education President Cheryl Smith, BOCES Board of Education Member

At the October 29 meeting of the Ad-Hoc CTE Advisory Committee, Chairman and Warrensburg Superintendent Tim Lawson and CTE Director Doug Leavens invited the members to consider five questions:

1. Do we have equitable distribution of CTE programs within the 16 career clusters?

2. Do our programs correlate with the region’s career trends?

3. How do we account for programs that are highly enrolled/fewer jobs vs. lower enrolled/higher job possibilities?

4. Do our programs lead to sustainable jobs and have post-secondary program relationships?

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5. Should our programs be more survey-like or more specific to particular jobs? Is the purpose of our programs clear?

The committee heard from the three members from the teaching staff that their classes lead to post-secondary education, certifications in their field of study, and well-paying jobs. They also mentioned that their programs (construction trades, forestry and conservation, and welding) provide a survey-like approach so that students can get a clear idea of the range of jobs available to them after completing the program. For example, students in construction trade can learn electrical as well as masonry.

However, other programs are limited by their focused curriculum, such as Health Occupations, which steers students to become certified nurse assistants, a job that is not well-paying. Yet a program like New Visions Health demonstrates the breadth of the field of medicine.

The committee thought it should consider a program that would lead to jobs in the medical technology field as jobs are available and they are better paying than certified nurse assistants.

The committee agreed that a survey-like approach is probably the best one. They also felt that those programs provide students with a breadth of vision that leads to both living-wage jobs and/or college.

WSWHE BOCES board member Cheryl Smith also pointed out that CTE does not cover all career clusters, such as finance and office professional.

Doug said that WSWHE BOCES did offer an office practices program that was eliminated because districts had offered their own business programs. However, with districts cutting back and eliminating businesses courses, Doug wondered if BOCES should explore reviving office practices/business course.

Mechanicville Superintendent Dr. Michael McCarthy believed that a business offering should be explored with the region’s superintendents.

Cheryl also wondered if WSWHE BOCES was offering enough in the area of hospitality as it makes up 19 percent or one fifth of the jobs in the region.

While not the mission of the committee, conversation often swung around to enrollment – again with the desire to expose middle school students to CTE courses. Chairman Tim Lawson and Michael agreed that exposure at that young an age does not always translate into interest for a junior in high school.

Stillwater Superintendent Dr. Stan Maziejka said that BOCES would be wiser to if it reached out to parents. If parents knew about CTE and its ability to offer a variety of pathways – from certifications to college credit – more students would enroll.

While enrollment is key to CTE sustainability, Doug said the committee is charged with matching what BOCES does with the regional job market.

Tim added that he would like members to narrow their focus and consider how to provide opportunities for employment in regional careers. He said sustainability of programs is important, but he wants members to consider what would happen if the members were building a program from scratch. He asked what would it be and how would it look. Then he wants members to consider how the current CTE structure matches the ideal.

“What could make it be better and should CTE programs be altered or diversified,” he asked.

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Minutes from November 19 Meeting Present:

The following members were present at the November 19, 2013, meeting.

Chairman Tim Lawson, Superintendent of Schools at Warrensburg Doug Leavens, Director of WSWHE BOCES CTE Mark Brand, Superintendent of Schools at Indian Lake Beth Clements, Principal Account Clerk at Myers John Coffinger, BOCES Construction Trades Teacher Clay Corey, BOCES Welding Teacher Dennis Flynn, BOCES Environmental Conservation and Forestry Teacher Bruce Hoffmann, CTE Placement Coordinator at SAEC Lin King, BOCES Board of Education Member Sarah Landers, Guidance Counselor at Warrensburg Wendy Liberatore, BOCES Public Information Specialist Dr. Stanley Maziejka, Superintendent of Schools at Stillwater Holly McArthur, BOCES Guidance Counselor Dr. Michael McCarthy, Superintendent of Schools at Mechanicville Michael Patton, Superintendent of Schools at South Glens Falls Cheryl Smith, BOCES Board of Education Member

At the November 19 meeting of the Ad-Hoc CTE Advisory Committee, the members reviewed their preliminary recommendations for the report that the committee is expected to present to the WSWHE BOCES Board of Education.

The following draft recommendations are based on ideas floated and discussed by committee members at past meetings.

The membership suggested:

1. Maintain the current slot system as was done in 2013-14 school year

2. Explore more early college in the high school options

3. Maintain the “survey-like” orientation of the CTE programs with the exception of those that are specifically narrow by design.

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4. Explore programming in the career clusters that are not currently covered using existing programs

5. Ensure students understand all of the jobs available within the career cluster and program areas

6. Provide more direct parent outreach about careers and related CTE programs

7. Develop methods of tracking students using credits through Articulation Agreements

8. Contact trade union representative to develop potential apprenticeships

During the meeting, members made suggestions to each of these points.

Bruce Hoffmann wondered if there was a way to host programs that are divided between two centers at one center.

CTE Director Doug Leavens said that BOCES would have to work with the district on sending patterns.

Guidance counselor Sarah Landers wondered if CTE could work with more of their Special Ed students who need to pass Regents exams. She said that she fears many of these students will likely not pass the Regents as they are mainstreamed into classes with students without IEPs. In general, she feels they need two years in a Regents course to pass the test. In addition, she feels her students do not fit in with Special Ed’s TSP program.

Warrensburg Superintendent and Committee Chair Tim Lawson agreed, adding that the new state Regents requirements will likely drive some students to drop out. He wonders if expanding a CTE preparatory courses, with a Regents component, would be possible.

Mechanicville Superintendent Dr. Michael McCarthy said cost would be the biggest factor that districts would consider before participating in a pre-CTE, Regents program.

Other programs to be explored include business, which some schools have eliminated or reduced.

South Glens Falls Superintendent Michael Patton said that the Early College HS program should be expanded, perhaps with an emphasis on business entrepreneurship. Since most students will go on to college, an early college program would make the most sense, he said.

Indian Lake Superintendent Mark Brand would like to see the BOCES programs travel to him as he feels spending three hours on a bus is not the best use of his students’ time. For example, Mark would like to see programs in emergency response as firefighters and EMTs as these types of jobs are available in his area.

Bruce suggested a satellite program, perhaps at a business, where students can come and learn closer to their home school.

BOCES guidance counselor Holly McArthur thought collaborating with existing businesses might help students earn an apprenticeship, and ultimately, jobs.

Doug cautioned that the pool of students will not likely expand. Therefore, an expansion of any program might threaten the sustainability of another.

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Teachers also believed that not all the articulation agreements are useful. Nor are they certain that these agreements are common knowledge among students and parents. They thought that their needs to be more thought in what agreements should be maintained; keeping those that are the most useful and attractive to the students and parents.

Tim also asked the committee to consider cost implications associated with the program recommendations. Containing costs must go hand-in-hand with recommendations as they will affect long-term stability.

Teacher Dennis Flynn said teachers should try to share equipment as much as possible. If this were the case, teachers could buy and have a chance to use more state-of-the art equipment.

Doug said the slot system was immensely helpful as it fixed costs and preserved programs. In addition, 99.4 percent of students are happy with their choices and all adult students were accommodated.

Ultimately, members believe that the state should adopt a technical credential as students should be given options toward the path to high school graduation. As the Board of Regents has not agreed, the districts and BOCES must work within these strict limitations.

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Minutes from December 3 Meeting Present:

The following members were present at the December 3, 2013, meeting.

Doug Leavens, Director of WSWHE BOCES CTE Mark Brand, Superintendent of Schools at Indian Lake Beth Clements, Principal Account Clerk at Myers John Coffinger, BOCES Construction Trades Teacher Clay Corey, BOCES Welding Teacher Dennis Flynn, BOCES Environmental Conservation and Forestry Teacher Bruce Hoffmann, CTE Placement Coordinator at SAEC Lin King, BOCES Board of Education Member Lynne Jenkins, Guidance Counselor at Corinth Sarah Landers, Guidance Counselor at Warrensburg Wendy Liberatore, BOCES Public Information Specialist Dr. Stanley Maziejka, Superintendent of Schools at Stillwater Holly McArthur, BOCES Guidance Counselor Dr. Michael McCarthy, Superintendent of Schools at Mechanicville Michael Patton, Superintendent of Schools at South Glens Falls John Rieger, BOCES Board of Education President Cheryl Smith, BOCES Board of Education Member

At the December 3 meeting of the Ad-Hoc CTE Committee, the members continue to refine recommendations that it will include in a report to the WSWHE BOCES Board of Education.

The following refinements and additions were discussed.

All recommendations must fall under the umbrella of helping students become career and college ready.

In addition to a direct outreach to parents, the committee would like to see more direct outreach to students and school districts. This could be in the form of teachers visiting school districts to offer presentations to students and staff or middle school students visiting CTE campuses.

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The committee would also like to see an increase in marketing in the area of employment connections. Students, parents and school counselors should have more concrete information on what jobs a CTE graduates can move directly into.

While teachers and work-based learning counselors like Bruce Hoffmann continually make the connection between students and businesses, parents and districts are often unaware of the links.

As cost containment is a factor in all considerations, the committee also agreed that it is necessary to explore new funding streams to support BOCES programs. Superintendent of Schools acknowledged that the cost of BOCES is high. Even with BOCES aid, there are times when it is more financially viable for a district to create it own in-house CTE program.

CTE Director Doug Leavens said grants are more difficult to come by and sustaining them is even more challenging.

Superintendent of Schools at Indian Lake Mark Brand said that BOCES might consider programs generating their own income source by selling their expertise, such as automotive repair and welding, to the general public. He also wondered how some corporations, like IBM, are supplementing the cost of CTE education.

There was also some discussion about the slot system. Teacher Dennis Flynn said that some students would like to switch, but aren’t able to do so if a program is capped. Doug said that the system is not perfect and that each student’s needs can be considered on a case-by-case basis. He asked Dennis to provide him with specific information on the students so that he can troubleshoot.

The main point, said Doug, was to contain costs and preserve programs, which the slot system did.

There was also a dialogue on continuing to lobby New York State Education Department to provide another path to graduation that is not based solely on academics. There is also a need to advocate for more aid so that every student can truly be prepared for college and career.

Thus far, pleas to the commissioner and the Board of Regents from districts, BOCES and Board of Education members have gone unheeded.

Finally, the members reviewed CTE metrics, which tracks honors and honors with distinction graduates for both general education and special education, retention rates, attrition rates, student passing of the technical assessments, students entering employment, students entering in post-secondary schools and students receiving academic credit in ELA and math. The metrics demonstrated that WSWHE BOCES CTE exceeds its baseline and continues to improve.

Members believed these measurements were excellent, however, they would like to add metrics for the type of high school diplomas students receive (regular, advanced or honors) and student participation in National Technical Honor Society and SkillsUSA.

Doug concluded by thanking the members for their time and commitment to the Ad-Hoc Committee. He also asked them to email any additional thoughts and adjustments that they would like considered for inclusion in the final report. He said several drafts will go out to members before a final report is composed and presented to the WSWHE BOCES Board of Education.

Lastly, Doug said that he is uncertain what action the board will take once it receives the report. However, he thinks there is a possibility that members might be asked to reconvene to offer how these recommendations can be realistically put in place.

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Committee Recommendations

Program Related 1. Explore more early college high school programs.

2. Maintain the “survey-like” orientation of the CTE programs with the exception of those that

are specifically narrow by design such as health occupations. 3. Explore programming in the career clusters that are not currently covered using existing

programs including business and medical technology. 4. Partner with trade unions to develop potential apprenticeships for students that will lead to

jobs. 5. Explore more cost effective Pre-CTE models (i.e. School-to-Work) for current Pre-CTE

populations to help students better meet graduation requirements. 6. Explore the cost effectiveness of offering “satellite” programs in our region. 7. Explore the potential of “one year” CTE programs.

Content of Program 8. Ensure students understand all of the jobs available in the corresponding career clusters as

well as the college options within each program.

9. Share equipment among CTE programs as it would allow teachers and student to have access to up-to-date equipment.

Outreach 10. Provide earlier and greater outreach to our students, parents, school districts and business

communities on CTE programs and how they lead to careers and college.

11. Increase marketing to students, parents and districts with emphasis on area employment connections to reinforce CTE educational needs.

Cost Containment 12. Maintain the current slot system as was done in 2013-14 school year as it preserves programs

and contains staffing costs.

13. Explore new ways to generate revenue to support CTE and to augment district participation.

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Measures 14. Develop methods of tracking students using credits through Articulation Agreements.

15. Expand CTE metrics to include the type of diploma each CTE student receives from the home

school.

16. Expand CTE metrics to include student involvement in National Technical Honor Society.Power Point Presentation

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