lead teacher handbook · web viewlead teacher handbook resource handbook for academy/pathway lead...

Lead Teacher HandbookResource Handbook for Academy/Pathway Lead Teachers and Teams

This handbook was created to offer Pathway Lead Teachers and Pathway Teams a resource guide for information relating to managing a WCCUSD Pathway. Resources have been used by permission and cited when possible.

College and Career Readiness Collaborative – Ben CrosbyWCCUSD

2012-2013

2012-2013

Lead Teacher Handbook

Table of ContentsWelcome Message – Dr. Harter 6

Acknowledgements 7

Section I – Linked Learning Overview 8

Definition of Linked Learning 8

Four Critical Elements 8 Guiding Principles 9 National Standards of Academy Practice 9

Section II – California Partnership Academies 15

CPA Overview 15 CPA Expenditure Guidelines 18 CPA Timelines 22 CPA Report Writing 26 CPA Annual Conference 27 Academy Lead Responsibilities 27 Academy Team Responsibilities 35

Section III – Forms 40

Photo Release Form 40 Study Trip Form 40 Linked-Learning Hours Request Form X

Section IV – Key Contact Information 41

WCCUSD Key Contacts 41 California Dept. of Ed. Contacts 41 Local Colleges and Universities X

Section V – Calendars and Timelines 42

CPA Timeline 42 Lead PD Calendar 42 District Academic Calendar 42 ConnectEd PD Calendar X

Section VI – Budgets X

Budget Categories 43 Budget Categories 43 Sample Budgets 44 Bi-Tech General Information X Budget Narratives 45

College and Career Readiness Collaborative |WCCUSD | 1108 Bissell Avenue, Richmond CA, 94801-3135


District Matching 47

Section VII – Academy Operations X

Sample Student/Parent Contracts X Teacher Recruiting and Retention X Student Recruiting X Tagging Students in PowerSchool X Academy Assemblies X Public Relations X Team Meetings Processes X Working With Administrators & Counselors X District Academy Awards X Program Self-Assessment X Master Scheduling X Handing Discipline Within the Academy X UC A-G status X Articulation with Post-Secondary Programs X Partnering with Professional Organizations X

Section VIII - Working with ConnectEd California 49

Pathway Communities of Practice Continuum 49 Program of Study Worksheet 54 Gap Analysis 56 Action Plan Worksheet 64 Identifying Program Outcomes 69 Pathway Development Continuum 72 ConnectEd Studios 77 ConnectEd Studios Curriculum Mapping 78 Project Design in ConnectEd Studios X ConnectEd Certification X

Section IX – Quality Teaching and Learning X

Academy Instruction X Behaviors of Teaching and Learning Authentic Assessment X 21st Century Skills X Student Voice and Leadership X Home-school Partnerships X Protocols for Looking at Student and Teacher Work X Use of Data and Continuous Improvement X

Section X – Curriculum Design 81

Creating an Integrated Curriculum 81 Project Based Learning (PBL) 83 Common Assessments & Samples (Formative and Summative) 85 Integrating Service Learning 90



Section XI – Advisory Boards 90

Developing an Engaged Advisory Board 94 Strategies for Advisory Board Interaction 94 Sample Advisory Board Agendas 104 Best Practices for Advisory Boards X

Section XII – Work Based Learning 106

Internships X Mentorships X Study Trips X Job Shadowing X Guest Speakers X Working with Junior Achievement X Key Contacts for WBL X WBL Practicum X

Section XIII– Partnering with ROP X

ROP Resources X ROP Awards and Certificates X ROP Attendance X

Section XIV – Reference List X

Useful Web Resources X Operational Definitions X



Welcome Message – Dr. HarterWe face unique challenges when striving for high school achievement -- high dropout rates, low postsecondary education rates, and way too many students underperforming. As we continue to implement our Linked Learning strategy, it’s becoming clearer that relevance, relationship and rigor help us create real and long lasting multi-dimensional improvement in student achievement. The early data suggest that students in our career academies are outperforming similar students who are not part of Linked Learning.

By improving the system of how we organize for learning in our schools, we give you, the most important person in the equation, a better chance to be effective in your teaching. With your commitment and full participation in the program, I’m confident that you’ll see increased gains and the sense of increased fulfillment that comes with reaching goals.

This handbook was developed by teachers for teachers. It lays out the Linked Learning program in enough detail to provide the background and context you’ll need without burdening you with everything about the program. Teaching is still the hardest, most vexing job I’ve ever done, and this manual is designed to clarify and make things more straight-forward.

Thank you for being part of the Linked Learning effort. Our students are counting on all of us to work hard and keep their interests and needs at the forefront of everything we do. I greatly appreciate you and all you do for students.

Bruce Harter

Superintendent



AcknowledgementsThe West Contra Costa Unified School District has embarked

on a District-wide High School Reform effort to implement Linked-Learning Pathways with the help of several strong partners. Below is a partial list of partners/organizations that have been instrumental in these efforts:

Career Academy Support Network (CASN), University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Education

ConnectEd California

The James Irvine Foundation

Jose Irizarry III, RHS Health Academy Lead

Section I – Linked Learning Overview

What is Linked Learning?Linked Learning transforms students’ high school experience by bringing together strong academics, demanding career and technical education, and real-world experience to help students gain an advantage in high school, postsecondary



education, and careers. Students follow industry-themed pathways, choosing among fields such as engineering, arts and media, or biomedicine and health. Participation in Linked Learning prepares students to graduate from high school and succeed in a full range of postsecondary options—including two- or four-year colleges, certification programs, apprenticeships, military service, or formal job training. There is no one right way to implement a pathway. But whatever the strategy, each pathway embraces four guiding principles and four core components. (http://www.connectedcalifornia.org/downloads/LL_Fact_Sheet_web.pdf)

The Four Critical Elements of Linked Learning1. A challenging academic component prepares students for success—without remediation—in postsecondary programs. Pathways complement traditional learning with project-based instruction that links to real-world applications.2. A demanding technical component delivers concrete knowledge and skills through a cluster of three or more technical courses. 3. A work-based learning component offers opportunities to learn through real-world experiences that enhance classroom instruction.4. Support services include counseling and transportation as well as additional instruction in reading, writing, and mathematics to help students succeed with a challenging program of study.

(http://www.connectedcalifornia.org/downloads/LL_Fact_Sheet_web.pdf)

The Guiding Principles of Linked Learning1. Pathways prepare students for postsecondary education and career—both objectives, not just one or the other. 2. Pathways lead to a full range of postsecondary and career opportunities by eliminating tracking and keeping all options open after high school. 3. Pathways connect academics to real-world applications by integrating challenging academics with a demanding technical curriculum.4. Pathways improve student achievement.

(http://www.connectedcalifornia.org/downloads/LL_Fact_Sheet_web.pdf)

The National Academy Standards of Practice


http://www.connectedcalifornia.org/downloads/LL_Fact_Sheet_web.pdf




(Career Academy Support Network, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education)I. Defined Mission & Goals

The career academy has a written definition of its mission and goals. These are available to the administrators, teachers, students, parents, advisory board, and others involved in the academy. These include at least the following elements:

a. To focus on college and career. A career academy’s aim is to prepare students for college and careers. Academies enable students to complete college entrance academic requirements while exposing them to a vertical segment of the occupations within a career field, encouraging them to aim as high as they wish.

b. To raise student aspirations and commitment. An academy seeks to increase the level of students’ motivation while in high school. The biggest limiting factor in many youths’ future plans is not their ability, but where they set their sights.

c. To increase student achievement. An academy provides support to its students to increase their achievement in high school. This comes through close relationships with teachers and fellow students; rigorous and relevant curriculum; and exposure to career and educational options outside the high school.

II. Academy Structure

An academy needs to have a well-defined structure within the high school, reflecting its status as a small learning community.

a. Cross-grade articulation. The academy incorporates at least two grade levels, ending in the senior year, with articulation in its teacher team, curriculum and instruction across grade levels.

b. Student selection. Entry to the academy is voluntary. The recruitment/ selection process is written and widely available. New students are provided an orientation to the academy. Parents participate in this process and approve of their son or daughter’s choice. Academy enrollment reflects the general high school population.

c. Cohort scheduling. Academy classes are limited to academy students, who take a series of classes together each year.

d. Physical space. Where possible, academy classrooms are near each other in the high school building. The academy Coordinator has access to communication outside the high school.

e. Small size, supportive atmosphere. The academy maintains personalization through limited size, teacher teamwork, and a supportive atmosphere.

III. Host District and High School

Career academies exist in a variety of district and high school contexts, which are important determinants of an academy’s success.

a. Support from the Board of Education and Superintendent. The district Board of Education is aware of the academy and its mission and goals, and is on public record in support. Likewise, the Superintendent publicly endorses the academy and offers active support. Both serve as academy liaisons to the broader community.



b. Support from the principal and high school administration. The high school principal and other administrators are knowledgeable of the academy, public advocates for it, and are actively involved in its funding, staffing and support. They contribute to a positive academy profile within the high school.

c. Adequate funding, facilities, equipment and materials. District and high school administrative support results in adequate academy funding, facilities, equipment and learning materials. These reflect a serious commitment from the district and high school to the success of the academy.

IV. Faculty & Staff

Appropriate teacher selection, leadership, credentialing, and cooperation are critical to an academy’s success.

a. Teacher Leader(s)/ Coordinator(s). One teacher (sometimes two) agrees to take the lead, serving as the academy Coordinator(s). This includes attending advisory board meetings, interacting with administrators and board members, managing the budget, helping to coordinate teacher professional development, and helping to coordinate employer, higher education, and parental involvement. Release time and/or a stipend is provided for this role.

b. Teachers are credentialed in their field, volunteers in the academy, and committed to its mission and goals. Since a career academy’s success rests on good teaching and good teamwork among a cross disciplinary group of teachers, they must be well qualified and willingly involved in this role. They understand and support the philosophy and purpose of the academy, work together as a team, teach a majority of their classes in the academy, and cooperatively share the duties of operating an academy.

c. Counselors, non-academy teachers, and classified staff are supportive. Non-academy staff are also important to its operation. Counselors understand the need for cohort scheduling and provide this for academy students. Non-academy teachers understand the value of the academy and help in recruiting students for it and providing departmental support. Classified staff help support the academy facilities, equipment and learning materials.

V. Professional Development

Since an academy places teachers and other adults into roles not normally included in their previous training, providing adequate professional development time, leadership and support is critical.

a. Common planning time. Academy teachers are provided regular common planning time within the regular high school schedule for purposes of program coordination, curricular integration, and resolution of student problems.

b. Teacher professional development. Academy teachers are provided with training in the academy structure, curricular integration, student support, and employer involvement, where necessary by experts from outside the high school.

c. Employee & parent orientation. Employee volunteers are adequately prepared for their roles as speakers, field trip hosts, mentors and internship supervisors. Parents are adequately prepared for their involvement (if any) as classroom aides, field trip chaperones and social event organizers.

VI. Governance & Leadership

The academy has a governing structure that incorporates the views of all stakeholders.



a. Advisory board with broad representation. The advisory board has members from the district and high school administration, academy teaching staff, supporting employers and institutions of higher education. It may also include community representatives, and academy parents and students. The board incorporates viewpoints from all members.

b. Regular meetings. Meetings of the board are held at least quarterly, with defined agendas and outcomes. The board helps to set policies for the academy. It also serves as a center of resource development.

c. A healthy partnership. Both through the advisory board and other interactions, there is evidence of a partnership between the academy/high school and its host community.

d. A student voice. Students have avenues through which they can provide input to the academy policies and practices.

VII. Curriculum & Instruction

The curriculum and instruction within an academy meets or exceeds external standards and college entrance requirements, while differing from a regular high school by focusing learning around a theme.

a. Meets external standards. The academic curriculum is framed around state or national standards, and the career curriculum around industry and SCANS standards.

b. Learning is rigorous and meets college entrance requirements. Coursework reaches high levels of English and math, generally four years of each, in addition to substantial coursework in science and social studies. Graduates are qualified to attend four-year colleges and encouraged to do so.

c. Curriculum is sequenced, integrated and relevant. Curriculum articulates from the beginning of an academy through the senior year, with a defined course sequence and at least two core academic classes and one career/theme class each year. Curriculum is integrated among the academic classes and between these and the career class. Learning illustrates applications of academic subjects outside the classroom, incorporates current technology, and includes authentic project-based learning.

d. Post-graduate planning. Students have access to career and college information, are provided counseling in these respects, and develop a written post-graduate plan by the end of their junior year.

e. Dual credit options. The academy has articulation agreements with local two-and four-year colleges, offers dual credit courses and/or college credit for upperclassmen, and articulates its upper level curriculum with relevant college programs.

VIII. Employer, Higher Education & Community Involvement

A career academy links high school to its host community and involves members of the employer, higher education and civic community in certain aspects of its operation.

a. Career theme fits the local economy. The academy career field is selected to fit with the community industries and employer base, to allow for adequate involvement of volunteer employees in certain of its activities.

b. Community involvement. Representatives of employers, higher education, and the community help to guide the academy’s curriculum, and provide speakers, field trip sites, job shadowing opportunities, mentors, student internships, community service opportunities, college tours and teacher externships.



c. Incorporates citizenship. The academy fosters a culture of respect for others and encourages student contributions as citizens.

d. Work/community based service learning. The academy offers work and/or community based service learning opportunities for all interested students either through paid internships or community service.

IX. Student Assessment

Improvements in student performance are central to an academy’s mission. It is important to gather data that reflects whether students are showing improvement and to report these accurately and fairly to maintain the academy’s integrity.

a. Student data are collected. These data include those necessary to describe the student body within the academy (e.g., grade level, gender, race/ethnicity) and its relationship to the high school in general, as well as student performance on a variety of outcome measures.

b. Multiple academic measures are included. Measures include a variety of accepted indicators of performance (e.g., attendance, retention, credits, grade point averages, state test scores, graduation rates, college going rates).

c. Technical learning is assessed. Measures include knowledge of the field’s terminology, technical concepts, and ability to apply English, math, and other academic skills to authentic real world projects. Where appropriate, industry certification is incorporated.

d. Accurate reporting. Analyses of these data are reported accurately and fairly, regardless of the results.

e. Evidence of impact. These measures show whether, and how much, the academy improves student performance.

X. Cycle of Improvement

No new academy functions perfectly. Even well established and operated academies benefit from self-examination and refinement. Ensuring and improving the quality of a career academy requires engaging in a regular cycle of improvement.

a. Academy implementation is examined. Program leaders regularly assess the academy’s functioning, studying its strengths and weaknesses. This involves gathering feedback from key stakeholders, including students.

b. Academy refinements are planned. These reviews lead to plans to address any problems. Such plans include timetables and benchmarks for improvement.

c. Changes reflect the academy’s mission and goals. The refinements refer back to the academy’s underlying mission and goals.



Section II – California Partnership Academies (CPAs) The CPA Model is one model of Linked Learning implementation. The CPA Model is the preferred program in the WCCUSD, although there all other models which are in line with the Linked Learning principles and components.

California Partnership Academy Overview(http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/cpaoverview.asp)

The Academy ModelThe Partnership Academy Model is a three-year program, grades ten through twelve, structured as a school-within-a-school. There are currently 340 funded programs throughout California. The model, originating with the Philadelphia Academies in the late 1960s, spread to California in the early 1980s. Academies incorporate many features of the high school reform movement that includes creating a close family-like atmosphere, integrating academic and career technical education, and establishing viable business partnerships. Emphasis is also placed on student achievement and positive postsecondary outcomes. Academies have been carefully evaluated and shown to have positive impacts on school performance. Key components of the Academy model are:

CURRICULUM focused on a career theme and coordinated with related academic classes.

VOLUNTARY student selection process that identifies interested ninth graders. TEAM OF TEACHERS who work together to plan and implement the program. MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITIES with private sector involvement to encourage academic

and occupational preparation, such as: integrated and project-based curriculum, mentor program, classroom speakers, field trips, and exploration of postsecondary and career options.

WORKPLACE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES such as job shadowing, student internships, and work experience.

Curriculum and Career Focus The career technical focus for an Academy is determined by an analysis of the local labor market, with an eye toward fields that are growing and healthy, that offer jobs with career "ladders", and that have companies willing to support the program. Career technical education is kept broad, focusing on industries rather than specific jobs in areas such as business technology, health, electronics, media, agribusiness, building trades, natural resources, finance, and retail trade. The integration of a standards-based academic and career-technical curriculum is a key ingredient.

Staffing Teachers request to participate in the program and must be willing to work with "at-risk" students. Teachers are required to have a common planning period to meet regularly to:

Plan the program activities and curriculum.


http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/cpaoverview.asp


Coordinate with business representatives. Meet with parents. Discuss student progress.

Student Selection At least half of each new class must meet specific “at-risk” criteria to determine student eligibility. The remaining one half has no restrictions. The program is voluntary; students must apply, be interviewed, and be selected on the basis of need and interest. About 60-70 students are typically selected for entry each year, enough to comprise two sections of a sophomore class.

Business Involvement Each Academy has a partnership with employers. Employer representatives:

Serve on an Academy steering committee that oversees the program. Help to develop the career technical curriculum. Provide speakers for Academy classes. Host field trips to give students a perspective of the workplace. Provide mentors who serve as career-related role models and personal points of contact

in the field of training. Provide internships and summer jobs for Academy students.

The Mentor Program In the eleventh grade, Academy students are matched with mentors. Mentors are usually employees of participating businesses who volunteer to be a "career-related and/or caring adult" in the student's life.

Internship Program After their junior year, students performing well enough to be on track for graduation are placed in internship positions. Students apply for these positions as they would in the open market; i.e., they prepare resumes, complete job applications, and have interviews. Companies make the hiring decisions.

Funding and Evaluation Funding is performance based; only those students meeting the 80 percent attendance and 90 percent credit requirements qualify for funding. State grants must be matched 100 percent by both the receiving district and business partners. Annual evaluations consistently reflect improved student performance on attendance, credits, grade point averages, and graduation rates.

Funding Requirements Following are the funding requirements for California Partnership Academy grants:

1. The district provides 100 percent match of state funds received in the form of direct and in-kind supports.



2. Participating companies or other private-sector organizations provide 100 percent match of state funds received in the form of direct and in-kind support.

3. State funds provided by the Partnership Academy program are only used for the development, operation, and support of Partnership Academies.

4. The Academy is established as a "school-within-a-school" with classes restricted to Academy students.

5. Academy teachers work as a team in planning, teaching, and troubleshooting program activities.

6. An advisory committee is formed that consists of individuals involved in Academy operations, including school district and school administrators, lead teachers, and representatives of the private sector. The advisory committee meets regularly.

7. During grades ten and eleven Academy students are provided instruction in at least three academic subjects that contribute to an understanding of the occupational field of the Academy and one career-technical class related to the Academy's occupational field.

8. Academy classes during twelfth grade may vary, but must include at least one academic and one career technical education class.

9. The school site class schedule limits Academy classes to Academy students with classes block scheduled whenever possible.

10. Students are provided with a mentor from the business community during the student's eleventh grade year.

11. Students are provided with an internship or paid job related to the Academy's occupational field or work experience to improve employment skills during the summer following eleventh grade or during the twelfth grade year.

12. Students are provided opportunities to engage in additional motivational activities with private sector involvement to encourage academic and occupational preparation.

13. Academy teachers have a common planning period to interchange student and educational information.

California Partnership Academy Expenditure Guidelines(http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/cpaexpenditures.asp)

All grant and matching funds are supplemental and may not supplant what is normally and legally provided by the school and district. Academy grant funds MUST only be spent on Academy-only items and activities. The California Partnership Academies (CPA) funded through general funds will have a decrease in funding, based on the budget act, but are not subject to categorical flexibility. Academies funded through SB70 and AB519 are not currently subject to funding reductions but may be subject to reductions based on subsequent legislative and fiscal actions.

Examples of Allowable Expenditures

Personnel expenses: When developing the annual Proposed Budget, any expenses in line items 1000, 2000, and 3000 inclusive (Certificated, Classified, and Benefits) may not exceed 40 percent of the overall budget.

An extra prep period for the project coordinator to coordinate and oversee the critical academy components, i.e. common planning, mentors, internships, field trips, and business partners. If an extra prep period is not possible, after a good faith effort, a small stipend (approximately $1,000-$2,000) can be paid to the coordinator and the team members to manage the critical components of the academy model; Small stipends for curriculum development, such as project-based and integrated curriculum development; Substitute costs for academy team and/or project coordinator to attend conferences/workshops and field trips;


http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/cpaexpenditures.asp


Clerical support on an “as needed” basis for specific academy requirements; To support course sections that are supplemental to the contracted school year, and supplemental to the certificated contract, if those sections are for Academy-students only and have a direct impact on the implementation of the Academy program. Permission from the CA Department of Education CPA consultants must be obtained prior to pursuing this option.

Instructional supplies and materials such as supplemental books and classroom technology required for the career theme; Transportation for field trips. Field trips should be designed to be instructional in nature and tied to the career focus of the Academy; Academy staff in-state travel and per diem expenses and student transportation costs. Out-of-state travel is not permitted; Equipment/items appropriate to the partnership academy career focus and is used for/by Academy students only. Information technology related items and equipment must be limited to no more than 25 percent of the grant award amount. Awards such as certificates, pins, and medallions reasonable in cost. Background checks for mentors on a limited basis. If this cost is ongoing for a large number of people, it could amount to a large sum of money so another funding source should be explored.

Examples of Non-allowable Expenditures

Supplanting salaries or other district responsibilities: CPA funds must supplement, not supplant state general fund and local dollars. CPA funds may not free up state or local dollars for other purposes but should create or augment programs to an extent not possible without CPA dollars. You must be able to demonstrate that CPA funds are added to the amount of state and local funds that would, in the absence of CPA funds, be made available for uses specified in your plan.

Contract-negotiated certificated teacher salaries may not be applied as a district match or paid through CPA grant funds.

Facility Costs: Expenditures for modernization, unless they are specific to the Academy and being done just to meet the "unique" needs of the Academy, are not an appropriate expenditure of Academy funds. Academy funds should not be used for facility needs. Modernization is the responsibility of the district and should be covered by modernization funds. Academy funds are to be used for Academy purposes--mainly for instructional-related purposes. Facility modernization and construction expenditures that are specifically for Academy use may, however, be used as part of the district match.

Vehicle Purchase: This is NOT an allowable expenditure. Grant funds are allocated to support CPA model components, i.e. school-within-a-school, internship/mentoring development/monitoring, integration, tutoring, etc. Transportation for CPA students is an excellent example of a district match.

Gift of public funds: Any item which becomes the personal property of a student or staff, such as:

o Tee shirts, jackets or other clothing or items that become the personal property of a student or staff unless the item or clothing is intended for Academy identification and/or culture-building purposes and remains the property of the Academy. If the item is considered part of a required uniform, and is reasonable in cost, it is allowed. Whenever possible, clothing items should remain the property of the Academy for reuse in subsequent year.

o Membership dues/fees in associations/organizations unless the membership is for the entire Academy student body and not for specific individual students, i.e. career technical student organizations.

o Scholarships, student stipends, testing fees or endowment funds



o Food expense should be guided by your district policy. o Cost of admission for students/staff to entertainment/theme parks or other similar

social events. When using grant funds for admission costs, the field trip must be directly related to the career focus of the academy with an assignment. You must document the specific program provided by the entertainment/theme park through an agenda of activities.

Out-of-state travel: No out of state travel allowed.

Examples of District Match

Smaller class size Extra preps for Academy Coordinator(s) and teachers Release time for curriculum development, program planning, and team building Counselor assignment for supplemental Academy-only activities or smaller counselor-to-

student ratio than other counselors Additional staff and administrative hours spent on CPA events/needs that are not provided for

other programs/students Staff development, in-services, and workshops related to the Academy Transportation for field trips, to postsecondary classes, to internships, and job shadowing

locations Program activities applied using any part of another grant (Perkins, Smaller Learning

Communities, Agriculture Incentive Grant, Prop 1D, etc.) Administrative time specifically applied to supporting/coordinating the Academy Substitute costs to support program activities Equipment purchased for the academy Instructional and classified assistants for academy-only projects that are over and above

normal workload. A Partnership Academy Regional Occupation Program (ROP) class can be counted as a district

match if the funding for this class is allocated from the district and if the ROP class is Academy-pure, meaning that it is being offered to only academy students as a class for the Partnership Academy.

Examples of Business Partners Match

Serve on an Advisory Committee Help develop career technical curriculum Provide speakers for Academy classes Host field trips giving a workplace perspective Provide mentors who serve as career-related role models and personal points of contact Provide job shadowing, internships, and other work experience opportunities Provide student scholarships Provide equipment and technology Offer externships for academy staff Provide additional funds for academy Sponsor students to go to Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO) events Provide facilities, food for academy activities, clothing items for identification purposes,

equipment, and/or transportation.



The Partnership Academy ROP class can be counted as a business match if the funding for this class is allocated from the county office of education and if the ROP class is Academy-pure, meaning that it is being offered to only academy students as a class for the Partnership Academy.

Note: Average value per hour for business partner’s time is estimated at $75/hour.

Examples of Motivational Activities

Motivational activities need to be connected to increasing student achievement and occupational preparation. They cannot be activities and/or items that are considered a "gift of public funds" or activities funded "just for fun". Public and personal recognition and selection for special business partnership activities, etc., are ways of motivating students and not considered a "gift of public funds.” The state-district-private sector partnership structure encourages use of private sector support to provide for activities at job sites and other motivational activities.

Goals and Objectives:

Facilitate student creativity and social skills development Promote active involvement in education through kinesthetic, rewarding activities Engage students who are performing or behaving below desired levels Develop a family-like, accepting atmosphere Enhance both academic growth and career preparation

Examples:

Job shadowing College visitations Team building activities Field trips for learning in context Involvement in CTSOs and competitive events for FBLA, DECA, FHA-HERO, HOSA, SkillsUSA,

FFA. You can find information about CTSOs on the California Department of Education Student Organizations Web page.

Controlled social events Fund-raising events “Academy Awards” presentations

CPA Annual Timelines 2012-2013 (SB 70 and Prop 98)JUNE 30, 2012 Due: (1) 2012–13 Letter of Intent to continue funding; and (2) 2012–13

Budget with narrative. The letter requires approval and signature of the principal and district superintendent. The Budget must also be approved by the district financial officer.

JULY/

AUGUSTSTATE BUDGET APPROVEDGrants are contingent on the inclusion of CPA funds in the approved state budget and will not be processed until the state budget is approved and signed by the Governor.


http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/so/

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/so/


AUGUST 31 2010–11 End-of-Project (EOP) Expenditure Report and narrative is DUE August 31, 2012, for fiscal year 2010–11 grant funds. This report may be submitted at any time prior to the end of the grant period, but only after all funds have been fully expended. The EOP report itemizes actual grant expenditures with a description of activities or purchases and is enclosed with the Grant Award Notification Letter. Work with your district to complete this report.

SEPTEMBER 2012–13 Grant Award Notification (AO-400) letters are processed and mailed to the district superintendent (original); and the site coordinator (copy).

Letter of Intent to continue funding and the program budget (mailed in April/May of each year) must be received prior to issuance of grant awards.

Signed copies of the Grant Award Notification (AO-400) are DUE to the California Department of Education (CDE) within 10 days of receipt of theAO-400.

OCTOBER 2011–12 Annual Reports for all funded programs are due October 15, 2012. This report is completed online through the California Partnership Academies Annual Report (CAPAAR) system. The report includes program requirement components as well as the individual student data portion for the 2011–12 school year. This portion calculates the total qualified funding for the academy.

The Annual Report must be submitted prior to final payments being issued.

NOVEMBER PAYMENT: 1st payment/50 percent is processed for current (2012–13) fiscal year grant.

JANUARY/ FEBRUARY

PAYMENT: 2nd payment/final payment processed for prior (2011–12) fiscal year grant, based on number of qualified students in the 2011 Annual Report and approval of this report. (This may take longer when questions/problems are identified.)

FEBRUARY/

MARCH

ANNUAL CONFERENCE. March 10-12, 2013. See the CDE CPA Web site under the conference link for details. http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/cpagen.asp

APRIL/MAY Letter of Intent packet is mailed to program coordinators and principals. Packet includes: (1) sample Letter of Intent; (2) proposed budget and narrative; and (3) the CPA timeline. The letter to the field will also include


http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/cpagen.asp


updated information regarding pertinent information for the CPA program.

JUNE 30, 2012 Due: 2013–14 Letter of Intent packet to continue funding due June 30, 2013. Must be signed by principal and district superintendent.

2012–13 CALIFORNIA PARTNERSHIP GREEN “AB 519” ACADEMIES (Green CPAs) FISCAL TIMELINE

MONTH ANNUAL TIMELINE

JUNE 30, 2012 Due: (1) 2012–13 Letter of Intent to continue funding; and (2) 2012–13 Budget with narrative. The letter requires approval and signature of the principal and district superintendent. The Budget must also be approved by the district financial officer.

JUNE/JULY Grant Award Notification (AO-400) letters for $81,000 grants are processed and mailed to the district superintendent (original); and the site coordinator (copy).

Letter of Intent to continue funding and the program budget (mailed in April/May of each year) must be received prior to issuance of grant awards.

Signed copies of the AO-400 are DUE to the California Department of Education (CDE) within 10 days of receipt of the AO-400 packet.

JULY2010–11 End-of-Project (EOP) Expenditure Report and narrative is DUE July 31, 2012, for $42,000 planning grants. This report may be submitted at any time prior to the end of the grant period, but only after all funds have been fully expended. The EOP report itemizes actual grant expenditures with a description of activities or purchases. Work with your district to complete this report.

JULY/

AUGUSTSTATE BUDGET APPROVEDGrants are contingent on the inclusion of CPA funds in the approved state budget and will not be processed until the state budget is approved and



MONTH ANNUAL TIMELINE

signed by the Governor.

AUGUST/

SEPTEMBER

PAYMENT: 1st payment/50 percent of $81,000 grant is processed for current fiscal year grant.

OCTOBER 2011–12 Annual Reports ($72,000/$81,000 grants) for all funded programs are due October 15, 2012. The report is completed online through the California Partnership Academies Annual Report (CAPAAR) system. The report includes program requirement components as well as the individual student data portion for the 2011–12 school year. This portion calculates the total qualified funding for the academy.

The Annual Report must be submitted prior to final payments being issued.

January 2011–12 End-of-Project (EOP) Expenditure Report and narrative are DUE January 31, 2013,for $18,000 supplemental grants. This report may be submitted at any time prior to the end of thegrant period, but only after all funds have been fully expended. The EOP report itemizes actualgrant expenditures with a description of activities or purchases. Work with your district to completethis report. Final payment will be issued after the EOP is received and approved.

JANUARY/

FEBRUARY

PAYMENT: 2nd payment/final payment processed for prior fiscal year grant ($72,000/$81,000), based on number of qualified students in the 2011 Annual Report and approval of this report. (This may take longer when questions/problems are identified.)

MARCH ANNUAL CONFERENCE. March 10-12, 2013. See the CDE CPA Web site under the conference link for details. http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/cpagen.asp

APRIL 30, 2013 2010–11 ($72,000 grant) End-of-Project (EOP) Expenditure Report and narrative is DUE April 30, 2013, for fiscal year 2010–11 grant award funds (30 days after the end-of-grant period). This report may be submitted at any time prior to the end of the grant period but only after all funds have been fully expended. The 2010 grant funds must be spent by


http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/cpagen.asp


March 31, 2013 (each grant has a nineteen month spending cycle).The EOP report itemizes actual grant expenditures with a description of activities or purchases and is enclosed with the Grant Award Notification Letter.

CPA Report WritingThere are three major reports that are required by CPA programs. All reporting is done to the CDE, but initial submissions for each report go to Mike Aaronian ([email protected]). Mike typically will assist with final signatures (at the District level) and submission to the CDE.

Critical Dates (occurring each school year):

October 15th: CPA Annual Report is due. June 30th: CPA Letter of Intent Packets are due. August 31: CPA End-of-Project (EOP) Report is due.

CPA Annual ReportEach year, a CPA must report on several critical elements of its program. The report is web-based, and is referred to as the CAPAAR system. The College and Career Readiness Collaborative Office will provide each academy lead teacher with an ID and password to use on the CAPAAR system. The CCRC Office will also assist in collecting some of the data needed for the report. The rest of the student data is collected from the District PowerSchool system. The CCRC Office has also conducted a report workshop designed to walk new users through the process of signing-on to CAPAAR and entering student and program data. The usual due date for the annual report is October 15th of each school year. For more information about reporting, contact Mike Aaronian at the CCRC Office.

CPA Letter of Intent PacketAt the end of each school year, a CPA program is required to submit a packet of information referred to as the Letter of Intent Packet. This packet acknowledges the District’s commitment to following the CPA model for another school year. The



packet has the actual Letter of Intent, which confirms the commitment, a budget proposal which describes the Academy plan for spending grant funds for the upcoming year, and a budget narrative to accompany the budget. All forms are provided from the CDE CPA Office in the form of templates. Each program must submit its completed Letter of Intent Packet by June 30th of each year.

CPA End-of-Project (EOP) ReportThis report documents how grant funds were spent, covering a two-year cycle, such as 09-11. Every academy completes the EOP report at the end of its second year of funding, and each year afterwards. The procedure for completing this report is to:

Schedule an appointment with Carmel Aguilar. Carmel works at the District Office in the Budgets department. Carmel will work with you to complete your EOP report, your report will document how all academy funds were spent, and describe the expenditures through a budget narrative.

Complete the budget templates (from CDE) and gather the necessary signatures.

Submit to Mike Aaronian, save a copy for your records. EOP needs to be submitted by August 31st of each school year. Mike

Aaronian usually calls for the reports one week prior to the State deadline of August 31.

CPA Annual ConferenceAttendance of the Annual CPA conference is a required part of being a CPA academy. Each Academy must send a team of teachers/counselors/administrators/partners to the conference each year. The conference features speakers and seminars designed to inform your team and increase your programs’ effectiveness. There are also opportunities to present best practices and lead seminars of your own.

Registration: the CDE will send out registration information in the fall. It’s important to get all attending team members to register early. All registration forms, travel forms and expense sheets go through the College and Career Readiness Collaborative office – Delmy Cornejo.

Academy Lead Responsibilities (from CASN – Patricia Clark)PATHWAY COORDINATING TEACHER/S



(LEADS/Co-LEADS) (DIRECTOR/CO-DIRECTORS) Each Pathway will have a lead teacher who has primary responsibility for coordinating successful Pathway implementation/operations and for assuring Pathway student success. (Note: In some Pathways there may be co-leads/co-directors and/or an assistant lead/director that share coordination responsibilities and release time. Additionally, in many effective Pathways, leadership is distributed and shared cooperatively within the Pathway team. All Pathway teachers are teacher-leaders with one (or two) coordinating lead/s.)

Pathway Leadership involves a combination of duties in addition to teacher, including program director, instructional leader, student advocate, publicist/salesperson, bookkeeper, counselor, team builder, vision-keeper, coach, motivator and cheerleader. Answering to many different stakeholders, a Pathway lead implements the best course for student success & ongoing Pathway improvement & growth. In addition to an ability to leap tall buildings at a single bound, some of the Pathway leadership duties involve:

OVERALL PATHWAY LEADERSHIP:

o co-construct and support a system of shared beliefs and values (aligned with site and District values) which form a basis for Pathway action

o work with pathway team to develop and disseminate a pathway vision and mission and an annual pathway action plan which addresses critical pathway components

o collectively accept responsibility for Pathway student learning and for the overall success of the Pathway and of Pathway students

o develop and implement Pathway policies (aligned w. District/Site SLC policies)o participate in the collection and analysis of Pathway student data and adjust

Pathway instruction and other aspects of the Pathway based on that data analysis (serve as Pathway data wonk & continuous improvement guide)

o develop and deploy a system of “scaffolds” and supports for student successo participate in Pathway staff development opportunities and implement

agreed-upon ideas and strategies.o Facilitate regularly scheduled Pathway team meetings; meet with team

members during common planning time to discuss Pathway coordination, instructional and learner issues, curriculum integration, partnership activities, and other student success strategies; Facilitate good interpersonal relationships among Pathway team members.

o Work with Pathway team and school administration to develop and oversee Pathway recruitment, student support, budget, schedule, and other critical aspects of Pathway success

o Coordinate orders for equipment and instructional supplies; maintain accurate records



o Organize field trips, job shadowing experiences, etc. Arrange transportation. Handle permission slips, obtain needed signatures, process required paperwork, manage other logistics; maintain accurate records

o Organize and maintain Pathway Advisory Board which includes industry, postsecondary, governmental, and community partners as well as site/district representatives, one or more parent/student/teacher representatives; co-facilitate regularly scheduled meetings

o Coordinate postsecondary and middle school articulation o Collaborate with site-administrators to coordinate development of Pathway Master

Scheduleo Work with the Pathway Counselor, the College and Career Center staff, and other

stakeholders to coordinate college and career guidance for students and their families

o Coordinate Pathway communication (within the Pathway team; with Pathway students, parents/guardians/families; with Pathway Advisory Board; with Pathway partners; with appropriate District personnel; at the site (with Administration, counselors, other Pathways/SLCs, Department Heads), etc.

o Complete all required reports and all required paperwork in a timely mannero Coordinate special Pathway events and special opportunities for studentso Coordinate Pathway public relations and publicity o Coordinate Pathway Fundraising/Grant Proposal Writing/Resource Developmento Leap tall buildings at a single boundo Keep and advocate for the Pathway visiono Advocate for pathway students and teachers o Celebrate Pathway successes

SCHOOL-BASED

Work with the Pathway team to clarify vision, goals, and priorities Work with the Pathway team to develop and implement an annual action plan

for Pathway school-based learning; including, the use of data and a continuous cycle of improvement

Work with the Pathway team to develop an Pathway sequence of integrated courses and assuring a “school within the school” structure, including:

o Grade 9 – At least 1 career-technical/lab class & 2/3 academic classes, including English & Social Studies/Science.

o Grade 10 – At least 1 career-technical/lab class & 2/3 academic classes, including English & Social Studies

o Grade 11 – At least 1 career-technical/lab class & 2/3 academic classes, including English & Social Studies

o Grade 12 – At least 1 career-technical/lab class & 1/2 academic classes, including English & Social Studies(NOTE: Pathway structures may vary. Some include a middle college approach with juniors and seniors enrolled in dual enrollment courses and/or college courses. Others include one or more online classes and/or credit for community-based or work-based Senior Projects and/or internships tied to academic work.)

Serve as Instructional Leader & Professional Development Coordinator



o Teach with the team and assist team members in building an inviting, stimulating, supportive, personalized, rigorous, and challenging teaching and learning environment for the students

o Work with the Pathway team to build a high performance, college and career going culture

o Work to build the Pathway teaching team as a professional learning community

o Plan and implement integrated, standards-based academic and career-technical curriculum around the Pathway theme

o Assure alignment of both academic and technical curriculum with State, national, and industry standards (as appropriate)

o Support/coach teachers to “flavor” their courses with the Pathway theme o Support/coach Pathway teachers to increase both the academic rigor and

career and community relevance of their courseso Support/coach Pathway teachers to infuse strategic literacy, writing across the

curriculum, and other effective strategies o Promote active learning strategies including project-based learning, problem-

based learning, inquiry-learning, service learning, etc.o Plan/Coordinate Performance-based/Authentic Assessment and Public

Exhibitions of Student Learningo Work with the Pathway teaching team to plan, implement, and assess

structured Pathway Student Portfolios – purposeful collections of student work which illustrate mastery and/or growth toward mastery of academic and career-technical standards; includes 6-year plan

o Develop/Enhance Senior Projects (related to the Pathway theme)o Promote and coordinate Pathway Service Learning Program, including,

develop/enhance Peer Education and/or Advocacy projects related to your Pathway theme

o Seek and coordinate resources for the team and keep informed of new trends and programs both in education and in the broader industry theme

Facilitate effective use of common planning time within the Pathway Work collaboratively with other stakeholders to facilitate the successful

inclusion of both special needs students and ELL students into the Pathway

WORK-BASED/COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING

Work with Pathway Team, District/Site School to Career personnel, Pathway Placement Director, and Pathway Advisory Board to provide:

o Structured field experiences/study trips beginning in Grade 10o Structured job shadowing experiences beginning in Grade 10o Service-learning tied to the Pathway career theme beginning in Grade 10o Student Run Enterprise (if applicable)o Student Internships (often summer following junior year)o Pathway Certification of Mastery (tied to Industry standards)o Work-based Learning Plans, Portfolios, and Projects

Work with the Pathway Team and Industry partners to connect work-based/community-based learning with classroom learning

Coordinate Pathway student college and career development, including working with



Pathway Career Development Coordinator to prepare students for, place students in, and monitor student success in job shadowing experiences, summer internships, and other community/work-based learning opportunities

Organize and Implement Pathway Field Trips and Field Experiences

GUIDANCE & COUNSELING

Work to assure inclusive student recruitment and selection (balancing equity and choice)

(Each Pathway should reflect the diversity of the school as a whole.)

Provide student assessment, including career interest inventories

Plan and implement College & Career Portfolios

Develop and/or Use Individualized Education Plan that includes a plan for transition from high school to college and career

Provide a Mentoring Program for Pathway students (professional adult-student, academic peer mentoring, email mentors)

Implement Advisories (and/or Advisory strategies which are embedded in the Pathway) plus individual and group counseling

Plan and implement Student-led conferences

Provide support for postsecondary application process and job placement assistance

STUDENT VOICE AND SCAFFOLDING FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

Engage students as co-creators of ongoing Pathway success

Engage students in support for student achievement of all (peer tutors, etc.)

Provide opportunities for under-performing students to “catch up” and for all students to accelerate their learning (credit recovery, extended learning time, dual enrollment, online courses, etc.)

Provide support for students to prepare for State exams, including California High School Exit Exam

Provide support for students to prepare for SAT/ACT and other college or career (apprenticeship) entrance exams and/or certification exams

Provide support for students to complete financial aid forms, apply for scholarships, etc.

Provide opportunities for students to participate in Pathway student leadership and other leadership development opportunities



Build in a student advisory program so that every pathway student is well known and supported to succeed in challenging academic and technical courses and in other ways

As part of a pathway continuous cycle of inquiry and improvement, provide opportunities for students to reflect on and/or to assess aspects of the Pathway (focus groups, surveys, assessment sheets, reflection logs, etc.

PARENT/SUPPORTING ADULT/HOME PARTNERSHIP

Develop a clearly defined Pathway-Home Partnership with ongoing parental/guardian/ supporting adult contact/communication

Provide opportunities for Parents/Guardians/Supporting Adults/Families to engage as co-partners in support of student learning & achievement and as active participants in Pathway governance and events

Develop strategies so that Parents/Guardians/Supporting Adults are knowledgeable about the pathway as well as the college & career going process (workshops for parents, etc.)

POSTSECONDARY LINKAGES/ARTICULATION

Work with Site/District Staff and Pathway Advisory Board to coordinate 2 & 4-year College/University-articulation & partnership agreements

Coordinate Pre-Apprenticeship Programs (if applicable)

Coordinate partnerships with technical schools, community-based employment training programs, etc. (if applicable)

Collaborate with postsecondary partners provide learning opportunities for Pathway students and teachers, including articulated classes, dual enrollment, and college classes

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Co-Develop and Co-Maintain the Pathway Steering Committee/Advisory Board

Co-Develop and Sustain additional Career and College-related AND School- Community Collaborative/Partnerships

Engage community/industry/postsecondary partners in providing input to and validation of Pathway curriculum



Engage community/industry/postsecondary partners in providing Classroom speakers/Teachers on loan/Consultants for Student Projects

Work with industry, postsecondary and community partners provide learning opportunities for Pathway students and teachers

Engage industry partners in helping to provide validation of achievement of industry standards; certification

CENTRAL OFFICE/SCHOOL SITE SUPPORT

Work with site/district Administrators to assure dedicated Pathway teachers who both desire to and are qualified to teach in the Pathway

Advocate for and assure planning time for Pathway teachers

Advocate for and assure coordination time for Pathway Director/s/Lead Teacher/s

Work to assure Site/District Administrative Support and Engagement

Be active as a teacher-leader at your site and in the District and assure that Pathways are integral to Site/District Plan

Engage with site Administrators, Counselors, and the site Master Schedule Team to assure that the Master Schedule supports Pathway schedules and allows flexibility; Work with your

Pathway team and other stakeholders to develop a proposed schedule for your Pathway;

Justify your master schedule preferences in terms of student learning and needs

Work with site/district administration to assure an Pathway Home Base Room

Work with site/district administrators and your Advisory Board to assure adequate facilities and equipment, including access to technology

Work with District/site Administrators and your Advisory Board to assure adequate resources for Pathway operations

Develop Pathway action plans for essential Pathway components (curriculum integration, support for student success, partnership development and sustainability, etc.)

Provide orientation and support for new Pathway faculty/staff

Work with District/Site Administrators and Pathway support providers to assure ongoing and embedded professional development, including training in Pathway design and enhancement,

Pathway instructional design, research-based instructional practices, industry internships and job shadowing for teachers, looking at student and teacher work, etc.



Work with District/site Administrators and Pathway support providers to assure time for integrated curriculum development

Work with District/site administrators, staff, and counselors to assure access to Pathway data; create a data gathering system for Pathway use; Use Pathway student data (both quantitative and qualitative data) for continuous Pathway improvement, including an annual Pathway self-assessment and review of progress

Understand and utilize support from Site/District Programs and personnel, such as Director of Secondary Programs, School to Career Coordinator, Small Learning Communities Coordinator, etc.

Represent the Pathway on the site Instructional Leadership Council and other appropriate District/Site Committees, Task Forces, Work Groups, etc.

Help to coordinate services and communication with the other Pathways/Houses/ SLCs, the guidance department, the school administration, the rest of the school, and with community partners and stakeholders. (also listed in overall duties)

Assist in development, implementation, and monitoring of management plans and grants as they relate to school, district and Board of Education priorities and curriculum implementation.

Participate in interviewing and selection of new staff for the Pathway team.

Academy Team ResponsibilitiesPATHWAY TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES

To the extent possible, each Pathway teacher will be part of a Pathway team with a common planning period. (At a minimum, academic and technical teachers who share students in common (often a grade-level team of teachers) should share a common planning period.)

As a team member, each Pathway teacher is expected to share in Pathway roles and responsibilities:

Responsibilities Shared by All Pathway/House Teachers

Support the agreed-upon Pathway/House vision and goals Participate in regularly scheduled Pathway/House team meetings Collaborate with Pathway team members to design & teach interdisciplinary units Help monitor student progress Help maintain home-school contacts/communication Participate in student and/or parent conferences Participate in recruitment functions Work to develop, implement, and refine Pathway/House integrated curriculum



Help to carefully monitor student class attendance Accept a fair share of agreed-upon Pathway/House responsibilities Participate in professional development workshops whenever possible Represent Pathway/House with school/district administration and/or on community

committees Look for ways to flavor your class with Pathway/House theme/s as appropriate Honor your common Pathway/House Team agreements Support one another Have fun! Celebrate your community! Celebrate success!

Possible Individual Team Roles might include:

Business/Postsecondary/Community Liaison – Job Shadowing, Internships, Service Learning Opportunities

Speakers/Field Trips Mentor Program Student Organizations/Clubs Curriculum Coach & Professional Development Recruitment, Scheduling, Advisement Attendance & Policy Implementation Tutoring Program & other forms of Academic Support/Intervention Report/Grant Writing, Data Collection/Use Public Relations Materials Preparation – brochure, Fact Sheet, etc. Budget and Equipment/Instructional Supplies Order Management (as appropriate)

A Sampling of Possible Areas of Pathway Team Responsibilities

MENTOR PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Recruit mentors and mentor coordinators In-service mentors on expectations, support, etc. Assure all legal requirements (fingerprinting, etc. as appropriate) are met In-service students. Work as liaison between the program and mentor coordinators. Contact monthly. Contact each mentor once per quarter/semester Create data base of students to include all pertinent placement information and

disseminate to appropriate personnel Counsel unhappy students/mentors and take necessary steps to resolve conflicts. Monitor permission and attendance for mentor visitations Establish regular on-site mentor activities. Establish, promote, and maintain partnerships with the business/postsecondary

community.



RECRUITMENT COORDINATOR

Work with administration to establish timelines Present program to all 9th grade students (or other grades as appropriate) Compose and send informational letter to parents of all 9th grade students (or

other grades as appropriate) Field calls When possible, recruit and in-service existing Pathway students to assist in

the recruitment process Coordinate meetings w/interested 9th graders (or other grades as appropriate) Coordinate meeting with interested parents Collect and compile applications and pertinent data from applicants Determine list of students interested in entering the Pathway Coordinate interviews with interested students Make initial determination of Pathway students (Coordinate with other

Pathways to do so) (Coordinate lottery if appropriate) Inform students and parents of final decisions

o Tentative acceptanceo Waiting listo Other?? (If a student is not accepted/why?)

Coordinate meeting with parents/supporting adults of all students tentatively scheduled into Pathway.

Compose, collect, and compile initial Pathway commitment contracts.

SERVICE LEARNING/COMMUNITY SERVICE COORDINATOR

Develop working relationship with volunteer center/appropriate community based organizations (CBOs)

Work as a liaison between Pathway and volunteer center/CBOs Establish placements for students not placed by volunteer center/ CBOs Compile data base and provide list of students, placement, supervisors, phone

numbers, and locations to all necessary stakeholders Compile and maintain a data base of appropriate service learning/ community service

opportunities for students Collect and file appropriate permission slips for all students involved in Pathway

Service Learning placements and/or experiences Contact each placement no less than once a month by phone or email Visit each placement once each quarter or more often Counsel with both students and supervisors. If either the student or supervisor is

unhappy with the placement, take necessary steps to resolve the problem. Coordinate and oversee volunteer interviews. Monitor service learning/community service participation. Coordinate assessment of student volunteers (and, as appropriate, of placement

sites)

PUBLIC RELATIONS COORDINATOR

Write articles for school newspaper, local newspaper, staff newsletter, and school’s parent newsletter

Develop and maintain an Pathway website which is linked to the school website



Establish and coordinate in-service for Pathway parents (i.e., graduation requirements, Pathway goals and expectations, effective parenting workshops, how to support college aspirations, etc.)

Coordinate establishment of an Pathway parent support group Coordinate establishment of an Pathway parent volunteer program Work to promote business involvement in the Pathway (i.e., articles for local

businesses in-house publications, speaker’s bureau, panels for student exhibitions, etc.

Establish an Pathway newsletter for students, parents, administration, other school staff, Pathway partners, and other stakeholders

STUDENT ADVISEMENT/STUDENT SUPPORT COORDINATOR

Monitor student progress: Grades, attendance, and other Pathway objectives Inform Pathway staff of student progress on a regular, on-going basis. Develop/implement agreed-upon Pathway interventions, scaffolding and support for

student success Counsel/contract with students who are not yet achieving success Notify parents of student progress/growth/achievement Engage parents/supporting adults in supporting student success (home-school

partnership) Develop/monitor a Pathway tutoring team, student academic mentors, and other

supports for Pathway student success.

PATHWAY CURRICULUM COACH AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

Facilitate work to integrate Pathway curriculum around your Pathway theme and to flavor Pathway classes with your theme.

Facilitate integration of literacy and math and career-technical standards into the curriculum of all Pathway classes

Section III – FormsPhoto Release Form:



Study Trip Procedures:

Use the District Links below to review the WCCUSD Study Trip Procedures, Checklist, and Request Form.

Procedures:

http://www.wccusd.net/22771063163058947/lib/22771063163058947/Study_Trip_Procedures_Manual.pdf

Study Trip Request Checklist:

http://www.wccusd.net/22771063163058947/lib/22771063163058947/Study_Trip_Request_Checklist.pdf

Study Trip Request Form:

http://www.wccusd.net/22771063163058947/lib/22771063163058947/Study_Trip_Request_Form.pdf

Linked Learning Hours Request Form:

Section IV – Key Contact Information(This Section Incomplete)Mike Aaronian CCRC [email protected] Cornejo CCRC [email protected] Fendel ROP [email protected] Teat ROP [email protected] Aguilar Budgets [email protected] Kitchen Bi-Tech [email protected] Clark CASN [email protected] Harris ConnectEd [email protected]









Dave Yanofsky ConnectEd [email protected]

Jerry Winthrop CDE [email protected] Kirkman CCRC [email protected] Crosby CCRC [email protected]

Section V – Calendars and TimelinesCalifornia Partnership Academy Timeline

*See Page 18 for Annual CPA Timeline

2012-2013 Lead Teacher Professional Development Calendar Put Lead PD Meeting Dates here

WCCUSD Academic Calendar 2012-13

New Teacher Orientation August 15Staff Development August 16Teacher Workday August 17First Day of School (Minimum Day) August 20Terence Martin Day (Memorial Day) (School is in Session) August 23Labor Day (District Holiday) September 3Back To School Night - Elementary (Minimum Day, Elementary Schools)

September 13

Back To School Night - Middle Schools (Minimum Day, Middle Schools)

September 20

Back To School Night - High Schools (Minimum Day, High Schools)

September 27

Classified Training Day & Staff Development (No School) October 12End of 1st Quarter October 26Minimum Day – Middle and High School (Mark Report Cards) October 29Minimum Day – Elementary and Middle Schools October 31Elementary Conference Day (No School, Elementary Students Only)

November 6

Elementary Parent Conferences (Minimum Days, Elementary Schools)

November 5,7,8,9

End of Trimester 1 November 8Veterans' Day Holiday (District Holiday) November 12Minimum Day, All Schools November 21Thanksgiving Holidays (District Holidays) November 22-23Minimum Day, All Schools December 14



Winter Recess (No School) December 17- January 1District Holidays Dec. 24, 25, January 1Classes Reconvene After Recess January 2End of 2nd Quarter January 18Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (District Holiday) January 21Secondary Work Day (No School, Middle & High School Students Only)

January 22

Presidents' Week Recess (No School) February 18-22End of Trimester 2 March 1Open House – Elementary Schools (Minimum Day, Elementary Schools)

March 7

Open House – Middle Schools (Minimum Day, Middle schools)

March 14

Open House – High Schools (Minimum Day, High schools) March 21Minimum Day – Middle and High School (Mark Report Cards) March 29End of 3rd Quarter March 29Spring Recess (No School) April 1-5District Holiday April 1Memorial Day (District Holiday) May 27Last Day of School (noon dismissal) June 7

Section VI – BudgetsCPA Lead Teachers oversee their Academy Budget. Budgets, PRs, and POs are monitored and created in the District Bi-Tech system. Lead Teachers can be granted access to Bi-Tech by contacting Mike Aaronian. There is also training opportunities for lead teachers to learn how to navigate the Bi-Tech system, contact Mike Aaronian for more information.

Budget information is part of the Letter of Intent completed at the end of each school year, AND the End of Project report due August 31st.

For CPA programs, there are clear guidelines:

*No more than 40 percent should be allocated for personnel costs (line items 1000, 2000, and 3000 inclusive)

*No more than 25 percent should be allocated for technology.

*Field trips should be instructional in nature and tied to the career area of the academy

Planning Your Budget: Evaluate the progress of the Academy each year. Use the CPA funds for time toevaluate for program improvement.

Include input from your Advisory Committee when developing the Academy’s



budget for the upcoming year. Carefully plan expenditures of the grant funds, aswell as the district and business partner matches for the success of the Academyand the students.

The CPA grant funds are supplemental in nature, use these funds foractivities/items over and above what is offered at the school site as part of everystudent’s standard curriculum.

Make sure that your budget forms are completed thoroughly and accurately andthat the narrative portion is included with enough detail to show a good picture ofplanned expenditures.

Make sure the budget includes the appropriate signatures from the principal andthe district business manager.

*Be careful NOT to supplant activities or items, such as:

o Annual allocated classroom supplies for ALL school classroomso Standard classroom textbookso Teaching salaries

Budget Categories

CPA budgets are organized around the types of funds. Below is a brief summary of the budget classifications:

1000 Certificated Personnel Salaries (District) or Partner Time (Bus.)

2000 Classified Personnel Salaries

3000 Employee Benefits

4000 Books and Supplies

5000 Services and Other Operating Expenses/Travel and Conferences

6000 Capital Outlay (Refer to District for capital outlay dollar threshold)

7000 Indirect Rate (CDE approved rates apply. Visit CDE Web site at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/ac/ic)

Sample CPA Budget Narrative

*A complete CPA budget includes the budget form and the budget narrative. The narrative explains the numbers shown on the budget form. Carmel Aguilar ([email protected]; ext. 11138) in the Fiscal Department will support you with getting


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/ac/ic


accurate budget numbers. The sample below is a BUDGET NARRATIVE, which is completed by each Academy Lead Teacher.

EXAMPLES ONLY: The descriptions and line items may or may not apply to your specific CPA program. This example pertains to a Biotechnology Academy

Object Code

CPA GRANT FUNDS

NARRATIVE

DISTRICT MATCH NARRATIVE BUSINESS MATCH NARRATIVE

1000 $4,000 = Extra time for curriculum development

$1,082 substitute time

$10,000 = 1/6 coordinator time to plan, coordinate, & oversee academy components/activities

$18,285 = Class size reduction costs$2,640 = Subs for planning time$4,000 = 8 days site administration support above normal responsibilities$4,000 = After school Tutoring

Program

$4,775 = Estimated value of advisory committee meetings$20,000 = Estimated value of classroom speakers$11,000 = Estimated value of mentor coordination$18,000 = Estimated value of partners’ time in job shadowing coordination/ activities

2000 $3,300 Part-time secretary: 20 weeks, provides general support

3000 Certificated Benefits (approx.): Certificated time @ 25% = $3,500Classified Benefits:

Part-time secretary @ 8% =$825

$8,750 = 25% benefits for above costs



Object Code

CPA GRANT FUNDS

NARRATIVE


4000 $9,750 = Anatomical models for Health studies; DNA lab and teaching activity lab

$5,000 = 2 laptops @ $1,250; 1 laser printer @ $2,500

$6,500 = Supplemental CTE textbooks for the health class & health-oriented literature books for English

$4,000 = Computer software for academy

$1,000 = award certificates/pins

$3,500 = Printing costs for marketing material, i.e. brochures/presentations and parent correspondence

$1,750 = Uniform shirts$1,750 = Academy promotional items, such as cups, pens, health-related items, and plaques$6,000 = Donated computers/software$5,500 = Donated Bio Rhythm machine

5000 Example: (Travel & Conf.):

$550 = Site Coordinator to attend HS Regional Support Workshop

$3,500 = 3 academy staff to attend annual conference, March 2008

$20,755 = Field Trips for:

10th- [trips w/location/description]*

11th- [trips w/location/description]* 12th- [trips w/location/description]*

Example (Subcontract Info):

$5,000 = 2 trainers to provide 15 days of research-based, health tech. training

$500 = facility rental cost for advisory meeting

$3,000 = Van/bus transportation for field trips

$4,000 = Travel/conference costs for academy staff to attend professional development activities

$3,250 = Rental costs for academy recognition activities

$10,000 = Rental costs of facility for academy staff professional development activities and student events ceremonies

$2,225 = food for student events/ceremonies



Object Code

CPA GRANT FUNDS

NARRATIVE


6000 $12,460 = Cost of DNA Separator (includes filtering equipment for chemical lab)$8,000 = 1 Network Server

$8,075 = Renovate and enlarge lab to accommodate academy technical class

7000 Indirect: For indirect approved rate, visit CDE Web site at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/ac/ic/

Note: indirect is not charged on line item 6000

Total: = $2,778

Examples of District Match

Smaller class size Extra preps for Academy Coordinator(s) and teachers Release time for curriculum development, program planning, and team building Counselor assignment for supplemental Academy-only activities or smaller counselor-to-

student ratio than other counselors Additional staff and administrative hours spent on CPA events/needs that are not provided for

other programs/students Staff development, in-services, and workshops related to the Academy Transportation for field trips, to postsecondary classes, to internships, and job shadowing

locations Program activities applied using any part of another grant (Perkins, Smaller Learning

Communities, Agriculture Incentive Grant, Prop 1D, etc.) Administrative time specifically applied to supporting/coordinating the Academy Substitute costs to support program activities Equipment purchased for the academy Instructional and classified assistants for academy-only projects that are over and above

normal workload. A Partnership Academy Regional Occupation Program (ROP) class can be counted as a district

match if the funding for this class is allocated from the district and if the ROP class is Academy-pure, meaning that it is being offered to only academy students as a class for the Partnership Academy.


http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/ac/ic/

http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/ac/ic/


Section VII – Academy Operations

Section VIII – Working with ConnectEd CaliforniaConnectEd is the District Partner in Linked Learning implementation, and provides resources and professional development for pathway teams and educational leaders. This section will provide a collection of resources developed by ConnectEd for their District Partners.

Pathway Community of Practice Continuum (Draft, 2012)Pathway Community of Practice Continuum – Collaborative Team Cycle of Inquiry and Improvement

Collaborative teams in Linked Learning pathways can use this tool to understand the design of high quality, outcome-aligned performance tasks and units of instruction and the creation of a collaborative culture of continuous improvement, to assess



current status as a learning-focused community of practice, to set specific goals, to reflect on progress and the results of their efforts, and to identify support needs.

Identifying and Using Learning Outcomes

Academic and CTE teachers work with colleagues on their pathway team, and with district and industry partners, to create clear pathway, course and project outcomes aligned with academic content, Common Core and CTE standards. These outcomes guide their pathway’s program of study and their assessment, curricular and instructional planning.

(0) Emerging (1) (2) Developing (3) (4) Sustaining (5)

Pathway outcomes… Pathway outcomes… Pathway outcomes...

include knowledge and skills from more than one domain: academic, career, or 21st century

include academic, career, and 21st century knowledge and skills

integrate academic, career, and 21st century knowledge and skills within the context of the pathway theme

align with either the school’s or district’s graduate outcomes.

align with both the school’s and district’s graduate outcomes

partially reflect the measurable performance level necessary for college and career readiness.

fully reflect Common Core and CTE standards, and the level of performance necessary for college and career readiness.

are partially articulated across the grade levels, forming progress benchmarks

are fully articulated across the grade levels through progress benchmarks

include some key standards Include all key standards appropriate to the pathway

Include all key standards appropriate to the pathway

Implicitly inform the program of study, curriculum, instruction, and assessment

partially guide the design of the pathway’s program of study, instructional and assessment

fully drive the pathway’s program of study, instruction and assessment

Course and project outcomes are largely independent of pathway outcomes

50% of pathway teachers use pathway outcomes to drive curriculum and assessment through aligned course and project outcomes

100% of pathway teachers use aligned course and project outcomes to drive curriculum and assessment in single classes and across the pathway

School personnel can generally refer to pathway outcomes

School personnel can describe the pathways and explain generally how outcomes are supported within the program of study, curriculum, and assessment

Teachers describe how a specific skill or standard assessed connects to pathways outcomes

Students and industry partners can make general reference to pathway outcomes.

When asked, students can generally describe how their work addresses a pathway outcome.

Students can articulate where they are in the process toward outcome mastery

Developing and Using Common Criteria and Rubrics:

Academic and CTE teachers collaborate with colleagues on their team, and with district and industry partners when appropriate to select the outcomes-aligned criteria and language in common rubrics that they will use to judge the quality of student products and performances.


Teachers design/adapt rubrics: Teachers design/adapt common rubrics: Teachers design/adapt common rubrics:

that are checklists that describe task completion

with quantitative criteria language that does not address task complexity and quality of student work

with descriptive language to address task complexity and quality of student work as a means to show learning

that are project-specific, typically in isolation from each other

that are aligned to pathway, school, or district outcomes

that are aligned to pathway, school, and district outcomes

are independent of pathway outcomes

that are aligned to key standards that are aligned to key standards

that they write by themselves in isolation

in collaboration with colleagues with help from students and industry partners



that, when appropriate, are validated by industry partners as representing what it means to perform well for that criteria

to score one or two tasks with shared criteria

use more than two common tasks that are designed to score multiple tasks with shared criteria

as a formative learning tool for students

as a formative learning tool for students which students use them for self-assessment and to assess anchors/exemplars in order to internalize quality criteria and levels


Designing Assessment Tasks:

Academic and CTE teachers, collaborate with industry and other partners to design authentic performance assessment tasks for projects and courses by which students will demonstrate their progress towards and defend their mastery of course, pathway and district graduate outcomes, as measured on common rubrics.


Performance assessment tasks: Performance assessment tasks: Performance assessment tasks:

are designed by a single teacher for individual classroom use.

are designed by an interdisciplinary teacher team for application in multiple subject areas

are designed by the interdisciplinary teacher teams with industry partners for application in multiple subject areas

are aligned to project-specific rubrics

are aligned to pathway outcomes and common rubrics

are intentionally aligned to pathway outcomes and common rubrics, mindful of past patterns of student learning

lead to a culminating event at the course level or grade level

lead to a culminating event at the course level or grade level with clearly aligned to pathway outcomes

are designed to have students complete a performance task once and their grade is recorded

are designed to have students receive feedback about a task and have at least one opportunity to revise and reflect upon their work

allow students to have multiple opportunities to revise and perform the task and reflect upon their progress toward pathway outcomes

provide some, but not all of the following information: knowledge, materials, timeline, parameters, product or performance

provide clear instructions, including the knowledge and materials needed, timeline, and models of performance or product students are to create

provide a somewhat realistic context provide as realistic a context as possible

provide some differentiated access to task, though some aspects may be more difficult for some students to obtain

comprise a system of scaffolded and rigorous performance assessments that culminate in a clear body of work that shows demonstration of mastery of all aspects of the pathway’s grade level benchmarks at the end of the year

that culminate with the class or teacher as audience

include an internal audience or consequence in the design of performance assessments

ensure quality by:o including a broader

audience or client beyond the school

o requiring some form of public exhibition

o requiring critique by teachers as well as students and external industry partners using a shared set of rigor and quality indicators

Designing Units of Instruction:

Academic and CTE teachers collaborate with industry and other partners to design integrated units of instruction that reflect the five linked learning behaviors of learning and teaching (BLTs) and through which students demonstrate proficiency on the performance assessment tasks as measured by the rubric.


Individual teachers: Pathway teams: Pathway teams:

design and implement single-discipline project-based units

collaboratively align and integrate themes and essential questions with either other academic disciplines or industry partners

collaboratively align and integrate themes, essential questions, multiple content areas and learning beyond the classroom (e.g. work-based learning) into the core of the multidisciplinary project

use elements of the Linked Learning Learning & Teaching Framework in the design of projects

partially align units of instruction to pathway outcomes

align units of instruction to the pathway outcomes, planning with the end in mind.

assess student work upon culmination of student learning

develop formative assessments while teaching the unit to monitor student learning

develop in advance formative assessments to be used at specific points throughout the unit to monitor learning


Designing Formative Assessments to Monitor Learning:Pathway teachers design short-cycle formative assessments to be used during their units of instruction to (a) identify students who need additional time and support for learning; (b) use patterns in student learning to discover strengths and weaknesses in curriculum and our individual teaching; and (c) measure individual and common progress toward pathway outcomes and key standards, (d) provide corrective feedback to students so they can revise and refine their work

(0) Emerging (1) (2

) Developing (3) (4) Sustaining (5)

Teachers monitor learning: Teachers monitor learning: Teachers monitor learning:

sporadically during the task or lessons

before the end of a task through formative assessments

by using formative assessments to note progress toward the end outcomes and plan the next action to address student learning needs

at the end of a task or a set of lessons through quizzes or tests

by collecting data that measures daily instruction and informs of student progress towards culminating outcome

by collecting data from formative assessments and by involving students in self-assessment to understand their progress toward the end outcomes, their learning needs, and plan their next action

and view the data it yields as an indicator of student learning only

to note their strengths and weaknesses in the curriculum and in their teaching

by using the results of formative assessments to improve the curriculum and their teaching

in order to revise their units of instruction by incorporating feedback from all of the stakeholders (students, industry partners, pathway co-teachers)

Glossary

Term DefinitionCommon RubricsBackwards Planning The teacher starts with outcomes for the students and then plans the curriculum to lead toward

those outcomes.

Formative Assessment Assessment that provides feedback to the teacher and to students for the purpose of improving instruction and learning. Frequently referred to as “assessment FOR learning”. Formative assessment includes minute-by-minute monitoring of student learning, checking for understanding, diagnostic and progress monitoring assessments, and pre-assessments, and student self-assessments.

Learning Outcome (or Learning Target)

The academic knowledge, behaviors, and skills that students (or others) are expected to learn and demonstrate. Learning outcomes can be created for a specific lesson, task or project, for a course, or for a student’s career in a pathway or school.

Multidisciplinary Project

When working on multi-disciplinary projects, students are charged with finding viable solutions to real problems, or with achieving specific individual or group outcomes, through units of instruction that are horizontally aligned in several disciplines.

Performance-Based Assessment

A form of testing that requires students to perform a task rather than select an answer from a ready-made list. It is an activity that requires to construct a response, create a product, or to



(ConnectEd’s definition) perform a demonstration. The more it reflects a “real world” situation, the more authentic it is.

Performance Assessment (Envision’s definition)

A multi-step assignment that asks students to create a response or product in order to demonstrate and measure complex skills.

Performance Mapping The process of determining and representing performance criteria within a purposely designed course and pathway scope and sequence.

Portfolio A systematic and organized collection of a student’s work that exhibits to others the direct evidence of a student’s efforts, achievements, and progress toward learning outcomes over a period of time. The collection should involve the student in selection of its contents, and should include information about the performance criteria, the rubric of criteria for judging merit, and evidence of student self-reflection or evaluation.

Portfolio Assessment A portfolio becomes a portfolio assessment when (1) the assessment purpose is defined; (2) criteria or methods are made clear for determining what is put into the portfolio, by whom, and when; and (3) criteria for assessing either the collection or individual pieces of work are identified and used to make judgments about performance. Portfolios can be designed to assess student progress, effort, and/or achievement, and encourage students to reflect on their learning.

Rubric A rubric is an important teaching and assessment tool that clearly defines for the student, teacher, and others a range of performance and/or product quality for specific criteria linked to student learning outcomes. Rubrics have performance criteria, levels and descriptors.Performance Criteria: Criteria define the attributes of the performance and/or product being assessed on the rubric.Performance Levels: Levels define the scale for scoring performance and/or product quality.Performance Descriptors: Descriptors specifically define the attributes of the performance or product for each criterion, at each level of quality.

Summative Assessment A culminating assessment, which gives information on students' mastery of content, knowledge, or skills. Frequently referred to as “assessment OF learning”.

Program of Study Worksheet

9th grade 10th grade 11th grade 12th grade

AC

AD

EMIC

CO

RE

English

Mathematics

Science



History/Social Science

Language OtherThan English

Visual andPerforming Arts

TEC

HN

ICA

L C

OR

E

Technical Courses

WO

RK

-BA

SED Work-based

Learning Opportunities



SUPP

OR

T SE

RVI

CES

Support Services and Personal-ization

INTE

GR

ATE

D C

UR

RIC

ULU

M

Integrated Curriculum

Gap Analysis WorksheetGap Analysis Worksheet: To be used in conjunction with the Rubric for Linked Learning Pathway CertificationTo facilitate team collaboration and shared leadership, each certification criteria section is color coded with a page break between each section.Pathway: Lead: School: District:1. PATHWAY DESIGNThe pathway is designed with a structure, governance, and program of study that provide all students with opportunities for both postsecondary and career success.

Criteria # Criteria Not Met Criteria Met Criteria Exceeded Existing Evidence for Student Outcomes/ Certification

Criteria

Self Assessment* Priority**

1.1Design Structure1.1.1. Pathway theme

Pathway theme is either (1) defined narrowly and, as such, limits postsecondary and/or career options for participants, or (2)

Pathway represents a theme that is broad enough to appeal to and engage any student, regardless of

Pathway represents a theme that is broad enough to appeal to and engage any student, regardless of his or her prior



Pathway: Lead: School: District:1. PATHWAY DESIGNThe pathway is designed with a structure, governance, and program of study that provide all students with opportunities for both postsecondary and career success.


Criteria


is not designed to accommodate a full range of students regardless of their prior academic achievement and/or postsecondary aspirations.

his or her prior academic achievement and postsecondary aspirations. The theme has been selected based on at least student interest and one other criterion.

academic achievement and postsecondary aspirations. The theme has been thoughtfully selected based on student interest and several other criteria, which may include teacher expertise, regional workforce needs, existence of related career and technical education (CTE) course sequences, articulation opportunities with nearby postsecondary institutions, and the interest of industry partners.

1.1Design Structure1.1.2. Program of study

Pathway consists of a program of study that either (1) is not coherent, (2) spans less than 3 years, (3) includes fewer than three academic courses and one technical course per grade level, or (4) is not sequenced and coordinated.

Pathway consists of a coherent program of study that spans at least grades 10–12 and includes at least three core academic courses and one technical course (or equivalent) in each grade level. By design, the curriculum is sequenced and coordinated.

Pathway consists of a coherent 4-year program of study that includes core academic courses and at least one technical course at each grade level. By design, the curriculum is sequenced and coordinated.

1.1Design Structure1.1.3. Student recruitment and selection

Pathway’s student recruitment and selection process either (1) is not formalized, (2) does not provide open access, (3) assigns students, or (4) yields a demographic distribution that is substantially different than that of the school and district.

Pathway’s student recruitment and selection process is formalized and ensures open access to students who volunteer for the pathway based on their interests. Pathway demographics reflect relatively well (within 20 percent of racial/ethnic, gender, and achievement groups) those of the school and district.

Pathway’s student recruitment and selection process is formalized and ensures open access to students who volunteer for the pathway based on their interests. Pathway demographics reflect almost exactly those of the school and district.

1.1Design Structure1.1.4. Cohort scheduling

Cohort scheduling is not implemented at a level that allows the vast majority of pathway students to participate in multidisciplinary projects.

Pathway students participate as a cohort in the academic and technical courses that are part of the Program of Study to enable flexible use of class time and instructional methodologies that promote multidisciplinary projects and work-based learning experiences.

School and pathway leadership nurtures a professional learning community among staff, and the schedule provides daily collaboration time for program coordination, the analysis of student work and data, curricular integration, and resolution of student problems.



Pathway: Lead: School: District:1. PATHWAY DESIGNThe pathway is designed with a structure, governance, and program of study that provide all students with opportunities for both postsecondary and career success.


Criteria


1.1Design Structure1.1.5. Staff collaboration

Pathway staff either (1) do not operate as a professional learning community, (2) do not meet regularly, or (3) do not make effective use of collaboration time.

School and pathway leadership nurtures a professional learning community among staff, and the schedule provides weekly collaboration time for program coordination, the analysis of student work and data, curricular integration, and resolution of student problems.

School and pathway leadership nurtures a professional learning community among staff, and the schedule provides daily collaboration time for program coordination, the analysis of student work and data, curricular integration, and resolution of student problems.

1.1Design Structure1.1.6. Pathway preparation and orientation

Students enter into a pathway with little or no orientation or transition services.

The pathway provides an orientation and other transition services for incoming students preferably beginning in middle school and involving parents.

For two or more years prior to pathway entry, parents and students are informed of pathway options and are exposed to a sequence of activities to ensure appropriate pathway selection, preparation, and smooth transition.

1.1Design Structure1.1.7. Postsecondary articulation

Pathway may have connections with local postsecondary institutions, but formal agreements are either lacking or limited.

Pathway promotes a seamless transition at least to local community college(s) by putting in place articulation agreements, dual- enrollment, and/or other formal and informal activities. Articulation with other institutions is planned or in progress.

Pathway assures a seamless transition to multiple postsecondary education and training options through articulation agreements, dual- enrollment, and other formal and informal activities.

1.2Governance1.2.1. Advisory board with broad representation

An advisory board may exist, but either (1) is not active, (2) meets infrequently, (3) doesn’t serve in an advisory capacity, or (4) includes limited stakeholders.

An active advisory board meets at least quarterly to set policies, develop resources, and advise the Program of Study. It includes representation from several involved stakeholders, including employers, educators, and community partners.

An active advisory board meets monthly to set policies, develop resources, and advise the Program of Study. It includes representation from involved employers, students, parents, higher education and community partners, pathway staff, and district and site administration.



Pathway: Lead: School: District:2. Engaged LearningIn supportive learning communities, students meet technical and academic standards and college entrance requirements through real-world applications, integrated project-/problem-based instruction, authentic assessments, and work-based learning.


Criteria

Self Assessment

*

Priority**

2.1 Standards-AlignedCurriculum2.1.1. Academic core

The academic curriculum is not rigorous enough to lead to student mastery on standardized tests or other authentic assessment measures.

The academic curriculum is aligned to state standards and designed to lead to student mastery on standardized tests as well as on more authentic assessment measures.

The academic curriculum is aligned to state standards and demonstrated to lead to student mastery on standardized tests as well as on more authentic assessment measures.

2.1 Standards-Aligned Curriculum2.1.2. Technical core

The technical courses either (1) are limited to fewer than three courses or (2) are not aligned to state CTE or industry standards.

A sequence or cluster of three or more technical courses (or their equivalent) is aligned to state CTE standards and/or industry standards.

A sequence or cluster of six or more technical courses is aligned to state CTE standards and/or industry standards. Multiple sequences offer specialization options for students.

2.2 Preparation for Postsecondary Options2.2.1. Postsecondary preparatory curriculum

The pathway Program of Study does not adequately prepare students for success—without remediation—in California’s community colleges, universities, apprenticeships, and other postsecondary programs.

The pathway Program of Study prepares students for success—without remediation— in California’s community colleges, universities, apprenticeships, and other postsecondary programs.

As evidenced by several years of data, the pathway Program of Study prepares students for success—without remediation—in California’s community colleges, universities, apprenticeships, and other postsecondary programs.

2.2 Preparation for Postsecondary Options2.2.2. Technical component

A sequence or cluster of technical courses either (1) consists of fewer than three courses, (2) delivers basic or advanced industry knowledge and skills, but not both, (3) does not adequately emphasize industry-related knowledge and skills, or (4) does not use authentic applications.

A sequence or cluster of three or more technical courses delivers basic and advanced industry knowledge and skills. The focus is on preparing youth for high-skill, high-wage employment by emphasizing industry-related knowledge and skills, using authentic applications that bring learning to life.

A sequence or cluster of six or more technical courses delivers basic and advanced industry knowledge and skills. The focus is on preparing youth for high-skill, high-wage employment by emphasizing industry-related knowledge and skills, using authentic applications that bring learning to life.

2.3 Real-World Relevance2.3.1. Real-world relevance

Attempts at delivering academic core courses using career-related applications either lack authenticity or lower student expectations.

Academic core courses deliver standards- based content through authentic, career- or industry-related applications. Pathways alter how core academic subjects are taught; they do not lower expectations about what is taught.

Academic core courses deliver standards-based content through complex, authentic, career- or industry-related applications. Students interact regularly with industry partners. Student assessment incorporates both academic and industry standards.

2.4 Integrated Curriculum2.4.1. Multidisciplinary integrated curriculum

Use of inquiry-based instruction is not yet common practice among many pathway teachers and/or regular teachers. This approach actively fosters student development of communication and teamwork skills, among other Habits of Mind, SCANS, and 21st-Century Skills.

Pathway teachers commonly use inquiry- based instruction that enables students to experience authentic theme-based situations that require integrating knowledge and skills from several disciplines. This approach fosters communication and teamwork skills, among other Habits of Mind, SCANS, and 21st- Century Skills.

A good portion of the pathway curriculum is delivered through inquiry-based instruction that enables students to experience authentic theme- based situations that are integrated and multidisciplinary. Through this approach, students master communication and teamwork skills, among other Habits of Mind, SCANS, and 21st-Century Skills, which are assessed and reported.

2.4 Integrated Curriculum2.4.2. Curricular alignment

There is relatively little curricular alignment across disciplines and/or grade levels.

Teachers collaborate within and across disciplines and grade levels to provide students with a coordinated, coherent curriculum.

Teachers use formalized processes and structures to collaborate within and across disciplines and grade levels to provide students with a highly coordinated, coherent curriculum.

2.5 Instruction and Assessment

Pathway students may participate in multidisciplinary projects,

Each year, pathway students participate in at least two extended (2- to

Each year, pathway students participate in several extended





Criteria

Self Assessment

*

Priority**

2.5.1. Project-/Problem-based approach

but they are either infrequent, include few disciplines, or are brief (i.e., days).

4-week) multidisciplinary projects that integrate academic and technical course content. Additional projects are planned or in development.

multidisciplinary projects that integrate academic and technical course content.

2.5 Instruction and Assessment2.5.2. Authentic assessment

Pathway teachers rely almost exclusively on traditional or standardized assessments to measure student success, and they make little effort to design and use more authentic assessments.

To complement traditional or standardized student assessments, pathway teachers periodically design and use a variety of assessments to gain an accurate understanding of student learning. Assessments include opportunities for students to demonstrate skills and knowledge through real-world application.

To complement traditional and standardized student assessments, pathway teachers regularly design and use a variety of assessments to gain an accurate understanding of student learning. Assessments include opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery of skills and knowledge through real-world application.

2.6 Work-Based Learning (WBL)2.6.1. Coordinated, sequenced, and scaled work-based learning (WBL)

Work-based learning (WBL) experiences are available to a limited number of pathway students. Plans are being developed to expand these opportunities.

Pathway offers one or more WBL experiences to a large percentage of pathway students. Pathway has plans and resources to substantially expand WBL experiences in the next year or two so that they become more coordinated, sequenced, and scaled.

Pathway offers real-world learning opportunities to all pathway students through a 4-year coordinated and structured sequence of WBL experiences that progresses in duration and intensity and increases student expectations and independence.

2.6 Work-Based Learning (WBL)2.6.2. Connected to academic and technical coursework

Students are left to their own devicesto make connections between WBL experiences and classroom learning.

At least in limited ways (e.g., through reflection), WBL experiences do not occur in a vacuum: they are connected to and reinforce classroom learning.

In an intentional and structured way, WBL experiences and classroom learning mutually reinforce one another.

2.7 Support Services and Personalization2.7.1. Supportive atmosphere

Pathway promotes personalization through limited size, teacher teamwork, and/or strong student- teacher relationships, but not necessarily all three.

Pathway maintains personalization through limited size, teacher teamwork, and strong teacher-student relationships. Students feel supported.

Pathway maintains personalization through limited size, teacher teamwork, and strong teacher-student relationships. Students feel supported, highly valued, and part of a family.

2.7 Support Services and Personalization2.7.2. Student engagement

Pathway staff attempt to create, but have not fully succeeded in doing so, a culture where students are actively engaged in their learning.

Pathway staff consciously and consistently work to create a culture where students are actively engaged in their learning, both in and out of the school setting.

Evidence suggests that staff have succeeded in creating a culture where students are actively engaged in their learning, both in and out of the school setting.

2.7 Support Services and Personalization2.7.3. Differentiated instruction

Daily instruction may be differentiated by some teachers some of the time, but doing so is based on individual teacher training and inclination, rather than pathway staff collaboration and coordination.

In a somewhat routine way, daily instruction is designed with the knowledge that students vary in their preferred method of gaining information, understanding ideas, and demonstrating mastery. Some pathway teachers use multiple methods of presenting course content and assessing student learning to address each student’s learning needs.

Through formalized processes, daily instruction is designed with the knowledge that students vary in their preferred method of gaining information, understanding ideas, and demonstrating mastery. All pathway teachers regularly use multiple methods of presenting course content and assessing student learning to address each student’s learning needs.

2.7 Support Services and Personalization2.7.4. Academic

Academic interventions are emerging and serve the needs of some students, but more must be done to address a range of needs for

Pathway students performing below grade level are supported by a range of services, which may include supplemental instruction, tutoring, credit

Pathway students performing below grade level are supported by a range of services that, to the extent possible, are provided within the pathway





Criteria

Self Assessment

*

Priority**

intervention students. recovery, before- and/or after- school programs, and academic support programs.

and use the pathway’s theme to motivate and engage students in learning. Evidence has demonstrated that these interventions have yielded substantial gains in student achievement.

2.7 Support Services and Personalization2.7.5. Guidance and counseling

Pathway students are served by counselors, but they may be assigned alphabetically or by grade level, rather than by pathway.

Pathway has a designated counselor who knows pathway students and is familiar with the unique characteristics and needs of the pathway. The counselor participates actively in pathway team meetings.

Pathway has a designated counselor who knows pathway students well and is familiar with the unique characteristics and needs of the pathway. The counselor participates actively in pathway team meetings. The counselor plays a lead role in recruiting students, coordinating interventions, and aligning course selection and WBL experiences with student interests, among other roles.

2.7 Support Services and Personalization2.7.6. College and career planning

Each pathway student has a 4-year pathway Program of Study, but it may neither extend down to middle school nor ahead to postsecondary education, training, and career pursuits.

Each pathway student has a multiyear college and career plan that is informed by a range of college and career planning activities, extends through high school, and guides decisions about postsecondary education, training, and career pursuits.

Each pathway student has an 8- to 10-year college and career plan that establishes a throughline from middle school career exploration activities to postsecondary degree attainment and career pursuits. It is informed by a robust set of college and career planning activities.



Pathway: Lead: School: District:3. SYSTEM SUPPORTDistrict policies and practices provide leadership, support, and resources to establish and sustain quality pathways.

Criteria # Criteria Not Met Criteria Met Criteria Exceeded Existing Evidence for Student Outcomes/

Certification Criteria

Self Assessment

*

Priority**

3.1 District Policies3.1.1. Pathway choice, equity, and access

Students are expected to attend their local high school. District and/or school policies and practices do not yet offer pathway of choice or placement equity.

District and school policies and procedures at least allow students to choose pathway options (within the school) and promote equity in placement of students in pathways. The district is addressing issues of school choice and transportation to ensure cross- district choice, equity, and access.

A range of district, school, and pathway policies and procedures support pathway development, implementation, and sustainability, including allowing students to choose pathway options; ensure equity in placement of students in pathways; and ensure that transportation issues do not preclude students from participating in the pathway of their choice.

3.1 District Policies3.1.2. Recruitment and hiring practices

Administrators tend to assign pathway teachers without ample consideration of unique pathway staffing needs.

District and site administrators do what they can to meet the needs of pathway teams through recruitment, hiring, and retention of pathway teachers, but district policies and procedures do not yet guide these practices in a systemic way.

District policies and practices value the recruitment, hiring, retention, and evaluation of pathway team members, as well as the need for pathway staff stability that supports ongoing pathway maturation and sustainability.

3.1 District Policies3.1.3. Accountability and autonomy

District policies hold school sites and pathways accountable for improving student outcomes, and in doing so may mandate certain curriculum, instructional methodologies, pacing, and scheduling that is neither consistent with nor supportive of a pathways approach.

District policies hope that pathways will improve student outcomes, and allow for some degree of site and pathway autonomy in determining the curriculum, instructional methodologies, pacing, and scheduling that will result in reaching those outcomes.

District policies hold school sites and pathways accountable for improving student outcomes, but allow for substantial site and pathway autonomy in determining the curriculum, instructional methodologies, pacing, and scheduling that will result in reaching those outcomes.

3.2 Leadership3.2.1. Support from school board and superintendent

Pathways develop in spite of the system, rather than with district support. As long as pathways are yielding student achievement gains, district administrators allow current functioning.

District leaders support pathways and protect their current level of functioning, but may neither serve as champions nor align resources, policies, and procedures to promote pathway quality and sustainability.

The district Board of Education and Superintendent are champions of a pathways approach, publicly endorse it, offer active support, and align resources, policies, and procedures to promote pathway quality and sustainability.

3.2 Leadership3.2.2. Support from site leadership

The high school principal and other administrators do not get in the way of pathway development and are willing to support pathway funding, facilities, staffing, and scheduling, when these activities do not conflict with other site priorities. Site leaders may have limited understanding of and commitment to pathways.

The high school principal and other administrators generally support the pathway and cooperate to help secure funding, facilities, staffing, scheduling, and support. Site leaders have a common understanding of, vision for, and commitment to pathways and their potential to improve student outcomes.

The high school principal and other administrators publicly advocate for the pathway and are actively involved in its funding, facilities, staffing, scheduling, and support. Site leaders have a common understanding of, vision for, and commitment to pathways and their potential to reduce high school dropout rates, raise student achievement, increase high school completion and postsecondary transition, and boost students’ earning power.

3.3 ProfessionalDevelopment3.3.1. Teacher professional development

The district requires participation in professional development activities that may not be consistent with the needs of pathway teachers and may limit teacher participation in professional development that is better aligned with their needs.

Site and district administrators support training for pathway teachers that is aligned with their self-identified needs. Support may be demonstrated by allocating resources, granting release time, and promoting a team approach.

Site and district administrators provide or help arrange training for pathway teachers in areas central to pathway quality, such as curricular integration, project-based teaching strategies, student support, and employer involvement.

3.4 Qualified Staff

The site principal either (1) does not acknowledge that

The site principal acknowledges that successful pathway

The site principal works collaboratively with pathway teacher leaders to actively



Pathway: Lead: School: District:3. SYSTEM SUPPORTDistrict policies and practices provide leadership, support, and resources to establish and sustain quality pathways.



Self Assessment

*

Priority**

3.4.1. Skilled teachers

pathway teachers must possess a unique set of skills and proficiencies or (2) does not set priorities for assigning, hiring, and retaining qualified teachers in the pathway.

teachers must possess a unique set of skills and proficiencies, in addition to those required of all teachers. He or she hires and/or assigns qualified and willing teachers to fulfill these roles.

recruit and hire uniquely qualified pathway staff that possess a unique set of skills and proficiencies. Policies and/or practices are in place to keep the pathway team of teachers together to promote pathway quality and sustainability.

3.4 Qualified Staff3.4.2. Teacher leader/pathway coordinator

The pathway lacks effective leadership and/or staff assigned to perform these functions and is not allocated ample time to do so effectively.

A pathway teacher has agreed to serve as the pathway leader/coordinator that is responsible for all pathway administrative and facilitative functions. The pathway lead has ample time to effectively perform these functions.

A pathway teacher has agreed to serve as the pathway leader/coordinator that oversees pathway administration. A distributed leadership model involves many/most pathway staff in clearly defined leadership functions.

3.5 Partnerships 3.5.1. Active employer and community partnerships

Partnerships may exist, but they may be mismanaged, intermittent, and of limited value or depth, and/or serve in roles that do not directly affect student learning.

The pathway has several strong partnerships with local employers, community groups, and individuals. These partners are actively involved in the pathway in a variety of capacities that might include serving as project mentors to students, being guest speakers, hosting field trips, and working with students doing service learning projects. Both through the advisory board and other interactions, there is evidence of a healthy partnership between the pathway/high school and its host community.

The pathway has many formalized partnerships with local employers, community groups, and individuals. These partners voluntarily share responsibility for program effectiveness and student outcomes. A well-developed system has been designed to manage partnerships and ensure their effectiveness.



Pathway: Lead: School: District:4. EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITYA systemic evaluation process documents the pathway’s impact on high school achievement and postsecondary success and drives the pathway’s continuous improvement plans.



Self Assessment

*

Priority**

4.1 Student Data4.1.1. Data collection and reporting

The pathway’s data collection efforts are insufficient to describe pathway participants, make comparisons to the demographics of the school and district, and/or to report on students’ performance on a variety of outcome measures.

The pathway regularly collects, analyzes, and accurately reports student assessment data including those necessary to describe pathway participants (e.g., grade level, gender, race/ethnicity), to make comparisons to the demographics of the school and district, and to report students’ performance on a variety of outcome measures.

The pathway has a system in place to regularly collect, analyze, and accurately report student assessment data including those necessary to describe pathway participants (e.g., grade level, gender, race/ethnicity), to make comparisons to the demographics of the school and district, and to report students’ performance on a variety of outcome measures.

4.1 Student Data4.1.2. College and career readiness data

Collection and analysis of data that indicate student readiness for college and career may be inadequate, inconsistent, inaccurate, or incomplete. As such, these data would not serve to examine evidence of impact.

The pathway annually collects, analyzes, and reports (to at least its advisory board) on some available indicators of both college and career readiness, which may include a-g completion rates, college enrollment data, SAT data, GPAs, CST scores, CAHSEE pass rates, graduation and dropout rates, pathway completion rates, occupational certification, proficiency through demonstration, completion of and grades in capstone technical courses, and end-of-course exams.

The pathway has a system in place to annually collect, analyze, and report formally and broadly on many available indicators of both college and career readiness (see list in column to the l

4.2 Pathway Evaluation4.2.1. Evidence of impact

The pathway either (1) does not conduct any analysis of pathway data, (2) does not use that analysis to make programmatic decisions and inform instruction, or (3) cannot demonstrate that the pathway retains its students and improves student performance.

Annual analysis of pathway data is used to make programmatic decisions and inform instructional practice. This analysis demonstrates that the pathway retains its students and that the pathway improves performance on at least a few indicators of student achievement and readiness for college and career.

Ongoing, regular analysis of pathway data is used to make programmatic decisions and inform instructional practice. This analysis clearly demonstrates that the pathway retains its students and improves performance on most, if not all, indicators of student achievement and readiness for college and career.

4.2 Pathway Evaluation4.2.2. Periodic review and improvement plan

Assessment of pathway functioning may be informal or anecdotal, neither based on hard data, completed in coordination with the advisory board, nor refer back to the pathway’s underlying mission and goals.

Pathway staff annually assesses the pathway’s functioning. These annual reviews result in the development of an improvement plan, whose action items refer back to the pathway’s underlying mission and goals.

Pathway staff and advisory board regularly and formally assess the pathway’s functioning. These periodic reviews result in the development of an improvement plan, whose action items refer back to the pathway’s underlying mission and goals.

4.2 Pathway Evaluation4.2.3. Postsecondary tracking

Prior to students’ graduation, pathway staff collect students’ self- reports of their postsecondary plans, but the data indicate that pathway students do not continue to postsecondary education and training at high rates.

Prior to students’ graduation, pathway staffcollect students’ self-reports of their postsecondary plans. Data indicate that pathway students continue to postsecondary education and training at rates higher than school site, district, and/or state averages.

Pathway staff conduct a formal follow-up of students for several years after high school graduation and use data collected for continuous improvement of the pathway. Data provide clear evidence that stated outcomes have been met.



Action Plan Worksheet

Pathway: __________________________ Lead: __________________________ School: ____________________ District: _____________

1. PATHWAY DESIGNThe pathway is designed with a structure, governance, and program of study that provide all students with opportunities for both postsecondary and career success.

Criteria # Evidence for Student Outcomes/ Certification

Criteria(How will you know that the action step has been (a) completed (b) been a success?)

Benchmark/Action Steps(List specific actions needed to meet Quality Indicator)

Resources needed

(Both human and financial)

Timeline Start &

EndDates

Person(s)Responsibl

e

Status*

1.1Design Structure1.1.1. Pathway theme1.1Design Structure1.1.2. Program of study1.1Design Structure1.1.3. Student recruitment and selection1.1Design Structure1.1.4. Cohort scheduling1.1Design Structure1.1.5. Staff collaboration1.1Design Structure1.1.6. Pathway preparation and orientation1.1Design Structure1.1.7. Postsecondary articulation1.2




1. PATHWAY DESIGNThe pathway is designed with a structure, governance, and program of study that provide all students with opportunities for both postsecondary and career success.


Criteria(How will you know that the action step has been (a) completed (b) been a success?)


Resources needed


Timeline Start &

EndDates

Person(s)Responsibl

e

Status*

Governance1.2.1. Advisory board with broad representation




2. Engaged LearningIn supportive learning communities, students meet technical and academic standards and college entrance requirements through real-world applications, integrated project-/problem-based instruction, authentic assessments, and work-based learning.


Criteria (How will you know that the action step has been (a) completed (b) been a success?)


Resources needed


Timeline Start &

EndDates

Person(s)Responsibl

e

Status*

2.1 Standards-AlignedCurriculum2.1.1. Academic core2.1 Standards-Aligned Curriculum2.1.2. Technical core2.2 Preparation for Postsecondary Options2.2.1. Postsecondary preparatory curriculum2.2 Preparation for Postsecondary Options2.2.2. Technical component2.3 Real-World Relevance2.3.1. Real-world relevance

2.4 Integrated Curriculum2.4.1. Multidisciplinary integrated curriculum2.4 Integrated Curriculum2.4.2. Curricular alignment2.5 Instruction and Assessment2.5.1. Project-/Problem-based approach








Resources needed


Timeline Start &

EndDates

Person(s)Responsibl

e

Status*

2.5 Instruction and Assessment2.5.2. Authentic assessment2.6 Work-Based Learning (WBL)2.6.1. Coordinated, sequenced, and scaled2.6 Work-Based Learning (WBL)2.6.2. Connected to academic and technical coursework2.7 Support Services and Personalization2.7.1. Supportive atmosphere

2.7 Support Services and Personalization2.7.2. Student engagement2.7 Support Services and Personalization2.7.3. Differentiated instruction2.7 Support Services and Personalization2.7.4. Academic intervention2.7 Support Services and Personalization2.7.5. Guidance and counseling2.7 Support Services and








Resources needed


Timeline Start &

EndDates

Person(s)Responsibl

e

Status*

Personalization2.7.6. College and career planning




3. SYSTEM SUPPORTDistrict policies and practices provide leadership, support, and resources to establish and sustain quality pathways.




Resources needed


Timeline Start &

EndDates

Person(s)Responsibl

e

Status*

3.1 District Policies3.1.1. Pathway choice, equity, and access3.1 District Policies3.1.2. Recruitment and hiring practices3.1 District Policies3.1.3. Accountability and autonomy3.2 Leadership3.2.1. Support from school board and superintendent3.2 Leadership3.2.2. Support from site leadership3.3 ProfessionalDevelopment3.3.1. Teacher professional development3.4 Qualified Staff3.4.1. Skilled teachers3.4 Qualified Staff3.4.2. Teacher leader/pathway coordinator3.5




3. SYSTEM SUPPORTDistrict policies and practices provide leadership, support, and resources to establish and sustain quality pathways.




Resources needed


Timeline Start &

EndDates

Person(s)Responsibl

e

Status*

Partnerships 3.5.1. Active employer and community partnerships




4. EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITYA systemic evaluation process documents the pathway’s impact on high school achievement and postsecondary success and drives the pathway’s continuous improvement plans.




Resources needed


Timeline Start &

EndDates

Person(s)Responsibl

e

Status*

4.1 Student Data4.1.1. Data collection and reporting4.1 Student Data4.1.2. College and career readiness data4.2 Pathway Evaluation4.2.1. Evidence of impact4.2 Pathway Evaluation4.2.2. Periodic review and improvement plan4.2 Pathway Evaluation4.2.3. Postsecondary tracking



Identifying Program OutcomesThe Big Six: A Program Outcomes Springboard

This tool is intended to help pathway and academy design teams develop draft program outcomes. The six program outcome categories included in this tool encompass most of the areas typically covered by school- and district-level ESLRs. By using these categories as a framework for developing program outcomes, most pathway and academy teams can ensure that their work aligns with top-level learning expectations.

The “Big Six” Program Outcomes CategoriesThese categories represent broad areas of learning expectations that are commonly identified by districts and schools. While final outcome lists may be pared down to include fewer items, pathways and academies are encouraged to consider each of these areas as they develop program outcomes.

Core Academics Communication Problem Solving

Citizenship Career Readiness

Technology

1. Core AcademicsIncludes… Sample outcome… Comments/Our draft outcomes…

Meet state standards Meet course expectations Ready for college and/or post-

secondary training of some sort in the career field

“Students will master the academic and technical course standards required for transition to college and career.”

2. CommunicationIncludes… Sample outcome… Comments/Our draft outcomes…

Read, write, and speak effectively

Communicate using terms, tools, and techniques unique to the specific career field

“Students will correctly employ specific terminology appropriate to the health care setting when communicating verbally and in writing.”

3. Problem SolvingIncludes… Sample outcome… Comments/Our draft outcomes…

Apply math, science Use critical thinking

And sometimes: Creative thinking

“Students will demonstrate the ability to apply scientific reasoning while working with complex equipment in authentic settings.”



(The Big Six: A Program Outcomes Springboard, continued)

4. CitizenshipIncludes… Sample outcome… Comments/Our draft outcomes…

Involved community contributor

Culturally aware

And sometimes: Ethical Responsible

“Students will skillfully use the performing arts to effect positive change in their community.”

5. Career ReadinessIncludes… Sample outcome… Comments/Our draft outcomes…

21st Century workplace readiness skills

Specific workplace skills unique to the career field

Having a clear career plan

“Students will demonstrate skills associated with practicing law such as client interviewing, alternative dispute resolution, and advocacy in a variety of legal settings.”

6. TechnologyIncludes… Sample outcome… Comments/Our draft outcomes…

Using technology as a tool to solve problems

Communicating using a variety of technological tools

“Students will use current technological tools (such as CAD software) to solve engineering challenges and communicate solutions.”

(Questions? See “Troubleshooting Outcomes” on next page)



Troubleshooting Outcomes

Problem Solution

Unclear on the meaning of “program outcomes”

Consider the ConnectEd definition: “Student learning outcomes are the skills, knowledge, and abilities that students have attained as a result of their educational experiences.”

District or school doesn’t have ESLRs No problem—that is what this tool is for. Use the Big Six categories as your framework.

We already have outcomes, but our list don’t cover some of these six areas

If you see a real need, revise your existing program outcomes. If you feel that your existing outcomes can essentially “cover” each of these areas, then focus your efforts on the implementation end of things.

We have four, not six outcomes No problem. Many programs wind up combining areas, such as technology and career readiness. If you have fewer than four outcomes you might be combining a bit too much, causing the outcomes to be very general or global. If you have more than eight it is difficult to maintain focus and measure the outcomes. Four to seven seems to be the “sweet spot” for most programs.

We have more than one outcome that fit within the same category

No problem—in fact, that may be entirely appropriate for your program. As was mentioned above, try to keep the total number of outcomes to a manageable few.

Unclear on who should draft our academy outcomes

Ideally, involve a pathway or academy design team that includes important stakeholders such as staff, students, parents, and employer partners. If you’re beyond that stage and your program is already operating, figure out which team can get a draft set of outcomes started and how you can get feedback and buy-in from other stakeholders.

Not sure how to craft specific outcome language

Some programs use an intensive “unpacking” process that involves reviewing relevant state CTE standards for their career themes. With that overview in mind, they craft statements that encompass the most essential skills and knowledge from their career path. Be sure to pay particular attention to the verbs used in your outcomes statements and focus them on high-level cognitive skills (demonstrate, apply, evaluate, create, etc.).

We have program outcomes but we’re unclear on what to do next

First, figure out specifically what these outcomes look like at each grade level. Next, figure out how students will learn these things and how they will demonstrate proficiency. This typically involves course and project-level work.

Don’t know how to measure outcomes

Determine what the outcomes look like at each grade level and how courses and WBL experiences can contribute to the outcomes, then begin developing experiences (such as projects and performance assessments) and tools (such as rubrics and portfolios) to aid in outcome measurement

Not sure how to keep track of student attainment of outcomes

Some programs create individual learning plan tools that track student attainment of key outcome performance measures. For example, for the technology outcome in an engineering program, 10th graders may need to achieve a passing score on a computer-aided design project. The project’s assessment not only contributes to the student’s course grade, but it also meets the 10th grade technology outcome benchmark which is required for students seeking a special pathway designation on their diploma.

Pathway Development Continuum & Sample Coaching Support



Pathway Development Continuum - DRAFT

Pathway Development and Coaching Support -DRAFT



Planning and Design Structures and schedules

Integrated Curriculum & Performance Assessment

Engaged Learning(Teaching and

Learning)

EmbeddedStudent Supports

Continuous Improvement

Poss

ible

Out

com

es

Design team formation, research and planning

Theme determination

Partner recruitment and collaboration (Advisory Committees)

Vision, Mission Goals

Student Outcomes Program of Study

that promotes equity

Articulation agreements and processes

Base line data and tracking processes

Staffing determination

Recruitment and placement processes

Cohort scheduling assuring access and equity

Team and community of practice configuration

Collaboration time and processes

Coordination theme-based pathway activities

Work-based learning continuum for all students

Thoughtfully designed, well facilitated and goal driven communities of practice

Alignment and backwards mapping of outcomes

Common Core alignment

Performance Mapping

Authentic Performance assessments

Integrated lessons and projects

Integration of work based learning experiences with pathway curriculum

Evaluation of curriculum effectiveness

Coordinated project design/ management

Calibrated performance expectations and common rubrics

Researched and agreed upon instructional practices

Equitable classroom strategies designed for every student’s career and college readiness

Peer support processes and protocols

Accountability for participation

Structures and processes for monitoring individual student progress

System of coordinated and consistent interventions

Common strategies for addressing identified improvement targets

Sustained career development and college planning for all students

Close relationships and coordination with family and community partners

Established, data driven processes for monitoring student progress toward college and career readiness

Community collaboration to assess effectiveness, plan and implement corrections

Transparency with stakeholders

Publication and celebration of successes

Coaching Support For Pathway Development

Conditions for Success (Structures and Scheduling)Possible Outcomes Sample Coaching Support

Design team plan Assist with selection and facilitation of a design team Assistance in defining the scope of work Suggestions for researching student interest, employment potential, economic

development needs and community support for theme determination Identification of promising programs and practices Encouragement to explore a range of Linked Learning delivery structures and



Conditions for Success (Structures and Scheduling)Possible Outcomes Sample Coaching Support

facilities Model and share self assessment and Plan development protocols Strategies for inclusion and building ownership

Committed involved community partners (Advisory Committees) Strategies for recruiting and forming a committed, involved advisory committee

Sample membership lists, scope of work statements, agendas and minutes Facilitation strategies for effective meetings

Vision, Mission and Pathway Goals Share and/or model facilitation protocols for surfacing beliefs and drafting vision, mission and goals

Share samples Encourage stakeholder involvement

Student Outcomes Facilitation tools and samples for crafting student outcomes Suggestions for fully engaging stakeholders and team members

Well designed, equitable Program of Study (POS) Samples and guidelines for program of study development Secure technical assistance (i.e. for CTE sequence) Inform about the 4 components and college and career program design

Articulation agreements and processes Encourage involvement of middle school and post secondary partnersBase line data and data driven monitoring procedures Help construct list of the indicators of success

Share sample data dashboard Introduce protocols for data driven reflection

Structures and schedules

Possible Outcomes Sample Coaching SupportStaffing determination Advice on designing teams with distributed leadership

Relate the benefits of site administration and counselor involvement on teams

Offer samples or suggest networking with high functioning team to help determine involvement and role delineation

Suggest ways to allow staff choice of pathway assignmentsRecruitment and placement processes Share material, strategies, policies and process being successful in other

public school choice programs Provide resources for templates and pre designed materials Connect with the District Initiative district demonstrating promising practices

Cohort scheduling assuring access and equity Encourage technical assistance and PD as needed Network among other district and schools for samples and processes for

master scheduling for cohort and common planning Meet with schedulers to field questions and offer suggestions

Team and community of practice configuration Encourage the identification of sub-team by grade level or sub-pathways to allow for closer connections to cohorted students and to allow for deeper collaboration

Collaboration time and processes Share and/or model protocols, facilitation strategies and sample agendas for productive team meetings

Assist team in assuming roles to distribute team functions and build strong ownership

Observe meeting and offer feedback to leads Suggestion and assist to arrange observation of other Linked Learning teams Devise coaching goals and strategies to build teacher leadership capacity

Coordinated theme-based pathway activities Share schedules, make suggestion and offer advice on designing strong community building experiences for student specific to pathway themes

Work-based learning continuum for all students Utilize the Framework for a WBL Continuum with leads and teams and encourage the development of plan with shared responsibilities and identified timelines

Use ConnectEd videos, on line resources and technical assistance as indicated


Possible Outcomes Sample Coaching Support




Thoughtfully designed, well facilitated and goal driven Communities of Practice (COP)

Assist pathway teams to determine the collaboration structures that will function as Communities of Practice that have frequent and sustained discussion about specific students’ progress, teaching and learning strategies, curriculum development and assessment practices

Alignment and backwards mapping of outcomes Suggest strategies for aligning graduate profile with site level ESWLRs and pathway outcomes

Provide protocol for backward mapping or arrange for TA or PD Discuss how the aligned outcomes should be part of the curriculum design

process for performance assessment in each class and interdisciplinary project

Encourage the team to explore ways that progress toward the outcomes might be tracked and monitored

Common Core alignment Coordinate with site and district C and I staff to be sure the pathway team’s processes are aligned with the district plans for implementing the common core.

Demonstrate how the mapping tool has the common core as one of the options for identifying standards when developing curriculum

Performance Mapping Assist the team in recognizing the benefit of unpacking curriculum to performance levels and using performance mapping to design curriculum

Arrange for TA or PD on using the mapping and PBLAuthentic Performance assessments Encourage teams to develop the performance measures before designing

projects or integrated lessons Help develop an understanding about authentic assessment and their role in

inquiry based, student centered instructionIntegrated lessons and projects Connect team to trainers and resources to help them devise the tools and

develop their process to working collaborative on quality integrated, authentic lessons and projects

Integration of work based learning experiences with pathway curriculum Use the Framework for WBL continuum to build the teams capacity to infuse WBL into classroom activities and project to move student toward the pathway outcomes

Evaluation of curriculum effectiveness Encourage the team to determine the indicators they will use to gauge the effectiveness of lesson and projects and establish common language for looking at student work and judging mastery

Engaged Learning(Teaching and Learning)

Possible Outcomes Sample Coaching SupportCalibrated performance expectations and common rubrics Encourage COPs to purposefully address their combined capacity to design

and use performance assessment, create powerful learning experiences and use effective classroom strategies so all student can reach the outcomes

Offer protocols for, or find technical assistance for looking at student work, calibrating performance expectation, identifying and defining rigor

Stimulate conversation around grading practices that are based on actual student learning and performance expectations and that encourage student’s continual progress

Researched and agreed upon instructional practices Suggest process for the COP to explore and agree upon instructional strategies that they want all student to experience consistently

Offer resources for COP to conduct read/study session to expand their practice and deepen their knowledge about effective teaching

Equitable classroom strategies designed for every student’s career and college readiness

Regularly remind COPs that equity in education means all students are provided personalized and targeted instruction so that they can progress towards the learning outcomes.

Peer support processes and protocols Model facilitation techniques for creating a safe, judgment free environment to exploring and discussing teaching practice and student learning

Provide samples of peer walk-throughs and consultancies to practice and apply effective teaching strategies that have been agreed upon as the pathway’s instructional goals (instructional norms)

Accountability for participation Work with district and site level leadership to determine how the expectation of participation in pathway teams and COPs will be clearly communicated

Explore strategies for encouraging and rewarding teacher participation with the pathway leads and team members

Help the pathway leads communication with leadership about the need to have accountability measures in place to help teacher understand that collaboration within the pathway structures is an expectation of their teaching assignment.



Embedded Student Supports

Possible Outcomes Sample Coaching SupportStructures and processes for monitoring individual student progress Pathway design should accommodate and address the need for providing

sustained student advisement with career and college planning Encourage teams to explore options for building closer adult student

relationships Suggest partnering with industry supporters to provide mentoring and

support to studentsSystem of coordinated and consistent interventions Share intervention plans (pyramids) that show how all teachers can

consistently address behavioral issues and academic or technical support for students.

Stress the power of a combined, consistent messaging about expectations and demonstrating the teams commitment to student success

Review samples of student contracts, student led conferencing, peer mediation and other student support strategies to encourage conversation about designing services and common practices aimed at address specific student needs with the pathway community

Expose teams/COP to promising student support practices within the DI network

Common strategies for addressing identified improvement targets Model data driven discussion that identify trends or patterns that can be purposefully address across the entire program of study.

Share resources and practices for improving math and literacy through thematically based lessons and projects and with authentic incentives connected to the industry sector

Sustained career development and college planning for all students Explore how the team plans to help student with education and career planning, creating industry focused portfolios and address the requirements for post secondary transitions.

Advocate for full involvement of counselors and career advisors on the pathway team to capitalize on their expertise for guiding students thinking and planning and addressing specific social or emotional needs

If pathway teachers offer advisory, recommend counselor involvement in designing and implementing activities and practices and supporting teachers in this function

Aligned, thematic extended learning opportunities Stimulation exploration of the opportunities to extend pathway students’ experience beyond the limited school day by offering extended learning opportunities by partnering with contracted providers and utilizing pathway staff when possible

Discuss how using the industry theme to keep student engaged in extended learning opportunities my create opportunities for industry partners to be more directly involved

Continuous Improvement

Possible Outcomes Sample Coaching SupportEstablished, data driven processes for monitoring student progress toward college and career readiness

Provide samples, protocols and process for COP to develop the pathway team’s capacity to hold data driven discussions about student’s progress

Connect to DI network so teams can share strategies and practice for informing teaching and learning, changes in pathway design and assessment practices

Community collaboration to assess effectiveness, plan and implement corrections

Model or share processes for determining effective and planning for modifications

Close relationships and coordination with family and community agencies Suggest involvement of stakeholders in data review and discussion to build stronger shared ownership and tap available resources

Publication and celebration of successes Support consistent celebration of even small gains and very public

celebration of evidence of student success and pathway effectiveness

Resources:



Coaching tool kit (on ConnectEd Studio’s website)

Linked Learning Tool kits (on ConnnectEd’s website) http://www.connectedcalifornia.org/landing

CASN: http://casn.berkeley.edu/

SREB: Southern Regional Education Board – High Schools that Work http://www.sreb.org/page/1078/high_schools_that_work.html

National Reform Faculty (CES) http://www.nsrfharmony.org/resources.html

ConnectEd Studios “ConnectEd Studios is an online platform that connects students and teachers with Industry Professionals, and that supports project-based learning in the classroom. Our goal is to encourage schools to "power up" and tap into the digital literacy and engagement of today's high school students.” (www.connectedstudios.org)

ConnectEd Studios (CES) is utilized by District Pathway Teams to document and map curriculum as well as design integrated projects/units. Detailed user guides can be located at www.connectedstudios.org for both the Curriculum Mapping Tool and the Project Tool, as well as the College and Career Readiness Web Site (http://www.wccusd.net/page/384).

CES is the District Platform for Linked Learning/Academy Teams. CES allows student work to be published and reviewed by Industry Professionals, instructors, administrators, and community members.

Professional Development in CESTraining is available for all Linked Learning/Academy teams in WCCUSD. To schedule a demonstration of CES or a team training, contact Ben Crosby, Internal Coach, College and Career Readiness Collaborative, at [email protected] or 510-307-4565.

Screen Shots – CES


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.wccusd.net/page/384

http://www.connectedstudios.org/

http://www.connectedstudios.org/

http://www.nsrfharmony.org/resources.html

http://www.sreb.org/page/1078/high_schools_that_work.html

http://casn.berkeley.edu/

http://www.connectedcalifornia.org/landing


This screen shot shows a sample curriculum map for a CTE course. Maps are designed around weekly topics, standards, and performances. Group maps can also be created in CES which greatly enhance a team’s ability to plan, document, and deliver an integrated project/unit.



This screen shot shows a sample Project Wall. Each student creates a profile which can be associated with multiple projects. Instructors, students, and Industry Professionals can collaborate to produce relevant student performances and products.



This screen shot shows a sample interaction between students and an Industry Professional. With some coaching, Industry Professionals can give real world feedback to students about the quality of their work.

ConnectEd CertificationWCCUSD is a member of the Linked Learning Initiative, a state-wide effort to move the work of Linked Learning Pathways forward. (Incomplete)



Section IX – Quality Teaching and Learning (BLT’s, Instructional Strategies)

Section X – Integrated Curriculum Design

Creating an Integrated CurriculumDesigning a multidisciplinary integrated curriculum is a primary focus of Academies in WCCUSD. The goal of Integrated Projects is to increase student learning and engagement by having students tackle real-world problems that require mastery of content area knowledge and skills. Research has shown that students are more motivated to learn when they need to acquire knowledge in order to accomplish a complex task or project. “One of the most powerful strategies teachers can use to make learning relevant is to place academics within the context of issues and problems from the world of work” (Designing a Multidisciplinary Integrated Curriculum: A Practical Manual, ConnectEd, http://www.connectedcalifornia.org/curriculum/integrated_units).


http://www.connectedcalifornia.org/curriculum/integrated_units


Producing a successful integrated project or unit starts with the Six A’s:

1. Academic and Technical Rigor – Projects are designed to address key learning standards identified by the school or district.

2. Authenticity – Projects use a real-world context (e.g., community and workplace problems) and address issues that matter to the students.

3. Applied Learning – Projects engage students in solving problems calling for competencies expected in high-performance work organizations.

4. Active Exploration – Projects extend beyond the classroom by connecting to internships, field-based investigations, and community explorations.

5. Adult Connections – Projects connect students with adult mentors and coaches from the wider community.

6. Assessment Practices – Projects involve students in regular performance-based exhibitions and assessments of their work; evaluation criteria reflect personal, school, and real-world standards of performance.

ConnectEd, our partner in developing quality career pathways has outlined a design process offered to educators working towards integrated projects and/or integrated units of instruction. Their design process features the following steps:

Identify Themes Through Curriculum Mapping Decide on the Topic of the Integrated Unit Craft the Essential Question Identify Topical or Key Questions Assign Responsibilities Review and Revise the Curriculum Map


Acadmic and Technical Rigor

Authenticity

Applied Learning

Active Exploration

Adult Connections

Assessment Practices


Set the Learning Scenario Establish Student Assessments Check Alignment with Standards Write Lesson Plans Evaluate the Unit Integrated Unit Logistics

The complete manual is available for download and covers each design step in detail. Go to http://www.connectedcalifornia.org/curriculum/integrated_units to download the complete .PDF file.

Project Based LearningProject Based Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that engages

students with Real-World problems and requires mastery of content area knowledge and skills. PBL in the context of Linked Learning Pathways or Academies also strives for integrated CTE and core academic curriculum and standards around Integrated Projects. The PBL Design process is a tool used by Academy Teams to create standards-based, real-world, integrated projects. The information provided below is only an overview of the PBL process. There exists a wealth of information and resources for each step of the project design process at http://pbl-online.org, and also through the Buck Institute of Education http://www.bie.org.

What is Project Based Learning?

Project Based Learning (PBL) is an inquiry based process for teaching and learning. In PBL, students focus on a complex question or problem, then answer the question or solve the problem through a collaborative process of investigation over an extended period of time. Projects often are used to investigate authentic issues and topics found outside of school. During the inquiry process, students learn content, information, and facts necessary to draw conclusions about the question. Students also learn valuable skills and habits of mind during the process.

Why should I use Project Based Learning?

PBL is extremely effective as a method for engaging students in their learning. With engagement comes focus, discipline, and mastery of academic content. Further, students have the opportunity to work on problems and issues relevant to their lives, as well as learn vital work and life skills necessary to their success in school or in the work world.

PBL Design Principles (http://pbl-online.org)

Design Principle #1: Begin with the End in Mind


http://pbl-online.org/

http://www.bie.org/

http://pbl-online.org/



o Develop a Project Ideao Decide the Scope of the Projecto Select Standardso Incorporate Simultaneous Outcomeso Work from Project Design Criteriao Create the Optimal Learning Environment

Design Principle #2: Craft the Driving Question, also known as the Essential Question

o Drives the Projecto Captures a Project Theme or a “big idea”o Points Students Toward Mastering Content and Skills that Enable

them to Answer the Questiono Not Easily Solved or Answered

Design Principle #3: Plan the Assessmento Align the Products or Performances for the Project with the

Outcomeso Know what to Assess – Establish Criteria to Assess each Product

and Performanceo Create Rubrics for the Project

Design Principle #4: Map the Projecto Organize Tasks and Activitieso Decide How to Launch the Projecto Gather Resourceso Draw a Storyboard

Design Principle #5: Manage the Processo Share Project Goals with Studentso Use Problem-solving Toolso Use Checkpoints and Milestoneso Plan for Evaluation and Reflection

Common AssessmentsIntegrated curriculum projects or units utilize both formative and summative assessments, as well as student products and culminating events. Teacher teams have found it critical to use some common assessment strategies in order to deliver an effective, engaging project.

The following section features explanations and ideas around assessments for integrated projects. (Designing a Multidisciplinary Integrated Curriculum: A Practical Manual, ConnectEd, http://www.connectedcalifornia.org/curriculum/integrated_units):

Integrated curriculum units offer teachers many opportunities to move beyond traditional paper- and- pencil tests. Teacher teams can design engaging and challenging performance-based formative and summative student assessments that




are well matched to authentic teaching strategies. To create these assessments, it is valuable to work backwards. Begin thinking about the summative Culminating Event and then design the formative student work products that demonstrate students’ learning and help them prepare for it.

Summative Evaluation: The Culminating EventThe Culminating Event is the place where students summarize and present their conclusions about the Essential Question, synthesizing their learning and research across all of the disciplines in the unit. At the Culminating Event, teachers, community representatives, and industry partners can also assess and evaluate student learning in relation to many of the discipline-specific content standards that were the basis for the Key Questions. This summative evaluation is an ideal opportunity for students to display their higher-order thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, effective teamwork, written and oral communication skills, and ability to integrate and apply knowledge gained across several academic and technical disciplines.

The following are some considerations that have helped teachers design effective and memorable Culminating Events:

Encourage students to link their presentations to a real-world setting, ideally in the workplace; the setting will further reinforce career development goals identified for the curriculum unit.

Involve the community and industry partners; participation at the Culminating Event will reinforce community and industry support for in-novative high school improvement strategies and career-themed education.

Allow students to present in groups or individually, depending on their strengths and learning styles; use these alternatives as a way for students at all achievement levels to participate.

Ask students to reflect on what they have learned and share their observations; explicitly tie results of these meta-cognitive activities back to the academic and technical content standards that were used to design the curriculum unit.

The following are several possible formats for a Culminating Event: Create and deliver a PowerPoint presentation. Hold a Science Fair with students presenting tri-folds and visual displays. Invite parents to view presentations (PowerPoint or tri-folds) at a Back-to-

School night. Demonstrate a lesson or activity to industry partners, a community group, or

a municipal agency. Develop a practical manual addressing the topic of the unit and proposing a

resolution or plan of action. Create a website focused on answering the Essential Question. Hold a debate on the Essential Question. Develop policies and procedures that deal with the topic of the unit.



Formative Evaluation: Student Work Products for Feedback and AssessmentIntegrated curriculum units also lend themselves to a variety of performance-based and standard formative assessments. Teachers can use these assessments to give students ongoing performance feedback and also to avoid having too much of a semester’s final grade rest on a single Culminating Event. This is particularly important as many of the Culminating Event formats rely on group activities and presentations and may include limited opportunities to assess and provide feedback to individual students.The following are several examples of work products that help groups of students prepare for the Culminating Event and offer opportunities for formative feedback to individuals and groups.• A written project outline, work plan, and schedule, or a classroom presentation on the team’s project objectives and work plan.• A selection of readings (with an annotated bibliography) that individuals or teams recommend for outside reviewers who will later evaluate the Culminating Event.• A scoring rubric for outside evaluators to use in grading the team’s Culminating Event.• A research paper on one of the Key Questions addressed in a specific discipline.• A set of drawings, designs, graphic representations, or a photographic portfolio related to the Essential Question or one of the Key Questions.

Assessment Samples Samples of Integrated Units Showing Formative and Summative Assessments (Student Work Products and Culminating Events)The following are two examples of assessments for integrated units currently in place in high schools and a third hypothetical example.Topic: Health InsuranceUnit Title: Risky BusinessEssential Question How can we balance personal freedoms and society’s need to provide accessible, affordable healthcare?Learning Scenario: School ski tripDiscipline-Related Formative Assessment Assignments:• Art and English—Create business cards and brochures for an insurance company.• English—Read excerpts from Shattered Air by Robert Madgic (about a tragedy at Yosemite National Park’s Half Dome) and debate risky behaviors.• Algebra—Calculate entries for actuarial tables and mortality rates for leading causes of death.• History and English—Explore the history of medical insurance and write an expository essay on the issue of universal health insurance.• Geography and English—Research and write about the geographical distribution of genetically linked diseases.• Science—Chart biological pedigrees.• Information Technology—Use appropriate computer software to prepare written reports, brochures, statistical tables, and presentations.• World Languages and English—Research foreign insurance and medical information and write up results in both English and another language.



• Health Science and English—Research medical insurance and risky behaviors and write up research results.• Physical Education—Create a Wellness Program/Prevention Plan for an insurance company.Culminating Event: Small groups of students form their own insurance company. They prepare Science Fair tri-fold presentations where they present their insurance companies’ programs and policies, including decisions about insuring individuals who engage in risky behaviors. Community healthcare professionals use a rubric designed with student input to grade the student presentations.

Topic: Cultural Differences in HealthcareUnit Title: Second OpinionEssential Question How can we ensure the safety and effectiveness of comple-mentary and alternative medical practices?Learning Scenario: Excerpt from The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, (a book by Anne Fadiman contrasting Hmong and Western medicine’s interpretations and responses to epilepsy)Discipline-Related Formative Assessment Assignments:• Art, English, and Health Science—Design the lesson plan format and content for a lesson on cultural competency. • English—Read an excerpt from The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down; complete an expository writing assignment.• Mathematics and Chemistry—Measure the bond angles of molecular compounds created in chemistry class.• History—Write the script for an “elevator pitch” to a physician about why he or she should be culturally sensitive to patients from different countries.• Geography and English—Research and write an expository essay about alternative healing practices, including their distribution and how they are spread around the world.• Chemistry—Create a model of the molecular structures of medicines and research the differences in drugs.• Computers—Provide web-based research support for all classes included in the curriculum unit.• World Language—Research and write about healing practices in Spanish-speaking countries.• Health Science and English—Study and write an essay about cultural difference in healing practices.• Physical Education and English—Research and write about cultural differences in levels of and attitudes toward physical activity.Culminating Event: Students present a culturally competent lesson plan to representatives from various state agencies and professional organizations. These individuals use a scoring rubric designed with student input to assess the lesson plan.

Topic: The Environment and HealthUnit Title: Save the Planet; Save YourselfEssential Question How can we preserve the environment and enhance the quality of life for future generations?



Learning Scenario: Profile of a physician who finds a cure for an environmental illnessDiscipline-Specific Formative Assessment Assignments:• Art—Paint a mural about an environmental issue.• English and Art—Create a brochure that teaches members of the community about “eco-friendly” habits and their health benefits.• Mathematics (statistics)—Survey students about their attitudes toward environmental issues; compile results and interpret the data.• History—Evaluate and write about the environmental quality of life across historical periods.• Geography—Research and present findings to the class about environmental standards in developing countries.• Science and English—Research and write about air and water pollution and acid rain, and their effects. • Information Technology—Build a website on environmental issues.• World Language—Research environmental issues in Spanish-speaking countries.• Health Science—Research technological advances in the medical field and their impact on the environment.• Physical Education and Biology—Study pollution in the air and how it affects the respiratory and cardiovascular systems during exercise.Culminating Project: Create a website that focuses on environmental and health issues.

Integrating Service LearningThe career-themed nature of integrated curricula and PBL offers an opportunity to add relevance to the learner. Another layer can still be included in project design, and that is Service Learning. Service Learning is a District-wide requirement for graduation. The basic concept of service learning is for the students to perform a service to their community, that is tied to the knowledge and skill of a content area. Within the Academies, our career-foci align very well with service learning, PBL, and integrated projects. Academies have been authorized by WCCUSD to manage the service learning requirements of their students.

As your team develops projects and units, consider this question….What Service can our students provide to the community within this project? If the service offered can be tied to classroom instruction, you have the needed elements for service learning credit.

Some examples of service learning integration:

Technology Project – Students repair PC systems from the community as part of a project on digital literacy.

Health Project – Students perform blood pressure and BMI tests on community members while doing a project on fitness and health levels.



Construction Project – Students design and build furniture to be used in local schools.

Section XI – Advisory Boards(From Partnership Guide for Career Academies, CASN, UC Berkeley, 2010, http://casn.berkeley.edu/resources.php)

Here’s a quick list of the roles employer and college representatives (within the context of Advisory Boards) usually play in a California Partnership Academy:

• Advisory Board (aka Steering Committee) member

• Input on technical curriculum

• Donations of equipment, curricular materials

• Teacher externships

• Host for meetings, activities, graduation ceremony

• Speakers, field trips for sophomores

• Job shadowing for sophomores &/or juniors

• Mentors for juniors

• Work internships/ community service for junior grads, seniors

Academy Advisory Boards

The Advisory Board (aka Steering Committee) is the hub for all these roles. This is generally comprised of at least one district and high school administrator, the Academy Lead Teacher and perhaps the whole teacher team, a counselor, representatives from local companies in the academy career field, representatives from local community/ four-year/ technical colleges, perhaps a community-based organization that plays a role as an intermediary in bringing the high school and community together (e.g., a Chamber of Commerce, service organization, or business-education alliance) and perhaps a parent and/or student or two.

Some Boards have Executive Committees that meet periodically, generally a couple times per year. This Board has corporate leaders, post secondary chancellors or deans, presidents of local community-based organizations, government representatives, and the superintendent or his or her



representative. In the fall they review plans for the academy; in the spring they review progress and student achievement.

If there is no Executive Committee, the general Board acts in this role, generally meeting quarterly or so and forming smaller task forces to work on components needing attention between the general meetings. For example, one task force might work on lining up speakers and field trip sites for sophomores, another on finding job shadowing positions and mentors for juniors, another on needed equipment and curricular materials, and so on.

If a high school has more than one academy, there is generally one Advisory Board for each career field, and should there be academies in the same career field in other high schools in the district, it plays this role for them as well. This is so that one academy doesn’t find itself competing with another from the same district for support from employers or colleges. Such competition makes it difficult for these organizations to know where to place their support and can erode their involvement.

If there is more than one Academy/ Advisory Board in the district, there is often a district-wide Board that brings representatives of them together. This allows academies to learn from each other and opportunities for joint support at the district level. Superintendents can often be quite effective if they play a role in these efforts.

Although the first meeting usually takes place on the high school campus, later meetings are often held at the members’ facilities, perhaps rotating through the roster of members. The first meeting may be chaired by the principal or lead teacher, but subsequent meetings are often chaired by one of the partners, with agendas developed jointly by the committee at the conclusion of each meeting. A survey at the first meeting can determine the most convenient time for meetings for the majority of the group.

Although there is a natural inclination for academies to seek financial support from their community, this can be counterproductive and is usually not the greatest need. Rather what is most needed is peoples’ time and expertise. Since 80% of school budgets is generally spent on personnel anyway, even if funds are provided they usually go primarily toward staffing. Volunteers who provide their time as Board members, speakers, field trip hosts, mentors, and internship supervisors, and who share their expertise on needed career field training, equipment, and instructional materials are a gold mine. And many enjoy serving in this role. It can be disarming for a company to be told the academy is not seeking funding from it.

Good communication is essential to forming and maintaining effective advisory boards. Someone at the high school, often an administrator or the lead teacher or a secretary who takes on this role, needs to be made the liaison and consistent point of contact. Likewise it is often possible to establish consistent contacts at companies and colleges. Since there are often differences in cultures and terminology between educators and business people, and related mistrust, establishing dependable communication and allowing learning to go on over time is essential.



It is also important for an academy to find ways to say thank you for the support of its partners. This can be done at academy events, but also via newsletters or other media that recognize the contributions of employers and colleges. Often the most effective form of appreciation is letters written by students themselves. Helping students is something almost everyone identifies with and the core of what motivates partners to become involved in academies.

Here’s a quick summary re. Advisory Boards:

• Committee Membership

• Employers, higher ed., community/ government, parent(s), teachers, administrators, counselor(s)

• Chair: Employer; or co-led, school leader/ partner

• Roles and Responsibilities

• Joint decision-making, with school/ district

• Variety of resources, meeting the 100% match

• People’s volunteer time and expertise

• Meetings

• Frequency—bi-monthly, quarterly

• Where—high school, company, college, rotating

• Agendas—in advance, with outcomes & times

• Between meeting task forces (2-4 members)

• Technical Curriculum

• Teacher Externships

• Facilities/ Equipment/ Materials

• Speakers/ Field Trips

• Additional Resources

• Maintain communication & say thanks

• An established academy liaison

• Thank-you notes (especially from students)



• Academy events

• Newsletter/ other media

15 Steps To Building And Maintaining A Large

Partner Base For A Career Academy*

The following was originally developed by Anne Scott, Principal, and Larry Stewart, Academy Director, Highland Energy/ Environmental Technology Academy, in Bakersfield, CA. It has been adapted by CASN staff and provides a more in-depth discussion of how to build partnerships in an academy.

Step 1: Define your potential partners

Step 2: Recruit your first few partners

Step 3: Organize and use your advisory board

Step 4: Define the partners' roles and responsibilities

Step 5: Develop an activities calendar for the semester/year

Step 6: Recruit classroom speakers

Step 7: Recruit field trip sites

Step 8: Recruit mentors

Step 9: Develop formal partnerships

Step 10: Make your local college a partner

Step 11: View companies and colleges, not individuals, as partners

Step 12: Respond to partner concerns

Step 13: Publicize partner activities

Step 14: Continually expand partner contacts

Step 15: Value your partners

* The terms “advisory board” and “steering committee” are used interchangeably.

STEP 1: DEFINE YOUR POTENTIAL PARTNERS

Assemble your academy team (teachers, counselors, administrators) and develop answers to the questions below. This will take some research.



How do you define your industry? Keep your definition as broad as possible to include lots of business partners.

What are the types of companies/agencies that are part of this industry?

What are some leading companies in your city/county associated with this industry?

What associations serve these companies/agencies?

What local college programs are associated with this industry?

Who do you know who is associated with this industry (parents, friends, school board members, current school business partners in other fields)?

STEP 2: RECRUIT YOUR FIRST FEW PARTNERS

Before a business or college commits itself to providing assistance to an academy it is often necessary to obtain the approval of a high-ranking executive. This individual will then, more than likely, assign another person to assume primary responsibility for the program, who may in turn select others or request volunteers for particular assignments (e.g., advisory committee members, mentors, speakers, coordinators of internships).

Organize an academy team that includes administrators, faculty and counselors to recruit partners. Hopefully some will have been identified in the grant application, but begin from wherever you are.

It is important that administrators, including the principal and even the superintendent, be involved with partner recruitment. The higher the level of contact from the school the likelier you will be taken seriously. Provide release time for faculty to help plan the recruitment process and to make visits to industry sites. If this activity occurs during the summer, provide faculty stipends.

Design and produce printed materials that describe your academy. Print lots of these brochures so that you can distribute them wherever and whenever you talk to people about your academy. Develop a plan that assigns recruitment of specific potential business partners to members of your academy team. Many hands make light work.

Define the partner as a company or college, not an individual. Pick the top ten partners you would like to have. Ask each member of the team if they have a personal contact that they can make in any of these. Make phone contacts and set up appointments to personally explain your academy. CEOs and other industry representatives expect to be contacted by an administrator if you are calling cold.

Invite the potential partner to be a member of the academy's advisory committee that will make the decisions regarding curriculum, budget, calendar, activities, and so on. Stress how your academy will provide students with knowledge about the industry and encouragement to enter the industry.

STEP 3: ORGANIZE AND USE YOUR ADVISORY BOARD

You need to include academy faculty, counselors, administrators, secretary, business partners and college representatives. The business partner determines the employee(s) who will represent it on the steering committee.

Hold an organizational meeting to determine place, time and frequency of meetings and who will serve as chair. Set up a steering committee calendar for the year. Example: quarterly meetings, rotating



among the high school, supporting companies, and the local community college, 7-9 a.m., with a continental breakfast and the host serving as chair.

Develop a process to keep the steering committee members informed. One option is to buy secretarial time out of your grant or have the school provide secretarial time. The secretary can take minutes and mail them to members, send reminder notices, develop the agenda in consultation with the academy director and meeting host, handle phone calls and emails from members.

Define the responsibilities to be handled by the steering committee. The steering committee members will be busy people. Make sure that steering committee meetings are productive. Use the expertise of your steering committee members where it best applies. For example, don’t focus on small decisions better left to administrators or teachers. Establish the topics that will be brought before the committee for review and approval.

Example: Review technical course sequence, identify possible dual enrollment subjects, identify/ provide needed equipment, plan speakers and field trips, identify mentors, approve the annual budget, recruit additional partners, evaluate completed activities (e.g., speaker program, summer internships), solve problems that develop.

Provide time for brainstorming during your steering committee meeting.

STEP 4: DEFINE THE PARTNERS' ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Partners include companies, public agencies, colleges and individuals employed in the industry. The advisory board needs to define what you need from employers and colleges beyond those serving on the steering committee. As your academy develops, your goal should be to expand the partner base to include a variety of resource people who can assist in all aspects of the program.

We quickly learned that individuals who volunteer as partners have varied talents to share with students. Our job is to match those talents with our needs. One partner may be willing to come to the classroom one day and talk about his job. Another partner may volunteer to set up a field trip at her business. A trio of business partners may agree to work together and mentor some students.

We ask our partners to provide us with one field trip site each year which will give 50 sophomore or junior students a half or whole day tour/ experience. If that is difficult to do, we ask that they take a smaller group of students. If that is impossible, we ask that they provide a classroom speaker.

We ask that our company partners provide us with opportunities to recruit mentors and that the mentors be able to use work time to work with our students.

We never ask for money. In our initial presentation, we explain that we are asking for a more valuable contribution: the time and talents of individuals. However, we do get contributions of money and meals while on field trips. This occurs when a partner wants to do something with our academy students and realizes that the school doesn't have the resources to accomplish the task.

STEP 5: DEVELOP AN ACTIVITIES CALENDAR

Partners are wonderful, but if you recruit lots of talented individuals who want to work with your students, you need to develop a calendar to organize all the academy activities. We develop and print a calendar each semester. We schedule monthly field trips, classroom activities, mentor activities, due dates for semester projects, parent meetings, student celebrations, and industry events.

The academy calendar is developed by the academy faculty. Much of the work on it is done during the summer when the teachers contact partners and set up field trips and classroom activities for the



coming year. Our academy teachers are each paid a $1,000 summer stipend for academy work. They also schedule evening meetings with parents and quarterly celebrations of student achievement.

Work on the calendar is continuous because dates get changed and new opportunities emerge. It is on the computer and updated and printed frequently to reflect the changes.

STEP 6: RECRUIT CLASSROOM SPEAKERS

Partners can bring the industry and higher education to the classroom. We block our academy classes so that all sophomores or all juniors may come together for a presentation. Our academy headquarters is in one building with a large classroom that can hold 50 students. All our math classes are conducted here. The classroom is adjacent to two large science labs that are also used by the academy for the academy technology and applied physics classes. The academy also has access to computer labs. This classroom complex has evolved in response to the varied activities we pursue in the academy.

What types of classroom activities do partners provide? They may provide general information about their industry, support for the academic disciplines taught within the academy, or offer specialized training. Ideas for classroom presentations frequently come from the steering committee's partners. Academy team members are always alert to new possibilities, and we find that ideas often emerge when we're having informal discussions at industry functions or on field trips or working with mentors. Often, a partner will recommend that we contact a colleague who has particular expertise that can be shared.

How often do you schedule business partners in the classroom? We began by trying to schedule a classroom presentation every two weeks. This schedule, coupled with a monthly field trip, quarterly celebration of student accomplishments, group research projects, and the need to teach a college prep curriculum in English, math, and biology to students who had previously been general level, exhausted our teachers. We are now more flexible about classroom presentations, and schedule them whenever they seem appropriate.

STEP 7: RECRUIT FIELD TRIP SITES

The monthly field trip experience has been a major component in the success of our academy. Approximately seven field trips are provided for students each year.

How do you organize the field trips? During the summer academy teachers meet and outline a tentative calendar of field trips related to topics that the students will be studying during the year. Each teacher volunteers to organize specific trips. That teacher is responsible for contacting the business partner and arranging the date, place, and time of a trip. Our academy secretary schedules school buses to transport the students. Transportation costs are funded through the CPA grant. A majority of our students are on the free/reduced lunch program, and the school cafeteria provides free sack lunches for those students. The grant pays for sack lunches for the other students. Two academy teachers or one teacher and an administrator or counselor go on each field trip. Because of block scheduling, only one substitute has to be hired to cover two academy teachers. Substitute costs are budgeted through the grant. All counselors and administrators are encouraged to participate in one field trip each year.

The school has obtained signed parent permission forms that cover all academy activities during the school year. Students must wear their academy white polo shirts on the field trip. To participate in a field trip students must be in good standing in the class which means no recent attendance cuts or discipline referrals.



What is the partner's role for a field trip? Business or college partners provide activities for students at the site. This may include presentations, tours, demonstrations, and hands on opportunities. We go with what the partner wants to provide. Last year we provided eight field trips for our sophomores.

STEP 8: RECRUIT MENTORS

The Career Academy guidelines call for adult mentors at the junior year. Recruiting partners as mentors has been our greatest challenge. The academy team used the mentor materials presented at the state Career Academy conference and found them extremely helpful. However, convincing a business partner that he wanted to mentor a student has been much more difficult than organizing classroom presentations or field trips.

How do you recruit business partners as mentors? The team adapted materials from the CASN Mentor Handbook for Career Academies. An academy mentor information package was developed and printed. The teachers tried to set up mentor presentations during the summer; however, companies were reluctant to schedule such presentations then because of vacations.

We solved our mentor recruitment problem by enlisting the services of a retired district administrator who took on the activity as a 30-day post retirement project. The district approved the project for funding as a $9,000 district matching investment. This administrator had served at the adult school and had extensive industry contacts. He set up appointments for both himself and the teachers and administrators to present the mentor program. He brought out prospective mentors to view the academy classes and meet academy students. He made personal contacts with industry public relations officials and left mentor materials for distribution to all employees.

What does a business partner do as a mentor? Mentors are asked to meet with their mentees once each month. An information session and lunch activity at the high school was provided to introduce the mentors to their students. A schedule of monthly mentor activities has been developed; however, mentors do not have to participate in these. Mentors are asked to provide a February job shadow experience for their student.

On their mentor information/application forms most of the mentors wrote that they wanted to assist the students with their academic work, and tutoring sessions have been scheduled. Some mentors volunteered to work with two mentees, and some work as teams sharing a group of students.

STEP 9: DEVELOP FORMAL PARTNERSHIPS

A great way to gain business partners and financial support is for your academy to be formally partnered with a company or related organization. This is particularly important if your school is located in a large city and competes with other schools for support.

How do you establish formal partnerships? They may be developed with a specific business, an industry association, an intermediary organization such as a school-business alliance or Chamber of Commerce, or any other group that interfaces with that industry. Your job is to convince the organization that your academy has unique ties to them that makes a formal partnership logical and productive. The business or organization needs to see some value for them as a result of partnering with you.

What do you get from a formal partnership? There are a number of potential advantages:

1. Access to all the employees and/or the roster of members so that you can then recruit individual business partners

2. Specified annual commitments of personnel time and talent

3. Grants, used equipment, instructional materials, and attendance at industry functions



4. Status, as your partnership is publicized by the company

Affiliate memberships in organizations may assist your academy's growth also. You may want to become an affiliate member of an organization that can provide your academy with specialized knowledge of assistance.

STEP 10: MAKE YOUR LOCAL COLLEGES PARTNERS

A local community college or a four-year state university can be a great partner. Many of your academy students will be attending one of these, and you need to be working closely together. You need to include the college from the beginning in your academy planning.

What roles does a college play as partner? The college should have representatives on the academy steering committee. These representatives should come from appropriate departments and programs.

The college partners can offer advice on curriculum development, particularly in the technical academy classes. They may provide college courses for academy students to take through dual enrollment arrangements, providing both high school and college credit. The college faculty can also introduce the academy faculty to other sources of information related to the industry.

The college should be the site of a field trip each year to learn about college programs related to the industry, how to access the college library to do research, and the college application process. It may also have funding sources to augment the academy program budget.

STEP 11: VIEW COMPANIES AND COLLEGES. NOT INDIVIDUALS,

AS YOUR PARTNERS

Change happens. Individuals are transferred, get new responsibilities, develop new community interests, and the academy may no longer be a high priority. We've struggled with this situation in several instances and have learned to seek a company or college commitment with the understanding that individuals may vary from year to year.

Example 1: We had an individual who served as a business partner when we became a model Tech Prep school. She then became a member of our steering committee. Through her efforts the academy received a grant of $5,000 and was provided a field trip site. However, this partner was transferred to the mid-west and her successor has not answered any of our phone calls.

Example 2: Another business was an original partner that formally supported our grant application. For the planning year and first year of implementation the individual who wrote that letter served on our steering committee. However, she involved a variety of other employees in academy projects. When her company merged with another our steering committee member assumed new responsibilities. However, she arranged for the high school to become a formal partner with that new company and had a successor named to the academy steering committee.

STEP 12: RESPOND TO PARTNER CONCERNS

One of your major academy goals should be to keep your partners happy with their roles in your academy. To succeed you need to be aware of any concerns and be ready to respond.

How do you respond to individual partner concerns? Business partners may be uncertain about working with teenagers. They will have questions about how to successfully handle their academy responsibilities. You need to have a process to handle their questions and reduce their anxiety.



Academy faculty need to understand that part of their task is to guide business partners participating in an activity.

Example: Each teacher is responsible for working with specific business partners who are serving as mentors. If a mentor has a question, she calls that teacher. Alternatively, you could assign one teacher the responsibility of the mentor program, and that teacher would then handle all mentor concerns.

Concerns often focus on the scheduling. That is why it is important that every activity be assigned to a specific teacher who will organize it, contact the partner, and maintain contact until the activity is completed. An academy secretary can play an important role in handling scheduling concerns and other minor problems. She needs to know what is going on with partners so she can respond to calls or emails and provide the needed information. She can also find answers to concerns and relay them back to the partner.

Example: Our academy uses two hours of a full time school secretary who also handles other responsibilities. Our understanding is that her time is flexible so that she may respond to academy calls throughout the day. However, the academy Lead Teacher and administrators need to handle concerns that affect the company or school. If it’s a serious concern, the principal needs to become involved because the partner may work with the school in other areas beyond the academy. Sometimes a major concern is beyond the school's ability to solve because the industry is experiencing problems. In this case you just adjust and move on.

STEP 13: PUBLICIZE PARTNER ACTIVITIES

Business partners volunteer to assist an academy for a number of reasons. These include wanting to assist young people to succeed, wanting to recruit young people to enter the industry, wanting to give back to the community, wanting approval from their company, or the company wanting approval from the community and/or its national headquarters.

You need to provide your business partners with positive publicity about the support they are providing your academy. This gives strokes to individual partners while encouraging other employees to volunteer to work with your academy. It enhances the company image in the community. If the company is national, it helps the local office to impress national headquarters with their volunteer spirit and industry promotional efforts.

Example: The energy industry gains mixed reactions from the general public. When we first proposed an energy/environmental technology academy, potential energy industry partners worried that the students might attack the industry. We explained that it gave the industry an opportunity to present its operations in a positive way. Newspaper articles about our field trips present the industry favorably, quoting positive student reactions while explaining what the students have seen and learned.

What types of publicity can you provide? One goal is to keep the academy visible in the school and community. Each edition of the school newspaper can have an academy story, and the parent newsletter an academy update. The public relations representatives of our business partners keep in contact with the school and write frequent articles for the company newsletters. The community newspaper and television stations accompany students on field trips to interesting business sites. These stories provide human interest, showing students interacting with industry representatives.

If the school has a career day or partner’s day this can generate positive publicity. It can become an opportunity to host your business partners or recruit potential partners. It may give them a picture of the school generally or focus on the role of the academy within the school.

Example 1: The district holds an annual Principal Partners Day, and each school hosts 15 to 20 business leaders. This year we invited all the members of the educational subcommittee of the



Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce and concentrated on presenting the academy. Some who attended had not been active in the academy previously, but three signed up to be mentors the next day.

Example 2: The district always invites representatives from the local offices of the state senator and assemblyman to attend Principal Partners Day. This year we hosted the local representative of an assemblyman, who seemed very impressed with the academy. We have subsequently heard that this assemblyman will support the state budget increase in the Partnership Academy allocation.

STEP 14: CONTINUALLY EXPAND EMPLOYER CONTACTS

Why do you need to keep adding business partner contacts? Change happens: companies dissolve or change their community focus, and individuals leave the company, or grow tired. You need to view each business partner as a potential long-term connection who is really only certain for the short-term.

National corporations move their employees. We have assigned mentors to students and then had the mentors call and say they were being transferred next month or having to go out of the country for an extended assignment. The academy tries to develop mentor clusters with several mentors from one company working with several students. If one employee is transferred, the other mentors agree to mentor the student assigned to that employee.

New business partners bring in new ideas and activities. You may begin your academy with ten business partners that you already know. As your academy grows and you add students, you need to expand your academy partners to answer needs that you didn't know existed when you began.

Example: Our academy began with an emphasis on the energy industry because we had contacts in that field. Our only environmental technology contacts were with the local community college and waste management organization. By our second year we had established business partner connections with the local Parks and Recreation Department, the Bureau of Land Management, and other environmental groups. When the industry encountered a cyclical downturn the environmental business partners stepped in and provided increased field trip sites, mentors, and service learning opportunities.

STEP 15: VALUE YOUR PARTNERS

Without business partners your academy can't survive. You need to show your companies, your individual partners, the associations that support you, and your local colleges that you value their association with your academy.

How do you value your business partners? Provide opportunities for your business partners to be thanked by the students, staff, parents and school. This can be an end-of-year celebration, a formal certificate of appreciation, thank you letters from the students following a field trip experience, letters of appreciation sent to employers who have provided employee support, or formal commendations to employers from your school board. Thank your partners for every activity they provide in support of your academy.

Example: Our academy students write thank you letters in their English academy class after field trips. This is both a writing assignment and a lesson in how you respond appropriately when someone has provided a service for you.

Provide opportunities for your business partners to learn about student success. The goal of your academy is to guide your students to graduation, higher education, and successful careers. Your partners support these goals. Without violating student privacy, devise ways to highlight student improvement in grades, attendance and attitude and share this information with your partners. They want to know that their efforts are producing positive results.



The greatest compliment that you can give to your business partners is to use the information that they provide you. Value what your business partners recommend, offer in assistance, and report back to you after an activity is completed. They see what is happening in your academy in different ways than the faculty or administration may. Sometimes partners are more positive about an event than the faculty, and sometimes they have concerns. Value this information and adjust your next activity to reflect them. When partners see that the school respects their input, they feel a vital part of the academy operation.

Sample Advisory Board Agendas:AGENDA FOR MEETING OCTOBER 19TH, 2010

1. Introductions all around: Ben

2. Overview: Ben Covers what happened at graduation, during the summer (jobs), college-going rates, the start-up of the Fall semester (classes, students, cohorts,…) and current challenges.

3. Overview of curriculum: Ben on Networks and Melody on Web Design/Content. Each to spend about 15 minutes of show and tell to indicate what is being taught and the basic approach. Should include what the Advisory Board could do to contribute.

Examples of work: The lab at El Cerrito (Bob Davis), the new ITA/TF web site, student work from Melody’s class.

4. Summer jobs program: Chris

Summary of prep….field trips, soft skills training, portfolios, Youth Works collaboration.

Summary of number of students placed and companies.

Recognition of AT&T Aspire Grant.

5. El Cerrito Career Academies: The Principal’s Perspective: Jason Reimann

Jason reviews the status and prospects for the three academies at EC and his personal commitment to their success. Takes questions. 10-15 minutes.

6. Overview of Linked Learning Initiative: Ron to do a quick update on some of the progress….mostly from the Connect Ed site…let’s be sure to have Patricia Clark invited. Will also tie in some of the Federal and State initiatives. 10 minutes



Sample PowerPoint Slides for a Presentation to Advisory Board:



Section XII – Work Based LearningWork Based Learning Opportunities (WBL):

Within the West Contra Costa Unified School (WCCUSD) and the Linked Learning model, WBL is defined as structured activities incorporated in the curriculum which apply knowledge and skills learned in class which connect to experiences at work.

Internships:An internship is a chance to use a “business classroom” to connect with what is happening at school, to add value to the educational experience, and to clarify the vast number of options available to students. Through internships, the student’s education is improved by:

Introducing the intern to modern workplace equipment and actual workplace problems

Giving young people access to experiences that require more knowledge and skills than ordinary “student jobs”

Giving educators and employers the chance to work together in preparing students for success in the workplace

Helping educators connect the classroom to the modern workplace Helping students understand the importance of their classroom instruction Providing experience to list on the student’s resume Giving students the opportunity to have a real world experience in a career field

in which they have an interest Creating possible future opportunities for young people in the companies where

they intern (and possible future employees for companies that need them Allowing employers to build alliances with local schools. Together, employers and

educators can deliver a powerful message of the importance of education.

Students involved in an internship gather firsthand experience in modern business practices and skills. They learn what is necessary to complete assigned tasks in a timely manner, how to comport themselves responsibly and professionally, how employees work together, and the many opportunities available to them. They get the chance to practice or observe current technology, teamwork and cooperation, and basic business decorum. Internships provide an excellent opportunity for young people to question adults about their careers. They can view the myriad of possibilities within each career field; discern what they like and dislike about a particular job; and learn what skills, knowledge, and education are necessary for the career in which they have an interest. Because internships are not the same as jobs, students can learn more about the company than they would as an employee.

Internships assist the classroom teacher by giving the student a context to which they can relate their schoolwork. Research, writing, speaking, computation, analysis, problem solving, use of technology, organization, and responsibility are all inseparable parts of the modern workplace. When students can see the imminent value of their education first hand, a natural, honest motivation occurs, and gives value to that which the teacher has to offer. Students who serve internships learn the answer to “Why do we need to learn this?” first hand, and do not need to be apprised of the value of their academic instruction. They also



see the relationship between job quality and level of education, and often return to school more motivated to go to college than beforehand.

Classroom instruction which augments the internship experience can be part of this experience. Examples include journal-keeping, resume building, and portfolio development. Lessons in all disciplines can be geared to relate the internship experience to academic skills. Such activities help to emphasize for students the connection between school and work, showing them practical applications for their learning and opening their minds to possible futures beyond what academic instruction alone usually achieves.

II. Organizing an Internship Program

The coordinator is crucial to an effective internship program. He or she should be carefully selected as one who is knowledgeable in, and dedicated to, the values of work-based learning. The coordinator will generally have final responsibility for development and implementation of the internship program, and will work with students, parents, teachers, mentors, supervisors, site and district administrators, and business to bring together a rigorous and valuable experience. This is a pivotal role, requiring interest, dedication, and time.

The coordinator may be an academic or vocational teacher, a school-to-work or cooperative education coordinator, a high school or district administrator, or an Academy coordinator. Any of these professionals can do a fine job of putting the program into effect, provided they the proper support. The coordinator must have the trust and backing of the school and district’s top administrators. Superintendents and principals can show their support for the program by discussing it in positive terms with the faculty, local business representatives, and community members. They also need to allot time to the coordinator to run the program.

NOTE: Remember, business generally takes place during regular work hours (typically Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). A teacher with classroom responsibilities during this time may have difficulty developing necessary partnerships and keeping appointments with business partners. Extra preparation time, some release from the school schedule, is necessary for this to take place. Try to schedule this time around the lunch period – business can be done at this time, and civic organizations (i.e., Rotary International, Lions Club, Soroptomist’s Club) also meet then, and can be a great resource for partnership development.

Coordinator Roles and Responsibilities

Each of the following are pivotal aspects of the Coordinator’s position:



Identifying, recruiting, and orienting employer partners Promoting the program to teachers, students, and parents Recruitment and preparation of students for employer partners to interview Organizing the Student Worksite Learning Plan, and other program policies and

procedures Monitoring the progress of both students and employers at the work site Evaluating student interns Working with teachers on curriculum to bolster the relevance of instruction as it

pertains to internship, Organizing a culminating activity and/or closing celebration Reviewing and revising the program with employer partners.

Since this work is crucial for an internship program, let’s look at each of these responsibilities in more depth. The coordinator should develop a timeline or action plan for putting each step into motion.

1. Identify, recruit, and orient business partners.Although there are examples of programs that have been initiated by employers out of a need for better qualified employees, and often out of a sense of community involvement, this is the exception. More often, it is the responsibility of the Academy team, and specifically the Academy Internship Coordinator, to meet this need.

Before planning to recruit employers for participation in your program, four basic but pertinent questions should be addressed:

What will employers be asked to do? Which employers will be targeted for recruitment? Why should employers participate in your program? How will employers be recruited?

Once these questions have been discussed, if not fully answered, you will be better prepared to complete this task successfully. The first question is of paramount importance, for if this is not clearly defined, it will be difficult to attract quality businesses as partners.

There are many ways employers can be useful to your Academy internship program (in addition to simply providing a workplace where students can gain experience). These include:

Input on workplace validity of the curriculum

Program policy development and decision making

Recruitment of other employers/partners

Screening/interviewing of program applicants

Creation of work-based staff development opportunities for teachers



Job shadowing and career exposure assistance

Development of work site learning plans

Evaluation of student interns

Authentic audience for student presentations

Internship programs can vary. A first step in recruiting employers is to define your goals, the intended focus and scope of your program? Is it to have every student participate, or only some. Do you want paid positions or unpaid ones? Is your intent simply to further career awareness among your students, or to provide a fully restructured applied learning environment? Job shadowing and brief and/or unpaid internships can provide a level of career awareness. A longer paid internship will achieve more. Will the level of involvement be the same for all students? To be unclear about your goals and the scope of your program is to risk looking unprepared when approaching employers. The better prepared you are, the more likely they will participate.

It is wise to seek the participation of representatives from all Academy stakeholders – teaching, administration, counseling, students, parents, and Steering Committee members – when addressing these questions of intent. Only then can you get a clear idea of the needs and desires of the community at large, and only then will you be able to count on stakeholder support for the decisions that are made. Ask yourself and your stakeholders the following questions, and make your decisions based on the responses:

How structured do your partners want this program to be? How many students will be participating in the program? How many at each business? Will internships be paid or unpaid? Will internships take place during summer? After school? Weekends? Are all potential interns willing to make a commitment to an internship? Are all students going to participate in the internship program?

The answer to these questions may vary. You may wish to keep your program flexible – allow certain business partners to offer a one week, unpaid internship, while others develop a more elaborate program. Use the expertise of your Steering Committee and business partners to help make these determinations. If you allow the program to be responsive to the needs of your business partners and students, to be flexible rather than rigid, it will function more fluidly and with less conflict.

Once these decisions are made, it is responsibility of the coordinator to find employers willing to invest the time and resources needed to provide internship opportunities. Some local employers may already be working with your school in various contexts: cooperative education programs, technical high schools/programs, existing internship programs, or Academies. Your local Chamber of Commerce can be a wonderful resource. Another good source is local civic organizations: e.g., Rotary International, Soroptomists, Lions Clubs, and the like. These groups typically meet weekly or monthly, generally at lunchtime, and are often seeking guest speakers. Your principal, superintendent, and board members are likely to be members of the various groups in your community, and may be able to assist you in



gaining introductions and/or arranging an opportunity to speak about your program and recruit business partners.

The next step is to develop a master list of prospective employers, with an address, phone number, fax number, e-mail address, and contact person for each. You may wish to include a brief abstract (just a sentence or two) regarding the school’s current or past relationship with that company and any other pertinent information. Another good step is to develop a brochure geared to the business community and do a mailing to the businesses on your list. Follow up the mailing with phone calls, inviting these potential partners to an informational meeting. This lets you meet with many business representatives at once, and lets them learn from each other and perhaps support each others' involvement. An aid to this endeavor is the site or district Career Counselor. These professionals will often have much of this information at their fingertips, and can be of tremendous assistance in accomplishing any tasks that require the help of the business community.

Another approach, often necessary with some employers, is to set up an appointment at the company to discuss your program. Be well prepared for this meeting. Have a clear agenda in mind. Your presentation should be concise and to the point. Bring a brochure geared to business partners, detailing your program. Know what you will need from these partners, tell them, and also include it in your brochure so they can peruse it at their convenience. Be specific about these needs, with a timeline. If possible, take an existing business partner to this meeting – this will add strength to your presentation, as he or she can detail the merits of your program. A member of your Steering Committee can also serve in this role.

Once you have secured the involvement of a core group of employers, you will probably need to meet with them again to review the specifics of the program and prepare them for implementation. This may be done on an individual basis, although again a group meeting saves time and assures that all participants receive the same information. It also provides a chance for them to share observations with each other, and to see themselves as an extended part of the Academy team. At this meeting cover student application and matchup plans, student dress and behavior expectations, evaluation and assessment plans, the student interview and selection schedule, planned monitoring visits, and future meetings. It is a good idea to bring copies of pertinent forms and documents, discussing them, and determining a timeline for their use during the internship period.

NOTES: 1) Be certain that partners know how to contact you. Frustration on the part of your partners can cause them to become ex-partners, and ex-partners can cause others to be disinclined to work with you. 2) The top person in the company will be most able to make decisions to help your program succeed. However, these people are often difficult to meet with. Try to get your superintendent involved in making these connections. CEO’s will generally make time for other CEO’s. The superintendent – your CEO – can often make this connection when others can’t.

2. Promote the program to teachers, students, and parents.



It is important to generate excitement about the program at your school for it to be a success. As in many aspects of the Academy, you are dealing with what for some will be new and unusual ways of doing business, in what is often a very traditional structure. The unknown or misunderstood often breeds resentment and fear, and a failure to clarify your plans and purposes can create problems.

Once your program has been in existence for awhile, it will be its own public relations tool. That is, students, parents, teachers, and business partners who have participated and/or observed the program will provide testimonials and anecdotal evidence, and build momentum. As you begin your internship program, however, it is important to provide information not only to those you wish to recruit, but also to your colleagues at the high school. Take a little time at faculty meetings to apprise the staff of what you’re doing. Hold informational meetings in the evening, and invite not only parents but interested community members. Invite the local newspaper and other media figures to report on business partner and student orientation meetings. Seek the aid of other teachers for help in recruitment. Ask your principal to show her/his support in a public way. To involve staff and community is to avoid the spread of misinformation and misgivings.

3. Select and prepare students for employer partners to interview.Because you are developing a program within an Academy, presumably there is a career focus in which your students have an interest. It is now time to subdivide these interests into various aspects of the industry. Within each broad career field, there are many different jobs and career options. Through interest inventories and other similar tools, as well as the knowledge your team of teachers has about its clients, students can be ensured the best possible internship match, and good matches help your program flourish.

A useful step at this point is to develop an application form that will help you determine each student’s interests, and review these with care (a sample can be found in the appendix). Discuss successful interview strategies in class, and conduct practice interviews. You can ask business partners to assist in this, as they are the professionals. Let students know that, just like in the real world of work, the process for placement will be competitive, and that business partners will interview and select their choice of interns. This “raises the bar” for students and takes some of the pressures off the coordinator.

Teachers may assist students in preparing for their interview by encouraging them to:

Participate in lessons on interview techniques Participate in mock interviews Prepare a resume and cover letter Brainstorm possible questions and appropriate answers Dress appropriately Be prompt Decline offered food or beverages Be friendly and outgoing, but not to talk too much Be concise and to the point



Arrive prepared to complete employment applications, and with all necessary paperwork

Thank the interviewer Follow-up with a thank you note

4. Develop Student Worksite Learning PlansThe goals of a successful internship program are two-fold: to meet employers’ expectations, and provide a quality educational experience for students. To meet these goals, work with the employer partner to develop a written work site plan. This plan should include what the student is expected to do on the job, and the assignments he or she must carry out to meet educational expectations. Because this is an internship it is important that it entail more than eight hours of filing or answering telephones each day. Students should learn about modern business practices, teamwork, job-specific skills, appropriate business behavior and dress, safety practices, and ethics. They should also be exposed to various aspects of the business, either through hands-on experience or observation. The Worksite Learning Plan serves in effect as a contract, spelling out the program purposes and responsibilities on both sides. A sample form for development of a Work Site Learning Plan is included in the appendix.

5. Monitor the progress of both students and employers at the work site.After interns are placed with employers it is necessary to track their progress and their developing relationship with the partner business. Depending on the number of students placed, the coordinator may or may not be able to conduct these on-site checks alone. A plan should be developed that is acceptable to the business partner for regularly viewing the intern at work and conducting a brief meeting with the intern and supervisor. In this way, potential problems may be circumvented, and the internship experience may be kept meaningful and productive. The person conducting the visitation should keep a journal of what they see, hear, and perceive about the student at work in order to answer any questions from parents or administrators, as well as to assist in the evaluation at the internship’s conclusion. This monitoring can be done both formally and informally. Unannounced drop-ins can sometimes provide different insights to the student’s experience than planned evaluative meetings.

6. Conduct endpoint evaluations of student interns.

The next step is to establish a process for evaluating students' internship experiences. This should include not only the concluding evaluation, but at least one benchmark assessment along the way (depending on the length of the internship). Evaluations should be based on written employer evaluations, the coordinator’s assessment during monitoring of the intern, and completion of required assignments. Evaluation that’s done well will give the intern a clear idea of skills that must be developed or augmented during the senior year. The evaluation should be structured



to be developmental and constructive rather than punitive. It is often helpful to have the students evaluate their own performance, after which a “gap analysis” can take place – places where the student’s self-evaluation diverges broadly from that of her/his supervisor. Discussions of such gaps and be very instructive, including an analysis of the reasons for the different perceptions.

7. Work with key teachers on curriculum.

If teachers are familiar with what employees need to know and be able to do for success in the workplace, they can more effectively connect their classroom instruction to work site needs and competencies. The best way for this awareness to be developed is for Academy academic and technical teachers to participate in the internship program, particularly in site visits and evaluations. With the opportunity to view students at the work site, and discuss their needs, strengths, and weaknesses with intern supervisors, teachers become more aware of the activities at a modern work site. From this they can gain plan assignments and projects for the classroom to strengthen these areas. It may be useful for the coordinator to organize staff development training for the team. Assistance in curriculum development in general, and integrated curriculum projects in particular, are useful to connect the classroom with the work site.

8. Organize a culminating activity and/or closing celebration.

You may wish to recruit the help of parent volunteers and/or employer partners in planning a celebration of your internship accomplishments. However it is organized, it is important to celebrate your program’s successes. School representatives, students, teachers, employer partners, and parents should all be invited.

This is a good opportunity for students to “stand and deliver” their accomplishments in front of a largely adult/professional audience. Students might be asked to develop a display documenting their internship experience, including their portfolio materials. They may be asked to give brief presentations of what they’ve accomplished. There can be a culminating awards ceremony, where certificates of completion are distributed (software that makes professional looking certificates is easy to find and inexpensive, and certificates look good on everyone’s refrigerator!). Supervisor testimonials are important to the students and your program. It is a good idea to have these transcribed for future public relations use. However you choose to structure this event, it is a good opportunity for everyone involved to see the connection being made between school and work, and the importance of this connection. Of course refreshments are mandatory!

9. Review, evaluate, and revise the program with employer partners.

In business, this is usually called debriefing. It is important to find time shortly after the end of your internship period to meet with school officials and business partners to discuss what went well and what needs revision. Encourage all participants to be candid; it is not a failure to admit things weren’t perfect. Valuable insights can be



gained from business partners regarding curricular needs teachers might address, and the school may see ways employers can augment the workplace learning to expand student understanding of the connection between the two.

Information that comes from this meeting might be disseminated to critical school staff in order to better train students in workplace competencies school wide. Arrange with the principal to share these findings, and to help develop a plan to address these recommendations.

Working Partners:The Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa works with educators, businesses and community partners to provide all participants a relevant education that includes awareness of and access to career opportunities, employment, and preparation for post-secondary education and lifelong learning. The Summer Youth Program provides a work-based learning experience for participants between the ages of 14-24.

Key elements of CC Youth@Work program: • Work Experience (WX) is in a range of professional settings and provides participants an opportunity to gain a broad understanding of a career field. • Incorporates learning goals agreed upon by the participant, the worksite supervisor, and a Career Counselor, who also supervises the participant throughout the summer. • Has an educational component, building upon community classroom learning and career development activities. • A WX is a powerful hands-on learning experience for a participant. Benefits of participating as an employer partner: • Productive contribution by participant in the workplace. • Positive publicity as a partner supporting the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County (in publications and website, newspaper, and events). • Heightened workplace pride and morale, a chance for employees to develop and practice leadership and mentoring skills. • Targeted investment in the local workforce assures skilled workers in your industry. • Direct contribution to building communities in Contra Costa County. How does it work? • Employers/Worksites submit an application to CC Youth@Work Project Manager. • Participants complete an application and submit it to the Career Counselor, who forwards the application to the CC Youth@Work office with their recommendation. • The CC Youth@Work office, in collaboration with partner agencies, match participants with employer/worksite partners, based on employer/worksite job description, student skills and interests, schedules, and Career Counselor recommendation. • All employers/worksite supervisors attend an orientation before the start of the summer to discuss



specifics about participants in the workplace. The goal is to assure a quality experience that is positive for both the employer/worksite partner and the participant. • The CC Youth@Work program will provide a youth participant approximately 120 hours of subsidized work experience with an hourly wage of $8.25 per hour. • The CC Youth@Work Office is available throughout the summer to address any questions or concerns that may arise.

YouthWORKS – Summer Youth Employment ProgramThe Youth Summer Employment Program is a yearly program that offers Richmond Youth the chance to work in a variety of local jobs. Youth participants will gain professional experience working in government agencies, non-profits and private businesses.

Section XIII – Partnering with ROP

Section XIV – Useful References


lead teacher handbook · web viewlead teacher handbook resource handbook for academy/pathway lead...

Documents