Preparing Alaska for What’s Next

Cathy LeCompte, Associate Dean, University of Alaska Anchorage ~ Community and Technical College

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Outcomes for today…

• Brief overview of history and how we got here…evolution

• Greater understanding of why Career Pathways/Programs of Study (CP/PoS) in Alaska.

• Application of CP/PoS in Alaska…what we are up to between now and June 2013.

Tech Prep Consortium

•Over 10 years working together•Secondary to post secondary

aligned curriculum in CTE •13,000 college credits earned in

high school •Tuition saved: $3.5M

Alaska Tech Prep Consortium…A Brief Historical Perspective

Tech Prep Consortium

Career Pathway / PoS Task Force

Build off the success…learn from others… Career Pathways / Program of Study

Alaska Tech Prep Consortium…what’s next?

Students

Policy Makers & Funders – State legislators, School

Board, Assembly, City & Tribal Councils

Employers / Industry – State industry coalitions and local employers

Teachers and Faculty – Secondary and Post

Secondary

Cross-Agency Partners – Local/ Regional, Department of Education, Labor &

Workforce Development, Health & Social Services, Economic Development

Administrators: District, School, University

Students – inform the

effectiveness

Career Pathways / Program of Study Task Force

Personal Learning & Career

Plan

Program of Study

CareerPathway

Career Cluster

Grouping of occupations based on common

knowledge and skills

Education, training and support services to help

people get high demand jobs.

Courses or other work that must be

successfully completed before

qualifying for a credential.

Relates learning to career goals,

includes areas learner needs to

increase knowledge and

skills.

Better prepare students for postsecondary

Fewer pathway students required to take remedial courses;

Castellano (2007), cited in Stipanovic, et al. (2012)

Dual credit = increased graduation rates & persistence

Dual credit for CTE students: increased likelihood of completing high school; increased likelihood in enrolling in a 2- or 4-year college; greater degree of persistence in postsecondary

Karp, Calcagno, Hughes, Jeong, & Bailey (2007) as cited in Stipanovic, et al. (2012)

Work based learning = smoother transitions

Work based learning tends to result in higher levels of student engagement in school and greater success in the labor market.

McCharen & High (2010); Ryken (2004) both as cited in Cairen, Withington, et al. (2012)

Comprehensive Guidance and Career Counseling

Leads to better career outcomes; students who received career development services reported greater career awareness and higher levels of career exploration and planning than those who did not receive such services.

Lapan, Gysbers, & Sun (1997); Utah State Office of Education (2000); both as cited in Cairen, Withington, et al. (2012)

Why Career Pathways?

Why In Alaska?

• Drop out rate doubles national average• Lowest college going rate in nation • 50% first time college students at UAA

between 1998 and 2007 needed at least one developmental course (UAA CAEPR, 2012)

• Alaska’s job growth and needs for an Alaskan workforce.

• Alaska Tech Prep Consortium• Strategic Assessment

& Reports –HECR report, CTE

Plan, UA Strategic Direction, SLDS

• YOU….

Other states do it…is Alaska Ready?

•An articulation agreement between secondary and postsecondary consortium partners

•A two plus two or four plus two design with a common core of proficiency in math, science communication and technology.

•A specifically developed Tech Prep curriculum

•Preparatory skills

Tech Prep…Standards/Assessment

Aligned secondary & post secondary curriculum

Teaching & Learning Strategies

Credit Transfer

•Joint in-service training of secondary and postsecondary teachers to implement the Tech Prep curriculum

•Training of counselors to recruit students and to ensure program completion and appropriate employment.

•Equal access for special populations to the full range of Tech Prep programs.

Employer Engagement

Guidance Counseling & Advising

Professional Development

Accountability

Tech Prep…

Core Standards

Academic& CTE

Integrated

Work –based Learning

Experiential Learning

Alaska Performance Scholarships

Alignment

This tool continues to be the tool for implementing career pathways

Statewide Coordination goes on…

• Continue to provide a statewide coordination and communication role to link and leverage CP/PoS activities.

• Serve as a single point of contact for technical support for CP/PoS implementation.

• Advocate and build partnerships for sustainability

• Continue to provide a statewide coordination and communication role to link and leverage CP/PoS activities.– Core Team (~25 statewide leaders & partners)– UA Tech Prep staff (~ 12 staff)– eNewsletters and other social media – Link and leverage for eLearning – Health focus

Our work…a legacy?

• Serve as a single point of contact for technical support for CP/PoS implementation.– REPOSITORY OF RESOURCES: Templates & tools for

implementation include checklists for readiness and evaluation (HANDOUT) and a “How To Guide”

– TRAINING (Prof Dev): Live and recorded webinars on how to use the resources• March – April – May…stay tuned

Our work…a legacy?

• Advocate and build partnerships for sustainability – Common Language (HANDOUT), Policy Framework aka

Case Statement for policy and resources– CAREER CONNECTIONS for EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT

module in AKCIS, advisory group, library of best practices, how to guide, standards for Health, EMPLOYER/EDUCATOR workshops HOW TO USE

– Inventory / Case Study ~ survey (SUE) and report CAEPR

Our work…a legacy?

• All youth are confidently and competently prepared for and enter jobs/careers that support themselves and their families, fueling a healthy economy for Alaska.

OUTCOME:

Questions?

Cathy LeCompte calecompte@uaa.alaska.edu