Meeting notes March 22, 2012
After reviewing the integration of ELA, Science, and Math at BOCES and providing an external review for state education and chaperoning the 10th grade visitation to BOCES, our group has learned a lot about CTE and BOCES' role in providing our students with this valuable career track. Initially, we had wanted to create a senior English class that would marry the CCLS, Academic work done at our home school, and the career track provided by BOCES but our focus has shifted and changed a little bit based on our experiences in this study group this year.
One of the great outcomes that has come from our work so far is an application process that will be put in place for next year for students interested in applying for the BOCES program. We feel that this application process will heighten student awareness and accountability, allowing them to see the importance of their chosen track and to take the process of choosing it, along with completing it very seriously. Students who indicate interest in attending the BOCES program will be enrolled in a 10-week career exploration course. This will allow them to make a more informed decision about their track and will also allow them to see the investments that the district takes in securing these opportunities for them. It will also allow us to promote additional opportunities for students, specifically the internship program and the New Visions program. A panel, made up of our study group, a guidance counselor, and perhaps another administrator will screen prospective students, heightening awareness of career programs and the importance of hard work and dedication in completing individual career paths through CTE.
We have also agreed to allow English credit for seniors in the following programs; Criminal Justice, Culinary, Early Childhood, and Health Sciences provided students enroll in an academic elective. Other credits are awarded to students based on special circumstances and need. The English 12 class, as piloted this year will look a little different in the future. We found, through our work this year, that meeting with students every other day and allowing BOCES' senior project to drive the class was not effective for students. We will continue to focus on career readiness and align ELA work with individual career tracks, but our district will drive the curriculum, not BOCES.
Although our initial goals have changed slightly, our work so far has been very informative and promises to drive positive change and policies that will strengthen CTE for our students.
The opportunity to better understand the different programs at BOCES and to see where our curriculum aligned with their program was very helpful. We did find that a great deal of the original content that we had planned became redundant for students who completed almost identical assignments at BOCES. However, this did allow us to create new content, forming a collaboration that allowed co-teaching between the Business and English Departments.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest challenge that we faced was getting students to understand the importance of the material and keeping cohesion with the class only meeting every other day. Students first seemed upset that we were talking about business and finance in an English class, and then questioned the need for some of the content because they felt that they already did "all this" at BOCES. We did learn that Mr. Williams also teaches some aspects of financial literacy in his Economics class. However, students did become more receptive, especially when we started work on the business plans. Overall, we did see a great value in the co-teaching and collaboration between the two departments, and have a better base for possible future collaboration and curriculum development.
To avoid conflict with the extensive B.O.C.E.S. curriculum already in place, the English Department and Business Department collaborated in creating a unit that integrated financial literacy, career planning, and research skills. This unit allowed students to better prepare for their careers, from the application process and résumé to becoming an entrepreneur and retirement planning. This allowed students to engage in new content that could be directly applied to their B.O.C.E.S. and career tracks. This unit also integrated reading, writing, research, utilizing diverse sources, and technology.
ReplyDeleteFinancial Literacy/Employability Unit:
1. Brian Young from AXA Advisors speaking about retirement planning -401K, Roth IRA, etc.
2. Completing and understanding credit card applications/agreements, building and understanding credit scores, reading and understanding credit card statements, understanding interest rates, understanding the loan application process and different types of loans, etc.
3. Completing checking/savings account applications, reading and understanding bank statements, balancing checkbooks.
4. Budgeting: calculating actual salary, taxes, general cost-of-living, etc.
5. Excerpts from Rich Dad, Poor Dad to discuss financial planning and literacy, and excerpts the One Minute Manager to discuss how to deal with fellow employees, management and how to better manage.
6. Business Plan: mission statement, executive summary, target market, competition, equipment list, suppliers.
7. Résumé, cover Letter, thank you letter, professional email, memo, mock interviews and online portfolio
From Mary & Kathleen
ReplyDeleteOur experiences throughout the process of creating and co-teaching an English Business class highlighted the importance of providing students with career exploration. Students need to develop career-paths related their BOCES course selection. Evaluating the BOCES CTE programs provided us insight into curriculum development for our course.
Since developing life and career skills is part of the NYS Common Core Standards and 21st Century Skills, students interested in attending BOCES will be required to complete an application as mentioned by Stacy. We are hoping that this will alleviate the stigma for students attending a BOCES programs. Not all students will attend college. Students need to realize and understand that by attending BOCES, they are following a career path of their choosing and it’s important for them to be prepared to seek employment after they graduate from high school.
Working with the English Department on the Business/English class was a new experience for all of us. Students in high school need to be financially literate before graduating. There was only time to discuss checking accounts and credit. The class met every other day which made it difficult to stay on track with the topic.
Presenting the BOCES students with information on becoming an entrepreneur, based on the trade they acquired from the BOCES CTE program was an interesting experience. Most students could see the relevance of their academic studies and how it would benefit them outside of the classroom.
As we all know, education is evolving. We believe students be able to choose their career path and take the necessary courses Is it necessary for all students to take the core classes throughout their high school years? Student’s senior year could be the year for a work experience program. Newark Valley High School currently is involved in the VISIONS and the Youth Apprenticeship Program. We would like to establish school to work programs with local businesses to provide work experience for students. This would enable students to gain experience in their career path.