Orchard View Middle School students start their journey “career cruising” on the Xello platform, where they can connect their personal and academic interests to job fields such as computer science, welding, automotive repair and cosmetology. They are then introduced to those trades at after-school sessions at the career center.

The “Middle Vision” program, which now includes two other districts, puts students on a path to deeper career exploration in high school and also engages them more deeply in what they are learning in middle school. It also encourages students to stay on track with their grades so the are eligible to attend the career center in 11th and 12th grade, Principal Joshua Smith says.

“We’re helping these kids figure out their passions … and school make much more sense when they can say, ‘Oh, now I know I want to be in food service,'” Smith explains. “They’re more invested and more excited about school.”

About 60 students now attend two-week CTE sessions in writing and illustration, culinary arts, environmental and veterinary medicine, auto collision, medical and health sciences and cosmetology. For example, sixth-graders in the writing and illustration pathway created their own books and showed them off in a presentation to parents, Smith notes.

CTE and design thinking

The exploration continues in seventh- and eighth-grade electives where teachers have been trained in design thinking to embed career-readiness concepts into subjects such as health and STEAM.

One outcome of this process was the creation of the school’s fabrication lab. Students and a STEAM teacher were given free rein to design the space. The students did “empathy interviews” with their classmates to learn what equipment they wanted in the lab. They then built dioramas that they presented to the school board for funding.

The lab is now home to robotics and e-sports teams, among other features. “Middle school is often a time when we see kids start to disconnect,” Orchard View Superintendent Jim Nielsen says. “All of the students involved have found connections to school that weren’t available four or five years ago, and it’s been vital to our sense-of-belonging goals for our district.”

The post CTE surge: Sixth grade is never too early for welding! appeared first on District Administration.

It’s time to raise the bar, aim higher and work to provide students with the foundation for lasting financial wellness.

While most financial education mandates are a solid starting point, these courses are typically one semester or just a few lessons wrapped within another subject. Importantly, many of these mandates are unfunded and don’t include professional development, leaving schools and educators on the hook without the means to teach them.

‘Talking Out of School’ podcast: Educating tomorrow’s superintendents

This is simply inadequate to be effective long-term.

Imagine if we taught math by mandating just a single semester-long course in high school. Or if we taught science by occasionally mentioning it in history classes. Yet, that’s exactly how financial literacy is taught in US schools—if it’s taught at all.

Financial literacy fundamentals

Our research, undertaken with the MassMutual Foundation, proves what should be obvious: multiple financial literacy interventions are more effective in increasing financial knowledge, self-efficacy and intended behaviors than one standalone course. Even in states with financial literacy education mandates, our surveys have found that only 35% of respondents, at most, later recall taking a financial literacy course.

Unless we begin to teach personal finance like we do math—starting in elementary school, when kids start to understand needs vs. wants, or at least by middle school, when research has shown that students have an “essentially adult” economic understanding—we’re letting our students down and wasting an opportunity to set them up for lasting financial wellness. This is especially true for students from economically challenged backgrounds, where basic financial topics aren’t always positively modeled or even discussed.

Financial education can be the cornerstone of a lasting, life-long “financial wellness foundation” built in the K12 years. To accomplish that, we’ll need sustained financial education, taught as a “core” education subject like math, science, English and history. Then, to be truly effective, and even life-changing, education must be paired with mentorship and career-focused connections, along with access to wealth-building services, tools and opportunities.

That means ensuring students have a foundational understanding of personal finance, including stocks and securities along with practical knowledge such as how to open bank accounts, create a budget, access student aid, manage loans and navigate credit, to name just a few. It also means focusing outside the classroom to help students connect to mentors and providing career-connected and work-based learning so they can get a real-world introduction to career possibilities and on-the-job skills.

Crucially, we must also increase young people’s access to banking services. Government research has shown that unbanked and underbanked households suffer many ongoing, damaging and far-reaching effects. Conversely, it’s known that young adults who open savings accounts earlier in life are more likely to invest, accumulate more wealth, and maintain positive relationships with financial institutes later in life.

Inspiring lifelong financial wellness

Is financial literacy worth all this effort? Study after study points to an emphatic yes.

Research from the National Institutes of Health has found that enhanced financial literacy can improve financial outcomes later in life, above and beyond regular schooling. In fact, more than one-third of U.S. wealth inequality could be accounted for by differences in financial knowledge. Other NIH studies have found financially literate individuals plan better, save more, earn more on their investments and manage their money better in retirement.

Compare how the US treats financial education to countries such as Denmark, where financial education is mandatory and taught like other subjects worthy of ongoing, multiyear coursework. It’s no coincidence the Danes lead the world in financial literacy.

Financial literacy policies that require a one-semester course or less are not enough. If we want to see students achieve true financial capability and wellness, parents, educators, legislators, nonprofit organizations and corporate America must come together to rethink how we approach personal financial education.

Our goal should be sustained financial education, taught as a “core” education subject, paired with mentor and career-focused connections, along with increased access to youth savings accounts and other financial tools. If we get it right, together, we can reduce our country’s wealth gap and inspire lifelong financial wellness for generations of Americans.

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The principal of Thomas A. Edison Career & Technical Education High School in Jamaica, Queens—one of New York City’s premier CTE schools—has led an effort to expand his school’s dual-enrollment offerings while also building close ties to local higher-ed institutions. That has resulted in a large percentage of students applying to college. Edison’s student body has an 88% application rate to The City University of New York’s 25 colleges.

“For us at Edison, I think it’s crucial to get them as close as possible, before they leave us, with some credits in their pocket. That leverages the fact that they will finish,” Ojeda said, noting it’s important to align students’ courses with career-focused skills so “they see what they are learning and what their passion will be for the future.”

‘Talking Out of School’ podcast: Teachers need ‘professional authority’

Research has long shown that dual-enrollment programs increase high school completion rates, college enrollment and graduation.

However, the job market and educational landscape have greatly changed since the Community College Research Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College conducted its 2012 study examining the benefits of career-focused dual-enrollment programs for students, particularly who are historically underrepresented in higher education.

Today’s modern workforce requires a greater level of technical and technology-based skills than ever before. The U.S. Department of Education projects that by 2027, 70% of jobs will require education or training beyond high school.

The K12 classroom has also evolved considerably. While digital education was gaining traction before the pandemic, the sudden closure of schools hyper-accelerated the use of digital learning. Students today regularly use computers and schools are wired for the internet.

With tech-enabled classrooms, it’s time now to reimagine how we deliver dual-enrollment to ensure more students benefit from these programs. Here are four considerations for school and district leaders to expand access to dual-enrollment / dual-credit programs while maximizing their impact.

1. Embrace asynchronous models of learning

Just as remote work is commonplace today, district leaders can adopt online learning to bring college courses to the high school environment. By leveraging technology for asynchronous courses, students get the benefit of learning from college professors without the hassle of leaving their buildings or missing other classes.

This increases access to higher education by eliminating logistical challenges associated with traditional on-site, in-person dual-enrollment courses, such as transportation to local colleges (if that’s an option) or having qualified teachers lead college-level courses. An asynchronous approach provides students a convenient way to earn high school and college credits at the same time. Students can learn during any class period, with any teacher in the classroom, regardless of the teacher’s expertise.

2. Align dual-enrollment programs to high school learning experiences

Taking college courses in high school helps students “try on” the college experience in a safe environment. Traditional college-level courses often require high school students to learn new material in a fast-paced environment and be assessed for their understanding through high-stakes tests.

To better align with high school assessment styles and lesson planning, technology-enabled dual-enrollment programs help educators assess students on skills mastery more frequently and formatively in a familiar environment. Teachers also benefit from visibility into their students’ learning through progress monitoring.

3. Help reduce the financial burden on students

As student loan debt skyrockets, now totaling $1.8 trillion, more and more students are realizing one of the key benefits of earning high school and college credits simultaneously through dual enrollment courses is reducing the cost of college tuition. The number of dual-enrolled high school students jumped by 8.8% last year, outpacing all other undergraduates enrolled in college, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

With the average cost for a single college course ranging from nearly $1,200 for public universities to more than $4,000 for many private institutions, getting transferable college credit at no cost to the student in high school can substantially reduce the burden of paying for college for many families.

4. Invite students to explore new subject areas and career paths

Online dual-enrollment courses can expose students to a wider range of subjects that may not be offered by their high school or community college, allowing them to discover where their passions lie and providing a jumpstart on college or a future career.

These courses, we know, can transform students’ lives. The key, however, is ensuring more students have access to dual-enrollment programs—especially from the comfort of their school—to enable them to learn job-specific skills and truly get excited and engaged as they embark on the pathway to their future careers.

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That’s according to new federal data from the National Center for Education Statistics, which surveyed more than 1,600 participating public schools around the country as part of its School Pulse Panel research in an effort to provide leaders with timely data concerning the pandemic’s lingering toll on K12 schools.

As the data suggests, just 47% of all public high schools rated their performances as “very good” or “excellent” when it comes to preparing students for college. That percentage shrinks for schools located in high-poverty neighborhoods and those with fewer than 300 students (30% in both instances).

“I hope these data will spark important conversations that lead to improved communities for all students,” NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr said in a statement.

On the other hand, schools rate themselves slightly more in favor of their ability to prepare students for the workforce. According to the survey, 50% of schools say they’re “very good” or “excellent” at providing career preparation. Furthermore, 62% of schools now require college and career milestones for graduation.

Some additional data concerning schools’ college and career prep:

• 32% of high schools employ a work-based learning coordinator
• 30% provide career advisors
• 87% employ counselors
• 5% employ a workforce intermediary

“The latest report provides valuable insights on how schools rate their own work preparing students for college and the workforce,” said Carr.

The report also includes the NCES’ latest findings regarding schools’ use of security officers and other safety measures.

Less than half (47%) of all public K12 schools have a school resource officer on school grounds at least once a week in 2023-24. Eleven percent leverage a sworn law enforcement officer and 22% have a security officer present at least once a week.

Among those schools that require an SRO or SLEO to be present at least once a week, 92% of them said they routinely carry a firearm. Sixty percent of them also wear body cameras. As a result, many schools report their school environment feels safer.

Nearly 66% of schools say they “strongly agree” that their security officers have a positive impact on the community. Only about 10% strongly disagreed with that statement.

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March 9th marked the U.S. launch of the new digital exam. How’d it go? One student said they appreciated the swiftness of the exam compared to the hard-copy version.

“I thought it was an easier process than the paper SAT,” Emily, a student from New Jersey, told The College Board. “It took less stamina and since there was a timer right in front of you I thought it was very useful. I felt that it was less stressful. This format allowed me enough time to get through each section and feel confident in my answers.”

Doreen Ciccarini, a paraprofessional and proctor of 17 years, echoed Emily’s thoughts despite feeling uncertain about the new format.

“I was very nervous leading up to this, but the experience was very easy and self-explanatory,” Ciccarini said. “I didn’t have any issues. I would 100% do it again.

More from DA: What leaders should know about the new digital SAT

This digital version of the SAT was first available to students outside the U.S. in the spring of 2023. Since then, more than 300,000 tests have been administered globally. Most notably, school staff seem to be more in favor of the new format compared to students.

According to The College Board:

• 84% of students and 99% of staff reported having a better experience with the digital SAT compared to the traditional style.
• 97% of students reported that the Bluebook testing app—the platform used to take the exam—was easy to use.
• 95% of students said they felt comfortable taking the test on a digital device.

“I found the instructions for the exam to be very easy to follow, as well as the setup,” said Isabel, a junior in high school. “I appreciated how quickly the exam was over.”

These sentiments reflect the organization’s decision to transition to digital, noted Priscilla Rodrigues, senior vice president of College Readiness Assessments at College Board.

“We made the transition to a digital SAT in response to what students and educators were telling us,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “Students do a lot of their learning and testing digitally these days. Our goal was to provide a testing experience that is more relevant to today’s students and is less stressful for students to take and easier for educators to administer.”

Last week, District Administration shared insight from its conversation with The College Board to district leaders some background on the digital SAT to share with their students and staff.

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The difference in interest reveals an entrenched belief that going to college right out of high school is somehow more significant than starting a job or a technical training program. My school set out to change that by offering a health career training program.

Our career training program is breaking down the college-only mindset. We think beyond the classroom and attend to our internal and external communities. The result is that we have redefined how we celebrate and define success when our students graduate from high school.

Connecting to our community

First a little background. In 2007, our small 1,300-student Missouri high school started allowing our learners to earn an associate degree and a high school diploma simultaneously. This dual-enrollment program lets us support students and give them a head start on career options beyond graduation.

It appealed to students who didn’t see a four-year degree as part of their futures. Only one in six people in St. Francois County have a college degree. Being hyper-focused on college pathways, meant we were ignoring the many other avenues our students could take into well-paying careers. We knew we needed to create more direct paths to careers for our students.

Creating career pathways

While our industry tours lagged in interest, we knew they were the right idea. They allowed students to see career options in our community. Still, we needed more ways to support direct paths into careers.

More from DA: Talking Out of School podcast: Here comes the 100 Superintendent March

We started recognizing students who secured jobs right out of high school. To make this more public, we also changed our messaging to parents and started hosting evening events for parents and their students to explore the many career paths and training programs they could begin while still in high school.

Along with those programs, we started offering training for an industry-recognized certification in healthcare as part of the health science program in our career and technical education offering. Our certified CTE health sciences teacher oversees the program and collaborates with partners, like local employer Parkland Health and online healthcare training provider MedCerts, to ensure the program prepares students for real careers.

One early challenge was that professional online certificates are designed for individuals who can complete their training in a few months. However, we needed the course to last for an entire school year. We changed the program’s pace so students spend one hour each day on classwork. Supported by online modules, our health sciences teacher provides lectures, hands-on activities and career exploration to round out the training.

Students learn career-specific and transferable skills in the classroom and clinical settings. For example, the two certificate programs we offer—clinical medical assistant and phlebotomy—teach learners the importance of terminology, customer service and communication in a practical and applied way. Our first cohort will take the certification exam at the end of 2024, and, upon passing, we anticipate they will be able to find jobs right away in our healthcare community.

Community is key in valuing career pathways

Three essential points made this program successful:

1. Think community—When we looked at our community’s demographics, we realized there was a disconnect between what we had traditionally been offering our students and the paths local people pursued. We needed to offer something that matched their world view and that meant helping our students find career paths that led from high school into skilled jobs.
2. Leverage community—Local employers need skilled labor. Schools are places of learning. We realized that we could deliver something local employers needed and that would benefit our students.
3. Broaden community—When local resources don’t provide what is needed, find online resources that can. These days, any training you can think of is available. It might take a little work to morph it into the typical school day and year, but the effort is worth it if you have engaged the first two points.

Educators are sometimes so focused on getting kids to college that we forget many students have other plans that deserve as much attention as college preparation. When we stop and consider the interests of our students and our community’s needs—such as healthcare—we can shift away from that traditional mindset. With innovative thinking, we can go beyond the classroom and celebrate all our students’ paths to success.

The post These pathways are launching high schools past a college-only mindset appeared first on District Administration.

The Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program is set to receive a $25 million investment that will either create or expand the 19 programs designed to bolster workforce development across the state, including automotive maintenance and light repair, digital video and technology, and others. The initiative is part of the state’s continued effort to equip students with essential career-based skills in high-demand fields.

“In Florida, we have become the no. 1 state in the nation for talent development by making strategic investments in our workforce,” Gov. DeSantis said in a news release. “We will continue to equip students in our state with the skills they need to succeed without being burdened by debt.”

Several school districts are already leveraging these funds for the 2023-24 school year, including:

• Broward County School District: The district is using these funds on semiconductor business management and analysis, practical nursing, horticulture and other programs.
• Lee County School District: The grant allows the district to provide courses on advanced manufacturing technology, firefighting, electricity and others.
• St. Lucie County School District: Funding will assist in providing programs on applied robotics, building construction technologies, pharmacy technicians and several others.

More from DA: Kids rely on adults to teach them about AI, survey says

This additional funding is part of the $100 million awarded in August to school districts and higher education institutions across Florida to alleviate costs associated with creating or expanding career and technical education programs.

“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Florida is strategically investing in workforce development, ensuring that our state remains at the forefront of innovation,” Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. said in a statement. “This funding reflects our dedication to equipping students with the skills necessary to excel in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”

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The new style of test-taking gives students the option of using their own devices, such as a laptop or tablet, or a school-issued device to take the exam. They’ll still be required to take the SAT at a testing center or a high school.

In an email to District Administration, a spokesperson for The College Board, the organization that administers the exam, says the transition to digital was made to streamline the process for both educators and students.

“We’ve made this transition to digital because of the benefits to students and schools that digital makes possible, including a shorter test—yet with more time per question—and greater flexibility in terms of when, where and how often the SAT is given, particularly for states, districts and schools offering the SAT to all of their students as part of SAT School Day,” says College Board.

SAT School Day runs from March 4 to April 26.

What to expect

Gone are the days of passing out individual test booklets and ensuring each student has their own #2 pencil.

The test is about one hour shorter (down from three hours), has briefer reading passages and offers students digital tools such as a highlighter, a calculator and a bookmark to revisit skipped questions.

“As we’ve designed the digital SAT suite, we have listened to educators and students and will continue to adapt to ensure we meet their evolving needs,” says College Board.

It has also designed the platform to mitigate technical issues, too.

“Bluebook, College Board’s digital testing app, was designed with security at the forefront,” wrote College Board. “Students can’t work in any other program or application while the test is running and work can’t be posted into the exam app from another program or application.”

In the event of a student disconnecting from the internet during testing, they will still be able to progress through the test. If their device runs out of battery, they can simply plug it in, restart their device and resume the test where they left off.

“All their work will be saved and they won’t lose testing time,” says College Board. “Ninety-seven percent of students who took the digital SAT in 2023 shared that Bluebook was easy to use.”

As for students who require special services, College Board says it will continue to support students with individualized education plans and disabilities as they transition to this new style of testing.

“The process for requesting accommodations for the digital SAT remains the same,” wrote College Board.

The post What leaders should know about the new digital SAT appeared first on District Administration.

In this article, we will highlight how students become college and career ready and how system leaders can maximize resources.

While accountability is a good reason to improve your college and career readiness approach, the most important reason can be found in a recent Gallup poll that found students “are least positive about how well their school fosters excitement about learning, serves different learning styles, teaches about potential careers and provides mental health support.”

Students can experience college and career readiness across the K12 span, building on a developmental progression (Callahan et al., 2019). Below is a simple table system leaders can use when improving the intentionality of the college and career readiness spectrum:

5 elements that address this spectrum

1. Self-discovery. Students, especially those from under-resourced communities, will struggle to meaningfully engage with any planning about their future unless they understand their interests, skills and values. Programs such as AVID and Leader in Me and tools such CareerOne Stop provide opportunities for self-discovery.

The most important support for students’ self-discovery, though, is how adults—teachers, coaches and mentors—talk to them: Do students hear encouragement rather than just praise? Do students get actionable feedback? Are their successes celebrated? Do students get to talk about and share their experiences outside of school?

2. Academic foundation. Students need the academic skills to engage with college coursework and career training. Beyond literacy and math, this includes technology skills, reading comprehension and problem-solving.

Academic pathways from middle school through high school are filled with locked gates: early access to algebra, the disparate impact of screening processes for gifted or acceleration programs, intervention models that take place during Tier 1 instruction, and so on. You can begin to assess the equity of your academic program by measuring subgroup enrollment in every program or course from Advanced Placement courses to CTE pathways to remedial courses to disproportionate identification of students with disabilities.

You can start with small but effective changes. We recently saw a high school principal using a ‘principal permission’ exception to enroll students with a weak middle school math background in the core Algebra I course rather than the district ‘required’ remedial math course. Students and families approved this upgrade.

DA’s “Talking Out of School” Podcast is now live! Join the District Administration editorial team and special guests every Wednesday as they discuss their experiences, strategies and forecasts for K12 education.

The principal distributed these students across all the Algebra sections and immediate tutorial support was available for all students. It put students on a path to success and effectively closed a math achievement gap!

3. Essential skills development. Students will need both self-management and teamwork skills to thrive in the workplace. They can learn these through project-based learning, service learning opportunities and simulations such as mock trials. Many schools include these skills in their “portrait of a graduate” document. It is important to connect each of these skills to the school’s program and instructional expectations.

4. Real-world experience. It is never too early for students to visit college campuses, local industries and career fairs. Local business owners, tradespeople and leaders are usually willing to build connections with classrooms and schools, connecting academics to the real world.

Many high schools offer problem-solving opportunities for teams of students to work with local businesses on short-cycle problems. There are also examples such as the Homegrown Talent Initiative for providing real-world connections even in rural areas. And programs such as GripTape allow students to focus on their specific vision and interests in designing long-term projects.

5. College and career planning support. While some families have the resources to work with college admissions counselors, most students and families can benefit from a planning process beyond simple ‘college counseling’. This support can begin by matching student interests and skills to their academic accomplishments and then generating a menu of options—short and long term, low and high cost, local and distant—to test out.

The transition planning process already required for students with disabilities by IDEA offers a strong, personalized approach that could be scaled to include all students.

System leaders can reset on their federal and state financial resources to ensure they are highly aligned and responsive to local workforce needs. This affirms your local Perkins V plan. It also serves as robust compliance evidence in Perkins V, the local comprehensive needs assessment.

Finally, it can unlock additional streams of income from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Here are a few system check questions to pose with your teams:

• What industries are projected to grow the most in our local area? What occupations?
• Are our CTE program offerings broad enough to expose students to all the in-demand industry sectors or occupations in our region?
• How do our CTE program enrollments match projected job openings? Where are the biggest gaps?
• What opportunities exist in our local labor market for students with disabilities, English learners or other special populations?
• What are the emerging occupations in our area to which students should be exposed?
• What skill needs have industry partners identified as lacking in our programs?
• Which graduates of our programs are thriving in the labor market, and why?

As debate continues about how best to retool the high school, there are many proven models that address all five of these elements. They provide examples that can be adapted to your local context. These include Summit Public Schools, High Tech High, P-TECH, and Academies of Nashville.

Ready to move forward? Focus on the student experience. Keep aligning instructional expectations toward real-world application. Personalize. Build partnerships. And make data-based decisions based on outcome data.

The post How to determine the college and career-readiness of your school system appeared first on District Administration.

So is there a difference between durable and soft skills? Well, we’ve spotted a few new wrinkles in the key terms highlighted by America Succeeds, a nonprofit focused on K12-business collaboration:

• Character
• Mindfulness
• Metacognition
• Leadership
• Growth mindset
• Fortitude
• Critical thinking
• Creativity
• Collaboration
• Character

Metacognition and mindfulness seem to be new characteristics that have been added to the traditional list of soft skills. And “fortitude” seems to be a riff on “resilience.”

DA’s “Talking Out of School” Podcast is now live! Join the District Administration editorial team and special guests every Wednesday as they discuss their experiences, strategies and forecasts for K12 education.

“Durable skills include a combination of how you use what you know—skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity—as well as character skills like fortitude, growth mindset, and leadership,” America Succeeds attests.

The nonprofit has already examined whether these durable skills are included in each state’s college and career readiness standards and where improvement is needed. Massachusetts, for example, includes all of the durable skills noted above in its standards. Texas does not, and the state doesn’t even have specific career readiness standards for K12, America Succeeds points out.

The organization encourages K12 leaders to continue to find ways to measure whether students are developing durable skills and embed these metrics in “college and career-ready projects, experiences, and opportunities, including work-based learning.” Students should have opportunities to demonstrate durable skills across a range of experiences and assessments.

“Durable skills take the old concept of soft skills and expand it across the various attributes required to interact with others and be successful in the workplace,” Forbes explained in a recent article. “Skills such as teamwork, collaboration, negotiation, critical thinking, initiative, risk-taking, creativity, adaptability, leadership, cognitive flexibility and problem-solving are just some of the many durable skills.”

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