Programs of study and the common career technical core.

Blosveren, Kate

THE CARL D. PERKINS CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION ACT OF 2006 Perkins', offered a number of key advances. with the program of study being one of the most significant.

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The 2006 law required that every local recipient of Perkins lunding offer at least one program of study. or a non-duplicative sequence of academic and technical courses that includes both secondary--and postsecondary-level content opportunities lbr high school students to earn postsecondary credit. and culminates in industry-based credentials or certificates (as appropriate) and/or postsecondary degrees.

While programs of study are currently a minimum requirement, there is little question that the provision is having a significant impact across states and is now informing Perkins reauthorization discussions on the Hill. In fact. new research Irom the National Research Center on Career Technical Education found that across three large urban school districts, student participation in a program of study was associated with higher graduation rates, higher GPAs and more STEM credits earned.

Programs of Study in States

The implementation of programs of study is playing out in a variety of ways across states. For instance, Tennessee and Nevada are approving only CTE courses that lit within a multi-course sequence that will be articulated for credit at the states postsecondary institutions. Minnesota hinds only CTE programs that are developed jointly by consortia or secondary and postsecondary partners to provide a seamless transition orcourses and experiences for students. Montana convenes secondary and postsecondary educators 10 compare their program standards to facilitate a student's smooth transition across a program of tidy. While these efforts are still relatively new, these models represent a new way of doing business around CTE.

The Common Career Technical Core

In 20112, 42 states. D.C., and Palau came together to jointly develop and release the Common Career Technical Core (CCTC)--standards that identify what students should know and be able to do. at the end of a program or study. The CCTC is not necessarily intended to replace existing standards. but rather to ensure that all students who participate in CTE programs of tidy leave with a common set of knowledge and skills. Given the introduction or programs of study and the multitude of CTE standards. the CC TC can serve as an anchor for CTE standards, curriculum and pathways. To date, West Virginia, Guam and California have adopted all or some of the CCTC, while many other stairs are using it to review and update their CTE standards. For more in to. visit www.careertech.org/CCTC.

Programs of Study and Federal Policy

Over the summer, Sens. Kaine (D-VA) and Portman (R-OH), co-chairs or the Senate CTE Caucus. introduced the Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act of 2014, which seeks to amend Perkins to "raise the quality of programs." Specifically, the bill would require Perkins grant recipients to incorporate certain elements in their local programs--credit-transier agreement opportunities; academic and technical skills assessments to measure student achievement, including industry-based credentials; CTE-focused professional development Ibr teachers, principals, administrators and counselors--all elements that largely align to the components of a program of study. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) also recently introduced the Pathways to Prosperity Act of 2014, which uses a substantially similar definition of a program of study.

While these are just two proposals, they represent a likely view of what's to come as reauthorization heats up, and NASDCTEc and ACTE support elements of these bills being folded into a more comprehensive reauthorization process.

While the groundwork may have been laid in 2006. it is time to start preparing for programs of study to take root in the next Perkins reauthorization.

Kate Blosveren is the associate executive director at NASDCTEc. She can be reached at kblosveren@careertech.org.