preparing all students for economic & career success€¦ · 5 experiences. § reorganize cte...

MONTGOMERYCOUNTYPUBLICSCHOOLS

SEPTEMBER2017

CAREERREADINESS|EXTERNALREVIEW

PreparingAllStudentsforEconomic&CareerSuccess

www.edstrategy.org 1

TableofContents

ExecutiveSummary…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2

Introduction:TheShiftingLandscapeofEconomicOpportunities…………………………………….…7

CareerReadinessReviewUndertakenbyESG……………………………………………………………………10

DataAnalysisandFocusGroupDescriptions…………………………………………………………………..…11

CumulativeFindingsfromESG’sCareerReadinessReview…………………………………………………21• FocusArea#1:VisionandSystemicPrioritiesforCareerReadiness…………………….…...21

• FocusArea#2:EmployerEngagement/Demand-DrivenProgramming…………………..…23

• FocusArea#3:QualityandRigorofCareer-TechnologyEducation(CTE)inMCPS….…25

• FocusArea#4:EdisonSchoolofTechnology……………………………………………………………..28

• FocusArea#5:StakeholderUnderstanding………………………………………………………….……30

ESGRecommendationsforMCPS………………………………………………………………………………….……32• FocusArea#1:VisionandSystemicPrioritiesforCareerReadiness……………………….....32

• FocusArea#2:EmployerEngagement/Demand-DrivenProgramming………………………33

• FocusArea#3:QualityandRigorofCareer-TechnologyEducation(CTE)inMCPS…..…35

• FocusArea#4:EdisonSchoolofTechnology……………………………………………………………..40

• FocusArea#5:StakeholderUnderstanding…………………………………………………………….…43

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….48

Appendix………………………………………………………………………………..………………………………………….49• DataAnalysisTables……………………………………………………………………………………………….….49

• SurveyQuestions……………………………………………………………………………………………….………52

• SurveyResults……………………………………………………………………………………………………………63

• FocusGroupProtocols……………………………………………………………………………………………….69


ExecutiveSummary

ThegoalofK-12educationhaslongbeentopreparestudentseffectivelyforlifeafterhighschool,but

whatismeantbypostsecondarysuccesshasshiftedsignificantlyinrecentyears.Theeconomyhas

changed;collegehaschanged;andcareeropportunitieshavechanged.Inthenextfewyears,nearly

two-thirdsofalljobswithrequiresomelevelofpostsecondaryeducationandtraining,whichwill

providesignificantlymoreandbetteropportunitiestoskilled,technical,postsecondary-credentialed

workersandleavebehindthosewithahighschooldiplomaorless.Thatdoesnotmeanonlyindividuals

withbachelor’sdegreeswithfindsuccessinthejobmarket.Thosewhoholdassociatedegreesin

technicalfieldsinmanyinstancesalreadyout-earntheirpeerswithbachelor’sdegreesinnon-

quantitativefields.Choicesstudentsmakeregardingtheirpathofstudyafterhighschoolhavenever

beenmoreimportant.

ThefocalpointofK-12schoolsmustcorrespondinglyshiftfrom“howdowepreparestudentsforfour-

yearcollege?”to“howdowepreparestudentstoearnapostsecondarycredentialthatgivesthementry

intothemiddleclassandbeyond?”

TheseeconomicrealitiescompelledMontgomeryCountyPublicSchools(MCPS)tocontractwith

EducationStrategyGroup(ESG)tohelpthedistrictreflectonitscurrentpractices,assesshowwellthey

aremeetingtheintendedmark,anddevelopstrategiesforcoursecorrection.ESGwasaskedto

rigorouslyassessthedistrict’scareerreadinesseffortstodeterminethedegreetowhichtheyaredriven

bylabormarketneeds;shapedbyemployers;rigorousandrelevant;fullyutilizedandeffectivevehicles

forpreparingallstudentsforthefullrangeofhigh-qualitypostsecondaryoptionsbeforethem.

SeveralimportantprinciplesguidedESG’sworkthroughouttheproject:

§ EverystudentmustgraduatefromMCPSwiththeknowledgeandskillstobereadyforcollegeand

“goodjobs.”

§ Careerreadinessreferstoabroadsetofexperiencesthatprepareallstudentsforeconomicand

careersuccess;CareerandTechnologyEducation(CTE)isanimportantlever,butnotthesole

focusof,acomprehensivecareerreadinessstrategy.

§ Careerreadinesseffortsarenotabouttrackingstudentsintoonepathbutratheraboutpreparing

allstudentsforthefullrangeofpostsecondaryoptionsfromwhichtheycanchoosetheirbestfit.

§ MCPScannottacklethisworkalone;itmustlockarmswiththeemployerandpostsecondary

educationcommunitiestopreparestudentsforeconomicandcareersuccess.

Throughanalysisofperformancedataandadministrationofsurveys,focusgroups,andphone

interviewsinvolvingstudents,parents,staff,employers,andhighereducationleaders,ESGformed

findingsaboutthestrengthsandgapsofcurrentpracticesandstrategicrecommendationsfor

improvement.Theyareorganizedbelowintofivefocusareastoallowfortheintegrationand

prioritizationofkeythemesandideas.


FocusArea#1:VisionandSystemicPrioritiesforCareerReadinessDistrictadministratorsandschool-basedstaffwithinMCPSareclearlycommittedtohighexpectations

andoutcomesforallstudents.However,thosehighexpectationsarealmostexclusivelyaimedatafour-

yearcollegeexperienceafterhighschool,which,whileveryimportant,marginalizescareerpreparation

effortsandundervaluesdualcollege-readyANDcareer-readyaccomplishments.Thestrongfocuson

preparingforfour-yearcollegehasalsocontributedinparttoapracticeofcheckingoffgraduation

requirementsratherthanthinkingmorestrategicallyandcreativelyaboutwhatcanandshouldbe

includedwithinthehighschoolexperience.SystemdriversandaccountabilitymetricswithinMCPS

continuetoemphasizeraisingthegraduationandfour-yearcollege-goingrates.Absentfromthoseand

relatedmetricsarehigh-qualitycareerreadinessindicatorsthatcanandshouldplayacomplimentary

roleinMCPS’swork.

Recommendations:MCPSmustpartnerwithindustryandpostsecondaryleaderstoestablishcareer

readinessasapriorityinpreparingstudentsforpostsecondarysuccess.

§ EstablishanewvisionforcareerreadinessthatcomplementsMCPS’scollege-readygoals.

§ RedefineandrebrandCTEasofferingrigorousacademiccourseworkintegratedwith21stcentury

technicalinstructionandreal-worldworkexperiences.

§ Provideprofessionaldevelopmentontheregionallabormarketandtherelatedhigh-valuecareeropportunitiestoteachers,counselors,andadministratorstohelpthemunderstandtherangeof

meaningfulprofessionalrolesavailableafterhighschool.

§ Establishmetricsforcareerreadinesssuccesstoundergirdtheimportanceofthework,including

programofstudycompletioninhigh-skill,high-demandfields;work-basedlearningparticipation;

dualcreditrates;andattainmentofindustry-recognizedcredentialswithlabormarketvalue.

FocusArea#2:EmployerEngagementMCPSclearlyrecognizestheneedtomeaningfullyengagekeyemployerstoensurealignmentbetween

programsandtheeconomicdevelopmentneedsofthecounty,yetitlacksasystemicwayinwhichto

connectwiththeemployercommunity.Instead,existingintermediaryorganizationsservedifferent

purposesandfunctions,whichhascreatedfragmentedengagementandconfusionamongemployers.

WhileMCPSconsistentlyengagesemployersthroughseveralchannels,employersfeeltheyarebeing

informedratherthanhelpingtoshapeandassesspoliciesandprograms.Inaddition,employersare

underutilizedinconnectingclassroomlearningwiththeworldofworkthroughwork-basedlearning

experiences.ThiscouldstemfromthewayinwhichemployersseemtoperceiveK-12asaphilanthropic

endeavorratherthanatalent-developmentstrategy.


Recommendations:EmployersmustbecomestrongpartnersinrealizingMCPS’snewvisionofcareer

readiness,whichincludeshavingtheopportunitytohelpidentifyprogramsofstudythatshouldbe

prioritizedandscaledandassesstheireffectiveness.

§ RegularlyconveneleadingemployersthroughaspecializedAdvisoryCouncilledbytheSuperintendenttoidentifyprogrammaticprioritiesforthedistrictandsetdirectionfortheworkof

thecurrentintermediaryorganizations.

§ RestructureandredefinetheroleoftheMontgomeryCountyCollaborationBoard(MCCB)soitcanmoreeffectivelyensurethatcareerpreparationprogramsaretargetedintherightcareer

sectorsandareachievingresults.

§ EstablishasinglepointofcontactwithinMCPSforemployers,a“DirectorofStrategicIndustryPartnerships”,tomanagetheworkoftheCouncilandbuildafullportfolioofwork-basedlearning

experiencesforstudents.

FocusArea#3:QualityandRigorofCTEMCPSshouldrightfullyboastthatithasprogramsofstudythatareanchoredinindustry-recognized

credentials;atechnicalcareeradvisementplatform;school-basedinternshipcoordinators;and

dedicatedstaff,allofwhichareneededtocreateahigh-quality,district-widecareerpreparationsystem.

Yetitsprogramsofstudyareofferedunevenlyacrossthedistrictwithasmorgasbordpoppingupwithin

schoolsseeminglywithoutintentionality.ThiscontributestostudentsandparentsoftenperceivingCTE

ashavinglimitedvalue.High-qualityprogramsofstudymustincludepostsecondary-levelinstruction,

butthesharedvisionfora9-14deliverysystemthatincludesdualenrollment/creditandopportunities

forattainmentofpostsecondary-levelindustry-recognizedcredentialsisunderdeveloped.Further,

neitherwork-basedlearningnorcareeradvisementhasbeenoptimizedtodate.Thoughthehighschool

internshipprogramhasimpressivepotential,itlackscoordination,clearstandards,andindustry-aligned

opportunities.And,importantfunctionalityofNavianceforcareerplanningiscurrentlyoverlooked.

Finally,asacontextualchallengetoaddress,CTEisinherentlyatadisadvantageforenrollees.Itisoften

viewedasoneelectiveofmanychoicesratherthanapathwaytoavaluablepostsecondaryopportunity.

Recommendations:Oncethenewvisionforcareerreadinesshasbeenestablished,MCPSmust

strengthenthequalityandconsistencyofitscareerprogramming.Thedistrictneedstoensurethat

programsofstudyarerigorousandenablestudentstograduatewithcollegecreditandpostsecondary-

levelindustry-recognizedcredentials.

§ Designandexecuteasystematicapproachtothedeliveryofcareerprogrammingacrossschools

ensuringthateverystudenthasaccesstoahigh-qualityprogramofstudyofhis/herchoice.

§ RedesignProgramsofStudysothattheyofferhonorsandcollege-levelcourse-takingopportunitiesthroughgrade14andintegraterigorousandrelevantwork-basedlearning


experiences.

§ ReorganizeCTEunderonecentralleaderwithdeepknowledgeofthedistrict’sacademicand

technicalprioritiesandtheacumentoexecuteonthenewcareerreadinessvision.

§ Reconfigurethedistrict’saccountabilitysystemsothatitdriveschangesinpracticethatvaluecompletionofprogramsofstudyandattainmentofcollegecreditandstackablecredentials.

FocusArea#4:TheEdisonSchoolofTechnologyTheEdisonSchoolofTechnology(“Edison”)initscurrentformconsistentlydemonstratesarelentless

focusonpreparingstudentsforspecificcareeropportunitiesafterhighschool.StaffatEdisonare

notablydedicatedtotheirworkandreadilyacknowledgeandsupportthenotionthatmanyoftheir

studentscan,should,anddoenrollinformalpostsecondaryeducationortrainingprogramsafterhigh

school.However,EdisonislargelyunknownthroughoutMCPSwithstakeholdersholdingonlyavague

ideaofwhattheschooldoesandhowwellitdoesit.Stakeholdersexpressconcernthatitisa“lesser-

thanoption”forstudentswhodon’tplantogotocollege.Studentsandparentsseemlargelyunwilling

toloseaclassperioddailytotraveltoapart-timeprogramthatoffersapartialhighschoolexperience.

Andtheredoesn’tappeartobeacommonunderstandingofhowEdisonfitsintothebroaderMCPS

strategy.

Recommendations:The“newEdison”currentlyunderconstructionmakesroomforchangeand

reinvention.MCPSshouldtakethisopportunitytoaddressshortcomingsinthecurrentmodel,situating

thenewschoolasanintegralpieceofthecareerreadinessvision.Therearefourpathstoconsider,each

ofwhichrequiresconvertingEdisonintoafull-timeschool:

§ CreateaCTEEarlyCollegeHighSchoolthat,likeotherEarlyCollegeHighSchools,wouldenablestudentstosimultaneouslyearnahighschooldiplomaandeitheranassociatedegreeoruptotwo

yearsofcredittowardabachelor’sdegree.

§ DesignaWall-to-WallCareerAcademythatwouldbedividedintoanumberofhigh-skill,high-

demand“academies”;eachstudentwould“major”inanacademyandreceiverigorousacademic

andtechnicalinstructionculminatingincollege-creditandapostsecondaryindustry-recognized

credential.

§ CombineEdisonandWheaton,takingadvantageofthenaturalopportunityofside-by-sidecampusestoofferarigorousproject-basedlearningexperiencealongsidesophisticatedhands-on

technicalinstruction.

§ Converttoatechnologyhighschooltakingcaretoassessprogrammaticofferingsandtheirquality

carefullytoensurehigh-qualityanddevelopastrategicplanforimplementationwith

postsecondaryandindustrypartners.


FocusArea#5:StakeholderUnderstandingMCPSstudents,parents,faculty,andstaffuniformlyunderstandandbelieveinthevalueofafour-year

collegedegree.ButacrossallMCPSstakeholders,thereislittleawarenessofhoweconomicshiftshave

createdamorediverserangeofcareeropportunities,especiallyvaluable“new-collar”jobslikethosein

thehealthandfinancialservicesfields.Relatedly,becauselittleinformationoncareerpreparationfor

theseopportunitieshasmadeitswaytostudents,teachers,counselors,andparents,thereisa

discerniblelackofunderstandingregardingcareerreadinessanditsgoals.Moststakeholdersdon’t

understandwhatCTEis,oftenassociatingitwithoutdatedvocationaleducation.YettheyciteCTE

programsofstudylikeNationalAcademiesFoundation(NAF),ProjectLeadtheWay(PLTW),andCiscoas

beingverystrongcollegeprepopportunities.Students,parents,faculty,andstaffgenerallylack

understandingofhowhigh-qualityCTEcanbeaneffectivestrategytopreparekidsforcollege.

Recommendations:Leveragingexternalprofessionals,MCPSmustclearlyandwidelycommunicateto

helpstakeholdersunderstandtheimportanceofitscareerreadinesswork.Thiscanhappenthrough

deliberatephasing:

§ Establishanewvaluepropositionforcareerreadinessthateducatesstakeholdersonrecenteconomicchangesandtherelatedimplicationsforcareeropportunities.

§ ImplementabrandingcampaignthatbringstolifeMCPS’snewcareerreadinessvisionthat

integratesandvaluescareerpreparationalongsidecollegepreparation.

§ Makethecaseforhigh-qualityCTEasacomponentofcareerreadinessexplainingwhatCTEentails,delineatingCTEofferingsandtheirconnectiontopostsecondaryoptions,targetinglong-

heldmisconceptionsaboutCTEquality,andadvertisingrecentCTEchangestoensureunassailable

quality.


INTRODUCTIONTheShiftingLandscapeofEconomicOpportunities

Forgenerations,theroutetoeconomicandcareersuccesswassimpleanddirect:graduatefromhigh

schoolandfindablue-collartechnicaljoborwhite-collarclericalrole,eachofwhichprovidedstable

employmentandpaidgoodwages;or,goontoearnacollegedegreethatopeneddoorstoawiderange

ofsubstantial,well-payingprofessionalpositions.Fortoday’sstudents,thatreliablesequencenolonger

holdstrue.Technologicaladvanceshavefundamentallyreshapedtheeconomy,andatthesametime,

triggeredchangesinthelandscapeofpostsecondaryeducationandcareeropportunities.

Today,thesameskilledtraderolesrequireworkerstohavenew,moresophisticatedproficiencytobe

successfulintheworkforce.Carmechanicshavebecomecomputertechnicians;assemblylineworkers

havebecomehigh-techoperators;andprogrammershavebecomethebackboneofoureconomic

infrastructure.Infact,Americanmanufacturersnowpostmorejobsforsoftwaredevelopersthan

productionworkers.1

Theloud,cleardrumbeatthatacollegeeducationisthekey

toeconomicandcareersuccesshasbeenproventrueby

thesedevelopments.Employers’upgradedjobexpectations

meanthatworkersmustbemoreskillfullypreparedforthe

rangeofrolesavailableinthe21stcenturyeconomy.By2020,

nearlytwo-thirdsofalljobswillrequiresomelevelof

postsecondaryeducationandtraining,withanearlyevensplit

betweenthoserequiringabachelor’sdegreeandthose

requiringanassociatedegreeorsomepostsecondary

training.2Manyoftheseare“middleskill”or“newcollar”jobs

thatrequiremorethanahighschooldiplomabutlessthana

bachelor’sdegree.

Buttherearetwocriticalfactorsmissingfromthisdescriptionthatmustimpacttheworkofschools:

1)thesechangesareoccurringveryrapidlywithintheAmericaneconomy;and2)postsecondarysuccess

isbeingdefinedmuchmorebroadlybytheeconomythanittraditionallyhas.TheGreatRecessionof

2008-2009decimatedclericalandblue-collarjobs,replacingthemwithhigher-skillmanagerialand

professionaljobsinindustriessuchashealthandfinancialservices.Infact,99percentofthejobsadded

intheRecoverywenttoworkerswithsomelevelofpostsecondaryeducationandtraining,leaving

behindthosewithahighschooldiplomaorless.3

1BurningGlassTechnologies,“ManufacturingShift:SoftwareJobsNowOutpaceProductionOpenings”,(August15,2017).

2Carnevale,Smith,andStrohl.“Recovery:JobGrowthandEducationRequirementsthrough2020”,GeorgetownUniversityCenteronEducationandtheWorkforce(June,2013).

3Carnevale,Jayasundera,andGulish.“Recovery:CollegeHavesandHaveNots”,GeorgetownUniversityCenteronEducationandtheWorkforce(June,2016).

Employers’upgradedjob

expectationsmeanthat

workersmustbemore

skillfullypreparedforthe

rangeofrolesavailableinthe

21stcenturyeconomy.


Whileemployerdemandforpostsecondary-trainedworkers

hasincreasedsignificantly,thechallengesofcollegecontinue

togrowforstudentsandtheirfamilies.Costshaverisen

prohibitivelywiththeaveragein-statefour-yearpublichigher

educationinstitutioncharging$20,000peryearandtheaverageprivate,non-profitfour-yearcollegecharging$45,000

peryear.4Yetonly10percentofstudentswhoearnabachelor’sdegreedosowithinfouryears,andonaverage,

studentsaccumulate$37,172ofdebtforafour-yearcollege

experience.5Perhapsnotsurprisingly,morethan70percent

ofundergraduatestudentsholdjobswhileincollege,with40

percentworkingmorethan30hoursperweekirrespectiveoffamilyincome,financialdependency,

enrollmentstatus,age,race,orotherdemographiccharacteristics.6Thetraditionalvisionof

postsecondaryeducation–18yearoldstudentscompletingabachelor’sdegreeinfouryears–isnow

theexception,notthenorm.

Theeconomyhasshiftedtovalueshorter-term,meaningfulcredentialsintechnicalfieldsinadditionto

four-yeardegrees.Whilebachelor-degreedelectricalengineersforexamplestillearnonaveragenearly

$100kperyear,thosewithassociatedegreesinInformationTechnologyonaverageearnover$66kper

year,andone-yearindustrycertificateholdersinInformationTechnologyonaverageearnabout$59k

peryear.7BothITspecialistsexceedthegenericbachelordegreeholderwhoearnsanaveragesalaryof

$54kperyear.8Infact,acrosstheboard,30percentofassociatedegreeholdersnowout-earnthose

withbachelor’sdegrees.9

Whilestudentscansucceedintheirfuturesinsimilarwayswhethertheyattainlong-termpostsecondary

orindustrycertifications,associatedegrees,orbachelor’sdegrees,thegeneralruleofthumbpersists:

themoreeducationonehas,thehigherthesalaryhe/sheearns.However,thefieldsstudentschoosetostudymatter.Associatedegreeholdersintechnicalfieldsoftenmakemoremoneythanbachelor’s

degreeholdersinlessquantitativefields.LiberalArtsandGeneralBusinessmajorsaretwotothree

timesmorelikelytobeunderemployed–thatis,holdjobsforwhichtheyareover-qualified–thanthose

withNursingorEngineeringmajors.10

Finally,theseconditions-therisingcostsofhighereducation,thelongertimetoearningacollege

degree,thehighernumbersofstudentsworkingtohelppaytheirwaythroughcollege,andthe

4CollegeBoard,“TrendsinCollegePricing2016”(October,2016).

5Friedman,Zack.“StudentLoanDebtin2017:A$1.3TrillionCrisis”,Forbes(February,2017).

6Carnevale,Smith,Melton,Price.“LearningWhileEarning:TheNewNormal”,GeorgetownUniversityCenteronEducationandtheWorkforce(2015).

7PayScaleHumanCapital,www.payscale.com

8“LearningWhileEarning:TheNewNormal”,ibid.

9“LearningWhileEarning:TheNewNormal”,ibid.

10AbelandDeitz.“UnderemploymentintheEarlyCareersofCollegeGraduatesFollowingtheGreatRecession”,TheNational

BureauofEconomicResearch(September,2016).

Thetraditionalvisionof

postsecondaryeducation–

18-year-oldstudents

completingabachelor’s

degreeinfouryears–isnow

theexception,notthenorm.


increasingnumbersofjobopportunitiesforthosewithcredentialsbeyondahighschooldiplomabut

lessthanabachelor’sdegree–havegivenrisetoanewapproachtoeconomicandcareersuccess,one

thatvaluesandenableslife-longlearning.Careerpathsbuiltonstackablecredentials–orcredentials

thatbuildononeanotherovertimeandallowstudentstogrowtheirskills,experience,and

qualificationsstepbystepforsuccessivelyhigherjobopportunities–areenablingyoungadultsto

achieveeconomicandcareersuccessatasteadypaceandwithlittledebt.Accordingtoanewreport

fromtheNationalStudentClearinghouse,nearlytwo-thirdsofstudentswhoearnedassociatedegreesin

the2010-2011schoolyearwentontoenrollinafour-yearcollegeoruniversity,and41percentofthem

earnedabachelor’sdegree.11

ItisclearlyanewtimeintheAmericaneconomy,onethatcallsonstates,districts,andschoolstoreflect

oncurrentpractices,assesshowwelltheyaremeetingtheintendedmark,anddeterminewherecourse

correctionisneeded.

11“SnapshotReport:CertificateandAssociateDegreePathways”,NationalStudentClearinghouse(July,2017).


CareerReadinessReviewUndertakenbyESG

In2014,ESGfacilitatedtheCouncilofChiefStateSchoolOfficers’(CCSSO)CareerReadinessTaskForce,

whichresultedinafar-reachingsetofrecommendationsintendedtoserveasablueprintforstateand

localeffortstodesigncoursecorrectionstomaketheirsystemsofcareerpreparationresponsivetothis

shiftineconomicconditions.TheMarylandStateDepartmentofEducationbecameanearlyendorserof

thoserecommendations,andMCPSsubsequentlyaffirmedthemasthefoundationofits2015Career

ReadinessImprovementPlan.

ThatMCPSCareerReadinessImprovementPlancalledforareviewofcurrentcareerpreparation

practicestodeterminetheextenttowhichprogramsofstudyandrelatedeffortsaredemand-driven,

informedbyemployers,rigorousandrelevant,fullyutilized,andeffectivevehiclesforpreparing

studentsforpostsecondarysuccess.MCPScontractedwithESGinearly2017toperformthatreviewto

identifystrengthsandgapsofthosecurrenteffortstoformcomprehensiverecommendationsfor

improvementandscale.BetweenJanuaryandJune,2017,ESGinterviewedkeyMCPSstaffmembers;

analyzedperformancedataofMCPS;comparedthosefindingsagainstdemographicallysimilardistricts

withinandbeyondMaryland;administeredsurveystostaff,students,parents,andemployers;

conductedfocusgroupsofstudents,staff,parents,employers;andinterviewedkeyleadersfromlocal

businessandpostsecondaryeducationcommunities.Descriptionsofeachworkstreamand

correspondingfindingsareprovidedbelow.


DataAnalysisandFocusGroupDescriptions

ESGbeganitsworkwithMCPSwithananalysisofthedistrict’sCareerandTechnologyEducation(CTE)

programmaticandperformancedataaswellascomparisondatafromotherdistrictsbasedonthree

broadframes:

1. HowhasCTEprogramofstudyenrollmentchangedovertime?Towhatextentdoesthatreflectthe

district’spriorities?Towhatextentdoesthatmirrororstandincontrasttotrendsinother

Marylanddistricts?

2. HowdoCTEConcentratorsandCompletersfareacrossabroadspectrumofperformancemetrics

ascomparedtoallgraduatesinthedistrict?Howhasthatperformancechangedovertime?

3. HowdoestheperformanceofCTEConcentratorscomparetobenchmarkdistrictswithinMaryland

andnationally?

Asaresult,ESG’squantitativeanalysisconsistedofthreeparts:

§ MCPSPerformanceAnalysis:LongitudinalreviewofMCPSenrollmentbyprogramofstudy,

performanceofCTEConcentrators/Completers,postsecondarytransitionsofCTECompleters,CTE

teachercredentials,andstudentinternshipengagement

§ MarylandCross-DistrictBenchmarking:ComparisonofCTEenrollmentandCarlD.PerkinsCareer

TechnicalEducationAct(“Perkins”)accountabilitymeasuretrends

§ NationalDistrictBenchmarking:Nationalcross-districtcomparisonofPerkinsperformanceand

additionaldata,whereavailable

DataRequestedandReceivedUponexecutionofthecontractforservices,MontgomeryCountyPublicSchoolsandEducationStrategy

Groupenteredintoadata-sharingagreementforaggregate-leveldatatoanswerthefollowingpolicy

questions:

1. Whichprogramsofstudy–coherent,non-duplicativesequenceofcourseswithinadesignated

subjectarea-areofferedateachhighschoolinMCPS?

2. WhatisthetotalenrollmentofsecondarystudentsinMCPSdisaggregatedbysubgroup?Whatis

thetotalenrollmentofCTEstudentsinMCPSdisaggregatedbysubgroup?Ofthosewhohave

participatedinCTE,whichstudents,disaggregatedbysubgroup,wentontoearnconcentratoror

completerstatus?

3. Whichstudents,disaggregatedbysubgroup,haveearnedconcentratorstatusinaprogramofstudy

ateachhighschool?Whichstudentsateachhighschool,disaggregatedbysubgroup,have

completedaprogramofstudy?Ofthestudentswhoparticipatedinaprogramofstudy,who

(disaggregatedbysubgroup)wentontocompletethatprogramofstudy?


4. Whichconcentratorsorcompleters,disaggregatedbysubgroup,haveearneddualenrollment

creditaspartoftheirprogramofstudy?Whichconcentratorsorcompleters,disaggregatedby

subgroup,haveearnedanindustry-recognizedcredentialaspartoftheirprogramofstudy?Which

concentratorsorcompleters,disaggregatedbysubgroup,havealsoearnedAPand/orIBcredit?

Whichconcentratorsorcompleters,disaggregatedbysubgroup,havedemonstratedproficiencyon

stateassessments(English,mathematics,biologyandgovernment)?

5. Whatarethepostsecondaryeducationenrollmentratesofconcentratorsandcompleters?Of

those,howmanydemonstratereadinessforcredit-bearingcourseworkasconcludedbythe

StudentOutcomeandAchievementReportoftheMarylandHigherEducationCommission?

6. Whichschoolsofferproject-basedlearning(PBL),andwhatpercentageofstudents,disaggregated

bysubgroup,participate?OfthosePBLexperiences,whicharealignedwithhigh-skill,high-demand

sectors?

7. Ofthosewhowereconcentratorsorcompletersofaprogramofstudy,who(disaggregatedby

subgroup)foundemploymentinahigh-skill,high-demandfieldwithin12monthsafterhighschool

graduation?

8. Ofthosewhowereconcentratorsorcompletersofaprogramofstudy,whichstudents,

disaggregatedbysubgroup,enrolledinregisteredapprenticeshipswithin12monthsafterhigh

schoolgraduation?

9. Whatisthenumberandpercentageofteachersofprogramofstudycoursesthathaveearned

industry-recognizedcredentialsinthefieldtheycurrentlyteach?

MCPSprovideddatafilesviaasecurefiletransfersitetofacilitateESG’sanalysisthatincluded:

§ Perkinsperformancedata

§ CTEEnrollee,Concentrator,andCompleterbycareercluster

§ %ProficientonHSELAandMathassessment,%EarnedDualEnrollmentCredit,%EarnedIndustry-

recognizedcredential,%Scored3+onAP,%Scored4+onIB,%EnrollinPostsecondarybyCTE

Concentrator,CTECompleterandHSGraduate

Unfortunately,duetodatasystemlimitations,thedistrictwasnotabletoprovidedataforESGto

accuratelyreportfindingson:

§ Participationinproject-basedlearningexperiences;

§ EmploymentofCTEConcentratorsorCompletersinahigh-skill,high-demandfieldwithin12

monthsafterhighschoolgraduation;

§ EnrollmentofCTEConcentratorsorCompletersinaregisteredapprenticeshipwithin12months

afterhighschoolgraduation;and,

§ TeachersofCTEpathwaycoursesthathaveearnedindustry-recognizedcredentialsinthefield

theycurrentlyteach.


Toprovidecontexttothedistrict’sperformance,MCPSrequestedthatESGcollectinformationwhere

availableonCTEenrollmentandperformanceinsimilarly-sizeddistrictsinMaryland.ESGrequestedCTE

enrollmentandperformancedatafromthefiveotherlargestdistrictsinMaryland,namely:Anne

Arundel,BaltimoreCounty,Frederick,Howard,andPrinceGeorge’s.Forthesedistricts,ESGreceived

PerkinsperformancedataaswellasCTEEnrollee,Concentrator,andCompleterdatabycareercluster.

Additionally,onbehalfofMCPS,ESGmadedirectinquiriesforperformancedatafrom11schooldistricts

acrossfivestatestoprovidenationalcomparisons:Sacramento,CA;LongBeach,CA;DuvalCounty,FL;

LeeCounty,FL;PalmBeachCounty,FL;CobbCounty,GA;GwinnettCounty,GA;Charlotte-Mecklenburg,

NC;WakeCounty,NC;FairfaxCounty,VA;and,PrinceWilliamCounty,VA.Thedistrictswereselected

basedonsimilaritytoMCPSinstudentenrollmentsizeanddemographics,andgeneralgeographic

makeup.ESGrequesteddatafromthedistrictsandtheirrespectivestateeducationagenciesbut

receivedsparseinformation.Perkinsperformancedatawerecollectedforallcomparisondistricts;

however,itshouldbenotedthateachstatedefinesitsPerkinsaccountabilitymeasuresindifferent

ways,andusedifferentassessmentstogaugethatperformance.Forinstance,inonestateAcademic

AttainmentinmathematicswasbasedonpassageofanAlgebraIassessment,whereasinothersitis

basedoffofan11thgradeassessmentwithproficiencysetatthecollege-andcareer-readylevel.

Furthermore,ESGwasabletoobtainsomeperformancedataforCTEstudentsfromthebenchmark

districts,yetinnearlyeveryinstance,thereweresignificantdatacollectionandorganizationissues

withinthestatethatpreventedsharingthefullsetofrequesteddata.Itshouldalsobenotedthatintwo

instances,DelawareandFlorida,requesteddatawereavailable,butto

accessthatinformationwouldhaverequiredpayingforananalyst’stime

inthatstateagencytoproducethedata.MCPSdeclinedthatoption.

KeyQuantitativeDataAnalysisFindingsThefollowingsummarizesthekeyfindingsfromESG’sanalysisofMCPS

andotherdistrict/statedata.

CTECourseEnrollmentinMCPSLags

CTEenrollmentinMontgomeryCountyisbelowthestateaverage,and

hasremainedsoforthepastthreeyears.Duringthe2015-16schoolyear,29%ofallstudentswere

enrolledinatleastonecareertechnicaleducationcourseinMCPS,whichtrailedthestaterateof39%.

FourofthefiveanalyzedMarylandcomparisonschooldistrictsoutpacedMCPSinCTEenrollment:Anne

Arundel(34%),BaltimoreCounty(50%),Frederick(56%),andHoward(35%).OnlyPrinceGeorge’s,at

21%,trailedMCPSamonginstatecomparisondistricts.Additionally,bothCobb(54%)andGwinnett

(40%)countiesinGeorgiaenrolledmorestudentsinCTEin2015-16thanMCPS.Overthepastthree

years,CTEenrollmenthasrisenslightlyacrosseachMarylandcomparisondistrict,andthestateoverall,

withBaltimoreCountyshowingthegreatestincreasefrom38to50%enrollment.Overthosesame

years,MCPSenrollmenthasdeclinedby1percentagepointeachyear.

CTEenrollmentin

MontgomeryCounty

isbelowthestate

average,andhas

remainedsoforthe

pastthreeyears.


Whenviewedacrossastudents’tenureinhighschool,morethanhalf(55%)ofallMCPSstudentsenroll

inatleastoneCTEcourse.For2016,enrollmentinCTEbygraduatingstudentsrangedacrossthecounty

from13%atWalterJohnsonHighSchooltonearly95%atMagruderHighSchooland100%atThomas

EdisonSchoolofTechnology.

CTEProgramofStudyEnrollmentinMCPSisNotKeepingUpwithPeerMarylandDistricts

Overthepastthreeyears,totalMCPSstudentenrollmenthasgrownbyapproximately4%.Yet,CTE

enrollmenthasdeclinedbyapproximately5%.Amongsimilar-sizeddistrictsinMaryland,MCPSisthe

onlydistrictwithdecliningCTEenrollment.Eachofthefivecomparisondistrictsdemonstratedincreases

inCTEenrollmentsfrom2013-14to2015-16,rangingfrom2%inAnneArundelto31%inBaltimore

County.

Notablyamongprogramsofstudy,MCPSsawlargeenrollmentdeclinesintheBusinessManagement&

FinanceandInformationTechnologypathways,withbothexperiencinggreaterthan30%declines.

Basedonenrollmentchangeinotherprogramsofstudy,itdoesnotappearthatthisistheresultofyear-

to-yeardifferencesinthewayinwhichcourseparticipationinparticularpathwaysisinputintothe

district’sdatasystem;however,thatcannotberuledoutcompletely.

Manufacturing,Engineering&TechnologyandBusinessManagement&Financeaccountfornearlyhalf

ofallCTEenrollmentsinMCPS.ThisissimilartoenrollmentsinBaltimore,Frederick,andPrince

George’scounties.Overthepastthreeyears,theshareofCTEstudentenrollmentsbyprogramofstudy

hasremainedrelativelystable.TheonlynotableshifthasbeenadecreaseinBusinessManagement&

Finance(from17to12%ofallCTEenrollments)andincreaseinHumanResourceServices(from16to

22%).

39%

29% 34%

50% 56%

35%

21%

54%

40%

State MCPS Anne

Arundel

Baltimore

County

Frederick Howard Prince

George's

CobbCtyGAGwinnettCty

GA

CTECourseEnrollment


FewStudentsinMCPSCompleteProgramsofStudy

VeryfewstudentsultimatelyConcentrateorCompleteCTEprogramsofstudyinthedistrict.Ofthe2016

graduates,only18%wereCTEConcentratorsand10%wereCTECompleters.WheatonHighSchoolhad

thehighestpercentageofconcentratorsandcompletersat48%and

40%,respectively.Eightofthe25highsschoolsinthedistricthad

fewerthan5%ofgraduatesthatwereCTECompleters.While100%

ofstudentsatEdisonparticipatedinCTE(asexpected),only80%

Concentratedinand50%CompletedaCTEprogramofstudy.CTE

programofstudycompletionisaparticularissuewhencomparedto

theperformanceofotherMarylanddistricts,asMCPSlagsbehindall

ofthoseanalyzedforthisstudy:AnneArundel(12.8%),Baltimore

County(24.5%),Frederick(24.5%),Howard(18.1%),andPrince

George’s(10.4%).

CTEConcentrationandCompletionvariedconsiderablybyprogramofstudyinMCPS.Ofthenearly

2,000graduateswhowereCTEConcentrators,thetopfivepathwayareaswere:CollegeandCareer

ResearchandDevelopment(16%oftotalConcentrators);BusinessManagementandFinance(16%);

Education,Training,andChildStudies(13%);Engineering,ScientificResearch,andManufacturing

Technologies(12%);and,InformationTechnologies(11%).TheEnvironmental,AgriculturalandNatural

ResourcespathwayhadthefewestConcentratorswithonly22students(or1%oftotalConcentrators).

WhilenearlyaquarterofgraduatesenrolledinaCTEcourseinManufacturing,Engineeringand

Technologypathway,only10%ofthosestudentsultimatelyconcentratedinthepathway.

StudentsintheCollegeandCareerResearchandDevelopmentpathwayhadboththehighestnumberof

completersandthehighestpercentofconcentratorsthatcompleted(84%).Despitemakingupthe

greatestproportionofConcentrators,only35%ofthosestudentsthatconcentratedintheBusiness

10% 13%

25% 25%

18%

10%

MCPS AnneArundel BaltimoreCounty Frederick Howard PrinceGeorge's

ProgramsofStudyCompletionRate

Veryfewstudents

ultimatelyConcentrate

orCompleteCTE

programsofstudyin

thedistrict.


ManagementandFinancepathwaycompleted.Intotal,53%ofstudentsthatwereCTEConcentrators

becameCTECompleterspriortohighschoolgraduation.

CTEStudentsPerformLowerthanTheirPeersonNearlyAllCollegeandCareerReadyPerformanceMetricsinMCPS

WhencomparedtoMCPSgraduatesoverall,CTE

Completersscoreloweronnearlyallotherstudent

performancemetrics,andthosegapsareconsistent

acrosssubgroups.Forinstance,65%ofallMCPS

graduatesearnedaCorbetterinAlgebra2,while

only48%ofCTECompletersdid.Forthe2015-16schoolyear,thegapsbetweenthesestudentsrange

fromlessthan1percentagepointforearningdualenrollmentcredittoover23percentagepointsfor

earningascoreof3orbetteronanAdvancedPlacementexam.Thegapsarerelativelyconsistentover

thepastthreeyears.

TheoneareawhereCTECompletersoutperformtheirpeersisinearningindustry-recognized

credentials.Asthesestudentshavemoreopportunitiestoearncertificatesthanstudentsthathavenot

completedaprogramofstudy,thisresultistobeexpected.For2015-16,nearly30%ofCTECompleters

haveearnedanindustry-recognizedcredentialupongraduation,ascomparedtojust6%forallMCPS

graduates.

FewStudentsTakeAdvantageofnon-APCollegeandCareerReadinessOpportunitiesthatMayProvideaLeg-UponPostsecondaryEducation

BeyondAdvancedPlacement,fewstudentstakeadvantageofearlyopportunitiestogainpostsecondary

credit,careercertificates,orexposuretowork,regardlessofCTEenrollment.Acrossallstudentsin

MCPS,only4.6%of2016graduatesearneddualcredit,6.4%earnedanindustry-recognizedcredential,

7.1%scored4+onanInternationalBaccalaureateassessment,and20%engagedinaninternship.Other

thanindustrycredentials(asmentionedabove),theratesareslightlylowerforCTECompletersacross

theindicators.

Thisinformationbearsoutwhenanalyzingthepercentofstudentswhoenrollinsomeformof

postsecondaryeducationafterhighschoolgraduation.Nearly73%ofMCPSgraduatesenroll,yetonly

63%ofthosewhowereaCTECompleterdoso.ThegapisparticularlystarkforWhitestudents,as82%

ofallgraduatesand59%ofCTECompleterssuccessfullytransition,agapof23percentagepoints.At

Bethesda-ChevyChase,Clarksburg,Montgomery,andWhitmanthegapbetweenallgraduatesandCTE

Completersintermsofpostsecondaryenrollmentisover40percentagepoints.

MCPSPerformsatAverageLevelsonPerkinsPerformanceIndicators

Whencomparedtosimilarly-sizedMarylandschooldistricts,MCPSperformanceonfederally-required

Perkinsindicatorsfallsinthemiddleofthepack.In2016,MCPSwas3rdoutof6districtsonAcademic

Attainment–English;4thforAcademicAttainment–Math;3

rdforTechnicalSkillAttainment;4

thfor

WhencomparedtoMCPSgraduates

overall,CTECompletersscoreloweron

nearlyallotherstudentperformance

metrics,andthosegapsareconsistent

acrosssubgroups.


Post-HighSchoolPlacement;5thforNon-traditionalEnrollment;and4

thforNon-traditionalCompletion.

AllcomparisondistrictsperformsimilarlywellonthetwoPerkinsgraduationindicators.From2014to

2016,MCPSonlymissedstatePerkinstargetsintheDualCompletionandNon-traditionalperformance

categories.

Notably,MarylandrequiresdistrictstocollectinformationonthepercentofCTECompleterswhoalso

meetrequirementsfortheUniversitySystemofMaryland(e.g.,DualCompletion).Onthismeasurein

2016,MCPSwas5thoutof6districts,witharateof31.3%,wellbelowthestateaverageof58.1%.The

district’sperformanceonthismeasurehasbeenbelowthestatetargetforthepastthreeyears,andthe

districtexperiencedadeclineofapproximately25percentagepointsfrom2014and2015performance.

Whilenotexactlysimilarrequirements,Virginiaalsomonitorsthepercentageofstudentscompleting

theirAdvancedDiploma(whichisalsoalignedtotheentrancerequirementsofthestate’suniversity

system).InFairfaxCounty,56%ofCTEConcentratorscompleteanAdvancedDiplomaascomparedto

62%ofallgraduates.InPrinceWilliam40%ofCTEConcentratorscompleteanAdvancedDiplomaas

comparedto48%ofallgraduates.

LimitedCTEPerformanceDataAvailableinMCPSandNationally

ThroughthereviewofMCPSandcross-districtdata,itisapparentthatsignificantdatachallenges

remainnationallytoanalyzeCTEperformance.Innearlyeverydistrict(andtheirrespectivestate)

approached,CTEdataarekeptinaseparatesystemfromtraditionalperformancemeasures.Tryingto

linkthatinformationwaseither(1)notpossibleor(2)placedsignificantburdenondatastaffsuchthatit

becameinfeasiblewithinthescopeofthisproject.EvenwithinMCPS,theabilitytocollectandmodify

datatoenableanalysisandcomparisonswithnon-CTEstudentstooklongerthananticipatedand

presentedmorechallengesthanexpectedwithregardtothespecificbusinessrulestobeused.

MCPSStakeholderSurveyMethodologyOnbehalfofMCPS,ESGconductedanonlinesurveyofstudents,parents,teachers/administrators,

counselors,andbusiness/industryrepresentativestolearnmoreabouttheirknowledgeofandattitudes

towardcareerreadiness.ThesurveyquestionsweredevelopedwithinputfromMCPSstaff,andMCPS

managedsurveyoutreachtoallstakeholders.Thedistrictprovidedtwosurveywindowstoincrease

responseratesandensurebroadcoveragefromstakeholdersacrossthedistrict.Afulllistofquestions

foreachgroupisavailableinAppendixB.

SurveyResponseRate

Thefollowingtablehighlightsthetotalnumberandresponseratesacrossthesurveyedstakeholder

groups.Studentsandparentsrespondedtothesurveyingreaternumbersthanotherstakeholders,with

business/industryrepresentativesprovidingthefewestresponses.Theresponsenumbersareadequate

forgeneralizingperceptionswithinandacrossgroups(saveforbusiness/industry).However,deep

comparativeanalysisofresponseswithinsubpopulationsisunlikelytoprovidevalidresultsasthesurvey

(andaccompanyingmethodology)wasnotintendedtodoso.Inparticular,surveyresponseratesvaried

considerablyfromschooltoschool,soESGwouldcautionagainstextrapolatingtoomuchfromthe

responsesbyhighschool.


StakeholderGroup #Completed #Invited %Completed

Teachers/Administrators 458 1247 36.7%

Counselors/CCIC 107 238 45%

BusinessandIndustry 15 185 8.1%

Students(10schools,16classes) 2372 2400 98.8%

Parents 880 16,293 5.4%

KeySurveyFindings

StrongAgreementthatStudentsMustContinueTheirEducationandTrainingBeyondHighSchool

Thereisconsensusacrossallsurveyedgroups(83-91%)thatstudentsmustcontinuetheireducationand

trainingbeyondhighschooltohavecareeradvancementopportunities,yetthereisdifferentiation

amonggroupsontheextenttowhichthey“StronglyAgree”withthestatement.StronglyAgree

responsesinclude:students–62%;parents–77%;teachers/administrators–63%;and,counselors–

56%.

KnowledgeaboutFutureEconomicDemandsisLimited

Therearegapsinknowledgeacrosssurveyedgroupsaboutprojecteddegreeneeds.Approximatelyhalf

ofteachers/administratorsandcounselorsarenotawareordisagreewiththestatementthattheUSwill

needequalnumbersofassociateandbachelor’sdegreeholders,despitethatbeingthecase.

CTE“Stigma”ExistsinMCPS

Theperception(or“stigma”)thatCTEisonlyforstudentsnotplanningtoenrollinpostsecondary

educationdoesexistinthedistrict.Nearly20%ofstudentsorparents(and10%of

teachers/administratorsandcounselors)believeCTEisforstudentswhodon’tplantogotocollege.

Further,only57%ofstudentsbelievecompletionofaCTEprogramofstudyallowsstudentstoenrollin

a4-yearpostsecondaryoption,andanadditional1/3ofstudentsdonotknowwhetherthatisthecase.

Fortunately,80%ofparentssurveyedbelievethatCTEpathwaysopendoorstopostsecondary

education.


LargeAppetiteforMoreInformationaboutCareerPreparationOpportunities

Thereisconsensusacrossallsurveyedgroupsthatall

involvedpartiescouldusemoreinformationabout

careerpreparationopportunitiesinMCPSgenerally,

andatEdisonSchoolofTechnology(“Edison”)

specifically.Forexample,morethan50%ofstudents

arenotaware(i.e.,StronglyDisagree,Disagreeand

Don’tKnow)ofCTEprogramofferings,includingthose

atEdison,andonly50%believetheircounselorhelps

themunderstandthevarietyofcareeropportunities

availableafterhighschool.Approximately80%ofstudentsandparentswantmoreinformationon

careerpreparationprogramsinMCPS,and90%ofteachers/administratorsandcounselorsbelievestaff

needmoreinformationaswell.

DesiretoAttendThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnologyisLow

Onlyabout15%ofstudentsindicateaninterestintakingCTEcoursesatEdisonasopposedtotheirlocal

highschool.Thetwomainreasonsthatstudentssuggestwouldincreasetheirlikelihoodofattendance

atEdisonaretheabilityforfull-timeattendanceandcloserproximitytotheirhome.Similarly,fewer

than10%ofparentsbelievetheirchildisinterestedintakingCTEcoursesatEdison.

ManyCounselorsFeelUnpreparedtoAssistStudentCareerPlanning

Aconsiderablenumberofcounselorsindicateuneaseabouttheirpreparationandknowledgetosupport

studentcareerplanning.Forinstance,approximately1/3ofcounselorsindicatethattheydonot

understandopportunitiesforstudentsafterhighschoolorhavetheknowledgeandpreparationtohelp

studentsplanfortheirfuturecareer.Similarly,approximately1/3ofcounselorsareunawareoftheskills

trainingstudentsreceiveinCTEprogramsofstudyorMCPSactivitiestobuildpartnershipswith

businessestoofferreal-worldworkexperiences.

BusinessandIndustryWanttoAssistMCPS

Althoughthesamplewaslimited,employersoverwhelminglyindicatedtheirinterestandwillingnessto

(1)befurtherengagedinprocessestoidentifyspecificskillsforprogramsofstudyand(2)offerwork-

basedlearningopportunitiestostudents.Overall,theyareinterestedingainingasinglepointofcontact

forthisengagementandwouldlikefurtherclarificationaboutlegalrestrictionsregardingwork-based

learning.

Eightypercentofstudentsand

parentswantmoreinformationon

careerpreparationprogramsin

MCPS.Ninetypercentof

teachers/administratorsand

counselorsbelievestaffneedmore

informationaswell.


FocusGroupsBeyondanalysisofperformancedataandsurveys,ESGqualitativelymeasuredtheknowledge,

awareness,andperceptionsofMCPS’scareerreadinessworkwithkeystakeholders.Intotal,ESGled

nineseparatefocusgroupstodelvemoredeeplyintotheideasuncoveredbythedataanalysis.Those

focusgroupsincluded:

§ WatkinsMillHighSchoolParents

§ WheatonHighSchoolParents

§ Bethesda-ChevyChaseHighSchoolParents,Students,andFaculty

§ GaithersburgHighSchoolParents,Students,andFaculty

§ BusinessandIndustryLeadersofMontgomeryCounty

Inaddition,MCPSusedESG’protocols(providedinAppendixC)toconductstudentfocusgroupsat

WatkinsMillHighSchool,WheatonHighSchool,andtheEdisonSchoolofTechnologytogather

additionalfeedbackoncareerpreparationefforts,bringingthetotalnumberoffocusgroupsto12.

Moreover,ESGalsoconductedone-on-onephoneinterviewswithanumberofpostsecondaryeducation

leadersatbothMontgomeryCollegeandtheUniversitiesatShadyGroveaswellaswithleadersfrom

theemployerandeconomicdevelopmentcommunitiestobetterunderstandworkcurrentlyunderway

andpotentialopportunitiesforbroaderstakeholderengagement.Findingsfromthoseconversationsare

embeddedinthefollowingsection.


CumulativeFindingsfromESG’sCareerReadinessReview

Takentogether,thedifferentcomponentsofthecareerreadinessexternalreview–theperformance

dataanalysis,multi-districtbenchmarking,stakeholdersurveys,focusgroups,andindividualinterviews

–offerinsightintothevariouscareerpreparationeffortsalreadyunderwayinMCPS.Theyprovidea

clearerpictureofwhat’sworkingwellandwherethereisneedandopportunityforimprovement.Those

findingsareorganizedbelowintofivefocusareastoallowfortheintegrationandprioritizationofkey

themesandideas:VisionandSystemicPrioritiesforCareerReadiness,EmployerEngagement,Quality

andRigorofCTE,theEdisonSchoolofTechnology,andStakeholderUnderstanding.

WhiletherearemanystrengthstoboastaboutwithinMCPS’ssystem,ESGwasespeciallytaskedinthis

projectwithdeterminingareasinneedofimprovement.Accordingly,thefindingsbelowintentionally

focusonidentifyinggapsandmakingrecommendationsforclosingthem.

FocusArea1:VisionandSystemicPrioritiesforCareerReadinessThereisaclearandcommendablecultureofhigh

expectationsforallstudentsinMCPS.Withfew

exceptions,district-andschool-basedadministrators

arecommittedtomeaningfulstudentoutcomes,and

mostoftheeducatorsandadministratorsreflecta

beliefthatallkidscanachieveathighlevelsif

encouragedandsupported.MCPSmustleveragethis

cultureasitconsidershowtomakecareerreadinessa

moremeaningfulpartofitsstrategytoprepareall

studentsforpostsecondarysuccess.

Thechallenge,however,isthathighexpectationsin

MCPShavebeentranslatedtomeanfour-yearcollege-

readinessalmostexclusively;careerreadinesshasbeen

marginalizedasapriority,sometimesbeinginaccuratelyperceivedastheantithesisofthecollege-going

culture.Thislackofanintegratedvisionofsuccessthatpromotesbothcollegeandcareerreadinesswas

revealedinseveraldifferentwaysthroughouttheproject.

NarrowFocusImpactsCareerPreparationEfforts

Whileanearlyexclusivefocusonthegoalof4-yearcollegeforallstudentsisanaturalextensionof

MCPS’scultureofhighexpectations,itunintentionallycontributestoalackofvisionandstrategy

district-wideforcareerreadiness.Itoverlooksthesignificantnumberofhigh-quality,professionalcareer

opportunitiesoftodayandtomorrowforstudentswhoearnstackableindustry-recognizedcredentials,

Thereisaclearandcommendable

cultureofhighexpectationsforall

studentsinMCPS.Thedistrictmust

leveragethiscultureasitconsiders

howtomakecareerreadinessa

moremeaningfulpartofitsstrategy

toprepareallstudentsfor

postsecondarysuccess.


certificatesawardedbypostsecondaryinstitutions,ortwo-yearcollegedegrees.Italsoundervalues

studentswhocompleteanapprenticeshiporenterthemilitary.Atpresent,accordingtoWorkSource

Montgomery,therearemorethan2,000jobspostedinMontgomeryCounty,andapproximatelytwo-

thirdsofthemaremiddleskillthatrequiremorethanahighschooldiplomabutlessthanabachelor’s

degree.

UndervaluedCollege&Career-ReadyOpportunities

Becauseofthisnarrowvisionofsuccess,andbecausestudents,teachers,counselors,administrators,

andparentsgenerallylackneededknowledgeofthejobmarketandopportunitiesavailabletostudents

withtechnicalskills,thereislittleappreciationforcompletingbothatraditionalgraduationpathwayand

aCTEprogramofstud.Stakeholdersoftenlacktheunderstandingofhowthecombinationofthetwo

couldpowerfullyprepareandpropelstudentstowardcareerandeconomicsuccess.

LackofExperiencewith21stCenturyCTE

WhileeducatorsinMCPS–teachers,counselors,andadministrators-demonstrateadeepgraspofthe

collegepreppathway,inmanycasestheylackanexperiencebasewithhigh-quality21stcenturyCTEthat

includesrigorousacademicandtechnicalinstructioninhigh-skill,high-demandindustrysectors

deliveredatthesecondaryandpostsecondarylevels;structuredwork-basedlearningexperiencesthat

developandassesstechnicalandprofessionalskills;andopportunitiestoearnindustry-recognized

credentialsand/orarticulatedcredittowardsapostsecondarydegree.Thisexperiencedeficit

contributestoarudimentaryunderstandingofhow“vocationaleducation”hasbeentransformedover

timeinresponsetochangesinoureconomyintomoresophisticated,advancedlearningexperiences

thatoftentimesincorporatecollegecreditorotherpostsecondaryeducationlinkages.

CumbersomeFocusonRequirements

MCPSstaffandstudentsareexceptionallywellversedinand

focusedonmeetinggraduationrequirementsasanecessarypart

oftheireducationalexperience.Whilethatisessentialtoensuring

thatstudentsstayonasuccessfulpath,therelentlessfocuson

checkingoffthoseboxesseemstocurtailtheirabilitytothink

morecreativelyabouthighschoolcourse-takingopportunities,

andCTEprogramsofstudyareoftenonthelosingendofthose

decisions.Lackofunderstandingabouthowstudentscan

meaningfullyblendCTEandadvancecoursesintheirschedules

contributestothismentality.

CareerReadinessAbsentfromAccountabilityMetrics

Systemdrivershavebeenandcontinuetoberaisingthehighschoolgraduationandfour-yearcollege-

goingrates.ThatintensefocushasbeenkeytoMCPS’ssuccess,earningitaconsistentrankingasoneof

themostsuccessfulschoolsystemsinthecountry.Theopportunitycostofthatnarrowagendahowever

isthatcareerreadiness,despitecleareffortsbyCTEstaff,isscantlypresentasapriority.Thatis

Lackofunderstanding

abouthowstudentscan

meaningfullyblendCTE

andadvancecoursesin

theirschedulespervades.


confirmedbyitsnoticeableabsencefrommetricsbywhichthedistrictholdsitselfaccountable.While

MCPSisveryclearandintentionalaboutwhatitistryingtoaccomplishintermsofSATscoresandAP/IB

participationandsuccessrates,itlacksanysimilarfocusoncomplementaryachievementssuchas

completionofhigh-qualitywork-basedlearningexperiencesandattainmentofstackableindustry-

recognizedcredentialswithlabormarketvalue,forexample.

LackofOrganizationalStructurearoundCTE

ThisabsencefromaccountabilitymetricsisconfoundedbywhereCTEsitsinthedistrictoffice.Previous

effortstointegrateCTEwithincoreacademicareasbydissolvingitasasingledivisionseemtohave

insteadproducedanunintendedeffect:Itisadivisionwithoutaclearhome,withCTESupervisors

reportingtotwoseparatecentralofficedirectors,whichcancauseittobeperceivedasalowpriority

withoutacleardirection.Byanybarometer,careerreadinessdoesnotseemtobecentraltothemission

oftheschoolsystem;itisconsideredbymanystakeholdersasthe“lesser-than”optionforsomekids,

ratherthanarigorous,high-qualityoptionforallkidsaspartofarobustcollege-readystrategy.And,

importantly,MCPSismissingopportunitiestoblendCTEintothebroadercollege-preparatorystrategy

sothatthetwoareseenasmutuallyreinforcingratherthancompeting.

FocusArea2:EmployerEngagement/Demand-DrivenProgrammingWithintheMCPScentralofficestaff,thereisanawarenessofandcommitmenttotheimportanceof

aligningcareerpreparationeffortswithlabormarketdemandtopreparestudentsforthehigh-paying,

in-demandjobsoftodayandtomorrow.MCPSclearlyrecognizestheneedtomeaningfullyengagekey

employerstoensurealignmentbetweenitsprogramsandthechangingneedsofthelabormarket.

ThereisaplethoraofbusinessandindustrywithinMontgomeryCountyandthesurroundingDCregion

thatarepartofavibrant,growingeconomyinwhichMCPSstudentswilleventuallysearchfor

employment.Despitetheseseeminglystrongconditionsforemployerengagement,thereremain

substantialgapsinMCPS’scurrentwork.

CareerProgramMisalignmentwithEconomicDevelopmentNeeds

WhileMCPSiscommittedtodemand-drivencareer

programming,itdoesnotappeartohaveasystematic

processinplacetofacilitatethealignmentofprograms

ofstudywiththelong-termeconomicdevelopment

needsofthecounty.Thereisnomacroplanandstrategy

topartnerwiththecounty’seconomicdevelopment

expertsandindustryleaderstoanalyzelabormarket

projectionsacrosstheregionandidentifythehigh

prioritycareerprogramsofstudythatneedtobe

expandedtomeetthoseneeds.Thisisoneofthemost

strategicwaysschoolsystemscanengageemployers,

Thereisnomacroplanand

strategytopartnerwiththe

county’seconomicdevelopment

expertsandindustryleadersto

analyzelabormarketprojections

acrosstheregionandidentifythe

highprioritycareerprogramsof

studythatneedtobeexpanded.


anditisessentialtomaintainingahighquality,responsivecareerpreparationprogram.

LackofaComprehensiveIntermediaryOrganization

Althoughthereareanumberofentitiesthatworkwithemployers,MontgomeryCountylacksa

comprehensiveintermediaryorganizationthateffectivelyconnectsMCPSwiththebusinesscommunity

andlabormarket.TheMontgomeryCountyCollaborationBoard(MCCB),WorkSourceMontgomery,the

MontgomeryCountyBusinessRoundtableforEducation(MCBRE),andthethreeIndustryFoundations

eachservedifferentpurposes,playdifferentroles,andhavedevelopeddifferentfunctionalities.The

combinationofplayerscreatesconfusionamongemployersregardinghowbesttoengagetheschool

system;ratherthanhavingaseatatthetable,therearemultipleentitiesandmultipletablesthatleadto

disjointedsolutions.

EmployerRoleNotOptimized

Beyondtheshortcomingsassociatedwithhavingmultipleintermediaryorganizations,thereappearto

betwoconsistentchallengeswithintheworkMCPShastakenonwithemployers:

§ EmployerswhoareengagedbyMCPSsuggestthattheyareofferedthechancetoparticipatebut

notleadinawaythatdrivesprogrammaticandpolicydirectiontobetterpreparestudentsfor

high-skill,high-demandindustries.Theyareinvitedtomeetingswhereinformationissharedto

makethemknowledgeableabouttheworkratherthanleveragingtheirsector-basedexperienceto

helpdeterminecareerprogrammingneeds.

§ Whilemanysectorsarerepresentedacrossthedifferentintermediaryorganizations,notallofthe

rightemployersareincluded,andthereissignificantvarianceacrosstheorganizationsintermsof

thelevelofcompanyexecutivewhoisengagedbyMCPS.

MontgomeryCountyCollaborationBoard(MCCB)Challenges

Astheorganizationmostconsistentlyreliedupontoleverageemployervoiceandidentifytheprograms

ofstudythatshouldbeprioritizedandscaledwithinMCPSaccordingtoindustryneeds,theMCCBfaces

twoprimarychallenges:

§ TheMCCBanditsPACsmustconsistentlyandmoreeffectivelyfocusonusinglabormarketdatato

identifyandprioritizecareerprogramsandalignindustryexpectationswithcurriculum,

instruction,andassessment.Systematicallyreviewingstudentorprogramoutcomesaspartofa

feedbacklooptoensurecontinuousimprovementofcareerprogramsdoesnotseemtobepartof

theircurrentregularpractice.CoordinationislackingacrossthebroaderMCCBwithmostofthe

workbeingdoneatthePAClevel,whichreservesMCCBmeetingsprimarilyforinformationsharing

thatisfrequentlydisconnectedfromMCPSpolicy-making.

§ MCCBdoesnotappeartoberepresentativeofbothlargeandsmallemployersinthecounty.In

someinstances,PACmembershipisnotcomprisedofenoughemployers;infact,membershiplists

sometimeshavesignificantlymoreeducatorsonthemthanemployers.


EmployersUnderutilizedinPreparingStudentsforCareers

StaffwithinMCPSrecognizethevalueandimportanceofprovidingcareerawarenessandexploration

opportunitiestostudentstohelpthemunderstandtheconnectionbetweenclassroomlearningandthe

worldofwork.Thisisevidencedbytherelativelystrongsystem-wideemphasisoninternship

opportunitiesforhighschoolstudents.However,employersseemtobelargelyabsentfromtheroleof

explainingwhatrealjobslooklikeandconsistoftoday,andtheyarenotofferingwork-basedlearning

opportunitiesatanymeaningfulscaletoprovidereal-world,hands-onexperiencestostudents.MCPSis

notaloneinthischallenge;moststatesanddistrictsarestrugglingtoscalehighqualitywork-based

learningopportunities.Butthereisanincreasedappreciationforitsvalueandgreaterattentionisbeing

paidtoitaroundthecountry.

EmployersundervalueK-12

Employersoftenoverlookthevaluehighschoolstudentsbringtoindustryskillneeds,generally

perceivingthecollegeand/oradulteducationpipelineastheiropportunitytoplugskillgaps.Instead,

employersoftenseemtoviewworkingwithMCPSasacharitableorphilanthropiccontributionrather

thanseeingthevaluepropositionofhighschoolstudentsasatleastapartialsolutiontotheirtalent

acquisitionneeds.Whileitistruethathighereducationcampusesmayprovidemorefertilerecruiting

groundforhiringefforts,MCPSisstillwellpositionedtoengagewiththeemployercommunitytobetter

understandtheskillgapstheyfacetodayandtheprojectedopportunitiestheywillhavewithintheir

workforceinthelongertermsothatprogramsofstudythatstartinK-12andarticulateinto

postsecondaryeducationcanbedirectlyresponsivetothoseneeds.Giventhatsomanyyouthwillwork

whileenrolledinpostsecondaryeducation,thereisasignificantopportunityforearlyengagement

payingdividendsforbothstudentsandemployers.

LackofClearAccessPointwithinMCPSforEmployers

MCPSemploysageneralstrategicpartnershipcoordinatortocultivateallexternalrelationships,but

thereisnotasingle,specializedpointofaccessforemployerswithinMCPSforfieldinginquiriesand

developingrelationships/businesspartnerships.Employerswithinthebusinessandindustryfocusgroup

lamented,“Makeiteasyforustohelp.”MCPSisoftenregardedasbeinginaccessibletoemployerswho

wanttoleaninandhelp,especiallywhenthoseemployerslackthetimeand/orunderstandingofthe

schoolsystemtomakemultipleengagementattempts.

FocusArea3:QualityandRigorofCareer-TechnologyEducation(CTE)inMCPSInformationgleanedfromfocusgroups,phoneinterviews,andpolicyreviewsmakeclearthatMCPShas

thebasicbuildingblockstomakeahigh-quality,district-widecareerpreparationdeliverysystempartof

itsbroaderstrategyandprograms.Ithasanchoreditsprogramsofstudyinindustry-recognized

credentials(IRCs);acquiredatechnicalcareeradvisementsystem;placedinternshipcoordinatorsin

everyhighschool;importedand/orgrownrespectedprogramofstudymodelsinanumberofschools

(e.g.NationalAcademiesFoundation(NAF),ProjectLeadtheWay(PLTW),MiddleCollege,Cisco);and


takenstepstopublicizeCTEopportunities.CTEstaffareknowledgeableandcommittedtotheirwork;

teachersandprincipalsreadilyacknowledgetheneedformorerobustcareerpreparationefforts;and

thereisgenerallyasharedbeliefthatcareerpreparationmustbedeliveredwithhighqualitywithinan

overallsystemthatpreparesstudentsforpostsecondaryeducationandtraining.

WhilethesebuildingblocksexistwithinMCPS,theyhavenotyetbeenassembledtocreateacomplete,

coherentsystemofcareerpreparation.Particularchallengesinclude:

LackofSystematicApproach

MCPSlacksasystematic,strategic,structuredapproachbywhich

toidentifydemand-drivenprogramsofstudyanddistributethem

acrossschools.Programsofstudyarecurrentlyofferedunevenly

acrossthedistrictwithasmorgasbordpoppingupwithinschools

seeminglywithoutclearintentionality.Twoareasinparticular

warrantdeeperthoughtandplanning:

§ Establishingandusingspecificcriteriatodeterminewhichprogramsofstudyshouldbescaledupandwhichshouldbephasedout:Inhigh-performingstatesanddistricts,thosedecisionsaremade

basedonacarefulanalysisoflabormarketprojectionssothatpathwaysthatleadtoopportunities

inhigh-skill,high-demandsectorsareexpanded,andthosetiedtolower-skill,lower-demand

sectorsarephasedout.Thisgoeshand-in-handwiththeideasdescribedpreviouslyinthe

employerengagementsection.

§ DevelopingandexecutingaclearstrategytodeterminewhichprogramsshouldbeofferedineachMCPShighschool:Itappearsthatdecisionsregardingprogramofstudyofferingsthroughout

MCPSareoftenlefttoschoolprincipals’discretionratherthanrespondingtoaclearsystemwide

planthatensuresprogramsandpathwayswithstronglabormarketlinkagesareavailabletoall

students.Furthermore,toomuchauthorityseemstohavebeencededtotheschoolstoselect

coursesforinclusionwithinthoseprogramofstudyofferings.Thisunderestimatestheknowledge

andskillittakestocreatethelogical,sequentialprogramsofstudythatCTErequirestobehigh-

qualityandleadstomultipleprogramsofstudywiththesamenamebutdifferentrequirements

andexpectationsofstudents.

FewConcentratorsandCompleters

WhileoverhalfofMCPSstudentsenrollinanintroductory

programofstudycourse,only18%achieveconcentratorstatus,

andonly10%completeaprogramofstudy,whichis

significantlylowerthanothersimilardistrictswithinMaryland.

Thisconsistenttrendappearstobeindicativeoftheperceived

lackofvaluePOSoffertostudentswhooftentakean

introductorycourseto“diptheirtoeinthewater”and/orfulfill

thetechnologyeducationrequirement.CompletingaprogramofstudyascurrentlyofferedbyMCPShas

limitedcurrencyamonghighschoolstudentsandtheirparents.

Programsofstudyare

currentlyofferedunevenly

acrossthedistrict.

Completingaprogramof

studyascurrentlyofferedby

MCPShaslimitedcurrency

amonghighschoolstudents

andtheirparents.


FierceCompetitionforEnrollees

Ataschoollevel,CTEcompetesforenrolleesagainstotherelectivecoursesandadvancedacademic

courseofferings,whichisanotherreasonforitsdecliningenrollment.Students(andteachers,parents,

counselorsforthatmatter)don’tunderstandhoworwhytheycan“haveitall”.Whileitistechnically

possibletotakebothhonors/AP/IBcoursesandcompleteaprogramofstudy,thereseemstobea

commonschoolofthoughtthatitisneitherpossiblenordesirable,especiallysincestudentsare

selectiveaboutelectivesgiventhepreciouslittleroomintheirschedulesoutsideoffulfillingallthe

graduationrequirements.Further,thereseemstobeverylittlerecognitionthatdualenrollment

opportunitieswithinprogramsofstudycanhelpnavigatethischallenge.

UnevenWork-BasedLearningOpportunities

MCPSrightlybelievesthatofferingrigorousand

relevantworkplaceexperiencesconnectedto

students’academicandcareerinterestsisan

effectivestrategyforpreparingallstudentsfor

postsecondarylife.Whileinternshipsareofferedin

thesenioryearatallhighschools,onlyone-in-five

seniorsonaverageparticipate,andsomeofthe

experiencesthatcounttowardthatfiguredon’t

meetthebarofhighexpectations.Theprogramasawholeappearstobesomewhatrandom,relying

heavilyontheschool-levelcoordinatorsplacedwithineveryhighschooltofindand/ordesign

internshipsforseniors,whichresultsinunequalqualityanddistributionofopportunityforstudents.An

experienceataworksiteinapriorityindustrycountsthesameasan“internship”withinanMCPShigh

school.Thereisnocentralorganizingmechanismwithinthedistrictofficethatsetshighstandardsfor

workplaceexperiencesorbrokersinternshipsformultipleschoolsthroughpriorityemployers.

Internshipsalsoseemtobedisconnectedfromcourse-taking,andit’softenuptothestudentstofindan

opportunityinanareaofacademic/careerinterest.Becauseinternshipscountasanelectivecredit

ratherthanasanintegralcomponentofaprogramofstudyforacademiccredit,studentsare

discouragedfromseekingoutaninternshipunlessanduntilthey’vemettheirgraduationrequirements.

Moreover,itwouldbedifficulttotransitioninternshipstoacademiccreditatthispointgiventhatthe

assessmentofsuchexperiencesisfocusedonlyonlowlevelsoftskills.MCPShasnotsetmetricsfor

participationandoutcomesthataretiedtoitsoverallgoals.

UnderutilizedOnlineCareerAdvisementSystem

MCPShascorrectlyrecognizedtheneedtoprovidefocusedcareeradvisementtostudents,beginning

withraisingcareerawarenessamongmiddleschoolstudents,thenshiftingintocareerexplorationand

preparationforhighschoolstudents.Giventhecomplexityofthatworkandtheinherentdifficultyof

addingresponsibilityforittocounselorswhoalreadycarrysignificantworkloads,MCPShasrecognized

theneedtoputinplaceasoftwaresystem–Naviance-asastrongfirststeptowardasolution.

However,whileNaviancesoftwareofferstoolsforbothpostsecondaryplanningandcareerassessment,

Whileinternshipsareofferedinthe

senioryearatallhighschools,onlyone-

in-fiveseniorsonaverageparticipate,

andsomeoftheexperiencesthatcount

towardthatfiguredon’tmeetthebarof

highexpectations.


MCPSstudentsreadilyadmitthatthecollegeplannerisbeingusedratherexclusivelyatthistimewith

thecareerplannerbeinglargelyoverlooked(thoughitispartofthelicensefeeMCPShaspaid).The

careerplanner–knownastheCareerKeyAssessmentTool-haswithinthelasttwoyearsbeenusedto

helpmiddleschoolstudentsgenerallyidentifywheretheyexcelandwhatthey’reinterestedindoingfor

acareer.MCPShasnotyettakenthenextstepofdevelopingablendedsolution–thatisleveragingthe

softwarecapabilityofNavianceandsupportingitwithpersonalexpertisetohelpstudentsdetermine

whichhighschoolcoursesandprogramsofstudyarebestalignedwiththeirpostsecondaryacademic

andcareerinterestsandcreateaplantogetthere.

IncompleteRelationshipwithPostsecondaryPartners

Inhighfunctioningsystemsacrossthecountry,programsofstudyincludedualenrollment/credit

opportunitiestomaintainrigorandrelevanceandgivestudentshigh-qualitypostsecondaryinstruction

whilethey’reinhighschool.ThatisunderutilizedinMCPS.Thereisnotyetasharedvisionbetween

MCPSanditspostsecondarypartnersforacareerpreparationdeliverysystemthatincludesdual

enrollment/creditandistightlyalignedwiththecurrentandprojectedneedsoftheregion’slabor

marketinhigh-skill,high-demandfields.NoristheresharedaccountabilityforresultsbetweenMCPS

anditspostsecondarypartnersfortheworktheydotogether;outcomedataisnotdisaggregatedand

analyzedtodeterminetheeffectivenessofthepartnership.Studentsarenotreceivingtranscripted

creditforsuccessfulcompletionofpostsecondarycoursework,andthefeesthatarepassedonto

studentsare,insomecases,abarriertodualenrollment.

FocusArea4:EdisonSchoolofTechnologyDuringthecourseoftheproject,ESGconductedasitevisitoftheEdisonSchoolofTechnology

(“Edison”)andledagroupinterviewofitsfacultyinadditiontoreviewingitsperformancedataand

programofstudyofferings.EdisondifferentiatesitselffromotherMCPShighschoolsinanumberof

ways,chiefamongthemitsrelentlessfocusonpreparingstudentsforspecificcareeropportunities

beyondhighschool.StaffatEdisonarenotablydedicatedtotheirwork,andstudentsareclearabout

thecareerfieldthey’reworkingtowardsandthequalificationstheyhavetomeettoobtainajobinthat

field.WhileEdison’sfocusisprimarilyondevelopingstudents’skillsfornear-termemployment,staff

readilyacknowledgeandsupportthenotionthattherearemultiplepathstocareersuccess,andmany

oftheirstudentscan,should,anddograduatefromEdisonandenrollinaformalpostsecondary

educationprogram,eitherimmediatelyaftergraduationorafterworkinginthe“realworld”forashort

time.Theindustry-recognizedcredentialtheystrivetoearnatEdisoniskeytothelatterscenario,

enablingthemtofindajobthatpaysagoodwagesothattheycansavemoneyand/orhelptheir

familiesbefore/whileenrollingincollegeoratrainingprogramonapart-timeorfull-timebasis.

However,Edisonremainssignificantlyunder-enrolled,andthathasbeenthecaseforanumberofyears

running.Characteristicsandconditionsthatcontributetoitsvaluepropositionamongstakeholders

include:


LargelyUnknown

Edisonisrelativelyunknownbymoststakeholderswith54%ofstudentsand50%ofparentsexpressing

somelackofawarenessoftheCTEprogramsofferedatEdison.Theyhaveageneralideathatitprovides

traininginskilledtrades,anditisapart-timeoption.This,alongwithotherchallengesdescribedbelow,

islikelyin-partresponsibleforthechallengesEdisonhasconsistentlyencounteredovertherecentpast

withenrollment.Withapopulationfarbelowthenumberofstudentsitisintendedtoserveinits

currentfacility,Edisonstrugglestoattractstudents,resultinginunder-enrolledprogramsofstudyand

anunder-utilizedfacility.

Lesser-thanOpportunity

Focusgroupparticipants–students,staff,parents-expressed

thatEdisonisgenerallyregardedasa“lesser-than”

opportunityprimarilyforstudentswhodonotplantogoto

college.Theyassumeitlacksrigorandofferslower-level

vocationaleducationclasses.Whiletheirratherharsh

perceptionisinflated,itissubstantiatedinpartbymore

objectivedatapoints.ThoughEdisonoffersprogramsofstudy

exclusively(academicandotherelectivecoursesarenot

availablethere),only50%ofitsstudentsactuallycomplete

theirrequiredcoursesequences.Ofthose,abouttwo-thirds

earnindustry-recognizedcredentials,andfewerthan10%of

itstotalseniorsparticipatedinaninternshiplastyear.And

thoughitintentionallypreparesstudentsfornear-termmiddleskillemploymentthatveryfrequently

requiressomelevelofpostsecondaryeducationandtraining,lessthan2%ofitsstudentsduallyenrollin

acollege-levelcourseorparticipateincollege-levelinstructionofanykind.

ProblematicModel

Whilelocationandtraveltimeareofteninitiallycitedasdeterrentstoenrollmentbystudentsand

parents,upondeeperquestioningandanalysisitbecomesclearthattheirmoresubstantialconcernsare

withthemodelitself.Specifically,studentsandtheirparentsarelargelyunwillingtoloseaclassperiod

eachdaytotraveltoaschoolthatoffersonlyapartialhighschoolexperience.StudentsatEdisoncannot

takeacademiccoursesmuchlesshonorsclasses;theylosetheirfeelingofbelongingtoa

permanent/full-timeschoolcommunity;theyfinditdifficulttoformrelationshipswithpeerswhowill

eachreturntotheirrespectivehomeschoolcampuseseveryafternoon;andtheyseemtoquestionthe

qualityoftheprogramsthatareavailable.

UnclearVisionandLackofInclusion

Theredoesn’tseemtobeaclearorcommonvisionforhowEdisonfitsintothebroaderMCPScollege-

andcareer-readystrategytoday,andthereissimilarvaguenessabouthowthenewEdisoncurrently

underconstructionwillbedifferent.ThisratherabstractperspectiveofhowEdisonfitsintothedistrict’s

overallstrategyofpreparingstudentsforcollegemakesbettersensewhenplacedinthecontextofhow

Withapopulationfarbelow

thenumberofstudentsitis

intendedtoserveinits

currentfacility,Edison

strugglestoattractstudents,

resultinginunder-enrolled

programsofstudyandan

under-utilizedfacility.


Edisonismanagedandsupported,withasmanyasfivedistrictadministratorsfromtwodifferentcentral

officedivisionsjointlysupervisingtheschoolinsomeway.Edisonvacillatesbetweenbeingconsidereda

programandaschool,andyetithasasitsonlyaccountabilitymeasuretheextenttowhichitsstudents

earnindustry-recognizedcredentials.ItdoesnotshareintheresponsibilityforraisingPARCC,SAT,orAP

scoresforexample,nordoitsteachersoradministratorsevenhaveaccesstotheirstudents’academic

records.ThisnearlyrendersitasapartialmemberoftheMCPSsystemwhosepositionandvaluehas

notyetbeenfullyformed.Whilesomeexpressedthebeliefthatanewfacilitywillattractstudentsand

solvetheenrollmentproblems,theselargerchallengesneedtobeaddressed.

FocusArea#5:StakeholderUnderstandingMCPSparents,students,faculty,andstaffareexceptionallythoughtfulaboutpreparingallkidsfor

successincollege.Theyhaveknowledgeandunderstandingofthevalueafour-yeardegreebringsto

studentstransitioningfromdependenttoindependentliving,andtheyaregenerallyawareoftherange

ofcollegeopportunitiesandassociatedadmissionrequirementsofhighereducationinstitutionswithin

andbeyondMontgomeryCountyborders.

Yetthereisaverydiscerniblelackofunderstandingofcareerreadinessanditsgoalsonthepartof

nearlyallMCPSstakeholders.Thiscameacrossthroughsurveys,focusgroups,andindividualinterviews

andcanbestbedescribedinthreeways:

InformationGaponNewEconomicOpportunities

Amongstudents,parents,teachers,counselors,andadministrators,thereappearstobealowlevelof

awarenessofthelabormarketshiftsthathavereshapedtheAmericaneconomyoverthelastdecade,

andinparticular,abouttherangeofexistingmiddleskillcareeroptionsthatofferwell-paying,stable

professionalcareeropportunities.Thesemiddleskillcareeropportunitiesrequiremorethanahigh

schooldiplomabutlessthanabachelor’sdegree.Atthesametime,parentsandstaffinparticular

sometimeslamentedtheintensityofpushingstudentstowardafour-yearcollegeexperience

questioningwhetheritisinfacttheonlyroutetoeconomicandcareersuccess.

LackofKnowledgeabouttheValueofCTE

Thereisawidespreadlackofknowledgeand

understandingamongstudents,parents,teachers,

counselors,andadministratorsregardingthevalueof

high-qualityCTEaspartofaneffectivestrategyto

preparestudentsforcollegeandtheworkplace.A

numberofstakeholderscontinuetorelyonprior

experiencewithtraditionalvocationaleducationto

informtheircurrentthinking.WhileCTEleadersinMCPS

haveworkedhardtosharespecificprogrammatic

information–viatheMCPSwebsiteandspecialevents

likeCTE“roadshows”,CareerReadinessNight,and

CollegeandCareerExpo–theireffortshavenotfully

Thereisawidespreadlackof

knowledgeandunderstanding

amongstudents,parents,teachers,

counselors,andadministrators

regardingthevalueofhigh-quality

CTEaspartofaneffectivestrategy

topreparestudentsforcollegeand

theworkplace.


saturatedthedistrict,perhapsbecausetheinformationthey’vesharedispresentlyagrainsizetoo

small.StakeholdersfirstwantandneedmoregeneralinformationaboutthepowerofCTEforstudents

andtheeconomy,andtheywantitduringmiddleschoolwhiletheyhavetimetorethinktheirplanned

highschoolcourseschedules.Thisinturnmightthenpersuadestudentsandparentstolookmore

seriouslyintoparticularCTEofferings.Absentthatsequenceofevents,theywillbehard-pressedto

changetheiropinionsofCTE.

LackofUnderstandingofCTE

ThisbecomesamoreunderstandablepositionwhenonerealizesthatMCPSstakeholdersforthemost

partdonotactuallyunderstandwhatCTEis,andmanydonotassociatehigh-qualityprogramsofstudy

likePLTW,NAF,andCode.orgasCTEofferings.Infact,ofsurveyrespondents,41%ofstudents,48%of

parents,and34%ofteachers/administrators/counselorsindicatedthatthey“don’tknow”ifCTEin

MCPSofferschallenging,rigorousprogramsofstudyforstudentsthatdeveloptheacademicknowledge

andtechnicalskillneededforcollegeandcareer.And79%ofstudentsand86%ofparents

agree/stronglyagreethattheyneedmoreinformationonthevariouscareerpreparationopportunities

thatareavailablethroughoutMCPS.Thereisclearinterestonthepartofparentsandstudents,and

evenfacultyandstaff,formoreinformationoncareeropportunitiesgenerallyandhowtheprogramsof

studyconnecttothemandtocollege.


ESGRecommendationsforMCPS

Takingintoconsiderationeachofthefindingsabove,ESGoffersfortheMCPSSuperintendentandBoard

ofEducation’sconsiderationthefollowingsetofstrategicactionstepsparsedintothefivefocusareas.

FocusArea#1:VisionandSystemicPrioritiesforCareerReadinessMCPSmustbeginbytakingspecificstepstoestablishcareerreadinessasapriorityforthedistrictin

pursuitofitsgoaltoensurethateverystudentgraduateswiththeknowledgeandskillstobereadyfor

bothcollegeand“goodjobs”.Keytoexecutingwellwillbeleveragingitsalreadyrobustcultureofhigh

expectationsforeverystudentasitlaunchesthefourstrategiesthatfollow.

EstablishaNewVision

MCPSmustestablishanewvisionforcareer

readiness,onethatisforallstudentsandthatincludesclearmetricsforsuccessandshared

accountabilityforoutcomeswithemployersand

postsecondaryeducationleaderswithwhom

MCPSmustbejoinedarminarmtodothiswork

well.Itshouldcomplementandbemarriedwith,

ratherthancompetewith,thecollege-readygoals

ofMCPS.Thecultureofhighexpectationsis

strong;thevisionandnarrativeneedstoevolveto

incorporatecareerpreparation.

RedefineandRebrandCTE

MCPSmustcarefullylayouttheroleofhigh-qualityCTEwithinthisvision,whichincludesredefiningand

rebrandingCTEasofferingrigorousacademiccourseworkintegratedwith21stcenturytechnical

instructionandreal-worldworkexperiences.High-qualityprogramsofstudymustbesituatednotasan

alternativetothe4-yearcollegepathwaybutratherasaspecificstrategytosupportMCPS’sbroader

goalsaroundpreparingallstudentsforpostsecondaryopportunitiesandoptions.MCPSmightconsider

changingtheterminologysothatCTEisn’tthelabelusedtodescribecareer-focusedprograms;asis,itis

notawell-understoodbrandinMCPS,andtheconnotationitseemstocarryisnotstrong.InCalifornia

forexample,theybrandedtheirstrategy“LinkedLearning”toreflectthecollaborationittakesbetween

K-12,postsecondaryeducation,businessandindustry,andeconomicdevelopmenttopreparestudents

forthe21stcenturyworldofwork.InLouisiana,they’vecoinedtheirefforts“JumpStart,”aliteral

representationofhelpingstudentsgetajumpstartoncontinuingtheireducationbeyondhighschool

whileearningvaluableindustrycertificationsinhighschool.IfMCPSweretorefertoallhighschool

MCPSmustestablishanewvisionfor

careerreadiness,onethatisforall

studentsandthatincludesclearmetrics

forsuccessandsharedaccountabilityfor

outcomeswithemployersand

postsecondaryeducationleaderswith

whomMCPSmustbejoinedarminarm

todothisworkwell.


programsofstudyusinganewlabelthatsuggestspreparationforthefuture,thatmighthelpcreatea

new,sharedvisionforcareerpreparation.

ProvideProfessionalDevelopmentontheEconomy

Giventhelackofknowledgeandunderstandingoflabormarketshiftsthathaveimpactedfuturecareer

opportunitiesforyoungpeople,MCPSmusteducatecounselors,teachers,andadministratorsonthe

long-termeconomicdevelopmentneedsofthecountyandsurroundingregionaswellastheassociated

programmaticofferingsofMCPStoday.Itmustidentifytherelateddegree/credentialrequirementsand

associatedsalariessothattheyhavecompellinginformationtofacilitatethenecessarymindsetshift.

MontgomeryCountyeconomicdevelopmentpartnerscanbeinstrumentalinhelpingtodesignthis

professionaldevelopment,andallstaffmembersshouldparticipateinit,especiallyatthesecondary

level.

EstablishMetricsforCareerReadinessSuccess

IncreaseMCPS’s“skininthegame”bybuildingintoaccountabilitymetrics,perhapsthroughSchool

ImprovementPlans,goalsaroundindicatorsofhigh-qualitycareerpreparationefforts.Suchgoalsmight

includeprogramofstudyconcentrationandcompletionrates,work-basedlearninganddual

enrollment/creditparticipation,andattainmentofhigh-valueindustry-recognizedcredentials.Publicly

reportandmonitorthoserates.Forexample,OhiocreatedaCTEschoolreportcardthatreports

pathwaycompletionandpreparationforsuccessfultransitionsbeyondhighschool,includingmeasures

likedualenrollmentforCTEstudents.DelawarehascreatedadashboardofPerkinsandstate

accountabilitymeasuresthatenablesschool,district,andstateofficialstodrillintoperformanceatthe

programlevel.Thestateconvenesschoolanddistrictpersonnelmonthlytodiscussperformanceissues

andhighlightsuccessfulprograms.

FocusArea#2:EmployerEngagement/Demand-DrivenProgrammingAsMCPSsetsinplaceanewvisionforitscareerpreparation

effortsalignedwiththeregion’seconomicdevelopment

needsinhigh-skill,high-demandsectors,itmust

simultaneouslyenergizetheemployercommunityto

becomestrongpartnersinrealizingthatvision.Clearand

substantialrolesneedtobecultivatedforbusinessand

industryleaderstohelpalignprogramsofstudywithlabor

marketneedsinwaysthataredescribedinmoredetail

below.

PutIndustryExecutivesintheRoleofProgrammaticDrivers

WhilethereareseveralestablishedemployerintermediariesalreadyworkingwithMCPS,noneis

comprehensivelyservingthetwokeyrolesthatareneeded:1)usinglabormarketinformationto

identifythecareerpreparationeffortsthatshouldbeprioritizedandscaledwithinMCPStomeetthe

Clearandsubstantialroles

needtobecultivatedfor

businessandindustryleaders

tohelpalignprogramsofstudy

withlabormarketneeds.


long-term,high-skill,high-demandindustryworkforceneeds;and2)provideinputonthecareer

readinessmetricsbywhichMCPSshouldholditselfaccountable,includingmonitoringandtracking

thoseresultstoinformnecessarychangestocareerpreparationefforts.

Tofillthisvoid,MCPSshouldestablishapolicy-levelSuperintendent'sCareerReadinessAdvisoryCouncilcomprisedofhigh-levelexecutivesofthecounty’skeyindustries.Ideally,theseexecutives

shouldbedrawnfromtheexistingintermediaryboards–MCBRE,WorkSourceMontgomery,MCCB,and

theIndustryFoundations–incaseswherethoseboardshavetherightindustryleadersrepresented.

Then,granttheAdvisoryCouncilregular,directaccesstotheSuperintendentofMCPStomeaningfully

influencethedistrict’scareerpreparationworkasdescribedabove.Theirworkwouldnotreplace,but

ratherhelpsetthedirectionfortheworkofcurrentintermediaryorganizations.

RedefineMCCB’sRole

Then,restructuretherole/functionofthecurrentMontgomeryCountyCollaborationBoard(MCCB)to

meetandbuildupontherecommendationsoftheSuperintendent’sAdvisoryCouncil.MCPSmust

collaboratewithitsMCCBemployerpartnersaswellasMontgomeryCollege(MC)andtheUniversities

atShadyGrove(USG)toworktogetherinaligningindustryexpectationswithprogramcurriculum,

instruction,andassessment.Employersmustidentifyneededskillsetswithinprioritizedprogramsof

studyandworkwithMCPS,MC,andUSGtoshapethedesignofthoseprogramsofstudytoensurethat

theywilldevelopthenecessaryknowledgeandtechnicalskills.MCCBmustsystematicallyreview

outcomesrelatedtokeyindicatorsestablishedbytheAdvisoryCouncil–programofstudy

concentratorsandcompleters,work-basedlearninganddualenrollmentparticipationrates,and

attainmentofhigh-valueindustrycertifications–aspartofafeedbackloop,andmakespecific

recommendationsonstrategiestostrengthenMCPS’scareerpreparationprograms.Thisincludes

empoweringtheMCCBemployerstouselabormarketdataonhigh-skill,high-demandfieldstojustify

continuationofprogramsonaregularbasistoenabletheAdvisoryCounciltoapprovenewand

continuedprogramsaswellasdiscontinuethosethatlackrigorandrelevance.

EstablishaSinglePointofContactforEmployers

Tostrengthenandstreamlinethedistrict’sworkwithbusinessandindustry,andtorespondtoconcerns

amongemployersthatthere’snoclearplacetogotobuildpartnerships,MCPSshouldcreateasingle

pointofcontact.Thefunctionshouldnotsimplybeincorporatedintothecurrentpartnership

coordinator’sresponsibilities.Theroleistooimportant,anditrequiresaspecificexpertiseand

experiencethatallowsformeaningfulemployerengagement.Thissenior-level“DirectorofStrategic

IndustryPartnerships”shouldideallyhaveexperienceinbotheducationandthecorporateworldand

shouldbededicatedtotwopriorities:

1. ServingasthemanageroftheSuperintendent’sAdvisoryCouncilresponsibleforoverallplanning

andexecutionofthework.

2. Brokering,professionalizing,andscalingafullportfolioofwork-basedlearningexperiencesforhighschoolstudentswithsupportfromMCBREandWorkSourceMontgomery.Thiswouldalso

includesupportingandoverseeingtheschool-levelinternshipcoordinators.


FocusArea#3:QualityandConsistencyofCareerProgrammingOncethenewvisionhasbeenestablished,MCPSmustputintomotionspecificstrategiestostrengthen

thequalityandconsistencyofitscareerprogrammingensuringthatprogramsofstudyarerigorous,

alignedwithcollege-readystandards,andnotterminalinhighschoolsbutratherprovidesignificant

postsecondaryeducationopportunitiesthatleadtogoodjobsinhigh-skill,high-demandindustries.The

followingrecommendationsfurtherbreakdownhowMCPSshouldapproachthis.

DesignandExecuteaSystematicApproachtoDeliveryofCareerProgramming

Deriveddirectlyfromthenewvisionforcareerreadiness,MCPSmustdesignandexecuteasystematic

approachtothedeliveryofcareerreadinessprogrammingthroughoutthedistrict.Thisstrategic

approachwoulddirectlyaddressthelackofconsistencycurrentlywithincareerprogramofferingsacross

highschools,anditwouldleveragetheworkoftheSuperintendent’sAdvisoryCounciltoensurethose

offeringsarewell-alignedwitheconomicopportunities.Itwouldhavetwoprimaryobjectives:a)

ensuringthateverystudentinMCPShasaccesstoafullrangeofhigh-skill,high-demandprogramsof

study-whetherthat’simportedlikePLTWandNAForhomegrown-alignedwiththeemergingand

longer-termeconomicdevelopmentneedsofthecountyinhigh-skill,high-demandfields;andb)eachof

thoseprogramsofstudywouldconsistentlyofferrigorous,integratedacademicandtechnical

instructionbroughttolifebyreal-worldlearningexperiencesthatprepareallstudentsfor

postsecondarysuccess.

EstablishChoiceEnrollmentforProgramsofStudy

Clearly,MCPScannotoffereachofthesehigh-skill,high-demandprogramsofstudyineveryhighschool,

sostrategicplacementofthemthroughoutthedistrictaswellchoiceenrollmentopportunitieswillbe

keytoexecutingthisequitabledistributionagendaeffectively.Studentswhohavedemonstratedand

documentedanacademicandcareerinterestinaparticularprogramofstudy(e.g.CiscoIT)butdonot

haveaccesstoitintheirhomeschoolshouldbeofferedaChangeofSchoolAssignment(COSA)

opportunitytoenrollfull-timeattheclosesthighschooltoofferitontheconditionthattheycomplete

thatprogramofstudyandearntheassociatedindustry-recognizedcredential.

StrengthentheQualityofProgramsofStudy

Itgoeswithoutsayingthatitwouldbepointlesstoequitablydistributecareerprogramming,including

CTEprogramsofstudy,throughoutMCPSunlesstheyarehighquality.ThereareseveralkeystepsMCPS

shouldtakeinitscareerreadinessworktoensurethatallprogrammingisrigorousandrelevantand

preparesallstudentseffectivelyforthehigh-qualitypostsecondaryeducationandtrainingopportunity

oftheirchoice:

InventoryandAssessCurrentProgramsofStudyAgreetoasetofhigh-qualityindicatorsforallcareerprogramsofstudy.Thoseindicatorsshouldideally

includedegreeofalignmenttolong-term,high-valueregionaleconomicopportunities,abilitytoearn

honorsandcollegecredit,participationinandassessmentofarelevantworksiteinternship,and

attainmentofhigh-valueindustry-recognizedcredentials.Inaddition,allprogramofstudyofferings


shouldbeanalyzedacrossschoolstoensureconsistency,e.g.theAcademyofHealthProfessions

programofstudymustbethesameacrossallschoolsthatofferit.Thenassesscurrentprogramsof

studyagainstthoseindicators,andeitherupgradeorretirethosethatleadtolow-wagepositionsor

otherwisefallshortofthehighexpectationsbarinlightofeconomicopportunitiesoftodayand

tomorrow.TheMarylandStateDepartmentofEducation’sDivisionofCareerandCollegeReadiness

couldsupportthiswork,andTennessee’sPathwaysSiteObservationToolmaybeahelpfulresourceto

beginthisassessment.

EnsurePostsecondaryArticulationRequireallprogramsofstudyincludeanaccessible

postsecondaryeducationcomponentandleadtohigh-

skill,high-demandcareers.ThisdemandsthatMCPS

workhand-in-handwithitspostsecondaryeducation

partnerstocreateasharedvisionofacareer

preparationdeliverysystemthatbeginsinhighschool,

continuesintocollege,culminatesinstackable

credentials,andincludescommonmetricsfor

accountability.(Seethegraphicrepresentingthis

conceptbelowfromthestateofTennessee.)Thegoal

shouldbeforMCPSstudentstoearnarticulated

postsecondarycreditforCTEdualenrollmentcourses

andhigh-qualitywork-basedlearningexperiences,especiallywithinprogramsofstudythatbegininhigh

schoolandculminateinahighereducationinstitution.

Moreover,MCPSshouldworkcloselywithitspostsecondarypartnerslikeMontgomeryCollegeto

establishpolicythatwouldallowhigh-valueindustry-recognizedcertificationsearnedinhighschoolto

countfortransferrablecollegecredit.TennesseeaccomplishedthisbyestablishinganMOUwiththeir

technicalcollegesystemtoawardcollegecreditforastate-approvedindustry-recognizedcredential.

Also,inFlorida,thestate’sannualcredentiallistclassifiesindustry-recognizedcertificationsintotiers

basedonhowmanycreditstheyareworthatthepostsecondarylevel.Thelowertierofcredentials,

knownasCAPEDigitalToolCertificates,donotarticulatecredits,butthehighertierCAPEIndustry

CertificationsandCAPEAccelerationIndustryCertificationsarticulateupto14and15credits

respectivelytowardanAssociateofScienceorAppliedAssociateofScienceDegree.

MCPSmustworkhand-in-handwith

itspostsecondaryeducation

partnerstocreateasharedvisionof

acareerpreparationdelivery

systemthatbeginsinhighschool,

continuesintocollege,culminatesin

stackablecredentials,andincludes

commonmetricsforaccountability.


(GraphictakenfromTennessee’sStudentCertificationGuidance,July2016)

AddRigortoAcademicCourseworkwithinProgramsofStudyWhile16ofthecurrentprogramsofstudyinMCPSoffersomeadvancedcourseworkopportunities,

manyothersdonot.Furthermore,withinthe16,thereissomereasonablequestionregardingthe

degreetowhicheachofthoseadvancedcoursesisconsistentlyofferedwithinthoseprogramsofstudy

acrossschools.MCPSmuststrengthentheacademicrigorofprogramsofstudy,inpartbyexpanding

provenimportedmodelslikePLTW,NAF,andCiscoandsuccessfulhomegrownprogramslikeMiddle

College.Programsofstudymustconsistentlyintegratehonors,AP/IB,dualenrollment,andtechnical

course-takingaspartofacollegeprepstrategy.MCPSmustworkwithcounselors,teachers(bothcore

areasandCTE),andschooladministratorstohelpthemunderstandtheseintegratedprogramsofstudy

sothatitbecomescleartothemthatprogramsofstudyholdhighexpectationsofallstudentsandthat

theseintegratedpiecesfittogetherwithintheprioritiesstaffareexpectedtomeetaroundpreparing

studentsforcollege.Staffwillalsoneedsupportregardinghowtoschedulestudentsintothecourses.

DesignandOfferWork-BasedLearningatScaleLeveragingitsnewly-appointedMCPSDirectorofStrategic

IndustryPartnershipsaswellasMCBREandWorkSource

Montgomery,MCPSmustdesignandofferbetterandmore

real-worldworkexperiencesthatarealignedwithstudents’

academicandcareerinterests.Theseexperiencesmustbe

anintegralpartofeachprogramofstudyandalsobemade

availablemorebroadlytoallstudents.Theymustoffer

studentsthechancetodeveloptechnicalandprofessional

skillsintheirchosenfieldofstudy,andtheymustbemeaningfullyassessedbyemployerstodetermine

theextenttowhichthoseskillswereacquired.Inaddition,someformofwork-basedlearning–suchas

jobshadowingandcareerchallenges-shouldbemadeavailableinmiddleschoolandearlyinhigh

MCPSmustdesignandoffer

betterandmorereal-world

workexperiencesthatare

alignedwithstudents’academic

andcareerinterests.


schoolsothatstudentshavethenecessaryexperiencetobetterunderstandcareersandthinkmore

criticallyaboutthecoursestheywanttotakewhileinhighschool.

LinkedLearningrequireshigh-qualitywork-basedlearningexperiencesaspartofaprogramofstudyand

maybeamodelforMCPStostudy(asshownbelow)asitdevelopsitsscalingstrategy.Inaddition,

LinkedLearning’stechnologyplatformknownasLaunchPaththatmatchesstudentswithwork-based

learningexperiencesinanareaofacademicorcareerinterestmaybeahelpfultoolforMCPStoexplore.

ExpandandStrengthentheCareerAdvisementSystemAcomprehensivecareeradvisementsystemmustundergirdeachoftheseeffortstostrengthenthe

qualityandrigorofcareerprogramming.Careeradvisementmuststartinmiddleschoolwithafocuson

raisingstudents’awarenessofvariouscareersandexploringwhatworkersdoindifferentfields.Itthen

mustprogressinhighschooltogreaterexposuretolocalindustriesandcompaniestodevelopdeeper

interestandunderstandingofprofessionalroles,andultimately,identifyanintendedcareerpathand

routetogetthere.MCPS’sschoolcounselorswillbeessentialtosupportinganddrivingthiswork,and

theymustbetrainedtoexecutethisrole.Inaddition,thefullfunctionalityofNaviance’sCareerKey

AssessmentToolmustbeexaminedtodetermineifitcanbebetterutilizedtohelpmiddleschool


studentsexplorecareeroptionsandcreateaspecificacademicandcareerplanforhighschoolthat

tentativelymapsoutthecoursesthatarebestalignedwiththeirdemonstratedcareerinterests.

Buttheworkcannotstopthere.MCPSmustsupplementthetechnologysolutionandschoolcounselors

withcollegeandcareercoachingthathelpsstudentsinvestigateavarietyofcareeroptionsalignedwith

thelonger-termeconomicdevelopmentprioritiesofMontgomeryCounty,andthenusethat

informationtomakeinformeddecisionsabouthighschoolcourseenrollmentandpostsecondaryplans.

Itisessentialthatthiscoachinghappenasacomponentoftheregularschoolday,notduringfree/social

timeslikelunchwhenitiseasyforstudentstoforgotheopportunity.

Donewell,thiscoachingwilllikelyrequirespecializedexpertisebeyondwhatiscurrentlyavailablein

MCPS.TherearetwostrategiesMCPSmightemploytoimplementthisrecommendation.MCPSmight

firstlooktoitsindustryandpostsecondaryeducationpartnerstodetermineiftheyhavetheexpertise

andwillingnesstoprovidesuchaservice.ModifyingthecurrentACESprogram,forexample,mightbe

oneoptiontoexplore.Ifnot,MCPSmightinvestigateotheroptions,suchascontractingwitha

specializedorganizationtoprovideexpertise,likeCareerCompassbeingusedinLouisiana;and/or

collaboratingwithlocalpostsecondaryinstitutionstodesign,build,andofferacareercoachingprogram,

muchlikeArkansashasdone.Locally,CarrollCountyisknownforitslongstanding,high-qualityworkin

designingandimplementingaK-12careerdevelopmentprogram.Then,oncethatexpertiseissecured,

MCPSmightlaunchademonstrationprojectinahandfulofhighschools,especiallythosethatserve

studentswhoareleastlikelytohaveaccesstocareerplanningresourcesathome,andstrategicallyscale

thatprogramoverseveralyearstoallMCPShighschools.

IncreaseTeacherCapacityWhileESG’sexternalassessmentofMCPScareerpreparationpracticesdidnotfocusexplicitlyon

instructionalcapacity,theneedforbetterormorehighly-effectiveCTEteachersemergedthroughout

conversationswithstakeholders.ToincreasecapacityofexistingCTEteachers,MCPSmightconsider

employingstrategieslikeLouisianahasdonethroughitsJumpStartInitiativethatrequireteachersto

earnhigh-qualityindustry-recognizedcredentialsinthefieldstheyteachandprovideprofessional

developmenttoenablethemtodoso.Itmightalsoconsiderworkingwithitsemployerpartnerstooffer

high-quality,paidsummerexternshipstoCTEandSTEMteacherstohelpdeepentheirunderstandingof

howthecontenttheyteachisappliedinreal-lifesettings.TheGeorgiaInternFellowshipforTeachers

(GIFT)offeredthroughGeorgiaTechisonemodeltostudy.

Torecruithighercapacityindustryprofessionalswhooftenaredeterredbyteachingopportunities

becausetheycannotleavetheirindustryworkcompletely,MCPSmightfollowtheexampleofseveral

statesthathavebeguntoallowindustryexpertstoteachpart-timeorco-teachwithafully-certified

teacherofrecord.Finally,MCPS,initsworktostrengthenitspartnershipwithpostsecondary

institutions,shouldinvestigatethepossibilityofcontractingwithpostsecondarypartnerslike

MontgomeryCollegetodedicatefacultywithindustryexperiencetoteachingCTEcoursesforMCPS,

withinandoutsideofdualenrollment.


RedesignOrganizationalStructure

Organizationandcapacityatthedistrictlevelneedstosupportacohesiveapproachandshared

accountabilityforresultsbasedonthenewvisionforcareerreadiness.ThisrequiresthatCTEbe

organizedthoughtfullyunderonecentralleaderwithdeepknowledgeofacademicandtechnical

prioritiesofMCPS,experiencebeyondCTE,akeenunderstandingofhowtoblendCTEintothebroader

college-preparatorystrategy,andtheacumentoexecutethatvision.Suchaleadermusthavethe

understanding,skill,andrelationshipstoworkhand-in-handwithexecutive-levelpostsecondaryand

industryleaderstodevelopadeliverysystemthatseamlesslyspanssecondaryandpostsecondary

systemstomeetthedynamicneedsoftheregionallabormarket.Andaboveallelse,thisleadermust

believedeeplyintheneedforchangeinMCPS’scareerpreparationefforts,demonstratingthecapacity

andwillingnesstoassessandretirelower-qualitylegacyprogramswhilebuildinghigh-qualitymodelsof

21stcenturycareerprogramming.

MeasureandIncentivizeCareerReadiness

Tosupportanddriveeffectivechangestoinstructionalpractice,MCPSmustcreateanaccountability

systemthatvaluescompletionofhigh-qualityprogramsofstudyandattainmentofstackableindustry-

recognizedcredentialsthatpreparestudentsforhigh-skill,high-demandcareeropportunities.ESG’s

recentlyreleasedreport,DestinationKnown:ValuingCollegeandCareerReadinessinState

AccountabilitySystemsofferscleardirectiononmeasuresthatcanbeincludedwithinanaccountability

systemtosupportallstudentsinreachingeconomicandcareersuccess.Whileitiswrittenforstates,its

recommendationscanbeadaptedbydistrictsforfullorpartialinclusionintheirreportingand

accountabilityefforts.Itisframedaroundfourrobustmeasuresofcollegeandcareerreadiness:1)

progresstowardpost-highschoolcredential,2)co-curricularlearningandleadershipexperiencessuch

aswork-basedlearning,3)assessmentofreadiness,and4)transitionsbeyondhighschool.

Aspartofitsefforttostrengthenthecollegeandcareerreadinessmeasuresbywhichitholdsitself

accountable,MCPSshouldcreateadashboardthatmonitorsperformanceofstudentsinprogramsof

studycomparedtootherstudentsinthedistrict,anddeveloproutinesinthecentralofficetomonitor

andreviewthoseresults.ImplicitwithinthisrecommendationisensuringthatMCPS’sdatacollections

representactualenrollment,concentration,andcompletion.Ifnecessary,MCPSshouldhireaqualified

3rdpartytoauditdatatoidentifywhereimprovementsindatacollectionandreportingareneeded.

MarylandStateDepartmentofEducationmaybeabletoassistinthisprocess.

FocusArea#4:EdisonSchoolofTechnologyWithanew,state-of-the-artfacilitycomesopportunityfor

changeandreinvention.MCPSmustleveragethis

unreservedlybyredesigningtheEdisonmodeland

redefiningitsvisionandmission,situatingitintentionallyas

anintegralpieceofthenewdistrict-widecareerreadiness

vision.Thereareseveralformsthiscantake,eachthatwill

Edisonmustbecomeafull-time

modeltobecomeahighly-

successful,fully-subscribed

educationalopportunityforthe

studentsandfamiliesitserves.


resultinvaryingdegreesoftransformationalchangedependinguponMCPS’sappetiteandresource

levelaswellasthepoliticalwillofitsmostimportantpartners.Alloftheoptionsdescribedbelow

contemplateafull-timemodel,whichESGbelievesistheonlywayforEdisontobecomeahighly-

successful,fully-subscribededucationalopportunityforthestudentsandfamiliesitserves.Thiswill

alleviateaconsiderableamountoftheconcernaroundgeographicalplacementofEdison,studenttravel

time,andlossofaclassperiodthatcurrentlysurfacesinconversationaboutEdison.

VisionaryTransformation:RecreateEdisonasaCTEEarlyCollegeHighSchool

LikeallEarlyCollegeHighSchools(ECHS),thenew“ThomasEdisonCTEEarlyCollegeHighSchool”would

blendhighschoolandcollegecourseworktoenablestudentstosimultaneouslyearnahighschool

diplomaaswellaseitheranassociatedegreeoruptotwoyearsofcredittowardabachelor’sdegree.As

aCTE-ECHS,EdisonwoulddifferentiateitselffromotherECHSbyfocusingitsprogramexclusivelyonthe

high-skill,high-demandindustrysectorsofMontgomeryCountysothatstudentscouldearna

postsecondary-levelindustrycredentialthatsignalstheirreadinessforsought-afterjobopportunities.

AsaCTE-ECHS,MCPScouldopttofocusonservingaspecificstudentpopulation,suchasstudentswho

aremostat-riskofnotgoingontopostsecondaryeducationandtrainingafterhighschool,oritcould

opentheopportunitytoallstudentsdistrict-wideorthosecurrentlyenrolledinschoolswith

overcrowding,forexample.Selectingthismodelwouldrequirethecommitmentandwillofastrong

highereducationpartneraswellasemployersandeconomicdevelopmentexpertstocollaboratively

conceptualize,design,andbringtofruitionthisvisionforanECHS.

StrongCTE-ECHSmodelsacrossthecountryprovideexamplesthatMCPSmaybeservedwelltodraw

from,includingtheCEC(CareerEducationCenter)EarlyCollegeHighSchoolinDenver,Colorado.The

STEMMTechnicalMiddleCollegeinHagerstownmightalsobeanexampletostudy.Inaddition,Texas

legislatedtheCTEEarlyCollegeHighSchoolInitiativein2014andwouldlikelyhavevaluablelessonsto

sharewithMCPSondesigningandbringingtofruitionahigh-qualitymodel.

FullTransformation:RecreateEdisonasaWall-toWallCareerAcademy

NotquiteasradicalatransformationasanECHS,redesigningEdisonasawall-to-wallcareeracademy

wouldsignificantlystrengthenstudents’academicknowledgeandtechnicalskillsnonethelesswhile

preparingthemforatwo-orfour-yearcollegeoruniversityprogram.AsopposedtoanECHSmodel,

courseworkwouldprimarilybedeliveredatthehighschoollevelwithopportunitiesforhigh-qualitydual

enrollment/credit,butitwouldberigorousandrelevant,anchoredstronglyinaspecificcareerfocus.

Theschoolwouldbedividedintoanumberof“academies”–smalllearningcommunitiesfocusedona

particularhigh-skill,high-demandindustrysectorofMontgomeryCounty,likehealthcareor

cybersecurityforexample–andeachstudentinninthgradewouldselectoneoftheseto“majorin”

during10th-12

thgradestherebyreceivingrigorousacademicinstructionintraditionalcoresubjectslike

math,English,andscienceintegratedwith21stcenturyCTEprogramming.Thismodel,whichcouldbe

phasedinoverfouryearsbeginningwithaninauguralninthgradeclass,demandsthattheEdisonCareer

Academyeffectivelyengagetheemployercommunityforprogrammaticdesignanddeliveryprotocolsas

wellasauthenticworkplaceexperiencesthatareconnectedtoclassroomlearningforeachofthe

academies.


Wall-to-wallcareeracademieshavebeensuccessfulinanumberofplacesthatMCPSmightemulate,

includinginVirginia,withitsexpansionofGovernor’sSTEMAcademiesthroughoutthestate,andin

Nashvillewiththeconversionofall12ofitshighschoolstowall-to-wallAcademies.Atanindividual

schoollevel,theNetworkEngineeringProgramatSummitTechnologyAcademyinLee’sSummit,

MissouriwasrecentlyrecognizedbyAdvanceCTEwithanExcellenceinActionAward.Bringingtogether

studentsfromurban,suburban,andruralhighschools,theprogramdoesexceptionalworkpreparing

studentsforcybersecuritycareeropportunities.Mostnotably,studentsareabletobeginworkona

bachelor’sdegreewhileenrolledattheAcademy,therebydramaticallyincreasingthelikelihoodthat

they’llgoontoearna4-yeardegreeafterhighschoolgraduation.AsAdvanceCTEnotes,60%ofits

studentsparticipateinwork-basedlearning,60%earnedcollegecreditthroughdualenrollment,94%

enrolledinpostsecondaryeducation,theworkforce,orthemilitaryaftergraduation,and81%earnedan

industry-recognizedcredential.

IntegratedTransformation:CombineEdisonHighSchoolwithWheatonHighSchool

Twoschoolssitside-by-side,eachwithaSTEMfocus,onesignificantlyunder-enrolledwhiletheother

searchesfornookstoturnintoclassroomspacetoaccommodateitsburgeoningstudentpopulation.

Theyhavepotentialtobehighlycomplementary,thecombinationofthetwopotentiallyofferingan

integrated,comprehensivestudentexperienceenrichedbyrigorousproject-basedlearninginstruction

inonefacilityandsophisticatedhands-ontechnicalinstructionintheotherthatbringstolifethe

applicationoflearning.Keytoeffectivelycombiningthesetwoschoolswouldbeasingularleaderwith

thevision,knowledge,andskilltodefineeachasequalpartsthattogethermakeawhole,withstrong

site-basedleadershipineachbuildingtohelpturnthatvisionintoreality.

LimitedTransformation:ConvertEdisontoaFulltimeTechnologyHighSchool

InconsideringitsoptionsforthenewEdison,MCPSshouldnot

overlookperhapsthesimplesttransformationthatwouldyield

significantlybetterresults:convertingEdisontoafulltimetechnical

highschool.Tomakethispaydividends,Edisonmustembodyhigh-

qualitycareer-technicalprogramming.Itmustoffersophisticated

programsofstudyalignedwithhigh-skill,high-demandlabor

marketneeds.Thoseprogramsofstudymustinfuserigorous

academicinstruction,includinghonors,AP/IB,anddualenrollment/creditcourses,withtechnical

trainingthatcanonlybefoundonthatcampus.Theymustrequirearelevantwork-basedlearning

experiencethatisalignedwiththeprogramsofstudyandassessedmeaningfullybyemployers.All

currentprogramsofstudymustbevigorouslyevaluatedagainstspecificcriteria,andlower-level

programsmustberemovedorphasedout.Schoolleadershipmustunderstandandembracethe

underlyingphilosophyofcollegeandcareerreadinessandtheroleofpathwaystoachievethat.School

leadershipalsomustbefacileintheuseofamasterschedule,cohortschedule,andcommonplanning

time,aswellashaveastrongcommitmenttowork-basedlearningforall,thematicteaching,and

buildingthecapacityofteacherstointegrateacademicandtechnicalinstruction.

Edisonmustembody

high-qualitycareer-

technicalprogramming.


TheSussexTechnicalHighSchoolofChoiceinGeorgetown,DelawareisamodelthatMCPSmightstudy

closelyinthinkingabouthowtoconvertEdisonintoafulltimetechnicalhighschool.AsaNational

SchoolofExcellence,SussexTechenjoysnameandbrandrecognitioninitscommunitywithfamilies

activelyseekingouttheopportunitytoenrollthere.Itoffersrigorous21stcenturycareerpathwaysthat

areintegratedwithadvancedcourseworkopportunities,withone-thirdofitsstudentsparticipatingin

AP.Studentsconsistentlyachieveathighlevelsandduallyenrollintheirjuniorandsenioryearsat

WidenerUniversity.Inaddition,SussexTechoffersadulteducationclassesintheeveningtoservean

additionalpopulationofneed.Andlocally,EasternTechnicalHighSchoolinBaltimoreCounty,anaward-

winningschoolfrequentlyrecognizedbytheUSDepartmentofEducationforoutstandingacademic

achievement,mightalsobeamodelthatholdssomevaluablelessonsfromwhichMCPScandraw.

IrrespectiveofthemodelMCPSchoosesforEdison,itmustrebrandtheschoolwithanewname,new

website,andnewprogramofferingsthatrepresentvaluablecareeropportunitiesoftodayand

tomorrow,suchashomelandsecurity,CiscoIT,LodgingManagement,InteractiveMediaProduction,

andTransportation,Distribution,andLogisticstoshowthatthebuildingisnottheonlythingthatisnew.

ItisanaltogethernewdayatEdison.

Finally,ifdemandforahigh-qualityfull-timemodelincreasessignificantlyasaresultofmakingsuch

changestoEdison,orifMCPSalreadyseestheneedformorethanonesuchsite,itmightconsider

undertakingafeasibilitystudythatexaminestwoideas:1)buildinganewfull-timetechnicalhighschool

thattakesoneoftheformsdescribedaboveinanotherpartofthecountytobalancethegeographic

challengesofEdison,and2)convertinganexistingMCPShighschoolontheothersideofthecountyinto

atechnicalhighschoolthattakesoneoftheformsdescribedabovetoaddressgeographicchallengesof

Edisonandsatisfygrowingdemand.

FocusArea#5:StakeholderUnderstandingFinally,onceMCPShasmadesignificantprogressinestablishingthenewvision,cultivatingstrong

relationshipsandpurposewiththeemployercommunity,strengtheningtherigoranddistributionof

programsofstudy,anddecidingontransformativeplansforEdison,MCPSmustnotoverlookthecrucial

finalstep.Withthehelpofdedicatedexternalcommunicationprofessionals,itmustclearly,strongly,

andwidelycommunicatewiththefullrangeofitsstakeholderstohelpthemunderstandandbuyinto

theimportanceofitscareerreadinesswork.Thismusthappenthroughdeliberatestaging,andtheorder

inwhichthosestagesofcommunicationarerolledoutis

paramount.

ExternalBrandingCampaign

Giventhedeeplackofunderstandingoftoday’seconomyon

thepartofallimmediatestakeholders,MCPSmustestablish

anewvaluepropositionthroughanexternal

communications/brandingcampaignthateducates

stakeholdersonrecenteconomicchangesandtherelated

implicationsofhowtoeffectivelypreparestudentsfor

meaningfulprofessionalroleswithinit.Itmustdeepenthe

Thisisaboutmaintaininghigh

expectationsforallstudents

andpreparingthemforthe

fullrangeofopportunities

thatleadtoprosperousfutures

sothattheyhaveeverychoice

availabletothem.


understandingofmiddleandhighschoolstudents,parents,teachers,administrators,andcounselors

regardinghoweconomicshiftshavecreatednew,substantialcareeropportunitiesthatrequiredifferent

experiencesandqualifications.Thesenewopportunitiescanofferbenefitandstabilitytraditionally

associatedwithafour-yeardegree;forexample,nearlyone-thirdofassociatedegreeholdersnowearn

highersalariesthanbachelor’sdegreeholders.Thecampaignmustemphasizethatthisisabout

maintaininghighexpectationsforallstudentsandpreparingthemforthefullrangeofopportunitiesthatleadtoprosperousfuturessothattheyhaveeverychoiceavailabletothem.TheGeorgetown

CenteronEducationandtheWorkforceisanationalleaderinexplainingtheconnectionsbetween

education,careerqualifications,andworkforceneedsandmaybeahelpfulsourceinproviding

economicinformationtoMCPSanditsstakeholders.

DeepenUnderstandingofCollegeandCareerReadiness

ThenextlevelofthatbrandingcampaignmustbringtolifeinatangibleandcompellingwayMCPS’snew

visionofcareerreadiness(describedinthefirstrecommendationssection),onethatintegratesand

valuescareerpreparationalongsidecollegepreparation.Stakeholderswillneedhelpintheformof

informationandresourcestounderstandhowthefullrangeofcareerprogramming–fromadvisement

tointegratedacademicandtechnicalinstructiontowork-basedlearning,dualenrollment,andindustry-

recognizedcredentials-canandshouldbeanintegralpartofarigorouscollegepreparationstrategy.

Anditmustillustratehowhighschoolschedulescanincludebothcollegeandcareer-focusedcoursesin

awaythatdoesnotdiminishastudent’schancesofgainingentrancetoelitecolleges.

DemonstrateCTEasanEssentialLinktoCareerReadiness

Thethirdandfinallayerofthatbrandingcampaignwillbetoclearlyshowtheessentiallinkbetween

high-qualityCTE(perhapsrenamedassuggestedearlier)andcareerprogramming.Thismustbedonein

awaythatconvincinglyexplainsthefullrangeofwhatCTEentailsandwhyit’savaluableoptionforall

students.ItmustdelineatevariousCTEofferings,suchasProjectLeadtheWay,NationalAcademies

Foundation,Cisco,andMiddleCollege,andtouttheirconnectiontopreparingstudentsfor

postsecondarysuccess.Anditmustintentionallytargetlong-heldmisconceptionsaboutthequalityof

CTEinpartbydescribingchangesMCPSismakingtoensurethatitsCTEprogramsareofunassailable

qualityandwidelyaccessibletoallstudents.Oncethatisestablished,stakeholdersmaybereadyfor

morespecificandnuancedinformationabouttheavailabilityofthishigh-qualityCTEintheirschools.

AdvanceCTEhasdonesubstantialworkonstrategiestoeffectivelyrecruitstudentsintoCTE,andtheir

resourcesmaybehelpfultoMCPS.

SustaintheMomentumofthisBrandingCampaign

Thisbrandingcampaigncannotbeapassingefforttoraisetheawarenessandrespectofstakeholders

forthevalueofcareerpreparation.Itmustbeleveragedandfollowedbynewmodesofongoing

communicationwithstakeholdersthatisefficientandresponsivetothewayparentsandstudents

communicate,e.g.textmessaging,socialmedia,evenonlinegradingandreportingsystemsandother

placeswherestudentsandparentsroutinelyvisit.Itmustreceivethesamelevelofinvestmentthatthe

collegereadinessagendarequiredtotakerootandflourish,and,importantly,itmustbeseenasan

extensionof,notanalternativeto,thatagenda.Otherwise,itwillnothavelong-termimpactandwon’t


successfullybroadenpeople’sunderstandingandappreciationfortheexperiencesyoungpeopleneedto

bewellpreparedafterhighschool.Finally,toensurethatitscommunicationsefforts“stick”,MCPS

shouldsoliciton-goingfeedbackfromitsstakeholderstoidentifywhichmessageshavebeenwell

receivedandunderstood,andwherethereisneedforchangesgoingforward.


Recommendations

FocusArea#1:VisionandSystemicPrioritiesforCareerReadiness

MCPSmustpartnerwithindustryandpostsecondaryleaderstoestablishcareerreadinessasapriorityinpreparingstudentsforpostsecondarysuccess.

§ EstablishanewvisionforcareerreadinessthatcomplementsMCPS’scollege-readygoals.

§ RedefineandrebrandCTEasofferingrigorousacademiccourseworkintegratedwith21stcenturytechnical

instructionandreal-worldworkexperiences.

§ Designandprovideprofessionaldevelopmentontheregionallabormarketandtherelatedhigh-valuecareeropportunitiestoteachers,counselors,andadministratorstohelpthemunderstandtherangeof

meaningfulprofessionalrolesavailableafterhighschool.

§ Establishmetricsforcareerreadinesssuccesstoundergirdtheimportanceofthework,includingprogram

ofstudycompletioninhigh-skill,high-demandfields;work-basedlearningparticipation;dualcreditrates;

andattainmentofindustry-recognizedcredentialswithlabormarketvalue.

FocusArea#2:EmployerEngagement/Demand-DrivenProgramming

EmployersmustbecomestrongpartnersinrealizingMCPS’snewvisionofcareerreadiness,whichincludeshavingtheopportunitytohelpidentifyprogramsofstudythatshouldbeprioritizedandscaledandassesstheireffectiveness.

§ RegularlyconveneleadingemployersthroughaspecializedAdvisoryCouncilledbytheSuperintendenttoidentifyprogrammaticprioritiesforthedistrictandsetdirectionfortheworkofthecurrentintermediary

organizations.

§ RestructureandredefinetheroleoftheMontgomeryCountyCollaborationBoard(MCCB)soitcanmore

effectivelyensurethatcareerpreparationprogramsaretargetedintherightcareersectorsandare

achievingresults.

§ EstablishasinglepointofcontactwithinMCPSforemployers,a“DirectorofStrategicIndustryPartnerships”,tomanagetheworkoftheCouncilandbuildafullportfolioofwork-basedlearning

experiencesforstudents.


FocusArea#3:QualityandRigorofCTE

Oncethenewvisionforcareerreadinesshasbeenestablished,MCPSmustleveragetheworkoftheSuperintendent’sAdvisoryCounciltostrengthenthequalityandconsistencyofitscareerprogramming.Thedistrictneedstoensurethatprogramsofstudyarerigorousandenablestudentstograduatewithcollegecreditandpostsecondary-levelindustry-recognizedcredentials.

§ Designandexecuteasystematicapproachtothedeliveryofcareerprogrammingacrossschoolsensuring

thateverystudenthasaccesstoahigh-qualityprogramofstudyofhis/herchoice.

§ RedesignProgramsofStudysothattheyofferhonorsandcollege-levelcourse-takingopportunitiesthroughgrade14andintegraterigorousandrelevantwork-basedlearningexperiences.

§ ReorganizeCTEunderonecentralleaderwithdeepknowledgeofthedistrict’sacademicandtechnical

prioritiesandtheacumentoexecuteonthenewcareerreadinessvision.

§ Reconfigurethedistrict’saccountabilitysystemsothatvaluesprogramofstudycompletionand

attainmentofcollegecreditandstackablecredentials.

FocusArea#4:EdisonSchoolofTechnology

The“newEdison”currentlyunderconstructionmakesroomforchangeandreinvention.MCPSshouldtakethisopportunitytoaddressshortcomingsinthecurrentmodel,situatingthenewschoolasanintegralpieceofthecareerreadinessvision.Therearefourpathstoconsider,eachofwhichrequiresconvertingEdisonintoafull-timeschool:

§ CreateaCTEEarlyCollegeHighSchoolthat,likeotherEarlyCollegeHighSchools,wouldenablestudentstosimultaneouslyearnahighschooldiplomaandeitheranassociatedegreeoruptotwoyearsofcredit

towardabachelor’sdegree.

§ DesignaWall-to-WallCareerAcademythatwouldbedividedintoanumberofhigh-skill,high-demand

“academies”;eachstudentwould“major”inanacademyandreceiverigorousacademicandtechnical

instructionculminatingincollege-creditandapostsecondaryindustry-recognizedcredential.

§ CombineEdisonandWheaton,takingadvantageofthenaturalopportunityofside-by-sidecampusesto

offerarigorousproject-basedlearningexperiencealongsidesophisticatedhands-ontechnicalinstruction.

§ Converttoatechnologyhighschooltakingcaretoassessprogrammaticofferingsandtheirquality

carefullytoensurehighqualityanddevelopastrategicplanforimplementationwithpostsecondaryand

industrypartners.

FocusArea#5:StakeholderUnderstanding

Leveragingexternalprofessionals,MCPSmustclearlyandwidelycommunicatetohelpstakeholdersunderstandtheimportanceofitscareerreadinesswork.Thiscanhappenthroughdeliberatephasing:

§ Establishanewvaluepropositionforcareerreadinessthateducatesstakeholdersonrecenteconomic

changesandtherelatedimplicationsforcareeropportunities.

§ ImplementabrandingcampaignthatbringstolifeMCPS’snewcareerreadinessvisionthatintegratesand

valuescareerpreparationalongsidecollegepreparation.

§ Makethecaseforhigh-qualityCTEasacomponentofcareerreadinessexplainingwhatCTEentails,delineatingCTEofferingsandtheirconnectiontopostsecondaryoptions,targetinglong-held

misconceptionsaboutCTEquality,andadvertisingrecentCTEchangestoensureunassailablequality.


Conclusion

MCPSshouldbecommendedforseekingoutthisopportunitytohaveanexternalfirmrigorouslyreview

itspoliciesandpractices,identifyareasofneed,andmapanambitiousactionplanforimprovement.In

sodoing,MCPShaspositioneditselftobealeaderinthisworkacrossthecountry.Whileeconomic

shiftshavecompelledagrowingmovementofstatesanddistrictsnationwidetofocusonstrengthening

andscalingcareerreadinesspracticesandaligningthemwiththeircollegepreparationefforts,fewhave

donethetoughworkthatcomeswithself-scrutinyandcomprehensiveplanning.

Inturningthecornerfromplanningintodoing,MCPScannotlosesightoftheimportanceofpartnersin

thiswork.WhileMCPSmustleadonimplementation,long-termsuccesswillbedependentuponstrong

engagementwiththeemployercommunityandtransformationalcollaborationwithpostsecondary

educationpartnerslikeMontgomeryCollegeandtheUniversitiesatShadyGrove.Together,MCPSand

itspartnerscanmakecertainthateverystudentgraduateshighschoolwiththeknowledgeandskillsto

bereadyforsuccessinbothcollegeandcareers.


Appendix

AppendixA:DataAnalysisTables

MarylandCTEEnrollmentbyDistrict,AllPrograms

District 2014 2015 2016 Change

MCPS 13964 13557 13323 -5%

AnneArundel 7161 8104 7324 2%

Baltimore 11724 14422 15409 31%

Frederick 6599 6647 6968 6%

Howard 5408 5714 5883 9%

PrinceGeorge's 6068 6790 7390 22%

MCPSCTEEnrollmentbyProgramofStudy

Program 2014 2015 2016 Change

Arts,Media,andCommunication 619 145 642 4%

BusinessManagementandFinance 2,398 2,311 1,614 -33%

ConstructionandDevelopment 321 336 197 -39%

CareerResearchandDevelopment 997 1,000 982 -2%

ConsumerServices,HospitalityandTourism 720 814 800 11%

Environmental,AgriculturalandNaturalResources 69 112 122 77%

HealthandBiosciences 1,122 1,260 1,341 20%

HumanResourceServices 2,298 2,280 2,994 30%

InformationTechnology 1,841 1,563 1,118 -39%

Manufacturing,EngineeringandTechnology 3,253 3,394 3,184 -2%

TransportationTechnologies 326 342 329 1%

TOTAL 13964 13557 13323 -5%


MDPerkinsDatabyDistrict

District Year Acad

emic

Attainmen

t-

English

Ac

adem

ic

Attainmen

t-

Math

Dual

Completion

TechnicalSkill

Attainmen

t

Placem

ent

Non

-Trad

ition

al

Enrollm

ent

Non

-Trad

ition

al

Completion

AnneArundel 2016 82.6% 90.4% 53.3% 87.7% 98.0% 98.8% 80.8%

Baltimore 2016 98.8% 99.2% 74.0% 79.0% 98.5% 99.7% 83.8%

Frederick 2016 88.1% 99.6% 58.4% 93.4% 99.4% 99.4% 84.2%

Howard 2016 98.8% 98.5% 51.3% 95.9% 99.7% 99.8% 88.5%

Montgomery 2016 98.2% 97.6% 31.3% 88.5% 99.5% 99.6% 83.2%

PrinceGeorge's 2016 59.9% 62.0% 28.4% 67.1% 99.6% 99.8% 75.2%

State 2016 86.7% 91.5% 58.1% 82.4% 98.5% 99.3% 80.9%

AnneArundel 2015 83.8% 89.6% 48.8% 85.0% 95.6% 97.9% 65.4%

Baltimore 2015 82.9% 84.3% 73.3% 60.7% 98.8% 99.7% 80.5%

Frederick 2015 87.2% 93.7% 49.0% 89.8% 97.3% 98.8% 83.8%

Howard 2015 90.1% 95.0% 66.5% 79.2% 98.7% 97.7% 83.3%

Montgomery 2015 79.4% 87.3% 57.6% 93.7% 98.3% 99.5% 76.4%

PrinceGeorge's 2015 71.3% 69.7% 36.6% 67.0% 97.7% 99.5% 69.1%

State 2015 79.9% 85.3% 61.0% 79.5% 97.7% 99.0% 76.2%

AnneArundel 2014 83.8% 90.7% 49.1% 89.1% 94.7% 97.3% 60.4%

Baltimore 2014 84.8% 88.5% 72.5% 91.0% 98.4% 99.6% 81.6%

Frederick 2014 90.4% 94.2% 70.7% 91.4% 99.3% 99.6% 80.2%

Howard 2014 92.4% 96.2% 75.8% 79.8% 99.5% 98.8% 89.3%

Montgomery 2014 82.6% 86.3% 57.8% 85.8% 98.9% 99.8% 75.0%

PrinceGeorge's 2014 76.5% 73.9% 20.4% 63.7% 96.1% 98.9% 73.5%

State 2014 81.9% 86.4% 60.0% 76.9% 97.8% 98.9% 75.9%

*Greenisabovestategoal.Redisbelowstategoal.Doesnotincludegraduationindicators,whichare

universallyhigh(>98%).


MCPSPathwayEnrollment,ConcentrationandCompletion(2015-16)

ProgramofStudy

#ofCTEEnrollees

%ofCTEEnrollees

#ofCTEConcentrators

%ofCTEConcentrators

#ofCTECompleters

%ofCTECompleters

All 5808 55.1 1923 18.2 1019 9.7

Arts,

Humanities,

Media,Comms

345 3.3 60 ³1.0 ³15 ³1.0

Biosciences,

HealthScience,

andMedicine

458 4.3 138 1.3 91 ³1.0

Business

Management

andFinance

1219 11.6 307 2.9 106 ³1.0

Collegeand

CareerR&D537 5.1 305 2.9 255 2.4

Construction

andDev’t78 ³1.0 59 ³1.0 40 ³1.0

Education,

Training,and

ChildStudies

1258 11.9 250 2.4 149 1.4

Engineering,

Scientific

Research,and

Manufacturing

Technologies

2229 21.1 229 2.2 115 1.1

Environmental,

Agricultural,and

Natural

Resources

54 ³1.0 22 ³1.0 ³15 ³1.0

Humanand

ConsumerSrv,

Hospitality,and

Tourism

561 5.3 129 1.2 44 ³1.0

Information

Technologies549 5.2 206 2.0 49 ³1.0

Law,

Government,

PublicSafety,

Administration

210 2.0 137 1.3 56 ³1.0

Transportation,

Distribution,and

Logistics

166 1.6 117 1.1 97 ³1.0

*Percentagesbasedontotalhighschoolgraduates.


AppendixB:SurveyQuestions

Teacher/AdministratorSurvey

OverviewofTeacher/AdministratorSurvey:MontgomeryCountyPublicSchools(MCPS)hashired

EducationStrategyGroup(ESG)toreviewMCPS’scareerreadinessservices,includingCareerand

TechnologyEducation(CTE).ESGhasworkedextensivelywithstatesandtheirdistrictsacrossthe

countrytohelpthemrethinkandreshapetheircareerreadinesseffortstohelpmorestudentsgraduate

highschoolreadyforawiderangeofvaluablepostsecondaryopportunities.Yourhonestand

straightforwardfeedbackonthissurveyisimportantinhelpingESGidentifywhatMCPSdoesverywell

andwhereithasroomtogrowsothatESGcanofferthoughtfulrecommendationsforimprovement.

NameofMCPSSchool:(dropdownmenulistingallhighschools)

1. BCCHS

2. EdisonHS

3. GaithersburgHS

4. PaintBranchHS

5. PoolesvilleHS

6. QuinceOrchardHS

7. RockvilleHS

8. SenecaValleyHS

9. SpringbrookHS

10. WatkinsMillHS

11. WheatonHS

SurveyParticipant:“selectallthatapply”

• STEMTeacher(Science,Technology,Engineering,Math)

• CTETeacher

• Teacher,notCTEorSTEM

• SchoolAdministrator

Directions:Foreachofthestatementsbelow,pleaseselecttheanswerchoicethatbestrepresentswhat

youthinkofcareerandtechnologyeducation(CTE)andrelatedopportunitiesatyourschoolandin

MCPS.Ifyoudonotknowenoughtorespondtoastatement,select“don’tknow”asyouranswerchoice

andmoveontothenextstatement.Allresponsesareanonymousandconfidentialandcannotbetraced

backtoyou.


1=StronglyDisagree 2=Disagree 3=Agree 4=StronglyAgree OR: “Don’tKnow”

1. Highschoolstudentsmustcontinuetheireducationandtrainingpasthighschoolinordertoget

ajobthatpaysagoodsalaryandoffersopportunitiestoadvanceinacareer.

2. Studentswhoearnanassociatedegreeoranindustrycertificate(thatsignalstoemployersskills

neededforajob)inanin-demandfieldwillhaveawiderangeofprofessionalopportunities

availabletothemthatoffergoodsalaries.

3. Withinthenextseveralyears,theU.S.economywillneednearlyequalnumbersofassociate

degreeandbachelor’sdegreeholders.

4. MCPSmustprepareallstudentsforawiderangeofpostsecondaryopportunitiesthatleadto

prosperousfutures,includingapprenticeshipsand2-yearcollegesaswellas4-yearcolleges.

5. MCPSmustprioritizeincreasingthenumberofstudentswhoearnindustrycertificationswith

labormarketvaluemuchliketheyprioritizeincreasingthenumberofstudentswhotakeand

passAPandIBexams.

6. MCPSfacilitatesstrongpartnershipswithawidearrayoflocalbusinessesgivingstudentsaccess

tointernshipsandotherreal-worldworkexperiences.

7. StaffneedmoreinformationonthecareerpreparationopportunitiesthatareavailableinMCPS.

8. SchoolcounselorsinMCPShelpmiddleandhighschoolstudentsunderstandthewiderangeof

careeropportunitiesthatareavailableandvaluableafterhighschool.

9. NavianceisusedeffectivelytohelpMCPSstudentsunderstandtherangeofmeaningful

opportunitiesavailableafterhighschoolandsetgoalstoreachthose.

10. Ibelievethatwork-basedlearningexperiencesinMCPSthatrangefromcareerexplorationto

careertraininggiveallstudents–thosegoingtoa4-yearcollegeaswellasthosegoingtoa2-

yearcollege,apprenticeships,orworkplace-insightintotherangeofcareersavailabletohelp

themmakeinformedchoicesabouttheirlong-termgoalsandplans.

11. ThequalityofinstructionstudentsreceiveinCTEclassesisasstrongasthequalitytheyreceiveincoreacademicclasses.

12. CTEisforstudentswhodon’tplantogotocollege.

13. CTEinMCPSofferschallenging,rigorousprogramsofstudyforallstudentsthatdevelopthe

academicknowledgeandtechnicalskillstopreparethemforcollegeandacareer.

14. CTEinMCPSenablesstudentstodevelopsophisticated,specializedskillsthatwillpreparethem

forrobustandstableprofessionalrolesinacompetitive,globaleconomy.

15. MCPSstronglyencouragesstudentstoduallyenrollatMontgomeryCollegeandothercolleges

aspartoftheirCTEprogramofstudy.


16. ThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnologyoffersinnovative,cuttingedgetechnicalprogramsofstudy

forallstudents,includinghigh-achievingstudentswhoplantogotoa4-yearcollege.

17. Newhigh-skill,high-demandCTEprogramsofstudyshouldbeaddedtotheofferingsmade

availablethroughThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnology,nottocomprehensivehighschools.

STEM/CTETeachersOnly:

1. AsahighschoolSTEMorCTEteacherinMCPS,Ifeelconfidentinmyabilitytodeliverintegrated

academicandtechnicalinstructioninawaythatisrigorousandrelevanttoallstudents’

academicandcareerinterests.

2. MCPSoffersprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesandincentivesthatenableSTEMandCTE

teacherstoearnindustrycertificationstostrengthentheirinstructionalpracticesinthehigh-

skill,high-demandfieldsforwhichtheyprepareallstudents.

3. AsaSTEMorCTEteacherinMCPS,Iwouldvaluetheopportunitytoparticipateinapaid

summerexternshipataworkplaceinahigh-skill,high-demandfieldtostrengthenmyabilityto

buildreal-worldapplicationsintoinstructionandmaketheclassroomexperiencemorerelevant

andengagingforallstudents.


StudentSurvey

OverviewofStudentSurvey:MontgomeryCountyPublicSchools(MCPS)providesopportunitiesfor

highschoolstudentslikeyoutoreceiveCareerandTechnologyEducation(CTE).Thisincludesprograms

likeInformationalTechnology,HospitalityManagement,Engineering,Accounting,andConstruction

Trades.WeareworkingtomakeCTEprogramsbetterbyaskingstudentstogiveusfeedbackontheir

experience.WealsowanttolearnhowmuchinformationstudentshaveabouttheCTEprogramsMCPS

offers.

MontgomeryCountyPublicSchools(MCPS)hashiredEducationStrategyGroup(ESG)toreviewMCPS’s

CareerandTechnologyEducationprograms.ESGhasworkedwithotherdistrictsandstateeducation

departmentstoimprovecareerreadiness.Yourhonestandstraightforwardfeedbackonthissurveyis

importantinhelpingESGidentifywhatMCPSdoesverywellandwhereithasroomtogrowsothatESG

canofferthoughtfulrecommendationsforimprovement.

NameofMCPSSchool:MCPS,insertdropdownmenulistingtheparticipatinghighschools:

• BCC

• Gaithersburg

• PaintBranch

• Poolesville

• QuinceOrchard

• Rockville

• SenecaValley

• Springbrook

• WatkinsMill

• Wheaton

Grade:dropdownmenu:9,10,11,12)

SurveyParticipant: �Female

�Male

CTEExperience: �DoyoutakeCTEcoursesatyourschool?Y/N

�DoyoutakeCTEcoursesatThomasEdisonHighSchoolofTechnology?Y/N






backtoyou.


1. Imustcontinuemyeducationandtrainingpasthighschoolinordertogetajobthatpaysa

goodsalaryandoffersopportunitiestoadvanceinacareer.

2. IfIearnanassociatedegreeoranindustrycertification(thattellsemployersIhaveskillsneeded

forajob)inanin-demandfield,Iwillhaveawiderangeofprofessionalopportunitiesavailable

tomethatoffergoodsalaries.

3. StudentswhoenrollinCareerandTechnologyEducation(CTE)andcompleteaprogramofstudy

inhighschoolcanattenda4-yearcollegeoruniversityafterhighschoolgraduation.

4. Ibelievethatschoolsshouldpreparestudentsforawiderangeofpostsecondaryopportunities

thatleadtoprosperousfutures,includingapprenticeshipsand2-yearcollegesaswellas4-year

colleges.

5. Myschooloffersmemeaningfulopportunitiestoparticipateinhigh-qualityreal-worldwork

experienceslikeinternshipsthatdevelopimportantskills.

6. IamawareoftherangeofCTEprogramsofferedthroughoutMCPSincludingthoseofferedat

ThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnology.

7. Studentsneedmoreinformationonthecareerpreparationopportunitiesthatareavailable

throughoutMCPS.

8. Myschoolcounselorhelpsmeunderstandthewiderangeofcareeropportunitiesthatare

availableandvaluableafterhighschool.

9. IuseNaviancetounderstandtherangeofmeaningfulopportunitiesavailableafterhighschool

andsetgoalstoreachthose.

10. IbelieveMCPSstronglyencouragesmetotakeclassesatMontgomeryCollegeandother

collegesaspartofaCTEprogramsofstudy.

11. IthinkthatCTEisforstudentswhodon’tplantogotocollege.


academicknowledgeandtechnicalskillstopreparestudentsforcollegeandacareer.

13. IthinkthequalityofinstructionstudentsreceiveinCTEclassesisasstrongasthequalitytheyreceiveincoreacademicclasses.

14. IwishthereweremoreCTEprogramsatmyschoolinhigh-skill,high-demandfieldssuchas

healthcare,advancedmanufacturing,andinformationtechnology.

15. IwouldprefertotakeCTEcoursesatmylocalhighschoolratherthantakethemattheThomas

EdisonSchoolofTechnology.


16. IwouldbemorelikelytoenrollatThomasEdisonHighSchoolofTechnologyif:“Selectallthatapply”

• Icouldgotherefulltimeinsteadoftakingonlyafewofmyclassesthere.

• TheschoolofferedmoreadvancedacademiccourseslikeAP.

• Theschoolwaslocatedclosertome.


CounselorSurvey

OverviewofCounselorSurvey:MontgomeryCountyPublicSchools(MCPS)hashiredEducationStrategy

Group(ESG)toreviewMCPS’scareerreadinessservices,includingCareerandTechnologyEducation

(CTE).ESGhasworkedextensivelywithstatesandtheirdistrictsacrossthecountrytohelpthemrethink

andreshapetheircareerreadinesseffortstohelpmorestudentsgraduatehighschoolreadyforawide

rangeofvaluablepostsecondaryopportunities.Yourhonestandstraightforwardfeedbackonthissurvey

isimportantinhelpingESGidentifywhatMCPSdoesverywellandwhereithasroomtogrowsothat

ESGcanofferthoughtfulrecommendationsforimprovement.

NameofMCPSSchool:(dropdownmenulistingallhighschools)

12. BCCHS

13. EdisonHS

14. GaithersburgHS

15. PaintBranchHS

16. PoolesvilleHS

17. QuinceOrchardHS

18. RockvilleHS

19. SenecaValleyHS

20. SpringbrookHS

21. WatkinsMillHS

22. WheatonHS

SurveyParticipant: �MiddleSchoolCounselor

�HighSchoolCounselor

�HighSchoolCollege/CareerInformationCoordinator(CCIC)





backtoyou.


18. Highschoolstudentsmustcontinuetheireducationandtrainingpasthighschoolinordertoget

ajobthatpaysagoodsalaryandoffersopportunitiestoadvanceinacareer.


19. Studentswhoearnanassociatedegreeoranindustrycertificate(thatsignalstoemployersskills

neededforajob)inanin-demandfieldwillhaveawiderangeofprofessionalopportunities

availabletothemthatoffergoodsalaries.

20. Withinthenextseveralyears,theU.S.economywillneednearlyequalnumbersofassociate

degreeandbachelor’sdegreeholders.

21. MCPSmustprepareallstudentsforawiderangeofpostsecondaryopportunitiesthatleadto

prosperousfutures,includingapprenticeshipsand2-yearcollegesaswellas4-yearcolleges.

22. MCPSmustprioritizeincreasingthenumberofstudentswhoearnindustrycertificationswith

labormarketvaluemuchliketheyprioritizeincreasingthenumberofstudentswhotakeand

passAPandIBexams.

23. MCPSfacilitatesstrongpartnershipswithawidearrayoflocalbusinessesgivingstudentsaccess

tointernshipsandotherreal-worldworkexperiences.

24. StaffneedmoreinformationonthecareerpreparationopportunitiesthatareavailableinMCPS.

25. SchoolcounselorsinMCPShelpmiddleandhighschoolstudentsunderstandthewiderangeof

careeropportunitiesthatareavailableandvaluableafterhighschool.

26. NavianceisusedeffectivelytohelpMCPSstudentsunderstandtherangeofmeaningful

opportunitiesavailableafterhighschoolandsetgoalstoreachthose.

27. Ibelievethatwork-basedlearningexperiencesinMCPSthatrangefromcareerexplorationto

careertraininggiveallstudents–thosegoingtoa4-yearcollegeaswellasthosegoingtoa2-

yearcollege,apprenticeships,orworkplace-insightintotherangeofcareersavailabletohelp

themmakeinformedchoicesabouttheirlong-termgoalsandplans.

28. ThequalityofinstructionstudentsreceiveinCTEclassesisasstrongasthequalitytheyreceiveincoreacademicclasses.

29. CTEisforstudentswhodon’tplantogotocollege.


academicknowledgeandtechnicalskillstopreparethemforcollegeandacareer.

31. CTEinMCPSenablesstudentstodevelopsophisticated,specializedskillsthatwillpreparethem

forrobustandstableprofessionalrolesinacompetitive,globaleconomy.

32. MCPSstronglyencouragesstudentstoduallyenrollatMontgomeryCollegeandothercolleges

aspartoftheirCTEprogramofstudy.

33. ThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnologyoffersinnovative,cuttingedgetechnicalprogramsofstudy

forallstudents,includinghigh-achievingstudentswhoplantogotoa4-yearcollege.

34. Newhigh-skill,high-demandCTEprogramsofstudyshouldbeaddedtotheofferingsmade

availablethroughThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnology,nottocomprehensivehighschools.


35. Ifullyunderstandtheopportunitiesstudentshaveinhigh-skill,high-demandindustrieslike

healthcare,advancedmanufacturing,andITthatdonotrequirea4-yeardegreeandprovide

stableemploymentinprofessionalrolesthatpayafamily-sustainingwage.

36. IbelieveIhavetheknowledgeandpreparationneededtohelpeverystudentdevelopanindividualizedlearningplanthatincludesspecificcareerobjectives,arelatedprogramofstudy,

degreeand/orindustrycertificateobjectives,andspecificstrategiestoreachemployers.


Business&IndustrySurvey

OverviewofBusiness&IndustrySurvey:MontgomeryCountyPublicSchools(MCPS)hashired

EducationStrategyGroup(ESG)toreviewMCPS’scareerreadinessservices,includingCareerand

TechnologyEducation(CTE).ESGhasworkedextensivelywithstatesandtheirdistrictsacrossthe

countrytohelpthemrethinkandreshapetheircareerreadinesseffortstohelpmorestudentsgraduate

highschoolreadyforawiderangeofvaluablepostsecondaryopportunities.Yourhonestand

straightforwardfeedbackonthissurveyisimportantinhelpingESGidentifywhatMCPSdoesverywell

andwhereithasroomtogrowsothatESGcanofferthoughtfulrecommendationsforimprovement.

SurveyParticipant: �BusinessLeader�IndustryAssociationMember�MCCBMember

(Checkallthatapply) �MCBREMember�LocalChamberMember


youthinkofemployers’workwithMCPStopreparestudentsformeaningfulcareeropportunities.Ifyou

donotknowenoughtorespondtoastatement,select“don’tknow”asyouranswerchoiceandmove

ontothenextstatement.Allresponsesareanonymousandconfidentialandcannotbeattributedto

you.


1. ThereisbroadparticipationofMontgomeryCountyemployersacrosskeyindustriesworkingin

partnershipwithMontgomeryCountyPublicSchools(MCPS)onitscareerreadinessprograms.

2. EmployersinMontgomeryCountyleadaprocesswithMCPSthatuseslabormarketdatato

determinewhichnewcareer-technologyeducation(CTE)programsareneededandwhichare

nolongerrelevanttothegrowingregionaleconomy.

3. EmployersinMontgomeryCountyleadaprocesswithMCPStoidentifytheacademic

knowledge,technicalskills,andprofessionalskillsstudentsneedtobesuccessfulinhigh-skill,

high-demandindustries.

4. EmployersinMontgomeryCountyarewillingtoofferhigh-qualitywork-basedlearning

experiencesforMCPShighschoolstudentsthatprogressfromcareerawarenessand

exploration(e.g.jobshadowing)topreparationandtraining(e.g.internships).

5. EmployersinMontgomeryCountyarewillingtodesignhigh-qualitywork-basedlearning

experiencesthatdevelopskillsandcompetenciesinstudentsthatarealignedwithindustry

needs.

6. EmployersinMontgomeryCountyseework-basedlearningexperienceswithMCPSstudentsas

aneffectivevehiclethroughwhichtogrowanddeveloptheirowntalentpipeline.

7. EmployersinMontgomeryCountyarewillingtoassessstudents’work-basedlearning

performanceandprovideformalfeedbacktoMCPS.


8. Inordertoscalework-basedlearningexperiencestoallMCPSstudents,employersmusthavea

single,reliablepointofcontactwithinMCPSthatwillcoordinateandmanageallrelatedefforts.

9. Legalrestrictionsonminorsincertainworkplacesettingsinterferewithemployers’interestin

offeringwork-basedlearningexperiencestoMCPSstudents.

10. The2:30p.m.dismissaltimeofMCPShighschoolsmakesitdifficultforemployersin

MontgomeryCountytoofferwork-basedlearningexperiences.

11. MCPSgraduateswhofindgainfulemploymentinMontgomeryCountyafterhighschool

generallyhavetheacademicknowledgeneededtobesuccessfulinentry-levelpositionsinhigh-

skill,high-demandfieldssuchasthoseinhealthcare,advancedmanufacturing,andIT.


generallyhavethetechnicalskillsneededtobesuccessfulinentry-levelpositionsinhigh-skill,

high-demandfields.


generallyhavetheprofessionalskills(i.e.problemsolving,communication,teamwork)needed

tobesuccessfulinentry-levelpositionsinhigh-skill,high-demandfields.

14. EmployersinMontgomeryCountyuseIndustry-recognizedcredentialstorecruitandhire

qualifiedcandidates.

15. EmployersinMontgomeryCountyarewillingtoprovideteacherexternshipsthatallowhigh

schoolCTEandSTEMteacherstospendextendedtimeinaworkplacetostrengthentheir

knowledgeandskillsandestablishconcreteconnectionsbetweenclassroomlearningandits

application.

16. EmployersinMontgomeryCountyarewillingtohelpMCPSsecurepublic-privatepartnerships

thathelprecruitindustryprofessionalsintoclassroomsasteacherstobetterpreparestudents

forworkinhigh-skill,high-demandfieldslikehealthcare,advancedmanufacturing,andIT.


AppendixC:SurveyResults

MCPSStudentResponsesStrongAgree Agree Disagree

StrongDisagree

Don'tKnow

Imustcontinuemyeducationandtrainingpasthighschoolinordertogetajobthatpaysagoodsalaryandoffersopportunitiestoadvanceinacareer.

62% 24% 3% 4% 6%

IfIearnanassociatedegreeoranindustrycertification(thattellsemployersIhaveskillsneededforajob)inanin-demandfield,Iwillhaveawiderangeofprofessionalopportunitiesavailabletomethatoffergoodsalaries.

29% 44% 7% 3% 17%

StudentswhoenrollinCareerandTechnologyEducation(CTE)andcompleteaprogramofstudyinhighschoolcanattenda4-yearcollegeoruniversityafterhighschoolgraduation.

20% 37% 6% 3% 34%

Ibelievethatschoolsshouldpreparestudentsforawiderangeofpostsecondaryopportunitiesthatleadtoprosperousfutures,includingapprenticeshipsand2-yearcollegesaswellas4-yearcolleges.

45% 36% 4% 3% 12%

Myschooloffersmemeaningfulopportunitiestoparticipateinhigh-qualityreal-worldworkexperienceslikeinternshipsthatdevelopimportantskills.

18% 41% 17% 7% 17%

IamawareoftherangeofCTEprogramsofferedthroughoutMCPSincludingthoseofferedatThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnology.

16% 30% 21% 12% 21%

StudentsneedmoreinformationonthecareerpreparationopportunitiesthatareavailablethroughoutMCPS.

40% 39% 5% 3% 13%

Myschoolcounselorhelpsmeunderstandthewiderangeofcareeropportunitiesthatareavailableandvaluableafterhighschool.

15% 35% 24% 13% 13%

IuseNaviancetounderstandtherangeofmeaningfulopportunitiesavailableafterhighschoolandsetgoalstoreachthose.

13% 28% 25% 15% 19%

IbelieveMCPSstronglyencouragesmetotakeclassesatMontgomeryCollegeandothercollegesaspartofaCTEprogramsofstudy.

11% 28% 29% 12% 21%

IthinkthatCTEisforstudentswhodon’tplantogotocollege. 7% 13% 27% 21% 32%CTEinMCPSofferschallenging,rigorousprogramsofstudyforallstudentsthatdeveloptheacademicknowledgeandtechnicalskillstopreparestudentsforcollegeandacareer.

13% 34% 9% 4% 41%

IthinkthequalityofinstructionstudentsreceiveinCTEclassesisasstrongasthequalitytheyreceiveincoreacademicclasses.

13% 30% 10% 4% 42%

IwishthereweremoreCTEprogramsatmyschoolinhigh-skill,high-demandfieldssuchashealthcare,advancedmanufacturing,andinformationtechnology.

24% 35% 8% 4% 28%

IwouldprefertotakeCTEcoursesatmylocalhighschoolratherthantakethemattheThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnology.

26% 30% 9% 5% 30%

MorelikelytoenrollatEdisonif:• 19%-TheschoolofferedmoreadvancedacademiccourseslikeAP.• 28%-Icouldgotherefulltimeinsteadoftakingonlyafewofmyclasses

there.

• 27%-Theschoolwaslocatedclosertome.• 26%-Noanswer


MCPSParentsStrongAgree Agree Disagree

StrongDisagree

Don'tKnow

Mychildmustcontinuehis/hereducationandtrainingpasthighschoolinordertogetajobthatpaysagoodsalaryandoffersopportunitiestoadvanceinacareer. 77% 14% 2% 2% 4%Mychildwillhaveawiderangeofprofessionalopportunitieswithgoodsalariesifhe/sheearnsanassociatedegreeoranindustrycertification(thattellsemployershe/shehastheskillsneededforajob)inanin-demandfield. 31% 36% 17% 5% 11%StudentswhoenrollinCareerandTechnologyEducation(CTE)andcompleteaprogramofstudyinhighschoolmayalsoattenda4-yearcollegeoruniversityafterhighschoolgraduation. 55% 27% 1% 2% 15%Ibelievethatschoolsshouldpreparestudentsforawiderangeofopportunitiesafterhighschoolthatleadtosuccessfulcareers,includingapprenticeshipsand2-yearcollegesaswellas4-yearcolleges. 75% 18% 1% 3% 3%MychildhasmeaningfulopportunitiesinMCPStoparticipateinhigh-qualityreal-worldworkexperienceslikeinternshipsthatdevelopimportantskills. 23% 31% 17% 6% 23%IamawareoftherangeofCTEprogramsofferedthroughoutMCPS,includingthoseofferedatThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnology. 15% 34% 23% 9% 18%ParentsneedmoreinformationonthecareerpreparationopportunitiesthatareavailablethroughoutMCPS. 52% 34% 5% 3% 7%Mychild’sschoolcounselorhelpshim/herunderstandthewiderangeofcareeropportunitiesthatareavailableandvaluableaftercompletinghighschool. 12% 23% 21% 14% 29%IbelieveMCPSstronglyencouragesmychildtotakeclassesatMontgomeryCollegeandothercollegesaspartofaCTEprograms 10% 23% 21% 8% 38%

CTEinMCPSisforstudentswhodon’tplantogotocollege. 5% 13% 33% 16% 33%CTEinMCPSofferschallenging,rigorousprogramsofstudyforallstudentsthatdeveloptheacademicknowledgeandtechnicalskillstopreparestudentsforcollegeandacareer. 16% 29% 6% 2% 48%IthinkthequalityofinstructionMCPSstudentsreceiveinCTEclassesisasgoodasthequalitytheyreceiveincoreacademicclasses. 14% 22% 4% 2% 59%IwishmoreCTEprogramswereofferedatmychild’sschoolinhigh-skill,high-demandfieldslikehealthcare,advancedmanufacturing,andinformationtechnology. 42% 30% 7% 1% 20%MychildwouldprefertotakeCTEcoursesathis/herlocalhighschoolratherthanattheThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnology. 39% 24% 6% 2% 28%MychildwouldbemorelikelytoenrollatThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnologyifhe/shecouldgotherefulltimeinsteadoftakingonlyafewclassesthere. 11% 14% 25% 16% 34%MychildwouldbemorelikelytoenrollatThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnologyifitofferedadvancedacademiccourseslikeAP. 16% 23% 21% 13% 26%MychildwouldbemorelikelytoenrollatThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnologyifitwerelocatedclosertowherewelive. 24% 28% 15% 10% 23%IthinkThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnologyholdshighexpectationsforstudentachievement. 15% 18% 2% 2% 62%


MCPSTeacher/AdministratorStrongAgree Agree Disagree

StrongDisagree

Don'tKnow

Highschoolstudentsmustcontinuetheireducationandtrainingpasthighschoolinordertogetajobthatpaysagoodsalaryandoffersopportunitiestoadvanceinacareer. 63% 27% 7% 2% 1%Studentswhoearnanassociatedegreeoranindustrycertificate(thatsignalstoemployersskillsneededforajob)inanin-demandfieldwillhaveawiderangeofprofessionalopportunitiesavailabletothemthatoffergoodsalaries. 41% 49% 6% 1% 4%Withinthenextseveralyears,theU.S.economywillneednearlyequalnumbersofassociatedegreeandbachelor’sdegreeholders. 19% 32% 15% 2% 33%MCPSmustprepareallstudentsforawiderangeofpostsecondaryopportunitiesthatleadtoprosperousfutures,includingapprenticeshipsand2-yearcollegesaswellas4-yearcolleges. 82% 14% 1% 1% 1%MCPSmustprioritizeincreasingthenumberofstudentswhoearnindustrycertificationswithlabormarketvaluemuchliketheyprioritizeincreasingthenumberofstudentswhotakeandpassAPandIBexams. 63% 26% 3% 2% 5%MCPSfacilitatesstrongpartnershipswithawidearrayoflocalbusinessesgivingstudentsaccesstointernshipsandotherreal-worldworkexperiences. 19% 36% 18% 4% 22%

StaffneedmoreinformationonthecareerpreparationopportunitiesthatareavailableinMCPS. 54% 37% 4% 2% 3%SchoolcounselorsinMCPShelpmiddleandhighschoolstudentsunderstandthewiderangeofcareeropportunitiesthatareavailableandvaluableafterhighschool. 14% 27% 20% 11% 28%NavianceisusedeffectivelytohelpMCPSstudentsunderstandtherangeofmeaningfulopportunitiesavailableafterhighschoolandsetgoalstoreachthose. 6% 19% 22% 10% 44%Ibelievethatwork-basedlearningexperiencesinMCPSthatrangefromcareerexplorationtocareertraininggiveallstudents–thosegoingtoa4-yearcollegeaswellasthosegoingtoa2-yearcollege,apprenticeships,orworkplace-insightintotherangeofcareersavailabletohelpthemmakeinformedchoicesabouttheirlong-termgoalsandplans. 43% 36% 10% 2% 10%ThequalityofinstructionstudentsreceiveinCTEclassesisasstrongasthequalitytheyreceiveincoreacademicclasses. 25% 23% 9% 3% 40%

CTEisforstudentswhodon’tplantogotocollege. 3% 8% 39% 31% 19%CTEinMCPSofferschallenging,rigorousprogramsofstudyforallstudentsthatdeveloptheacademicknowledgeandtechnicalskillstopreparethemforcollegeandacareer. 20% 34% 10% 2% 34%CTEinMCPSenablesstudentstodevelopsophisticated,specializedskillsthatwillpreparethemforrobustandstableprofessionalrolesinacompetitive,globaleconomy. 22% 37% 7% 2% 32%MCPSstronglyencouragesstudentstoduallyenrollatMontgomeryCollegeandothercollegesaspartoftheirCTEprogramofstudy. 8% 23% 17% 7% 45%ThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnologyoffersinnovative,cuttingedgetechnicalprogramsofstudyforallstudents,includinghigh-achievingstudentswhoplantogotoa4-yearcollege. 29% 31% 7% 3% 30%Newhigh-skill,high-demandCTEprogramsofstudyshouldbeaddedtotheofferingsmadeavailablethroughThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnology,nottocomprehensivehighschools. 26% 17% 17% 15% 25%


MCPSTeacher/AdministratorStrongAgree Agree Disagree

StrongDisagree

Don'tKnow

AsahighschoolSTEMorCTEteacherinMCPS,Ifeelconfidentinmyabilitytodeliverintegratedacademicandtechnicalinstructioninawaythatisrigorousandrelevanttoallstudents’academicandcareerinterests. 48% 35% 7% 3% 8%MCPSoffersprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesandincentivesthatenableSTEMandCTEteacherstoearnindustrycertificationstostrengthentheirinstructionalpracticesinthehigh-skill,high-demandfieldsforwhichtheyprepareallstudents. 11% 26% 25% 16% 22%AsaSTEMorCTEteacherinMCPS,Iwouldvaluetheopportunitytoparticipateinapaidsummerexternshipataworkplaceinahigh-skill,high-demandfieldtostrengthenmyabilitytobuildreal-worldapplicationsintoinstructionandmaketheclassroomexperiencemorerelevantandengagingforallstudents. 51% 28% 5% 6% 10%

CounselorsStrongAgree Agree Disagree

StrongDisagree

Don'tKnow

Highschoolstudentsmustcontinuetheireducationandtrainingpasthighschoolinordertogetajobthatpaysagoodsalaryandoffersopportunitiestoadvanceinacareer. 56% 27% 9% 3% 5%Studentswhoearnanassociatedegreeoranindustrycertification(thatsignalstoemployersskillsneededforajob)inanin-demandfieldwillhaveawiderangeofprofessionalopportunitiesavailabletothemthatoffergoodsalaries. 45% 45% 4% 0% 7%Withinthenextseveralyears,theU.S.economywillneednearlyequalnumbersofassociatedegreeandbachelor’sdegreeholders. 14% 37% 12% 0% 37%MCPSmustprepareallstudentsforawiderangeofpostsecondaryopportunitiesthatleadtoprosperousfutures,includingapprenticeshipsand2-yearcollegesaswellas4-yearcolleges. 81% 13% 2% 2% 3%MCPSmustprioritizeincreasingthenumberofstudentswhoearnindustrycertificationswithlabormarketvaluemuchliketheyprioritizeincreasingthenumberofstudentswhotakeandpassAPandIBexams. 62% 34% 3% 0% 2%MCPSfacilitatesstrongpartnershipswithawidearrayoflocalbusinessesgivingstudentsaccesstointernshipsandotherreal-worldworkexperiences. 15% 42% 11% 4% 28%

StaffneedmoreinformationonthecareerpreparationopportunitiesthatareavailableinMCPS. 48% 43% 6% 1% 2%SchoolcounselorsinMCPShelpmiddleandhighschoolstudentsunderstandthewiderangeofcareeropportunitiesthatareavailableandvaluableafterhighschool. 35% 54% 8% 2% 2%NavianceisusedeffectivelytohelpMCPSstudentsunderstandtherangeofmeaningfulopportunitiesavailableafterhighschoolandsetgoalstoreachthose. 14% 44% 14% 8% 19%Ibelievethatwork-basedlearningexperiencesinMCPSthatrangefromcareerexplorationtocareertraininggiveallstudents–thosegoingtoa4-yearcollegeaswellasthosegoingtoa2-yearcollege,apprenticeships,orworkplace-insightintotherangeofcareersavailabletohelpthemmakeinformedchoicesabouttheirlong-termgoalsandplans. 46% 35% 12% 0% 8%


CounselorsStrongAgree Agree Disagree

StrongDisagree

Don'tKnow

ThequalityofinstructionstudentsreceiveinCTEclassesisasstrongasthequalitytheyreceiveincoreacademicclasses. 22% 26% 8% 2% 43%

CTEisforstudentswhodon’tplantogotocollege. 5% 5% 30% 38% 23%CTEinMCPSofferschallenging,rigorousprogramsofstudyforallstudentsthatdeveloptheacademicknowledgeandtechnicalskillstopreparethemforcollegeandacareer. 24% 42% 4% 0% 31%CTEinMCPSenablesstudentstodevelopsophisticated,specializedskillsthatwillpreparethemforrobustandstableprofessionalrolesinacompetitive,globaleconomy. 27% 39% 2% 1% 31%MCPSstronglyencouragesstudentstoduallyenrollatMontgomeryCollegeandothercollegesaspartoftheirCTEprogramofstudy. 10% 32% 19% 4% 36%ThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnologyoffersinnovative,cuttingedgetechnicalprogramsofstudyforallstudents,includinghigh-achievingstudentswhoplantogotoa4-yearcollege. 44% 37% 5% 1% 13%Newhigh-skill,high-demandCTEprogramsofstudyshouldbeaddedtotheofferingsmadeavailablethroughThomasEdisonSchoolofTechnology,nottocomprehensivehighschools. 24% 17% 30% 14% 15%Ifullyunderstandtheopportunitiesstudentshaveinhigh-skill,high-demandindustrieslikehealthcare,advancedmanufacturing,andITthatdonotrequirea4-yeardegreeandprovidestableemploymentinprofessionalrolesthatpayafamily-sustainingwage. 21% 37% 32% 1% 8%IbelieveIhavetheknowledgeandpreparationneededtohelpeverystudentdevelopanindividualizedlearningplanthatincludesspecificcareerobjectives,arelatedprogramofstudy,degreeand/orindustrycertificateobjectives,andspecificstrategiestoreachemployers. 19% 40% 30% 5% 7%

Business/IndustryStrongAgree Agree Disagree

StrongDisagree

Don'tKnow

ThereisbroadparticipationofMontgomeryCountyemployersacrosskeyindustriesworkinginpartnershipwithMontgomeryCountyPublicSchools(MCPS)onitscareerreadinessprograms. 18% 43% 23% 3% 15%EmployersinMontgomeryCountyleadaprocesswithMCPSthatuseslabormarketdatatodeterminewhichnewcareer-technologyeducation(CTE)programsareneededandwhicharenolongerrelevanttothegrowingregionaleconomy. 15% 31% 21% 5% 28%EmployersinMontgomeryCountyleadaprocesswithMCPStoidentifytheacademicknowledge,technicalskills,andprofessionalskillsstudentsneedtobesuccessfulinhigh-skill,high-demandindustries. 25% 25% 23% 5% 23%EmployersinMontgomeryCountyarewillingtoofferhigh-qualitywork-basedlearningexperiencesforMCPShighschoolstudentsthatprogressfromcareerawarenessandexploration(e.g.jobshadowing)topreparationandtraining(e.g.internships). 38% 43% 10% 3% 8%EmployersinMontgomeryCountyarewillingtodesignhigh-qualitywork-basedlearningexperiencesthatdevelopskillsandcompetenciesinstudentsthatarealignedwithindustryneeds. 23% 55% 10% 5% 8%EmployersinMontgomeryCountyseework-basedlearningexperienceswithMCPSstudentsasaneffectivevehiclethroughwhichtogrowanddeveloptheirowntalentpipeline. 40% 33% 13% 5% 10%


Business/IndustryStrongAgree Agree Disagree

StrongDisagree

Don'tKnow

EmployersinMontgomeryCountyarewillingtoassessstudents’work-basedlearningperformanceandprovideformalfeedbacktoMCPS. 35% 50% 0% 3% 13%Inordertoscalework-basedlearningexperiencestoallMCPSstudents,employersmusthaveasingle,reliablepointofcontactwithinMCPSthatwillcoordinateandmanageallrelatedefforts. 33% 50% 5% 3% 10%Legalrestrictionsonminorsincertainworkplacesettingsinterferewithemployers’interestinofferingwork-basedlearningexperiencestoMCPSstudents. 18% 48% 18% 3% 15%The2:30p.m.dismissaltimeofMCPShighschoolsmakesitdifficultforemployersinMontgomeryCountytoofferwork-basedlearningexperiences. 23% 25% 23% 3% 28%MCPSgraduateswhofindgainfulemploymentinMontgomeryCountyafterhighschoolgenerallyhavetheacademicknowledgeneededtobesuccessfulinentry-levelpositionsinhigh-skill,high-demandfieldssuchasthoseinhealthcare,advancedmanufacturing,andIT. 25% 23% 20% 0% 33%MCPSgraduateswhofindgainfulemploymentinMontgomeryCountyafterhighschoolgenerallyhavethetechnicalskillsneededtobesuccessfulinentry-levelpositionsinhigh-skill,high-demandfields. 28% 20% 23% 3% 28%MCPSgraduateswhofindgainfulemploymentinMontgomeryCountyafterhighschoolgenerallyhavetheprofessionalskills(i.e.problemsolving,communication,teamwork)neededtobesuccessfulinentry-levelpositionsinhigh-skill,high-demandfields. 15% 33% 25% 0% 28%

EmployersinMCuseIndustry-recognizedcredentialstorecruitandhirequalifiedcandidates. 25% 45% 8% 0% 23%EmployersinMontgomeryCountyarewillingtoprovideteacherexternshipsthatallowhighschoolCTEandSTEMteacherstospendextendedtimeinaworkplacetostrengthentheirknowledgeandskillsandestablishconcreteconnectionsbetweenclassroomlearninganditsapplication. 5% 43% 8% 3% 43%EmployersinMontgomeryCountyarewillingtohelpMCPSsecurepublic-privatepartnershipsthathelprecruitindustryprofessionalsintoclassroomsasteacherstobetterpreparestudentsforworkinhigh-skill,high-demandfieldslikehealthcare,advancedmanufacturing,andIT. 25% 38% 5% 0% 33%

www.edstrategy.org

69

AppendixD:FocusGroupProtocolsStaff

Introduction:Thankyouforparticipatingintoday’sfocusgroup.Yourfeedbackisveryimportant,andweappreciateyoutakingthetimetotalkwithustoday.

MontgomeryCountyPublicSchools(MCPS)hashiredEducationStrategyGroup(ESG)toconductareviewofthedistrict’scareerpreparationefforts,includingcareerandtechnologyeducation,alsoknownasCTE.Ourjobistocollectinformationonthedifferentcareerpreparationeffortsintheschoolsystemtoidentifywaysthoseeffortscanbetterservestudentsandtheirfamilies.

Theinformationyoushareinthisfocusgroupwillnotbeattributedtoyou,soyoushouldfeelcomfortableinprovidingcandid,honest,straightforwardresponsestothequestionsthatareposed.

Beforewebegin,I’dliketoreviewtheconsentformthatwasdistributedandaskyoutosignitifyouagreetoparticipateinthisgroup.Ifyoudonotconsent,youmayleavethegroup.[READTHECONSENTFORMANDCOLLECTSIGNEDCOPIES.]

Thisfocusgroupwilllastaboutonehour.Doyouhaveanyquestionsbeforewebegin?

FocusGroupQuestions:

First,I’dliketodoalittlelevelsettingtobetterunderstandyourprofessionalpositioninMCPSfor

today’sdiscussion.

1. Pleaseraiseyourhandifyouare:a. aCTEteacherb. aSTEMteacherc. ateacherofanareaotherthanSTEMorCTEd. acounselore. aschooladministrator

Next,I’dliketoaskyouropiniononpostsecondaryopportunitiesthatarevaluableandmeaningfulto

students.

2. Towhatextentdo4-yearcolleges,communitycolleges,industrycertifications,andapprenticeshipseachofferstudentsaneffectiveroutetoacareerthatpaysagoodwageandoffersopportunitiesforadvancement?

Next,I’dliketolearnmoreaboutwhatyouknowandthinkabouteffortsinMCPStopreparestudents

forcollegeandcareer,includingCareerandTechnologyEducation–orCTE.

3. MCPShasdoneanexceptionaljobatemphasizingtheneedtoprepareallkidsforcollegeafterhighschool.Aspartofthateffort,istherealsoastrongemphasisontherangeofotherpostsecondaryeducationandtrainingoptionsthatwillsetstudentsupforsuccess,suchascommunitycolleges,apprenticeships,andindustrycertifications?

4. WhenyouthinkofCareerandTechnologyEducation,orCTE:a. Doyouthinkitpreparesstudentsforbothcollegeandcareer?Whyorwhynot?

www.edstrategy.org

70

b. Isitvaluedasanintegralpartofyourschool’sworktopreparestudentsforpostsecondarysuccess?Shoulditbe?

c. Inwhatwaysisitstrong,andinwhatwaysdoesitneedtobeimproved?5. Inyourexperience,arehigh-achieving,academically-focusedstudentsdrawntoCTE?Whyor

whynot?a. Whatwouldmakeitmoreattractivetoawiderrangeofstudents?

6. Shouldallstudentshavereal-world,hands-onopportunitieswithlocalbusinessesaspartoftheirhighschoolexperiencetopreparefortheirfutures?

a. AretheyencouragedbyMCPSandyourschooltodothatwhethertheyaregoingto4-yearcollegeortakinganotherpostsecondaryroute?

7. Doesithelpallstudents,regardlessoftheirpostsecondaryplans,toearncredittowardcollegeand/oranindustry-recognizedcredentialwhiletheyareinhighschool,likeacertificationfromCiscoforstudentsinterestedinInformationTechnology?

a. IsearninganindustrycertificationemphasizedasbeingimportantinMCPS?b. Isearningcollegecredittowardadegreewhileinhighschoolemphasizedasimportant?

8. AreyoufamiliarwithprogramsofferedattheThomasEdisonHighSchoolofTechnology?a. Aretheyhighlysoughtafter?Whyorwhynot?b. Whatwouldmakethemmoresoughtafter?

Next,I’llaskafewquestionstobetterunderstandwhereyoumightwantandneedmoresupportin

preparingstudentsforpostsecondarysuccess.

9. Asateacher,counselor,orschooladministrator,doyoufeelyouunderstandtherangeofpostsecondaryopportunitiesavailabletostudents–from4-yearcollegetocommunitycollegetoindustrycertificationsandapprenticeships-thatwillleadthemtoprofessionaljobsthatpayagoodsalaryandofferopportunitiesforadvancement?

a. TowhatextentdoesMCPSprovideclearinformationaboutthatfullrangeofopportunitiesforstudents,fromapprenticeshipstoindustrycertificationsto2-and4-yeardegrees?

b. TowhatextentdoesMCPSprovideclearinformationaboutthesubstantialgrowthinmeaningfuljobsthatwillrequiresomelevelofpostsecondaryeducationandtrainingbutnotafullbachelor’sdegree?

10. WhatsupportwouldyouneedtoincreaseyourknowledgeoftherangeofcareerprogrammingavailableinMCPS?

11. AsaCTEorSTEMteacher:a. Doyoufeelitwouldstrengthenyourinstructionalpracticeifyouhadmoreinformation

orsupporttobetterunderstandtheapplicationofthetechnicalcontentyouteach?(e.g.Howistrigonometryusedinaworksetting?)

b. Doyoufeelifwouldstrengthenyourinstructionalpracticeifyoureceivedmoresupportindeliveringblendedacademicandtechnicalcontent?

12. Asacounselor:a. Towhatextentdoyoufeeladequatelypreparedtoadvisestudentsonawiderangeof

specificcareeropportunitiesandrelatedcoursetaking?b. Haveyoubeengivenclearinformationonwhichfieldsarehigh-skill,high-demandthat

leadtoprosperousopportunities,andwhicharemuchmorelimitedforstudents?

www.edstrategy.org

71

13. HowmightMCPSsupportstudentstohelpthemunderstandthetypesofcareersthatareavailable,thecoursestheymusttake,andthedegreestheymustearntofindajobinthefieldoftheirchoice?

14. ArethereopportunitiesforMCPStobetterexposestudentstocareerdevelopmentoutsideofCTE?Whatmightthosebe?

Finally,doyouhaveanyadditionalcommentsorsuggestionsyou’dliketomakebeforewecloseour

discussion?

Thankyouforyourparticipation.

www.edstrategy.org

72

Parents

Introduction:Thankyouforparticipatingintoday’sfocusgroup.Yourfeedbackisveryimportant,andweappreciateyoutakingthetimetospeakwithustoday.

MontgomeryCountyPublicSchools(MCPS)hashiredEducationStrategyGroup(ESG)toconductareviewofthedistrict’scareerpreparationefforts,includingcareerandtechnologyeducation,whichiscommonlycalledCTE.Thisreviewisdesignedtocollectinformationontherangeofthedistrict’scareerpreparationeffortstoidentifyspecificwaysinwhichthoseeffortscanbetterservestudentsandtheirfamilies.

Beforewebegin,I’dliketoreviewtheconsentformthatwasdistributedandaskyoutosignitifyouagreetoparticipateinthisgroup.Ifyoudonotconsent,youmayleavethegroup.[READTHECONSENTFORMANDCOLLECTSIGNEDCOPIES.]

Pleaseknowthattheinformationyoushareinthisfocusgroupwillnotbeattributedtoyoupersonally,soyoushouldfeelcomfortableinprovidingcandid,honest,straightforwardresponsestoquestionsthatareposed.Doyouhaveanyquestionsbeforewebegin?


Thefirstfewquestionsfocusonbetterunderstandingyouropinionsontheneedforstudentsto

completepostsecondaryeducationandtraining.

1. First,doesyourchild’sschoolprovidealotofhelpfulinformationonwhatyourchildmightdoafterhighschoolgraduationtoeventuallyhaveacareerthatoffersagoodliving?

a. Dotheygiveinformationon4-yearcollege,communitycollege,andotherjobtrainingopportunitieslikeapprenticeships?(defineapprenticeship)

2. Raiseyourhandifyouthinkchildrenneedtocontinuetheireducationandtrainingafterhighschoolinordertofindjobsthatpaywellandofferopportunitiestoadvanceinacareer.

3. Towhatextentdoyouthinkapprenticeships,2-yearcolleges,and4-yearcollegeseachofferyourchildaneffectiveroutetoaprofessionaljobthatpaysagoodsalaryandoffersopportunitiestoadvanceinacareer?Whyorwhynot?

Next,I’dliketolearnmoreaboutwhatyouknowandthinkaboutCareerandTechnologyEducation–

orCTE–inMontgomeryCounty.

4. Whatdoyouthinkofwhenyouheartheterm“CareerandTechnologyEducation”–orCTE–inMCPS?

5. DoyouhaveachildwhoisenrolledorwaspreviouslyenrolledinCTE?a. WhydidyouchoosetoenrollyourstudentinCTE?b. HasCTEfocusedondevelopingyourstudent’sacademic,technical,andprofessional

skills?IfyoudonothaveachildenrolledinaCTEprogram,whatfactorsledtothisdecision?

6. DoyouthinkCTEprogramsinMCPSareashigh-qualityasnon-CTEprograms?Why?

Next,I’llaskafewquestionstobetterunderstandwhatyouthinkstudentsneedtobeeffectively

preparedforlifeafterhighschool.

www.edstrategy.org

73

7. IsitimportantforallprogramsinMCPS-whetherthat’sCTE,signature/academyprograms,oratraditionalacademiccourseofstudy–toprepareallstudentstobesuccessfulincollege?Why?

a. Doyouthinkallprograms,includingCTE,shouldpreparestudentsforcareers?Why?8. AspartoftheirMCPShighschoolexperience,shouldallstudentshavereal-world,hands-on

opportunitiestopreparethemfortheirfutures?9. Isitimportanttoyouthatyourchildcouldearncredittowardinindustry-recognizedcredential

and/oracollegedegreewhiletheyareinhighschool,regardlessofhis/herposthighschoolplans?

a. TowhatextentarethosekindsofopportunitieswidelyavailabletoMCPSstudents?

Next,I’dliketogetclearerabouttheinformationyouneedfromMCPSregardingcareerpreparation

opportunities.

10. WheredoyouandyourchildgetinformationaboutthecareerpreparationopportunitiesthatareavailableinMPCS,includingCTE?

a. Doyougetenoughinformation?b. Isittheinformationyouwantandneed?

11. DoesMCPSprovidecompellinginformationtoparentsandstudentsabouttherangeofroutesstudentscantaketofindingagoodpaying,stablecareersincluding4-yearcollege,communitycollege,andapprenticeshipsinhigh-skill,high-demandfields?Pleaseexplain.

a. Ifnot,whatinformationwouldbehelpful?12. WhatkindsofsupportswouldhelpMCPSstudentsbetterunderstandthetypesofcareersthat

areavailableaswellasthecoursestheymusttakeandthedegreestheymustearninordertofindajobinthefieldoftheirchoice?

Finally,doyouhaveanyadditionalcommentsorsuggestionsyou’dliketomakeregardingMCPS’s

careerpreparationefforts?


www.edstrategy.org

74

Students

Introduction:Thankyouforparticipatingintoday’sfocusgroup.Yourfeedbackisveryimportant,andweappreciateyoutakingthetimetotalkwithustoday.

MontgomeryCountyPublicSchools(MCPS)hashiredmyfirm,EducationStrategyGroup(ESG),toreviewofthedistrict’scareerpreparationefforts,includingcareerandtechnologyeducation,alsoknownasCTE.Ourjobistocollectinformationonthedifferentcareerpreparationeffortsintheschoolsystemtoidentifywaysthoseeffortscanbetterserveyouandyourfamilies.

Pleaseknowthattheinformationyoushareinthisfocusgroupwillkeptconfidential,soyoushouldfeelcomfortableinprovidingcandid,honest,straightforwardresponsestothequestionsthatIask.

Yourparentorguardianhasalreadyagreedtoletyoutakepartinthisfocusgroup,butyourparticipationisvoluntary,meaningthatyoudon’thavetoparticipateifyoudon’twantto;youdon’thavetoanswerquestionsyoudonotwanttoanswer;andyoucanstopparticipatingatanytime.Choosingnottoparticipateinthefocusgroup,orchoosingnottoanswercertainquestionswillnotaffectyourschoolperformanceoryourabilitytoparticipateinanyprogramsofferedbyMCPS.

Thisfocusgroupwilllastaboutonehour.Ifyoudonotwishtoparticipate,youmayleavethegroup.Doyouhaveanyquestionsbeforewebegin?


First,I’dliketoasksomequestionsaboutyouropportunitiesafterhighschool.

1. Raiseyourhandifyouhaveaprettyclearideaofwhatyouwanttodoafteryougraduatefromhighschool.

2. Wheredoyougetadvicefromtohelpyoumakethosedecisionsaboutwhatyou’lldoafterhighschool?

3. Doyouthinkyoucanfindacareerthatoffersagoodlivingifyoucompleteajobtrainingprogramlikeanapprenticeship,earnanindustrycertificationthattellscompaniesyouhavetechnicalskillsforajob,orearnadegreefromacommunitycollege?Whyorwhynot?

4. Doyoureceivehelpfulinformationfromyourschoolaboutthedifferentroutesyoucantaketofindacareerthatoffersagoodliving?

a. Inwhatwaysdoesyourschoolhelpyouchoosethecoursesyoutakebasedonwhatyouwanttodoafterhighschool?

b. Inwhatwayshasyourschoolhelpedyoutolearnaboutdifferentcareersyoumightbeinterestedin?

5. Inwhatwaysdoyougetinformationaboutthecareerpreparationopportunitiesthatareavailableinyourschoolandschoolsystem,likeCareerTechnologyEducationorCTE?

6. Whatkindofsupportwouldhelpyoubetterunderstandthetypesofcareersthatareavailableaswellasthecoursesanddegreesthatarenecessarytofindajobinthefieldofyourchoice?

Next,I’dliketoaskafewquestionsaboutcareerpreparationworkinMCPS,especiallyCareerand

TechnologyEducation–orCTE.

www.edstrategy.org

75

7. Whatdoyouthinkwhenyouheartheterm“CareerandTechnologyEducation–orCTE”?8. HaveyoutakenaCTEcourse?

a. WhydidyoudecidetoenrollinCTE?b. InwhatwayshavetheCTEcoursesprovidedalearningexperiencethatisdifferentfrom

yourothercourses?c. DidyouhavetoworkashardinyourCTEcourseasinyourcoreacademiccourses?

9. IfyouhavenotenrolledinCTE,why?10. Hasyourschoolencouragedyoutoearnanindustrycertificationorcollegecoursecreditwhile

youareinhighschool?Towhatextentdoyouhaveopportunitiestodothat?11. Shouldallstudentshavereal-world,hands-onopportunitieswithlocalbusinessesaspartof

theirhighschoolexperiencetopreparethemfortheirfutures?Why?a. Haveyoubeenencouragedtoparticipateinaninternshiporanexperiencewithalocal

businessduringtheschoolyearorthesummer?Pleaseexplain.

Next,I’llaskafewquestionsabouthowtoimproveyourschool’sfocusonpreparingyouforacareer.

12. HowdoyouthinkCTEprogramscouldbeimprovedsothatmorestudentswouldbeinterestedinthem?

a. WhatwouldmakeCTEprogramsmoreappealingtoyou?13. WouldyoubemoreinterestedinaCTEprogramifitwerecombinedwithhonorsandAP

courses?14. WouldyoubemoreinterestedinaCTEprogramifdifferentprogramsofstudywereofferedat

yourhighschool?15. DoanyofyoutakeclassesattheThomasEdisonHighSchoolofTechnology(“Edison”)?

a. Whyhaveyouchosentotakethemthere?b. Ifyouhavechosennottotakeclassesthere,why?c. WhatwouldmakeitamoreappealingoptiontoenrollatEdison?

Finally,doyouhaveanyadditionalcommentsorsuggestionsyou’dliketomake?


preparing all students for economic & career success€¦ · 5 experiences. § reorganize cte...

Documents