alexander fcs career cluster implementation

FCS Career Cluster Implementation: Navigating

the Journey

Presented byKaren L. Alexander, Ph.D.

[email protected]

Marilyn Wragg, CFCS

[email protected]

Texas Tech University

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

6/11/07 AchieveTexas: Lifelong Success for All Students, Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2007. All rights reserved.

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Presentation Goals

• Connect FCS Profession Body of Knowledge to Career Clusters

• Describe the state of FCS Education in light of career clusters.

• Share challenges, opportunities, and strategies for implementation.


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Evolution of the FCS Body of Knowledge

• Influencing trends which have necessitated specialization in FCS include:– Aging of the population – by 2030 ½ of our population

will be age 50 or greater– Medical advancement– Digital technology – influence on family life, work life and

education– Genetics– Changing make up of the traditional family, is there a

“traditional family” any longer– Globalization


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Focus: Scholarship, Curricula, Policy, and PracticeTrends across our disciplines:• Basic human needs• Communication skills• Public policy• Critical thinking• Diversity• Global perspectives• Professionalism• Creative thinking• Community development• Technology• Moral ethical, and spiritual

development

Trends which are specialized:• Health• Nutrition and health

(scientific development in the creation of foods)

• Clothing and Textiles• Shelter• Economics and

Management• Relationships and social

leadership• Wellness

FCS Trends and Connection to Career Clusters


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The Call For ChangeAmerican public education—Where we are today…

High school dropout rates are still high.

Around 30% annually do not finish high school.

As high as 40% in some inner-city areas.

Too few students find their high school experience academically challenging.

Secondary-to-postsecondary transition rates are too low; postsecondary dropout rates are too high.

The estimated U.S. university dropout rate is 38%.

Too many college students require remediation.

Estimated at $260 million to $1 billion a year.


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A Part of the SolutionCareer Clusters and Career Pathways can help to make learning more challenging and school more relevant to students, thereby increasing their involvement in education.


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The Texas Career Pathways System Includes:

16 Career Clusters

81 Career Pathways

115+ Programs of Study

6 Governor’s Industry Clusters


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Governor’s Industry ClustersThe following careers have been classified as

High Demand, High Skill, and High Wage.

1. Advanced Technologies and Manufacturing2. Aerospace and Defense3. Biotechnology and Life Sciences4. Information and Computer Technology5. Petroleum Refining and Chemical Products6. Energy


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FCS Education in light of Career Clusters


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Rationale and Development for the National FCS Supervisors Survey

• Researcher received a state grant to coordinate the development of the career pathways system for Texas.

• FCS Professionals concerned about the impact that the cluster system could have on FCS programs:– Lack of profession name

recognition in the clusters unlike other professions.

– Diverse content of the FCS profession being spread over several clusters.

• Input gathered from discussions with other FCS teacher educators at a statewide meeting.

• Program area information gathered at the National Career Cluster Institute.

• Survey developed collaboratively with the Director of the FCS Curriculum Center at Texas Tech.


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Distribution and Return of the Survey• State contacts were obtained

from the NASAFACS Directory and then double checked for accuracy against each state’s website.

• Direct phone calls and emails were made when the state administrator contact was in question.

• Email list compiled with each state’s contact.

• Survey sent electronically to all on the list.

• 17 Items• 20 Surveys returned• Three follow-up attempts

were made with those contacts who did not respond or returned the survey.

• Of the 20 surveys, 13 states were implementing the clusters in some form, 5 others were in the development process, 1 other waiting on terminology in Perkins, and 1 other was unsure.


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How is FCS Organized?

Comments related to this question included:• Nine commented in some form that FCS specifically is not

organized within one career cluster. Pathways have FCS content and include areas such as, Consumer Services, Hospitality and Tourism, Human Services, Human Resources, Education and Training, Interior Design.

• One indicated that FCS is one of six identified career fields.• One indicated that FCS is strictly under the Human Services

Cluster.• One indicated that FCS can serve all pathways with a

foundation level course.• Three others indicated it would be determined.


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• Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources—3 states• Human Services—14 states• Health Sciences—4 states• Hospitality and Tourism—9 states • Architecture and Construction—3 states• Education and Training—8 states• Art, AV, Technology, Communication—3 states• Science, Engineering and Technology—2 states• Business, Management & Finance—2 states• Marketing, Sales and Services—3 states• Arts and Humanities—2 states• Personal and Commercial Sales—1state• Social and Recreational Services—1state

Cluster Associations with FCS


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• 22 Programs of Study (POS) over Five Clusters.– Competitive Sports Athlete & Corporate Trainer were recently

developed, available on the website.

• POS focus on career-related electives beginning in the 9th grade.• FCS Programming Responsible for 3 Clusters:

– Education and Training– Hospitality and Tourism– Human Services

• FCS Programming in two other clusters:– Architecture and Construction (Interior Design)– Arts, A/V Technology & Communication (Fashion Design)

How is FCS Organized in Texas?

Course Eliminations and AdditionsYes in 3 states, No in 13

(including Texas), yet to determined in 4.

Courses eliminated included:• Sewing and/or craft courses; • Orientation to Life Skills and

Careers; • Family, Career & Community; • Housing and Interiors; • Nutrition; • FCS Issues and Applications; • Elder Care 1&11; • Home and Family Management

Tech; • Textiles and Fashion Tech; • Parenting (shifted to child

development for early care and education worksite);

• Food Service Occupations; • Fashion Apparel; • Interior Design.

Five states created or added new courses

Some included: • Advanced Life Sciences:

Foods; • Adult and Elder Care Careers

1 & 11; • Consumer Services Careers; • Culinary Arts Foundations; • Food and Nutrition Science

Careers; • Hotel Academy; • Personal Resource

Management and Family Finance.

• “Courses that develop skills for working as a direct support worker and others related to human services employment will be added.”


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Course Eliminations, Additions in Texas

• Existing courses were crossed walked with the 16 Career Clusters—first step in determining cluster responsibility.

• Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for CTE courses are scheduled to be revised in 2009.

• At that time, there may be course eliminations and additions.

• Currently, working with existing courses to determine the fit within the cluster system.


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Development and Validation of the FCS Programs of Study

• Stakeholder identification (Fall 2005)• Development of draft career pathway POS• Internal research

– Virtual input from experts• Statewide review (Spring 2006)• Incorporation of review input• TEA edits and finalization (May 2006)• Updating to reflect final 4th Math and 4th Science

(4x4) course decisions (June 2007)

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Contents of the Programs of Study• Front Cover

– Programs of Study for all pathways within a cluster have the same picture on the front.

– Below picture is a paragraph to get student interested in career specialty within pathway.

• Inside Pages– Model of career planning information that could

be provided for student

• Back Cover

1. Nationally recognized logos identify the Career Cluster for each model.

What is a Program of Study?

2. Pathway names, established in the State's Career Cluster Initiative (www.careerclusters.org ), head each model. They focus attention upon a specific career field within a cluster.


http://www.careerclusters.org/

3. Cluster Overviews maintain the 16 U.S. Department of Education Career Cluster definitions.


4. Career goals shown here correlate with occupational names and O*NET codes used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Use OSCAR (www.ioscar.org) to begin investigating those careers of interest. The "goal" of models is to target In-Demand jobs.


http://www.ioscar.org/

5. Career Options provide examples of contemporary job titles currently appearing in sources, such as WorkInTexas (https://wit.twc.state.tx.us). Jobs are correlated to the post-secondary education typically required for a career.


https://wit.twc.state.tx.us/

6. High School Suggested Coursework highlights the Core Courses and Career-Related Electives recommended to prepare for a career goal. Models are based on the Recommended High School Graduation Plan and can easily be adapted for the Distinguished Achievement High School Graduation Plan. With established models it is easier to anticipate the consequence of curriculum changes, such as when legislation recently increased math and science requirements, or whenever a student decides to modify her/his TAP.


7. Footnotes regarding high school coursework are the same on all models in all clusters. Counseling will be more meaningful if these are kept consistent.


8. Certificates shown on the models are associated with specific courses. Use the Certification Finder at Career InfoNet (www.acinet.org/acinet) to investigate post-secondary certifications.


9. Work-Based Learning (WBL) Experiences and On-the-Job Training (OJT) intersect where students transition from high school into the work force. WBL identifies programs schools may offer. OTJ suggests entry experiences that may be suitable for a high school student pursuing a particular career pathway.


10. Extended Learning Experiences include Work-Based Learning, Curricular, and Extracurricular activities. Participation in and support of Career and Technology Student Organizations (i.e. FCCLA) is especially important to AchieveTexas. While campuses might modify their list of Extracurricular and Service Learning Experiences, examples should always cohesively extend meaningful learning in settings suitable and safe for students.

Students could record volunteer service in their portfolios, or participate in a program such as The President's Volunteer Service Award (http://www.presidentialserviceawards.org/index.cfm) where school groups may, likewise, record their service hours.


http://www.presidentialserviceawards.org/index.cfm

http://www.presidentialserviceawards.org/index.cfm

11. Professional Associations are a potential resource for exploring a career pathway. Many associations allow pre- professional memberships while enrolled in a post-secondary program. Increasingly, their websites provide career advice or industry news.


12. The file name in the footer restates the Career Cluster: Pathway Group: Sample Career Goal and original publication date.


Back Cover• Reiterates cluster and

pathway information for career specialty

• Reminds student of other career pathways in cluster

• Provides brief occupational profile of a sample occupation

• Provides information on components of sample model inside brochure.

www.AchieveTexas.org


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AchieveTexas Web Sitewww.achievetexas.org

• AchieveTexas Implementation Guide• AchieveTexas Career Pathways

– 115+ programs of study—most current source of information

– Individual files organized by Cluster, Pathway, POS – Each POS brochure: 4 pages, 8 ½” x 11”, PDF file or 2

pages, 11” x 17”, PDF file

• Other AchieveTexas-related Resources-FY 2007

http://www.achievetexas.org/


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Impact on FCCLA• FCCLA strong or has had positive impact—8.• Too soon to tell—4• Reduced enrollments—1• Eliminated prior to career clusters due to low

enrollment—1• Unsure—5• “FCCLA needs to “get with the program”, both state-

wide and nationally. In particular, the competitions need to be upgraded to meet industry standards. The other student organizations are for the most part already there since they are work-based,” commented one.


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Texas FCCLA

• Alignment to Career Clusters– Correlation Charts

• Texas Proficiency Events– Serving Up Success– Stories that Teach– Design for Living

• Development of a CTSO Brochure


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Small Group Discussions• Please introduce yourselves and briefly

share experiences related to Career Clusters.

• Discuss and record on the sheets provided the Opportunities and Challenges for FCS in a Career Cluster System.

• Record any remaining questions.


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Survey Comments Related to Challenges

• “Getting FCS teachers and administrators to understand that no matter where in the clusters a FCS course appeared, it still takes a FCS teacher to teach the course. FCS teachers thought they would loose courses and administrators thought they could let anyone teach FCS classes.”

• There is not an obvious fit.• “Getting teachers to see the big picture-unrelated

FACS courses vs. planned career activities.”• “Wanting to teach from the 50s and 60s view of

FACS.”


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More Challenges• Connecting programs with recognized industry

certifications.• “Sometimes forgotten that FCS is located at middle

school, high school, and career and tech programs. Been working very hard to help people understand that MS/HS FCS courses at this level can and do provide the foundations for all the career clusters in the areas of career exploration and workplace skills (employability and personal responsibility).”

• Not enough students pursuing one cluster or pathway for a class to be offered creating more work for teachers because they are having to combined several clusters.


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New Opportunities• Creation of a Teacher Education Academy.

– In Texas, we have the Ready, Set, Teach! Program and can connect with the Associate Arts Degree in Teaching

• Many FCS courses offered in different clusters as core courses, creating job security for FCS teachers.

• Articulation agreements with postsecondary programs.• Publicity for programs through culinary competitions being a

focus in the media.• FACS has become more a part of the CTE family• FACS teachers delivering instruction in other clusters such

as Health Science.


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More New Opportunities• “The visibility of FACS and all the careers that it

encompasses has really improved. Too, our funding is tied to wage/demand data, which means that the kids in high wage/demand clusters or pathways generate higher funding.”

• “Business and industry certifications are awarded to students that complete the skill standards for the major. A certificate of completion is awarded to all students that have completed four credits within the major.”


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One More Opportunity“As a result of having all FCS course as

occupational-either career pathways or electives, all of our courses can benefit from Carl Perkins funding and EIA State equipment monies. In addition, we are now in a better position to meet and support accountability requirements such as the school report card and the No Child Left Behind mandates.”


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Teacher Preparation/Certification Issues• Seven states said none; others indicated unknown at this

time.• In Texas, the creation of FCS specialized certificates will

allow more individuals to be certified and teach in a related cluster.

Specific comments:• “FACS teachers are unprepared to set up a work-based

learning program.”• “Out of date teacher prep requirements and too difficult to

make changes.”• “Will be messy if we keep present certifications, somehow

we will have to crosswalk them with the career clusters or fields.”


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Professional Development Issues• Nine states PD offering at various levels• In Texas, PD will be changing to be more ongoing, in-depth

and organized by clusters rather than CTE program area.Related comments:• “Yes, but it does not mean that behavioral changes have

taken place. Teachers, local administrators and school districts decide what is to be implemented.”

• “We have ongoing professional development to help the teachers better understand the implementation of career clusters. Our new legislation has been added to our webpage and PD occurs throughout the year…Cluster guides have been distributed, program info has been developed and disseminated, all presentations include career cluster implementation.”


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States completing this survey• New Mexico• Washington State• Kentucky• Florida• Delaware• Kansas• Wyoming• Alaska• South Carolina• Georgia

• Idaho• Minnesota• Nevada• West Virginia• New Hampshire• Maryland• Ohio• Nebraska• Indiana• Texas

What can you do locally?If you are in the classroom…• Embrace career clusters and advocate for your programs.

– Be Proactive rather than Reactive!

• Explore approaches that would have a specialization in FCS.– Education and Training Career Academy– Hospitality and Tourism Career Academy

• Encourage FCS courses to be used in other Career Clusters, ex. Child Development with Health Sciences.

• Implement a foundation course in career education and exploration.• Meet with counselors to be sure they understand how the FCS

courses are used as career electives.• Articulate with local community colleges.• Partner with faculty at appropriate postsecondary institutions.• Offer Advanced Technical Credit (ATC) courses through your local

TechPrep programs.• Offer industry recognized certificates, ex. OSHA CareerSafe.• Involve local business, industry, extension, and postsecondary

stakeholders.• Increase the Extended Learning Opportunities for students,

especially FCCLA.


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Questions???

alexander fcs career cluster implementation

Education

fcs programs

fcs content

fcs professionals

state of fcs education

light of career clusters

solution career clusters

states website

fcs trends andconnection